Ivy Hudgill

1917 - 1993

Epping Essex

Ivy Hudgill had puzzled me for many years.

Fred Brown in one of our many conversations had said that he went to school in Epping with her in the early 1920's so I knew she was not a figment of my imagination, but,  I had searched through all the births, marriages and deaths but not found anything at all about  Ivy Hudgill, who was said to have been the daughter of James Hudgill and his wife Annie Wood who had married in 1902 after James came back from serving in the Boer War.

But then I had a surprise when Ivy's son Peter got in touch with me in late 2005 and here is Ivy's story.

Minnie Austin was the sister of Annie Jane Wood who had married James Hudgill  in 1902. Both James and Minnie's husband came from Hemnall Street so more than likely already know each other. James and Annie never had any children of their own and when Minnie died of epilepsy in May 1918 James and Annie took on the care of Ivy, leaving her father who worked very long hours as a hay binder to look after the other children, he was not an educated man although a very hard worker and even then could only sign with his cross on his wife's death certificate. Ivy's siblings carried on living with their father at Fishers Cottage, Allnutts Estate, Epping and Ivy went to live not far way at 95 Bell Common with her aunt and uncle.

	The Bell Inn on Bell Common around 1955

Ivy met and married John Dawkins from Thornwood Common North Weald in 1944 and they married in May of that year at The Church of St Mary Theydon Bois, Epping.

		Ivy met and married John Dawkins from Thornwood Common North Weald in 1944 and they married in May of that year at The Church of St Mary Theydon Bois, Epping.
St Mary's Church Theydon Bois Epping

Ivy still shared Annie Hudgill's home  (James had died in 1943) until the early 1950's when she moved to a Nissan hut on North Weald Aerodrome and from there to a caravan site in Boreham Essex and then on to the prefab in  Writtle. John Dawkins, Ivy's husband being away a lot of the time in the Army.

	Picture taken about 1966 outside her prefab house in  Writtle Essex

Picture taken at Peter's wedding in 1972

With grand daughter Nicola in 1974

Ivy in 1985

Ivy died on the 16th February 1993 in a nursing home in Great Leighs Chelmsford where she had been for the last 3 years of her life.