Frank Cunningham

  General Notes:

Butcher and Slaughterman. Twice went to Canada to work as a slaughterer, but came back to get married. Lived in Dunks Green and then went into army and fought in Palestine in the Great War. Whilst he was away his mother died and his wife Ellen was persuaded by Frank's older sisters to move into his mother's cottage (Church Cottage, Plaxtol) where his older brother William (Bill) was already living. It is not known who owned Church Cottage at the time but it was later part of the Fairlawne estate.

Frank worked for one of the village butchers and later started a butchers on the Fairlawne estate. He was famous for his sausages, which were sent to different parts of the country, probably after being served to the many famous house gusets at Fairlawne. These guests included the Queen, Lord Mildmay and P.G.Wodehouse - whose daughter Leonora married Peter Cazalet the racehouse trainer and owner of Fairlawne.

On retiring (the butchers business had to close when new laws governing abattoirs came into force) Frank moved to Cherry Tree Cottage, Marden, Kent. Cherry Tree Cottage was a small-holding of 3 acres and was bought for his parents to live in by his son Frank. The small-holding was run as a chicken farm for some years before they eventually moved to a new bungalow in Borough Green. Ellen died two days after moving to the bungalow in 1963 but Frank lived there until a few months before he died in 1980.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Census, 1901, Plaxtol Street, Plaxtol, Kent. Next recorded dwelling was the Post Office

• Occupation: Butcher.

• Census, 1891, Shipbourne, Kent, England. Age 3, living with parents

• Occupation: Houseboy on farm, 1901.

• Census, 1911, Plaxtol, Kent. Age 23 and living with his mother

• Occupation: Butcher, 1911, Plaxtol, Kent.

Frank married Ellen Louisa Grey, daughter of David Grey and Ellen Penfold, on 2 Sep 1914 in St. John Baptist, Putterham, Surrey, England. (Ellen Louisa Grey was born on 21 Dec 1885 in Puttenham Street, Puttenham, Surrey, England, baptised in St John the Bap., Puttenham, Surrey, England, died on 9 Jan 1963 in 3 Mountfield, Borough Green, Kent, England and was buried in Jan 1963.)

  Marriage Notes:

MARRIAGE: 2 SEP 1914, St John the Bap.,Puttenham,Surrey,England