Emily Lang (nee Bird)

Facts (to be confirmed)

Emily Bird was born in Dublin, Ireland on the 3^rd May I886 or 2nd May 1887 (I don't think a lot of people actually knew their real birth date according to research I have done)  to William Bird (who lived possibly in Kanturk, Watergate Lane Parish Comfort, Cork) and Kate (Kathleen or Katherine) Irwin and was one of 4 children I think (Emily, Roseanna (Rose), Kathleen and Eleanor). I think William and Kate were their parents but William died in 1898 when Emily would have only been about 12 or 13. Kate then remarried (need to confirm dates) and after some time Emily was sent to be with her Aunt and Uncle, Emily Robson (nee Bird) and Bartholomew Robson (Swinyard).

According the birth records, she was baptised on the 17^th May 1886 at St Andrew’s Church (All Hallows') RC Chapel*, Dublin and lived at 5 Mead Cottages, Dublin.

According to the 1901 census

Kate Irwin (her mother) was a widow aged 33 (so born 1867 approx) and a cleaner at the Civil Service Office in Dublin. The residence address was 31.3.1901 and the address was listed as 43.6 Denzille Street, Trinity, Dublin and was a Roman Catholic. She could also read and write.

There were 4 children - all girls (definitely a trait in the Lang family I think...) - Emily (14), Eleanor (13), Rose (9) and Kathleen (6).

There definitely is a link to a Dunne family - I have a photo of a Mattie Dunne who was she? I also found a record on the National Archives of Ireland that a John Dunne lived at Mead Cottages who apparently made a claim against the Wynn’s Hotel, Abbey Street, Lower Mead’s Cottages, Wentworth Place – asked for £2.2.6 for destruction of clothing – payment of £3.15s was recommended by the Committee. PLIC/1/6031.

I have looked up Denzille Street and have also found that a William Dunne (relation to Mattie and John?) was an inhabitant or Ratepayer and lived in the drawing room and the back parlour.

Time in India, Karachi and the Persian Gulf

I have found a Passenger List which contains 

Memories

She was always known to us as Grandma Lang and I remember going with my dad to collect her on a Sunday and also remember her lovely apple pie. She was also responsible for my learning and loving crafts – she taught me crocheting and knitting.

I do have a very very old photo of her when she was young – she went to France in the early 1900’s to become a governess to a Count’s children in Arcachon and one story is that she had to leave because both the Count and his son fell in love with her! She then met Percy when he was over in Croydon on furlough and eventually married him in 1912.

From the many stories I heard from my mother, she was a very very strange woman – taking out a lot of her frustrations at having so many children out on them. But thinking about it it must have been so tough for a widow (without any real income)  being responsible for 7 children when Percy died in 1930. All of the children had been sent to boarding school in England (apparently to prevent them being kidnapped by bandits in the Khyber Pass, India.

She and Percy (see previous blog post) moved around the Middle and Far East several times as he worked for the Indo-European Telegraph Department (there were a couple of times when he was demoted for various reasons (of which I need to find out more).

There are so many myths and legends surrounding her (some of her own making to be honest) and some of the things that she came out with were just plain silly – like she remembered traffic lights in the desert!!

Here is a colourised version of the above photo:-

To start with, I think Emily looks very thoughtful – probably thinking of all the children she had or was going to have, how hot it was out there and so on…She also appears to be wearing very fashionable clothes (how they wore them out in the Persian Gulf, India etc when the heat must have been horrendous I don’t know…). She was only 4ft 11in and to wear a corset/cummerbund and heavy clothes etc must have been so tough.

I am not sure how long into the marriage this photo was taken (she and Percival Wilfred Lang married in November 1912 in Croydon) but she did have her first child in 1913 and then went on to have 7 others over the next few years including a set of twins, one of which was my mother.

I wonder what part of the house this was taken in? I have photos of what is called “their bungalow” but am not sure if it was theirs or James Matthew’s (Percy’s grandfather).

She died on the 3^rd August 1979, 17 Overton Road, Sutton, Surrey – I remember my mum going to visit her as often as she could when she moved into the nursing home – I think she would have loved to have stayed at home but just couldn’t cope. She died of old age but the official report on her death certificate states cerebral thrombosis /cerebral arteriosclerosis.

According to another record in 1951(Royal Warrant Pension) India Office Pension to the National Bank of India, 26 Bishopsgate, London EC2 of £35.00

In her will ( 9.3.1969) – beneficiaries included Rose Frances Hall (sister) £250.00, David Hall (her grand nephew) £100.00, Catherine Hoy (her granddaughter £100.00 and Grant Fuller (my brother) £100.00 – think they were all her godchildren.

Langholme as it was called recoloured from black and white photo

I can often remember going to her place in Alma Road, Carshalton and was always spooked out by the house as it was always so dark. It was an incredible house – with an Anderson or Morrison shelter in the garden – it was always full to the brim of stuff and there were several rooms downstairs (including a small passageway at the back of the house. There were 2 bedrooms on the first floor and a bathroom (where my mum apparently cut and scarred the bottom of her back when a chamber pot broke and cut her! Grandma Lang’s bedroom was in the front of the house and she had a really large box full of presents that she used to receive but never open and then give them to other people when they had birthdays etc. There were then 2 other smaller bedrooms up a short flight of stairs.

I have now found this wonderful photo of Percy and Emily (which I have digitally colourised) on their wedding day – it does look to be quite a grand affair as they had the reception at Bartholomew and Emily Robson’s house, Lifford Lodge in Croydon (well it would make sense as it is mentioned on the marriage certificate and I recognise the ivy surrounding the house behind them…. She has such thick hair (something I only remember as being white – I wonder what colour it was to start with? Percy does look a kindly man too – not too tall though as Emily was only about 5' tall

   

Kate Irwin – Emily’s mother

William Dunne (relation to Mattie) https://databases.dublincity.ie/burgesses/viewdoc.php?burgessid=126858&djvupath=imagefiles&orderby=007030&imagefile=BR.1910.1549.jpg