My Dad's family

My Dad, Henry John Povey was an only child, the son of Henry George Povey and Sarah (Sally) Bennett.

Grandfather H.G. Povey, whom I never knew had a number of siblings, Dad’s aunts and my great-aunts.

Grandfather’s family had grown up in some style on Ashley Hill, Bristol in a mid-Victorian housing area where up and coming business people could buy fine houses.
I visited that house many times - more later.

Great Grandfather was a plumber, as was his son and grandson. Three generations of plumbers. My four brothers and I did not follow in those footsteps. We don’t do shit!

I think that my great grandfather was named Samuel George, or maybe George Henry Povey, but of that I cannot be sure. Family lore has it that he was an experimenter and dabbler in new ways of plumbing, and was known in a moment of frustration to have thrown a pot of hot lead across his workshop. We had in our family papers his contract with Bristol Corporation to do all the plumbing at the new Sefton Park School - circa 1870. Ninety or so years later my Dad was doing maintenance on that very same plumbing - lead pipes and all.

Dad had a Uncle Frank who committed suicide. Years later it was spoken of in hushed tones. He went into Leigh Woods and slit his wrists. His son, Gordon Povey (Dad’s first cousin) lived not far from us on Bannerman Road, and we would take occasional trips to visit him and his family.

Meanwhile, in that house on Ashley Hill lived Great Aunt Bess, in all her glory. She, in my mind was a mixture of good Queen Bess and Miss Haversham. Great Aunt Bess was badly crippled with arthritis, and spent most of her time in bed. I remember her long bony and knarled fingers reaching into her hand-bag to give me ten shillings.

She liked me as I went to the same High School as she had, and she liked my twin Elizabeth as they shared the same name.

Bess “let it be known” that she had some wealth, and that she would “pay for my education”. Truth was that she lived on a meagre old age pension.

She was waited on by a sister, my Great Aunt Lil (I am almost sure that was her name). She was a little simple minded, but provided amiable and helpful companionship for his sister. Bess dispatched her downstairs one day to get me some “junket” - the first and last time that I have eaten it!

There were two other Great Aunts. Minnie lived in a very lovely home in Weston-Super-Mare. She had married well. I’d make a visit to her when we had Sunday School Outings to Weston. I remember her sense of style, her grace, and her constant warm welcome.

Great Aunt Kate lived not far away in Uphill, near Weston-Super-Mare. I met her two or three times She too had married well. Minnie and Kate had children (other first cousins of my Dad) but they were of his generation, and I cannot remember meeting them.

Dad was often a loner, and he did not stay in touch with his cousins. But he was a good plumber!

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