All that I know of Richard, Thomas Norrison Marr`s brother (DWG – born 20 July 1810) comes from Derek, his great-grandson. It is quite extraordinary how we came into contact with one another. Searching for a photograph of Thomas Norrison Marr, I asked Peggy Miller, a staunch Methodist, if she would try to locate one on a religious network, hoping that a picture might have been taken and preserved of a chapel foundation laying (such events were not normally photographed as early as the 1870s and 80s, but exceptionally some pioneer might have been active.) Peggy put a notice in the Dalesman, a Yorkshire magazine. This produced a reply from Mary Marr, widow of Herbert Marr`s son Ronald, living in Hutton-le-Hole. At much the same time Derek Marr, then living at Instow in North Devon, had seen Mary Marr`s name in the same magazine, and as he had been bitten by the desire to find out a bit more of his family background, he wrote to her. By this time I was in touch with Mary, she sent me Derek`s letter to her, and we went to see Derek and Dil, who bravely invited us, unseen, to lunch!
The earlier phases of Richard`s life have been covered. His children were Richard Alexander, born 30 October 1853, George Henry, baptized 16 August 1856 and Ann Hetty Marth a baptized 8 January 1864. Anne married Arthur Fownes, ‘an iron master’ who subsequently began a glove making business which today bears his name. The Fownes witnessed Richard Alexander`s Will drawn up in 1904, and Arthur Fownes then described himself as Secretary, Forge Company, of East Bolden, Co. Durham.
Richard`s first son Richard Alexander (hereafter called RAM for short), was a founder of a firm of corn merchants called Marr and Loveridge at 32 High St., Hull. He lived at Thornton, Elden Grove, Hull, with his first wife Mary Anne (Bonny) Brown, by whom he had Alexander Browne (Alec) Marr. Bonny died 23 December 1893. His second wife was Mary Jane Goodlass, known to Derek as The Mater. By his second wife he had Colin, who became a Church of England priest, based for a time in Cambridge. Colin attended my grandfather`s funeral in 1933, so some connection remained between the families up to that time, though I do not recall any mention of it; but I did know of his existence. Colin`s mother died in Cambridge at his house, 82 Huntington Rd., on 11 August 1933, when she was described as ‘of Hull’, the notice of her death saying ‘on the Festival of the Transfiguration, and pass forward into life’. She was 66. I don`t know if she was mourned by any of the Cambridgeshire Marrs. Colin was married to Dorothy Margaret Harland, daughter of the Reverend W G Harland of The Vicarage, Lythe Hall at St. Oswald`s Church, Lythe near Whitby, by the Rev. the Marquis of Normandy. Colin died in 1976 and his widow in February 1990. They had a daughter, Mary, born in 1921 who married John Youings.
After RAM`s death on 3 June 1916 his widow moved to another house called Thornton in Barrow Lane, Hessle, Hull, with Lassie, one of Henry (of Willerby Wold)’s daughters, and Tilly (Miss Till) Colin`s ex- nanny who remained as the Mater`s companion/housekeeper.
After Loveridge retired the firm became Marr and Son, but it was forced to close because of the Russian Revolution and collapse of the grain export market. They had been buyers of wheat from Russia and Canada and sellers to millers. The milling trade evolved, eliminating the merchant middle men. As a result Alec Browne Marr was unable to fulfil the Will of his father and support his step-mother the Mater and her son Colin. Colin took all the residual assets, causing disruption of the family.
Alec (1878-1942) married Eleanor Smith (1881-1974) and begat 2 children, Kathleen (1906-1982) who married William Drew, and Derek (born 1908), who married Hilda (Dil) Johnson, and their one daughter Helen Alexandra, married to Michael Heyworth. Thus Derek is the last Marr of Richard`s line.
George, who somehow eluded the 1871 census at Thornton-le-Dale, lived and died at Hornsea, had 3 children, Mabel, a spinster, Harold, a bachelor and Leonard who had a daughter Mary. He founded George H Marr Ltd., to make flour bags and ships fenders, with capital of £12,000, which went into voluntary liquidation in 1933. George kept wicket for Yorkshire Gentlemen. These details about George`s family solved the problem which otherwise would have remained obscure. My mother received a number of postcards, which she had collected while living at Flotmanby, from ‘Harold Marr’, who did not appear at all in our records until we met Derek. On one postcard Harold wrote that he could not find any more different cards of Hull. He actually lived and died in Driffield, but must have been asked by my mother to send cards to add to her collection. Harold is said to have held a Lonsdale Belt for amateur boxing.
