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Sturgeon Family – the
Pembury Years
Arthur Edward Sturgeon
(1873 – 1949)
Arthur was born on the 11
September, 1873 in Little Whelnetham,
Suffolk. He was baptised at St
Mary Magdalene. His father was Edward
and his mother Sabina. Albert worked
as a Coachman/Groom in Lavenham,
Suffolk, then at St John’s Wood and
later, Brighton before semi-retiring.
The 1901 Census shows him living at
Station Road, Horley, Reigate. In
1907, the family moved to the then
newly built house, 1 Canterbury Road,
Pembury. Albert worked in Pembury as a
Chauffeur and Market Gardener, selling
his produce to grocers and
greengrocers In Tunbridge Wells and
local villages. |
Albert died on the 23 September, 1949 at
Ormond, Henwood Green Road aged 76. His
probate was given to Frederick Albert
Sturgeon, mechanical engineer.
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Emily
Sturgeon nee Byford (1872 –
1947)
Emily was born in Great Sailing,
Essex. She was in service to the Crittall
family. She married Albert Edward Sturgeon on
the 30 June, 1898 at All Saints Church,
Marylebone, London. They had nine children
(see below). Emily died in 1947.
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Photo above: Arthur E
Sturgeon, Emily Sturgeon, son Frederick Sturgeon and
daughter May Sturgeon.
Below: 1911
Census document (click image for detail enlargement)
| 1: Frederick Albert
Sturgeon
(1899 – 1981)
Frederick Albert was born in 1899
in St John’s Wood, Middlesex.
Fred married Marjorie Annie Poole
in 1922. They had four children:
Ronald born 1923, Lionel born 1936,
Norman born 1925 and Marjorie born
1931. Marjorie had a
sweet/confectionary shop and they
lived above the premises at Three
Ways, Hectorage Road, Tonbridge.
Frederick died in 1981 in Worthing.
Link below-
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| Frederick Sturgeon is shown in the
centre at the bottom of this
photograph. He is with the Poole
family. At the back: Ernest Poole and
Grace Poole. At the front, Frances
Poole, Frederick Sturgeon and Norah
Poole. |
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2 : May Ethel Sturgeon
(1901 – 1922)
May Ethel was born in Horley in 1901.
She married Albert J Goulds in 1927 in
East Peckham where they lived
throughout their lives. They had no
children. Sadly, May was
incapacitated. She died in 1948.Link
below-
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3 : Edward Ernest
Sturgeon
(1903 – 1968)
Edward Ernest Sturgeon was born in
Brighton, 1903. He was known as Ern.In
the Courier, 7 November, 1930, Edward
had to pay damages of £100 to a
gentleman as a result of an accident.
This payment appears to have
contributed to bankruptcy proceedings.
He married Mabel N Neve from Marden in
1931. They had two daughters, Pauline
born 6 May, 1933 and Gillian born in
1940. Gillian died in 1943. Ern
also served as a Special Constable and
became a successful Haulage Contactor
operating his business from Pitts
Farm, Henwood Green Road. The
1939 Register shows the family at
Pitts Farmhouse with other occupants
Joyce R Kelley (Willis), Barbara D
Foley (Willis), Dorothy A Randall and
two closed records. Ern’s business was
nationalised but a few years later,
after a change in Government, he was
able to buy it back. He sold the
business to a company from Edenbridge
who transferred the business there. He
sold his house and land and retired to
Worthing, Sussex. He died in
1968. Link below-
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4 : George Stanley
Sturgeon
(1905 – 1987)
George Stanley Sturgeon was born in
Brighton on the 25 March, 1905. His
family having moved to Pembury in
1907, he went to Pembury School aged
4. George was a member of the Pembury
Church Choir remembering after morning
service and lunch, the young
choristers walked to Sunday School at
Kenward at 2.30pm and then sang
evening song at the Old Church before
walking back for the evening service
at the Upper Church. (He later gifted
many things to the Church including
the tall flower stands.) George left
school at age 12 to work on a farm at
Pembury Grange.
…
He later became an assistant in the
Pembury High Street shop of W.Hills
(Butcher and Grazier) where they
slaughtered the animals on the
premises. He later moved with his
manager to open a new butcher’s shop
in Horley. In 1924, George joined
the Royal Horse Artillery and took
part in two musical rides at the
Royal Tournament. He always credited
his six years in the Army for
enabling him to study and make up
for the education he lost through
leaving school early.
…
He returned to Pembury in 1930
working in the Pembury Brickyard at
7d per hour. In 1932, George married
Margaret Ellen Rofe at Brenchley
Church. She was the daughter
of Florence and Len Rofe of Walnut
Tree near Brenchley. Len’s work as a
traction engine driver took him all
over Kent and Sussex. Margaret was
known as Meg. George was
earning £1.10s per week when they
were married. George and Meg
had eight children: listed in
the right hand panel. The
family lived at several addresses in
Henwood Green Road. See
details lower down the page.
…
George started his coal business
with a second-hand Chevrolet which
cost him £40 and raised his earnings
to £5 per week. He spent much of his
life building G.S. Sturgeon,
ploughing any profits back into the
business. Consequently, he was able
to expand into Road Haulage, Road
Contracting and Civil Engineering.
Sturgeon’s negotiated and completed
some major contracts locally and
throughout Kent. He acquired his own
yard and offices on Henwood Green
Road and built the family home,
Montrose, on site.
Five of George’s children, upon
leaving school, worked in different
roles in the business. Stella,
Gerald and Leo left to pursue other
careers. Rex and Nigel went on to
become partners in G.S. Sturgeon.
…
In 1945, George began 27 years of
service to Pembury Parish Council.
The Article “Families Leave as Gale
Wrecks Homes”, 25 April, 1947 shows
George as owner of Red Row cottages.
George also served on the Tonbridge
Rural District Council from 1957 and
became Chairman of Pembury Parish
Council in 1969. George
prepared the way for the
amalgamation of four Local
Authorities into Tunbridge Wells
District Council. He continued to
serve until age 75.
…
George was the Mayor of Tunbridge
Wells from 1974-1975. His portrait
(see image right) hangs in the
Tunbridge Wells Town Hall. His main
interest was in finance and housing.
In later years, he played Bowls for
Pembury and The Grove in Tunbridge
Wells. George died on the 16
November, 1987 at home in Montrose,
Henwood Green Road, Pembury. His
sons Rex and Nigel took over the
business trading as Sturgeon’s of
Pembury. His wife Margaret died at
home in Montrose in 2003.
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 Above: Kelly’s
Directory listing 1948
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5:
Violet Elizabeth Sturgeon (1909 –
1924)
Violet was born in 1909 and died in
1924 of heart failure aged 14. |
6:
Arthur Rex Sturgeon (1911 – 1933)
Arthur was born in 1911 and died in
Tunbridge Wells General Hospital as a result
of head injuries sustained after he crashed
his motorbike on 19 May 1933 in Tunbridge
Wells. He was 22. The tragedy had a
profound effect on the family especially his
brother, George.
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7:
Bertha Mabel (1913 – 1989)
Bertha Mabel was born in March 1913.
She married Walter E Williamson on the 5
December, 1937. They had a daughter, Erica.
They lived in Lamberhurst at Hill Cottage
(1939 Register) initially and later moved to
The Oast House, 36 Henwood Green Road. Walter,
known by everyone as Ted, established a
business as a small fruit farmer growing
Cherries. He also reared livestock mainly
pigs, for which he collected food waste from
houses in Pembury. Bertha died in 1989.
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8:
Laura Nelly Sturgeon (1915 – 1986)
Laura was born in Pembury in 1915.
She married Joseph W Taylor from Tunbridge
Wells in 1939. The 1939 Register shows
them living at 11 Standen Street. Joseph was a
butcher working for Sainsbury’s. They had two
children, Jennifer and John. They moved to
Southborough where Joseph had a butcher’s
shop. Sadly, Laura suffered a mental
breakdown and died in Cuckfield Hospital,
Haywards Heath in 1986.
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9: Joan
Muriel Sturgeon (1917 – 2003)
Joan was born in Pembury on 27
December, 1917. Joan married
Alan Herbert Baker in 1942.They had one child,
Patricia Joan born 1946. Alan became George
Sturgeon’s office manager. The family moved to
29 Henwood Green Road. Their daughter,
Patricia married a farm manager and moved to
Chichester. Joan died in 2003. |
Clarification
of House names and residences of the
Sturgeon family by Barry Sturgeon
The first house my parents lived in
was Orchard Cottage, Henwood Green Rd.
They later moved to Montrose,
Henwood Green Rd. ( I was born there in 1939)
Later, and after the end of WW2, my father
built a new house next to his yard and office.
They then transferred the Montrose name to the
new building. I think the reason for keeping
the Montrose name was to make it easy for him
as he received lots of business correspondence
etc.
The first Montrose was sold to my father’s
sister Joan Baker and husband who re named it
Ormond. |
Histroric details
compiled from notes & research by Barry Sturgeon
and Jane Grooms.
Web page compiled by
Tony Nicholls
Srurgeon Family
IMPORTANT !!!
This needs your help.
All contributions will be credited. If you
have any further information or corrections please
contact me –
Tony Nicholls email:
pemburyhistory@gmail.com
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Above:
George Sturgeon from a picture in
