Arthur James Finch 1886

Arthur James Finch was born on 8 June 1886 in Chelmsford, Essex, during the later years of Queen Victoria’s reign. His father, William Finch, was 39, and his mother, Alice, was 24.

At the time of Arthur’s birth, Britain was still a deeply Victorian country. Queen Victoria had been on the throne for almost 50 years, and Britain was one of the most powerful nations in the world.

Chelmsford itself was an important Essex town with a long history. It had been recognised as the county town of Essex since the early 13th century and had grown around its market, which dated back to a royal charter granted in 1199. By the late 19th century, Chelmsford was still closely connected to agriculture, markets and the surrounding countryside, but it was also beginning to feel the effects of Victorian industry, with engineering works and other trades becoming more important in the town.

Homes were lit by gas or candles, most people travelled by foot, horse, cart or train, and everyday life was strongly shaped by local community, church, work and family reputation.

Arthurs Family

Baptism 1886

Arthur was baptised on 31 Jul 1886 at Moulsham, St John The Evangelist, Essex.

Birth of Harry Finch 1888

His brother Harry was born on 6 June 1888 in Chelmsford, Essex, when Arthur was 1 year old.

Birth of Frederick Charles 1890

His brother Frederick Charles was born in 1890 in Chelmsford, Essex, when Arthur James was 4 years old.

The 1891 Census

In the 1891 Census, Arthur J. Finch is recorded as living with his family in Moulsham, Chelmsford, Essex. He was listed as a 4-year-old boy, born in Chelmsford, and was the son of William J. Finch and Alice Finch.

The surname appears in the transcription as “Firch”, but this is almost certainly a misreading of Finch, which is a common issue with handwritten census records. On the original image, the family name appears to read as Finch.

Arthur was living in the Civil Parish of Chelmsford, within the Registration District and Sub-Registration District of Chelmsford. The household was recorded in Enumeration District 10, on Piece 1386, Folio 44.

At the time of the census, Arthur was part of a young growing family. His father, William J. Finch, aged 44, was recorded as the head of the household and working as a gardener, general. His mother, Alice Finch, aged 30, was recorded as his wife. Arthur had several young siblings in the home, including his older brother William, aged 6, and younger brothers Harry, aged 2, and Frederick, aged 1.

The household was living in Moulsham, an area of Chelmsford with deep local roots. Moulsham had once been a separate settlement before becoming closely absorbed into the growing town of Chelmsford. By the late 19th century, the area would have had a mixture of older village character, working families, gardens, trades, and the increasing influence of Victorian town life.

For Arthur, this census captures him as a very young child in late Victorian Essex. He was growing up in a household where his father’s work as a general gardener would likely have been practical, physical and tied to the local land, estates, houses or market-garden style employment around Chelmsford. The family’s listing shows a modest working household with several small children, typical of many Victorian families of the period.

This record places Arthur firmly in Chelmsford in his early childhood, surrounded by his parents and brothers, before the later events of his life and the wider Finch family story unfolded.

Birth of Alice Ethel Finch 1893

(known as Ethel Alice)

His sister Ethel Alice was born in April 1893 in Chelmsford, Essex, when Arthur was 6 years old.

Birth of George Ernst Finch 1895

His brother George Ernest was born on 9 March 1895 in Chelmsford, Essex, when Arthur James was 8 years old.

Birth of Emily Beatrice Finch 1898

His sister Emily Beatrice was born on 28 February 1898 in Chelmsford, Essex, when Arthur James was 11 years old.

Death of Frederick Charles Finch 1901

Arthur suffered the loss of his younger brother, Frederick Charles Finch, in Chelmsford, Essex. Arthur was 14 years old at the time. Frederick was buried on 14 May 1901 at St Mary the Virgin, Chelmsford, with the burial recorded in the Rectory Lane Cemetery burial records for the parish of Chelmsford, St Mary the Virgin.

The 1901 Census

In the 1901 Census, the Finch family were recorded living in Moulsham, Chelmsford, Essex, within the Civil Parish and Registration District of Chelmsford. The head of the household was William J. Finch, aged 52, who had been born in Chelmsford around 1849. He was living with his wife, Alice Finch, aged 39, who had been born in Writtle, Essex.

By this time, the family had grown considerably. Their eldest son in the household, William Finch, was 16 and working as a gardener’s apprentice, suggesting he had begun following a practical trade. Arthur J. Finch, aged 15, was also working, listed as a turner at an electrical engineering works. This is an interesting detail, as it places Arthur in Chelmsford’s growing industrial world at the beginning of the 20th century, rather than in purely agricultural or domestic employment.

Also living in the household were Arthur’s younger brother Harry Finch, aged 13, and younger siblings Alice E. Finch, aged 8, George E. Finch, aged 6, and Emily B. Finch, aged 3. The census shows a busy working-class family home with several children ranging from toddlers to teenagers, some still at home and others already beginning working life.

This record captures Arthur at an important stage in his life. At 15 years old, he was no longer simply listed as a child or scholar, but as a young worker in the electrical engineering trade. Chelmsford was becoming increasingly known for electrical engineering and manufacturing around this period, so Arthur’s occupation reflects the changing character of the town. The Finch family were living in a community where older rural and gardening work existed alongside new industrial opportunities.

Birth of Christina Mabel Finch 1902

His sister Christina Mabel was born on 10 May 1902 in Chelmsford, Essex, when Arthur was 15 years old.

Birth of Leonard Victor Finch 1904

His brother Leonard Victor was born on 28 April 1904 in Chelmsford, Essex, when Arthur was 17 years old.

Death of William John Finch

Arthur's father William John Finch passed away in January 1907 in Chelmsford, Essex, at the age of 60.  Arthur is 20 at the time, the youngest in the household is Leonard Victor Finch who is 4.

The 1911 Census

In the 1911 Census, Arthur James Finch was recorded living at 168 Upper Bridge Road, Chelmsford, Essex. He was 24 years old, unmarried, and working as an engineer turner, showing that he had continued in the engineering trade first seen in the 1901 Census, when he was listed as a young turner in an electrical engineering works.

By 1911, the Finch household had changed significantly. Arthur’s father, William John Finch, who had previously been the head of the household, had died in 1907. This meant that Arthur’s mother, Alice Finch, was now recorded as the head of the family. She was 49 years old and living with several of her children at the family home in Chelmsford.

The address, 168 Upper Bridge Road, places the family firmly within Chelmsford at a time when the town was becoming increasingly associated with engineering and electrical manufacturing. Arthur’s occupation as an engineer turner suggests skilled manual work, likely involving the shaping or machining of metal parts. This would have been a practical and respected trade, especially in a town where engineering was becoming an important part of local employment.

Also living in the household were Arthur’s older brother William Finch, aged 26, who was working as an engineer’s labourer, and his younger brother George Ernest Finch, aged 16, who was working as a wood pattern maker. These occupations suggest that several of the Finch sons had moved into industrial or engineering-related work. Arthur’s younger sisters Emily Beatrice Finch, aged 13, and Christina Mabel Finch, aged 8, were still of school age, along with his youngest brother Leonard Victor Finch, aged 6.

This census captures the Finch family four years after the death of William John Finch. Alice was now managing the household as a widow, with her older sons working and likely helping support the family. Arthur, at 24, was no longer a child in the household but an adult son with a skilled occupation. The record gives a clear picture of a working family adapting after the loss of their father, with the older children moving into employment while the younger children remained at home.

168 Upper Bridge Road has been renumbered and the house is now 175 Upper Bridge Road.

Ethel Alice Finch 

Harry Finch

Marriage to Lucy Alice Herridge 1913

In July 1913, Arthur James Finch married Lucy Alice Herridge in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Arthur was around 27 years old at the time, while Lucy was also around 27, having been born on 9 March 1886 in Fifield, Berkshire.

This marriage marked an important new chapter in Arthur’s life. After growing up in Chelmsford, Essex, and working as an engineer turner, Arthur was now beginning his own family life. Lucy’s Berkshire roots suggest that Arthur’s life had begun to move beyond Chelmsford, connecting him with another part of southern England.

Their marriage took place just one year before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Like many couples who married in the years immediately before the war, Arthur and Lucy began married life during a period of great change. Britain was still enjoying the final years of the Edwardian era, but within a short time the country would be transformed by war, military service, industrial pressure and social upheaval.

The Great War (WWI)

Beginning in July 1914, the First World War changed the lives of families across Britain. At first, many believed the war would be over within a few weeks or months. Instead, it continued until November 1918, resulting in around 20 million deaths and 21 million wounded worldwide.

For Arthur James Finch, the outbreak of war came only a year after his marriage to Lucy Alice Herridge in 1913. By this time, Arthur was a skilled working man, recorded in the 1911 Census as an engineer turner. This was an important trade, involving precision work with metal parts, machinery and engineering equipment. Men with this kind of skill were valuable not only to the armed forces, but also to Britain’s wartime industries.

As the war dragged on, the demand for men increased. In January 1916, the Military Service Act introduced conscription for single men aged between 18 and 41, although exemptions were allowed for those who were medically unfit, clergymen, teachers and certain classes of industrial workers. Later, conscription was extended further.

Marriage William Finch

The Death of William Alfred Redger Bonnington

William Alfred Redger Bonnington died in January of 1915. He was the only surviving grandparent of the Finch Family and the father of Alice Finch nee Bonnington. He was 83 at the time of his death.

Birth of Ruby Finch 

Ruby Finch daughter of Arthur James Finch and niece of Leonard Victor Finch, was born 26th of April 1915 in Bonhill, Dunbartonshire.

The birth was registered by her father Arthur James Finch, he lists his occupation as [Factory Forman].

Arthur James Finch Valuation Roll 

The 1915 Valuation Roll records Arthur James Finch living at Argyll Park House.

The Munitions Factory

The Argyl Motor Works was a car factory in Alexandria. The factory was retrofitted into a munitions factory during the War effort, it was locally known as the "Torpedo Factory". 

Today it is know as the Lomond Galleries.

Harry Finch Acting Lead Stocker HMS H3

Harry Finch was killed on the 15th of July 1916 on the HMS H3 when the submarine hit a mine in the Gulf of Cattaro in the Adriatic Sea while on patrol. All 22 men on board lost their lives.

Brief History of Harry Finch's Military Service

• Harry joined the Royal Navy on 10th May 1909. His service number was K.2941. He was recorded as five feet three and one-tenth inches tall, with a 35.5 inch chest. His hair was auburn, his eyes brown. His first posting was to H.M.S. Acheron as a Stoker 2nd Class.
• He was promoted to Stoker 1st Class, 10th May 1910, reporting to H.M.S. Pembroke II from 4th August 1910.
• Harry returned to H.M.S. Pembroke II on 15th May 1913, before moving to H.M.S. Boaventure from 2nd June 1913, and was there at the outbreak of the war on 4th August 1914 he was promoted to Acting Leading Stoker 1st October 1914 and then moved to H.M.S. Dolphin (Submarine H3) on 7th April 1915.

For more in-depth information on Harry Finch and his military career visit his page on Chelmsford at War.

Two articles published in the Chelmsford's local papers give a snapshot of the time.

Essex County Chronicle:

elmsford, has been officially informed that her son Harry, an acting leading stoker in the Navy, has lost his life on duty in one of H.M. ships on war service. Mrs. Finch has another son in the Navy, and another in the Essex Regt., who is now in hospital suffering from his third wound, a rather bad one in the thigh.”

The Death of Alice Finch

Alice Finch nee Bonnington died on the 11th of August 1917 the obituary in the local newspaper gives a hint that she had been ill for a while with the statement "after a long and Painful Illness".

The death certificate states that Alice Finch died from Heart Disease and Kidney Inflammation. The death is registered by A. J. Finch (Arthur James Finch), it is stated he was 'present at death'. He states his usual address as Alexandria in Scotland, matching the valuation roll and birth certificate of RubyFinch.

Birth of Kathleen Olive Finch 1918

The 2nd child of Arthur James Finch and Lucy Alice Finch nee Herridge. Kathleen Olive Finch is born in Alexandria. This means that Arthur James Finch has been at one stable address throughout the War. 

Birth of Vera May Finchn1920

Vera May Finch is born on the 20th of March 1920, the first child of William Finch and Beatrice Alice Finch nee Bartlett.

Birth of Arthur Cecil Finch 1920

Arthur Cecil Finch was born on 6 April 1920 in Bray, Berkshire, England, the son of Arthur James Finch and Lucy Alice Finch, formerly Herridge.

His birth came nearly seven years after Arthur and Lucy’s marriage at Braywood Church, Bray, in July 1913. By the time Arthur Cecil was born, the world had changed dramatically. His parents had married in the final year before the outbreak of the First World War, and his early life began in the aftermath of that conflict, during a period when many families were trying to rebuild normal life after years of loss, uncertainty and disruption.

Bray was also an important location in the Finch and Herridge family story. Lucy Alice Herridge had strong family connections to the area, with her father Samuel Herridge recorded as living at Bray Vale at the time of her marriage. Arthur Cecil’s birth in Bray therefore suggests that Arthur James and Lucy remained closely connected to Lucy’s Berkshire family roots after their wedding.

Ethel Alice Finch Marries Luke Brown 1920

In June 1919, Ethel Alice Finch married Luke Brown in Watford, Hertfordshire. Ethel, who had been born as Alice Ethel Finch, was the daughter of William John Finch and Alice Finch of Chelmsford, Essex. Her marriage came at an important moment, not only in her own life, but in the wider Finch family story.

By this time, Ethel had already experienced considerable change and loss. Her father, William John Finch, had died in 1907, and by the 1911 Census she was no longer living in the family home at Upper Bridge Road, Chelmsford. Instead, she was working away from home as a domestic servant in Writtle, Essex. This was a common path for young women of her background, offering employment, board and a degree of independence, though it often meant living under the authority of another household.

Her marriage to Luke Brown, who was born in 1891 and died in 1936, took place shortly after the end of the First World War. Britain in 1919 was emerging from years of upheaval, grief and uncertainty. Many families were rebuilding their lives after the war, and marriages in this period often marked a return to ordinary hopes: home, stability and family life.

The location of the marriage in Watford, Hertfordshire, rather than Chelmsford, suggests that Ethel’s life had moved beyond her original Essex family home. Like several of the Finch siblings, she appears to have followed work, family connections or opportunity away from Chelmsford. Her marriage represents another branch of the Finch family spreading into a new area.

The Finch Family in1921

Lucy Alice Finch (wife of Arthur James Finch)

Lucy Alice Finch and her three children appear on the 1921 Census as visitors in her brother Frederick John Herridge's house.

Address 1 Railway Road, Newbury.

There is no reference to Arthur James Finch and he does not appear on the 1921 census in Scotland or England.

Leonard Victor Finch

By the time of the 1921 Census, Leonard Victor Finch appears in Edinburgh as an “inmate” of the Edinburgh Home for Working Lads, situated on Ponton Street in the Fountainbridge area of the city. The term “inmate” in this context should not be understood in the modern prison sense. It was commonly used in institutional records to describe someone living within a home, refuge, training establishment or similar residential institution.

The Edinburgh Home for Working Lads, previously associated with the Edinburgh Industrial Brigade, was intended to provide accommodation, structure and training for young men. For someone like Leonard, who had lost both parents at a young age, it may have offered not only a place to live, but also food, supervision and the chance to learn a useful trade.

What makes Leonard’s presence there particularly interesting is that the home appears to have been occupied almost entirely by young men from Edinburgh and the surrounding area. There were only a small number of residents born outside Scotland. One was William Wilson Stenright, from Northumberland, and another was Edward Nicol, born in Washington, USA. Apart from these examples, the furthest most residents had travelled from their place of birth appears to have been from areas such as Perthshire and Ayrshire.

This makes Leonard’s placement unusual. As a boy from Chelmsford, Essex, he does not appear to have been part of any wider group of Essex-born boys sent to the institution. The absence of other residents from Essex suggests there was probably no formal or regular link between Chelmsford organisations and the Edinburgh Home for Working Lads.

A likely explanation is that Leonard’s older brother, Arthur James Finch, played a role in arranging his placement. Arthur had registered their mother’s death and was resident in Scotland at the time, so he may have been the family member best placed to act on Leonard’s behalf. Given Leonard’s young age and family circumstances, it seems reasonable to suggest that Arthur helped secure him a place in an institution that could house him, feed him, and provide him with training toward a skilled trade.

This 1921 Census entry is therefore significant because it shows Leonard separated from his Essex roots and beginning a new life in Edinburgh. It also strengthens the idea that Arthur James Finch may have been the crucial link between the Finch family in Chelmsford and Leonard’s later life in Scotland.

William Finch

In 1921 William Finch was living in Chelmsford with his wife Beatrice Alice Finch, daughter Vira May Finch and a Boarder, John Gilmore Robinson.

Both William and the Boarder John are working for Marconi's Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company in Chelmsford.

George Ernst Finch 

George Ernst Finch appears on the 1921 census living in Staines as a Boarder in the home of Stephen James Gorrod. Both George and James work for Laganda Ltd a car manufacturer later acquired by Aston Martin.

Emily Beatrice Finch and Christina Mabel Finch

Emily and Christina appear on the census together living at 15 Chaplin Road, Willesden both working as Men's Room Attendants. Both list their place of work as London General Omnibus, Omnibus Proprietors co, specifically at the Willesden Garage. 

Ethel Alice Brown (nee Finch)

In the 1921 Census, Ethel Alice Brown, formerly Ethel Alice Finch, was recorded living at Station Road, Radlett, in the parish of Aldenham, Hertfordshire. She was listed as 28 years and 2 months old, married, British, and born in Essex, England. Her occupation was given as “home duties”, with her place of work recorded as “at home”, reflecting her role within the household after her marriage.

Ethel was living with her husband, Luke Brown, who was recorded as the head of the household. Luke was 29 years and 11 months old, born in Shepherd’s Bush, and working as a general dealer. The census suggests he was working on his own account, meaning he was self-employed rather than employed by a company. His place of work was also given as at home, which may indicate that the family’s home was connected to his trade or that his work was carried out from the household address.

Also present in the household was Grace Wicks, aged 6 years and 1 month, recorded as a visitor. She was born in Bankswell, London. Her exact relationship to Luke and Ethel is not stated in the census, but her presence suggests a family, friendship, or temporary caregiving connection.

Photograph

This is the earliest known photo of Leonard Victor Finch, taken in approximately 1921. The image was taken at a Football Camp organised by the Edinburgh Industrial Brigade. Locations could be Gullane (East Lothian), Ladywell (Fife) or Bonaly (Edinburgh). According to various reports, these were the main locations the home-organised camps.

Marriage of Leonard Victor Finch

Leonard Victor Finch married Rachel Burns Sutherland on the 21st of December 1929.