John Arthur Dowsett

Name - "official" name John Dowsett and what they were known as John Arthur Dowsett

Date and place of birth
1st Jan 1895 – Patcham, Sussex

Names of parents –
John Dowsett and Ann ?

Details of each of his or her marriages - if any - and any divorces
Marriage to Dorothy Scrutton 26 Aug 1916, Epping Parish Church, by licence
1928-He petitions for divorce against Dorothy – cross-allegations of adultery – it all eventually fizzles out in 1929

Occupation(s) - if any
Car Mechanic, Soldier, working in armament factory in Liverpool, may have been in business in Malta with HW Wicks

Military service – not sure
Addresses where they lived
- and please list which censuses you have or haven't found him/her on, if applicable.

1901 – Patcham – aged 6
1911 – not sure – may be houseboy in mental institution

Date, place and cause of death – not sure


Date and place of burial / cremation.
Details of will / administration of their estate - if applicable
Memorial inscription - if any

[kiterunner]

There is a medal index card for a John A Dowsett gunner no 21971 in the Royal Horse Artillery, which may or may not be him. There don't seem to be any surviving records though, unless he stayed in the army after WW1 in which case his records would still be with the MOD.

His birth certificate should give you his mother's maiden name.

[Margaret in Burton]

I can't see a likely death in this country

Thanks Kite - on his marriage cert in 1916 he is a Soldier, stationed at Victoria Barracks, Windsor - so I guess that would fit.

I know I should have done, but I have never applied for thr birth cert - but I will do now.
I always seem to be looking forwards rather than backwards, if that makes sense!

[Merry]

Marriage to Dorothy Scrutton 26 Aug 1929

Should that be 1916?

[Merry]

He doesn't actaully have a middle name on his birth reg:

Births Mar 1895
Dowsett John Steyning 2b 282

[Merry]

Muggins (or anyone else who has followed Muggins threads more closely than I have) - does the name Florence Hilda Baxter mean anything?

[kiterunner]

I can't find the Thompson / Wicks marriage that you're talking about, so I'm giving up on that.

Merry - you are right the date of the marriage was 1916 - have changed it. I was thinking it had been a long time since I had made a mistake!

I've never heard of Florence Hilda Baxter - just out of interest, can you remember what part of the country the death was in?

I always refer to him as John Arthur, as that is what is on his marriage certificate - - so I've changed that too !

I'm afraid he was a bit of a shady character too, I think!

Have been putting together some of what I have -

1916 - marriage to Dorothy Scrutton

1922 -3 - Dorothy has 2 children

1927- sails to Curacao

1928 - John petitions for divorce

1929 - Divorce proceedings fizzle out and petition is dismissed

1929 (?) - Dorothy moves to France with my mother

1930 - John writes to the Home Office requesting that my mother's sister be added to the passports of HW Wicks and Caroline Wicks, but not to the passport of Dorothy.

1939 -John is working in an armaments factory in Liverpool and being watched by MI5.

1960 - John dies in Hove, that surprised me as it is where Dorothy was living (although they led separate lives)

Have just sent for his birth cert

[ElizabethHerts]

Florence Hilda Baxter died in Cobham, Surrey. She was a mother of a Wicks and grandmother of a Dowsett and Thompson.

Muggins, you have J A's father as John. Just for the record, he seems to use William J too:

1891 Census
DOWSETT, William J
STEYNING, Sussex
RG12 piece 824 folio 54 page 11
DOWSETT, William J Head Married M 30 1861 Coachman Maldon Essex
DOWSETT, Ann Wife Married F 31 1860 Combe Somersetshire
DOWSETT, Mary May Daughter F 2 1889 Patcham Sussex