First World War in Headington and Marston
Roll of Honour of St Nicholas’s Church, Old Marston

John Edwin EADLE (1880–1917)

John Edwin Eadle was born in Old Marston in 1880, the son of John Edwin Eadle senior (born in Marston and baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 13 March 1836) and his second wife Emma Stringer née Collison (born in Cuddesdon in c.1844).

John Edwin Eadle senior married his first wife Elizabeth Mary Cummins (born in Marston in 1840 and known as Mary) at St Nicholas’s Church Old Marston on 6 October 1861. She already had an illegitimate child, Richard Cummins (born in Marston in 1858 and baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 23 May 1858). They had the following children:

• John Edwin Eadle (born in Marston and baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 10 November 1861, died aged 15 months and buried in the churchyard on 18 January 1863)
• [probably] Charles Eadle, born in Marston in early 1863, died aged 6 months, and buried in the churchyard on 27 July 1863
• William John Eadle (born in Marston and baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 24 January 1864)
• Eliza Eadle (born in Marston and baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 5 June 1865; died aged 16 months and buried in the churchyard on 29 August 1866)
• Alice Mary Eadle (apparently known as Mary, born in Marston and baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 21 April 1867)
• George Eadle (born in Marston and baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 27 December 1868)
• Henry Eadle (born in Marston in early 1870 and baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 28 August 1870).

The 1871 census shows John’s father living in Old Marston with his wife and four surviving children and working as a farm labourer. His stepson, Richard Cummins, also lived with them and was already working as an agricultural labourer at the age of 13.

John Eadle’s first wife Mary died at the age of 32 and was buried at St Nicholas’s Church on 27 May 1872.

Five years later on 7 October 1877 John’s father married his second wife, the widow Mrs Emma Stringer at St Nicholas’s Church. Formerly Emma Collison, John’s mother had married her first husband William Stringer at the same church on 14 December 1863, and they had one son:

• John Stringer (born in Marston and baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 3 April 1864)

Emma’s first husband, William Stringer, died at the age of 23 and was buried at St Nicholas’s Church on 9 July 1864. Just under three years later she had an illegitimate child, described as “son of Emma, widow”:

• William Charles Stringer (born in Marston in the fourth quarter of 1866 and baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 7 April 1867).

At the time of the 1871 census Emma (27) was living in Old Marston village with her two children at the home of her parents, John & Ann Collison.

Following their marriage in 1877 John & Emma Eadle had two more children together:

• John Edwin Eadle (born in Marston in mid-1880 and baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 9 January 1881)
• Mary Elizabeth Eadle (born in Marston and baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 16 March 1885).

The Eadle family were living in Elsfield Road, Old Marston at the time of 1881 census, when John was just six months old. Three of his four older step-siblings were already at work: William (17) was an agricultural labourer, Alice (14) was a domestic servant, and George (12) was a farm boy. Mary’s two older children, John Stringer (17) and his half-brother William Stringer (14) were also both farmer’s boys and living with her parents, the Collisons.

The 1891 census shows that John Eadle junior (11) was still at school. His father, John Eadle senior (55) was still working as an agricultural labourer and living in Old Marston (probably still at Elsfield Way) with Mary and his four children (George and Henry from his first marriage, and John and Mary from his second) as well as William Stringer (22, and described as a “boarder” rather than as his stepson). Also living with them is his granddaughter Emily Mary Eadle (10 months), baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 22 June 1890, the illegitimate daughter of (Alice) Mary Eadle.

The next year John’s father died at the age of 56, and was buried at St Nicholas’s Church on 21 August 1892.

By the time of the 1901 census John’s widowed mother Emma (56) was living in Elsfield Road, Old Marston with her three unmarried children: John Edwin Eadle himself, now 20 and a cattleman on a farm; his sister Mary (17); and his half-brother William Stringer (34). Her granddaughter Emily (10) still lived with her, but was now described as her daughter.

♥ In the second quarter of 1903 in the Headington Registration District John Edwin Eadle junior married Minnie Fleet (born in Bow, London in 1880, registered Poplar second quarter), and they had two children:

• Cecil Edwin Eadle (born in Old Marston on 7 November 1904, baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 25 December 1904)
• Minnie Louisa Eadle (born in Old Marston on 1 September 1910, baptised at St Nicholas’s Church on 23 October 1910).

The 1911 census shows John (30) living in Church Lane, Old Marston with his wife and two young children, and working as a pig man on a farm. Meanwhile his widowed mother Emma Eadle was now living at Tilehurst Cottages, Marston Road (then in Old Headington parish) with her son William Stringer (46), her unmarried daughter Mary Elizabeth Eadle (27), and Mary’s first three illegitimate children. By 1917, John’s mother had moved to Edgeway Road.

In the First World War John Edwin Eadle joined the army in 1916 and served as a Private in the 1st/4th Battalion of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Service No. 203684). He was killed in action in Belgium at the age of about 38 on 16 August 1917.

 

He has no known grave, but is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial (Panel 96 to 98) and on the Roll of Honour of St Nicholas’s Church, Old Marston.

Left: Photograph of J. E. Eadle’s name on the Tyne Cot Memorial, kindly supplied by the British War Graves project