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William HOWARD
1891 -
Has 2 ancestors and one descendant in this family tree.
Set As Default Person 
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Name William HOWARD Relationship 
with Teresa Ann GOATHAM Residence From 1891 26, Gun Street, Spitalfields, London, England 
- The abode of his mother and her mother at the time of the 1891 census, three months before William's birth, and the address given by his mother as her home on his birth registration. If he spent his early years at this address it would explain why he gave his place of birth as Spitalfields for the 1911 and 1921 censuses.
Born 5 Jul 1891 Infirmary, Baker’s Row, Mile End New Town, London, England - GRO ref: HOWARD, William q3 1891 Whitechapel RD 1c 285; GRO onlince index does not show a mother's maiden name, suggesting he was illegitimate.
The above seemed to be him from age when he married according to PR entry (27) and place in the 1921 census.
The details on the birth registration entry (GRO register copy) confirms it, when combined with other sources.
The 1921 census shows his birthplace as Spitalfields, which was in Whitechapel RD, but his birth registration shows although his mother's abode was Spitalfields (and so his once he left hospital) he was born in an infirmary in Mile End New Town. His mother was still there when his birth was registered, 6 days after his birth.
His mother Annie is clearly the one born in Liverpool, from the census 3 months before his birth when she was at the same address as her abode on his birth registration. His marriage PR entry shows an alias SLARKE, and his father was recorded as Edwin SLARKE, those this was then struck through in a correction. In the 1901 census both Annie and William, shown as born Liverpool and London respectively, are recorded with an Edwin and a young son of Edwin and Annie's. All are recorded with the surname HARKE, but the baby's birth registration index entry shows he was a SLARKE. HARKE was clearly a mis-reading of SLARKE.
Gender Male Also known as William SLARKE Residence 1911 45, Reading Lane, Hackney, London, England - William was a boarder in the home of printer's warehouseman William Kimber and his family. likely a work colleague. William (shown as William Slark) and another boarder were sharing a five-roomed house with the Kimber family of 7.
Residence 1921 Louisburg Barracks, Bordon, Hampshire, England 9th Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery Child Status Illegitimate Died Perth Reg Dist, Western Australia, Australia Siblings1 brother and 1 sister Patriarch & Matriarch 
Edwin SLARKE, b. Abt 1862, City of London, London, England, d. Between 1911 and 1919 (Age ~ 49 years) (Father) 
Annie HOWARD, b. Abt 1863, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, d. Dec Q 1918, Whitechapel Reg Dist, London, England (Age ~ 55 years) (Mother) Person ID I300486 All | All in the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study Last Modified 28 Aug 2023
Father Edwin SLARKE, b. Abt 1862, City of London, London, England , d. Between 1911 and 1919 (Age ~ 49 years) Relationship stepson Mother Annie HOWARD, b. Abt 1863, Liverpool, Lancashire, England , d. Dec Q 1918, Whitechapel Reg Dist, London, England (Age ~ 55 years) Relationship biological son Married Bef 1900 - No marriage found, I suspect they were just living together as though a married couple. No sign of Edwin on the scene when Annie's son William was born in 1891, so the relationship probably started between then and 1900, although in the 1911 census Annie said she had completed 25 years of marriage!
She also said she had had 5 children in the marriage, only one of whom was still living. I have only found two SLARK(E)s with a mother's maiden name of HOWARD, John who was with the family in 1901 but who died the next year, and his twin, who died soon after her birth.
It is most likely the other two were born and died between censuses, likely registered as HOWARDs without a mother's maiden name, so they would be very difficult to identify.
Married? Not married or evidence to suggest they didn't marry Family ID F1316 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family Lilian Maud (“Lily”) GOTHAM, b. 20 Aug 1894, Plymouth Reg Dist, Devon, England , d. Perth Reg Dist, Western Australia, Australia Married 3 Feb 1919 St. John the Evangelist’s Church, Exeter Street, Sutton on Plym, Devon, England - GRO ref: Gotham, Lilian M to Slarke, William (alias Howard, William) Plymouth RD 5b 544
Details from PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 25 Sep 2020)
In the left margin, under a heading 'Any Correctional Notes must be writte in this Margin' is the long note:
"In entry 123 Col: 2 [i.e. Name and Surname] read 'William Howard otherwise Slarke' Col: 3 for 28 years read 27 years Col: 7 omit Edwin Slarke (deceased) & in Col: 8 omit "Bricklayer" - Corrected on the 14th of Octr: 1920 by me W. Geoffrey Munk in the presence of E. S.[?] Annmeny[?] Superintendent Registrar and
W G Gotham
E I Gotham"
The Gotham witnesses to this change were, I imagine, Lilian's father and step-mother, who had these initials, although she also had a brother W G Gotham.
It would be interesting to know why this change was made, but we can only speculate (unless a story linked to this happens to have passed down the family?). Did William think it would be fine to give the name by which he was known certainly by the age of 10 rather than his birth name? Did he simply subtract the year of his birth from the year of marriage to calculate his age, not taking account of the fact he had not had his birthday? Did he even known his step-father was not his father? (if he wasn't - I am guessing Edwin Slarke was not his biological father; certainly he was not his legal father, as William was illegetimate). I doubt these 'errors' were intended to deceive. He was not a minor, and older than his wife, whether aged 27 or 28. Whilst he may have wishes to conceal being illegitimate there was no reason for him to pretend to be a year older. And if he had intended to decieve, why did his in-laws get the changes made? What is apparent is that whilst recorded as a Slarke in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (or I believe intended to be), he was recorded as a Howard in 1921 and subsequently.
His mother had died in 1918; did he only become aware of the truth after her death, maybe after his own marriage and then wish to set the record straight? If he had not had a good relationship with Edwin Slarke it would have made sense for him to wish to have him removed as his father.
Children 1. Living Last Modified 28 Aug 2023 Family ID F300169 Family Group Page | Family Chart
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Event Map Click to hide 
Married - 3 Feb 1919 - St. John the Evangelist’s Church, Exeter Street, Sutton on Plym, Devon, England 
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