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The background for Charles Henry Vowles has until recently not been very clear. On the 1901 Census he is named as Charles H HOWE. His eldest child was named William HOWE-VOWLES in the Tormarton Parish Register. All his subsequent children were named Vowles. I can only presume that his father was Mr Howe. He received a postcard during his service in the First World War of a man and a woman. I believe this is his mother and his step father (William Cox). I sent a copy of the photo to the Imperial War Museum. They replied: "The soldier is wearing the cap and collar badge of the Royal Artillery and the 1902 Bandolier of the Royal Horse Artillery." This would place the photo after the birth of his step brothers and sisters. My first thought was that it was his own father who may have gone off to fight in the Crimea War. More recently I have come to accept it must be William Cox. Recent research has revealed his mother living in Catcott, Somerset near Bridgwater in 1881, having prviously lived in Compton Martin where she was born in 1871. Catcott is the next village to Shapwick where Charles Henry was born. The Charles Henry Howe in 1901 census, a farm labourer in Kingston Seymour, must be my Grandfather Charles Henry because he is living two doors (or farms) away from Mathilda Cox nee Vowles, his mother, and his step father William Cox, along with his step brothers and sisters. The 1881 census for Shapwick reveals there were four Howe families living there. I will see what further research can reveal.

General Notes: Charles was a 'tied farm worker'. Agricultural workers at the end of the 19th century were very poorly paid and had no employment rights. They lived in 'tied cottages' on the farm, but when employment was terminated they were immediately evicted from their homes. Consequently his family moved a number of times in this manner. He worked at the following farms: A farm in Lawrence Weston '4 the Gables Lawrence Weston'; Madam Farm, Lawrence Weston 'Kings Weston Lane'; Harry Crossman's farm in Portbury followed by Alex Holder's Sheepway Farm 'Whilst working for these farmers he stayed in the same house - Shipside Cottage also Known as Sheepway Cottage'; Russett's Farm 'Ashgrove Avenue, Abbotts Leigh'; Mr Sheen's Farm 'Fishpond Cottage, Abbotts Leigh'. Charles was a craftsman who was very skilled at hedging and ditching. His general farm duty was working with animals. He fought in the First World War 1914-1918 and saw action at the Battle of Verdun. He lived in retirement with his daughter Phyllis until he married for a second time and moved to Chelsea, London.

In November 1911 Annie must have been ill because her sister Sarah was looking after baby William. Sarah wrote on a postcard to Kitty the following message: "We still have the baby here but he is going home tomorrow Saturday Annie came home last Monday. She is going to take him back..."