William Lawrence (1839–1891)
Paternal great-grandfather

William was born in Higham Ferrers; he was a farm labourer, shoe maker, and the town’s lamp-lighter. Few details are known about William’s life except his occupations and that when he married at the age of 20 he was unable to write and signed his marriage certificate with only his ‘mark’.

He died aged 52. William and his wife, Mary Ann, had 9 children: Charles, Annie, Arthur, Frederick, Alfred, Walter, George, Tom, and Nell, most of whom were known to H.E. through the family gatherings at Mary Ann’s cottage when he was a small boy.

William and the family appear as the Wainrights in The Feast of July.