Name: Catherine Meadows
Burial Number: 1919
Gender: Female
Occupation: Author
Born: 19/11/1892
Died: 07/04/1963
Buried: 17/02/1964
Story
Catherine was born on the 19th November 1892 at the Foregate, Worcester to Charles Wall Turner and Edith Mary Turner. Catherine had a younger brother Charles Kenneth Turner
She married Llewelyn Thomas Parry-Jones on the 28th July 1920 in East Preston, Sussex. Llewelyn was 15 years her senior.
Llewelyn was a College Tutor born in Wales and had been married before when he lived briefly in America. He had 2 children by his first wife, the first, a daughter, born 2 months after their wedding in 1906. They had returned to England by the following year when his son was born.
His first wife Jane had been married before and although she wasn’t living with her husband in 1901, I can’t find any record of a divorce. She died in September 1924 of cirrhosis of the liver.
Neither, can I find a divorce record for Jane and Llewelyn and on her death certificate (4 years after Llewelyn married Catherine) it states that she is still his wife!
There is however, a record of Llewelyn’s divorce from Catherine:
“After the marriage of Catherine Elsie Turner and Llewelyn Thomas Parry-Jones on 28th July 1920 in East Preston, Sussex, the couple lived at Holywell Cottage, Malvern Wells, Worcs; also at 61 St. Georges Road, 8 Eccleston Street and 28 Carlisle Mansions, Westminster.
On or about 20th March 1924, the said Llewelyn Thomas Parry-Jones at the Dean Hotel (87) Oxford Street in the County of London committed adultery with a woman whose name is unknown to the petitioner.
The petitioner resides at 26 Milton Road, Bournemouth, Hants.
Llewelyn Thomas Parry-Jones is now residing at 119 Victoria Street in the County of London and is domiciled in England.
Final decree was on 9th July 1925.”
In the London electoral register of that year Catherine was residing at 9 Guildford Street, St Pancras.
In 1928 she is listed in the phone book at the same address. Her phone number was Museum 5397
Catherine married George Denis Meadows in the 2nd quarter of 1932 in Pancras
George was a Schoolmaster and had lived in the U.S.A. on and off before marrying Catherine.
In early September 1937, George and Catherine set out for America.
In 1939 they were living in Greenwich County, Connecticut where George was a Headmaster
In 1942 they were living in Washington and in 1954 they were living at Weston, Connecticut.
On the 22nd November 1957, they both became naturalized citizens of U.S.A.
In a Directory of 1958 they are both listed as Writers (and George also a Tutor). It seems that Catherine only had two books published under the name Catherine Meadows, “Henbane” (Gollancz, 1934; published in the U.S. as “Doctor Moon,” Putnam, 1935) and “Friday Market” (Gollancz, 1938; Macmillan, 1938). However, it is possible that she wrote under a pseudonym later on.
In 1959 they came for a 6 month visit to England on the Queen Elizabeth. The address they were to live at was 26 Milton Road, Bournemouth where Catherine had been living at the time of her divorce 34 years earlier, so it is likely they kept the house and visited England regularly.
Catherine died on the 7th April 1963 in the Norwalk Hospital, Connecticut. She left effects of £17, 658 13s to her husband.
George died in 1978 in Connecticut.
I found this information about her car which Catherine had imported to England in 1938. This is another reason to assume that she and George were regular visitors to England.
Researcher: Jackie Rooney
The Grave
Location in Cemetery
Area: NES Row: 4 Plot: 1
Exact Location (what3words): public.ritual.sound
Ashes or Urn: Unknown
Headstone
Description:
Buried with Charles and Edith Turner
Inscription:
In loving memory of my dear husband Charles Wall Turner late of Worcester who died 16th May 1920 aged 57 "Until the day break" Also of his wife Edith May Turner who died 5th May 1959 aged 92 R.I.P. in dear and loving memory of my beloved son Wing-Cmdr Charles Kenneth Turner died 20th August 1946 aged 48 "Per ardua and astra" To the memory of Catherine Elsie the beloved wife of George Denis Meadows and only daughter of Charles Wall and Edith May Turner
Further Information
Birth
Name: Catherine Elsie Meadows
Gender: Female
Born: 19/11/1892
Town: Worcester
County: Worcestershire
Country: England
Marriage
Maiden Name:Turner
Marriage Date: 28/7/1920
Spouse First Name: Llewelyn
Spouse Second Name: Thomas
Spouse Last Name: Jones
Town of Marriage: East Preston
County of Marriage: Sussex
Country of Marriage: England
Marriage Date: //1932
Spouse First Name: George
Spouse Second Name: Dennis
Spouse Last Name: Meadows
Town of Marriage: St Pancras
County of Marriage: London
Country of Marriage: England
Information at Death
Date of Death: 07/04/1963
Cause of death: Unknown
Address line 1: Norwalk Hospital
Town: Unknown
County: Unknown
Country: United States of America
Obituary
No obituary has been entered.
Personal Effects
Money left to others: £17658 13 s 0 d
Current value of effects: Not calculated
Census Information
1901
Living at Holly Lodge, Brittania Square, Worcester – Charles W Turner 38yrs Chemist Employer; Edith M Turner 35yrs; Catherine E Turner 8yrs; Charles K Turner 2yrs; Elizabeth Love 20yrs Cook Domestic; Kate Bartlett 23yrs Nurse.
1911
Living at 49 Britannia Square, Worcester – Charles Wall Turner 48yrs Chemist, Shopkeeper; Edith Mary Turner 45yrs; Charles Kenneth Turner 12yrs; Catherine Elsie Turner 18yrs; Alice Gwendoline Coakes 22yrs Servant Housemaid; Sylvia Elizabeth Helens 28yrs Servant Cook.
