maud mary mallandain + francis cossum
Maud Mary was born in Quebec City, Canada on 1 July 1862 when her father, an army schoolmaster, was posted to the Canadian Rifle regiment. Maud returned to England with her family in 1871 and they continued to move to various army bases in southern England until her father retired in 1878. The family eventually settled on Rotherfield Street in Hoxton.
Maud married Francis James Cossum on 3 November 1889 at Christ Church in Hoxton. Francis, known as Frank, was born in Holborn on 13 February 1869, the son of Francis Cossum and Catherine Susanna Kettle. His father worked as a Telegraph Engineer and both Frank and his brothers William and Ernest carried on with this trade.
Following their wedding, they moved in to 7 Rotherfield Street just two doors down from Maud’s parents and Frank’s brother Ernest also lived with them. Six months after the census, the first of their four daughters, Maud Marian, was born on 3 September 1891.
Daughter Ethel Mary was born on 30 April 1894 followed by Elizabeth Mary, known as Lizzie, on 22 December 1898. On 8 January 1900, their eldest daughter Maud was enrolled in the Queen’s Head Street Infants School and her admission record notes that the family was living at 83 Packington Street in Islington. The school, located on Prebend Street, was opened in 1886 and by the turn of the century, it accomdated over 400 boys and 400 girls. Before 1870, education in England was primarily a private affair and although some charitable schools were established, most were fee paying institutions. The Elementary Education Act of 1870 made education compulsory for children under ten years of age, increased to thirteen years by 1893, and the state began paying ten shillings for each child that attended school.
In 1901, the family was still living at 83 Packington Street in Islington and Frank remained employed as a Telegraph Engineer. Ethel was enrolled in the infants school on 3 January 1902 and attended until 1 May 1908 while sister Elizabeth attended from 27 August 1906 until 7 January 1913. Their youngest daughter, Louisa Frances, was born in the summer of 1906. She likely attended the same infant’s school as her sisters but her admission record has not been found.
By 1906, the family had moved from Packington Street to nearby Arlington Street. In 1911, they were still on Arlington Street, at number 72, and Frank was working as a Telegraph Engineer while their two eldest daughters, aged 19 and 16, were both working as Machinists.
Five years later, Maud Marion left home to marry Percy John Craddock. They were married on 7 June 1916 at St Peter’s church in West Hackney and Maud’s sister Ethel acted as one of the witnesses. They had one daughter, Winnifred, in the fall of 1919. Sadly, the joy of the arrival of their first grandchild was tempered by the death of their thirteen year old daugter Louisa earlier that summer.
Ethel married Robert Alfred Collen in Hackney in 1924. They had three children, Robert born in 1925, Doreen born on 7 February 1927, and Douglas on 2 October 1930. No further record of Elizabeth Beatrice has been located and it is not known if she ever married. The Cossum family stayed in north London where Frank died in 1936 and Maud Mary in 1942.