What happened to Amy?

[Lena Tory]

Tragic story of Amy Hobbs

Born 1892, Tavistock.


Married Charles Romia 1912. Charles went down with his ship off Gallipolli in 1916. They had no children that I can find.

Married Arthur Barber 1918, next to be found in Wiltshire as mother of child born 1926.

Meanwhile Arthur had two children with somebody else and spent 4 years in the Army in India in the early 1920s.

My biggest problem is with twins born in 1929 who have both ladies named on their birth cert.
There is more to add but I want to leave it there for now. I can find no further trace of Amy after the birth cert. of her child in 1926.
I have serious misgivings about looking any further but it would be good to have my mind at rest.

If this rings bells with anyone I would be glad to hear from you.

With kind regards,
Lena Tory

[Wirral]

Married Arthur Barber 1918, next to be found in Wiltshire as mother of child born 1926.

Meanwhile Arthur had two children with somebody else and spent 4 years in the Army in India in the early 1920s.

My biggest problem is with twins born in 1929 who have both ladies named on their birth cert.

Hi Lena
Welcome to the forum! :)
I've never come across two mothers being named on a birth certificate. The usual entry for the mother in this case would read "Amy BARBER, late ROMIA, formerly HOBBS". There are 2 BARBER children born September quarter in Plympton with the same reference number, both with mother's maiden name HOBBS. That implies that the twins are the legitimate children of Arthur BARBER & Amy nee HOBBS.

[Peter Goodey]

Everything Wirral says plus the other form of words that might be found is "otherwise" indicating an alias.

[Squaredancer]

both ladies named on their birth cert.

Could you elaborate a little on this? It reads as if the twins have both Amy and "Arthur's Other Woman" on their certs - or am I getting confused? :confused:

[Lena Tory]

Could you elaborate a little on this? It reads as if the twins have both Amy and "Arthur's Other Woman" on their certs - or am I getting confused? :confused:

No you are not getting confused. The person who registered the twins was down as "Bessie Barber" and in the section mothers maiden name is written "Hobbs". Now, it should either be Bessie Dadswell or Amy Hobbs.

We have photos of Bessie with the twins as babies, no mention of Amy was ever made until I began my researches and could find no marriage between Arthur and Bessie.
Tangled, isn't it!
Lena

[Lena Tory]

Hi Lena
Welcome to the forum! :)
I've never come across two mothers being named on a birth certificate. The usual entry for the mother in this case would read "Amy BARBER, late ROMIA, formerly HOBBS". There are 2 BARBER children born September quarter in Plympton with the same reference number, both with mother's maiden name HOBBS. That implies that the twins are the legitimate children of Arthur BARBER & Amy nee HOBBS.

Thank you -on the birth cert., the mothers maiden name is filled in as Hobbs but the person who registered them is down as Bessie Barber, mother!
What on earth happened? My imagination is working overtime I would like to get at the facts.

[Wirral]

I'm still unclear as to what was written on the certificate. In column 5, under "Name, surname & maiden name of mother", what is written there?
Could Bessie BARBER be the mother of Arthur, rather than the mother of the twins or the "other woman"? Is the address where the twins were born the same as the address of the informant?

[Peter Goodey]

Reinforcing what Wirral asked, please tell us exactly what is written in

Column 5 (Mother's Name)

and

Column 7 (Signature, Description and Residence of the Informant)

[Lena Tory]

I'm still unclear as to what was written on the certificate. In column 5, under "Name, surname & maiden name of mother", what is written there?
Could Bessie BARBER be the mother of Arthur, rather than the mother of the twins or the "other woman"? Is the address where the twins were born the same as the address of the informant?

Hi again,
Column 5 Bessie Barber formerly Hobbs, also Tamerton Foliot is given as place of birth and residence of informant.
The fact is that Bessie was Bessie Dadswell not Hobbs. Why do this? It caused the child great distress in later life, she has died now, she was my mother's sister.
Thanks for being interested.

[Lena Tory]

Reinforcing what Wirral asked, please tell us exactly what is written in

Column 5 (Mother's Name)Bessie Barber formerly Hobbs

and

Column 7 (Signature, Description and Residence of the Informant)

B. Barber Mother Tamerton Foliot

As you will see I haven't quite got the hang of replies yet! I made a nice little table for you all which got scrambled on the way to being posted! Hence a certain amount of repitition!

[Peter Goodey]

Thank you. That's just one mother named on the certificate although the name may be mangled.

I don't think I'm clear where the name DADSWELL comes from. What's the evidence for this, please?

[Geoffers]

Tragic story of Amy Hobbs
Born 1892, Tavistock.
Married Charles Romia 1912. Charles went down with his ship off Gallipolli in 1916. They had no children that I can find.

I take it this is William Henry Charles ROMIA of the RMLI, who went down with HMS Goliath in 1915?

In the UK you can use what name you like provided you do not commit an offence. Someone born Amy may have had a nickname 'Bessie' and been recorded as such on a birth certificate of her children.

She may have been registered Amy Hobbs at birth and christened Amy Elizabeth /Amy Bessie or whatever and switched between using both forenames.

There may have been a clerical error on the certificate.

Like Peter, I am confused as to where DADSWELL comes in to this.

BARBER is not an uncommon name, there may well have been twins born to more than one BARBER family about the same time - are you certain that you have the correct certificates?

Had Mr BARBER split from Amy - or Amy died in childbirth? - and he then had another lady with whom he was on on at least speaking terms, by the name of Bessie??

[Lena Tory]

Thank you. That's just one mother named on the certificate although the name may be mangled.

I don't think I'm clear where the name DADSWELL comes from. What's the evidence for this, please?

Bessie Dadswell was my mothers mother. Clear on my mothers birth cert.

[Lena Tory]

I take it this is William Henry Charles ROMIA of the RMLI, who went down with HMS Goliath in 1915?

In the UK you can use what name you like provided you do not commit an offence. Someone born Amy may have had a nickname 'Bessie' and been recorded as such on a birth certificate of her children.

She may have been registered Amy Hobbs at birth and christened Amy Elizabeth /Amy Bessie or whatever and switched between using both forenames.

There may have been a clerical error on the certificate.

Like Peter, I am confused as to where DADSWELL comes in to this.

BARBER is not an uncommon name, there may well have been twins born to more than one BARBER family about the same time - are you certain that you have the correct certificates?

Had Mr BARBER split from Amy - or Amy died in childbirth? - and he then had another lady with whom he was on on at least speaking terms, by the name of Bessie??

OK known facts; Arthur married Amy 1918 have cert.
Arthur has child with Bessie 1921 - Goes to India with the army wireless operator - for 4 years
Comes back - has another child with Bessie 1924 born Eastbourne.
1926 has child with Amy no children with Amy before that that I can find, family found in Wilts at this point.
Then the twins are born or rather registered at Tamerton Foliot Devon with the names of both women represented on their birth cert.!
Greatly daring I have told you this I can almost feel the waves of family disapproval as I type! Trembling at my own temerity I post it.

[Geoffers]

I am not sure I ought to post the whole story up here.

Only post information openly if you are happy to do so. Do not feel pressured into posting additional detail, especially do not give details of living people without their consent.


I had hoped for some help in finding what happened to Amy Barber/Romia/Hobbs after 1926.

It is what we are trying to provide, but these forums do not work well when people just ask for and expect information to be given. They are far more fluid than that, being forums for exchaninging ideas and suggested places of research to help solve problems - they are small conversations into which many can eavesdrop and learn. If such suggestions are not what you are looking for, but merely an answer, then I'll leave you to it and wish you good luck.