From The Northwich Guardian of 27 September 1873: "Sept. 22, at Sunny-side, St. Ann-street, St. Helens, Mrs. EDWARD CHRIMES, of a son."
In some records Henry Leslie is just Henry, and in some records Henry Leslie has the surname CHRYMES. At the baptism of his son Harry, he was himself named Harry.
It seems that Henry Leslie changed his name and that of most of his children from CHRIMES to CHRYMES despite his own ancestors being consistently named CHRIMES.
I cannot find Henry Leslie on the 1891 or 1901 UK Census.
In the 1911 UK Census, Henry [Leslie] was in the Tranmere Union Workhouse.
From The Liverpool Evening Express of 29 July 1911: "DESERTED CHILDREN - Heartless Conduct at Seacombe. An easy method of [g]etting rid, temporarily at any rate, of one's children was related to Messrs. C.R.B. McGilchrist and H.J. Houghton, the magistrates sitting at the Liscard Police Court today. On the 27th. May a Mrs. Chrimes asked to be allowed to leave her three children, aged six, four and two years, with a person in Seacombe for half an hour or an hour, while she and her husband went to look for appartments. The permission was given, but neither Mrs. Chrimes nor her husband, Henry Leslie Chrimes returned, and the children were sent to the workhouse where they had since been chargeable to the guardians. In giving evidence to-day against the husband for deserting the children, Mr. C. Stott, the relieving officer, stated that both the husband and wife had since been knocking about the country. The husband was a most drunken man. At one time he had a good business, but had gone through all his money. The trouble was that he had got too good a mother, who was in the habit of sending him sovereigns and half-sovereigns, which kept him from working. Twelve months ago the prisoner served a month for deserting his wife and family. He was now committed for two months with hard labour."
There is a 1914 army enlistment record for Henry Leslie. The document gives an address for Henry Leslie's next-of-kin, his wife Emily, 23 Ivy Street, Birkenhead but we cannot conclude that the complete family were re-united in 1914. Emily may indeed have been at that address, but perhaps as a servant as she had been in 1911. (We also know that Edward was in the care of Dr. Barnados in 1923). If we can believe Henry Leslie, he provides some useful data for us:
Married Emily McMINN on 14 June 1902 at Birkenhead Registry Office
Harry born 11 October 1902
Augustus born 5 February 1905
Edward born 22 September 1908
Daisy born 2 October 1906
Emily born 22 June 1912 (actually born and died in Q1 of 1911)
Although the document shows that Henry Leslie enlisted on 18 September 1914 at Birkenhead, it goes on to show that he undertook a medical examination on 19 September 1914 and then states that he "Became non-effective by being found physically unfit for further Military Service under para. 392 III C Kings Regulations on 5th day of October 1914". A description of his illness is given, but it's in Latin! Henry Leslie gave his age in 1914 as 34 whereas he was actually 41, so I presume that he volunteered himself for enlistment and lied about his age to improve his chances of acceptance. We know that some men deemed unfit in 1914 were later conscripted when matters became desperate, but in the absence of any records to that effect I conclude that Henry Leslie took no part in WWI. |
