A Biography of HORATIO THOMAS HOLMES (18842-1928) Brass Founder Horatio Thomas Holmes was born on the xx/xxx/1842 (bap 24 mar) in Great Driffield, Yorkshire.( a market town........) The 4th child of William Holmes., a cooper . In 1845 when Horatio was just 3 years of age his mother Maria died . The family subsequently moved to Kingston-upon-Hull, where in 1849 his father married Betsy Brumpton ; it was Betsy who brought him up, and he was to name his first child after her......... In 1862 Horatio married Jane Ward, they had two children, Betsy(1863) and John William “Bill”(1865) ,before moving to Sunderland in 1866. Horatio was by profession a brass founder, and probably worked in one of the large shipyards on the Wear. Whilst in Sunderland, Horatio and Jane had a further 6 children, Eleanor(1867), Thomas “Tom” (1869), Henry“Harry” (1872), Jane (1876), Alfred “Alf” (1877) and Eliza (1880). These were productive times for the Holmes family! It is interesting to note that in 1840 SUNDERLAND had 65 shipyards. In 1875 Thomas Ridley Oswald moved his shipbuilding operation from the Wear to Woolston and by 1881 would be employing over 1200 men. ,the major source of employment in a village whose total population in 1871 had been fewer than 1,500. Oswald Mordaunt Shipyard c 1876 Just 5 years after TR Oswald moved his operations south, Horatio moved his family to Woolston;. I suspect that Horatio was motivated to become a big fish in a small pond In 1881 Woolston had yet to become part of Southampton. and was a small but growing independent parish on the east side of the Itchen River. The floating bridge, had opened in 1836, connecting Woolston to Southampton. In 1833 a committee had formed to investigate the possibility of a bridge connecting Woolston to Southampton, such a bridge was not to materialize until 1977! The parish church of St Mark was built in 1863 . The Lord of the Manor and principal inhabitant of Woolston was Tankerville Chamberlayne, who lived at Weston Grove House(technically this is weston) , this was to became a BT depot, and is now a large housing estate. The Southampton to Netley Railway, with a station at Woolston, was opened 1866. The 1881 census shews Horatio living in New road (Swift Rd)with the new born Edmund. In 1883 the final son Joseph is born. A short while after arriving in Woolston, Horatio established a foundry business In 1901 the foundry was located to the rear of No.5/7 Swift Rd; by 1911 the foundry was in Wharf road next to the Floating Bridge and the shipyard, also not far from Pemberton billing/ Supermarine(could they have produced castings for them?).The foundry is listed in various business directories from 1911-1940 In 1908 Horatio's wife Jane died,they had been married for 46 years. Horatio married the widow Parker in 1911 and moved home to what is now Radstock Rd . Horatio retired from the business sometime after1920; From 1925 the business is listed as Holmes H & A. (Harry & Alf ) ................................................................................................................ Descendants of Horatio Thomas Holmes !st Generation: Children John William " Bill" b.1865 Hull 1901 census living at Park mead rd, Wyke Regis 1891 @ 17, New rd woolston & nextdoor to Horatio Uncle alf says Bill & Tom moved to Weymouth, and worked in the Torpedo Factory 2nd generation: grandchildren Tommy Holmes b.1909 13 swift Rd Tom was a gifted Billiards & snooker player. He won senior cup & league medals at football. Coronation Cup at Sailing. He loved to smoke a pipe and have a pint Dad was originally christened in St. Mark's chuch, Woolston ( C of E), But when his mother took him to ireland to see his grandmother, she wouldn't let him into the hous until he was baptized a catholic! Tom served his apprenticeship as a brass moulder at J.I.Thorneycroft's Woolston Yard. He spent joined Pirelli General in 1933. The Pirelli Foundry at Eastleigh was Managed by T.H.Holmes, grandson of Horatio, until his rtirement in 1974 no.13 Swift Rd(Ned lived here from 1907) in family until Sep 2005 Famous descendants- Nick Holmes former saints player(see LINKS Section).... LINK TO WOOLSTON PAGES http://www.holmesfamilyhistory.zoomshare.com/files/HOLMESbacku pPAF.zip .