henry lucien mallandaine + catherine emma smith
Harry was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire on 1 January 1865, the son of Henry Hawkes Mallandaine and Lucy Ann New. When he was six years old, his family made the first of several moves around southern England when they settled in Salisbury before moving north to the midlands town of Wolverhampton.
In 1891, Harry was living with his family at 71 Waterloo Road in Wolverhampton and employed as a Merchants Clerk. He married Catherine Emma Smith on 24 April 1894 at St Saviour in Croydon. Catherine was born in Camberwell in 1860. She was an author and several of her books were published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, including Grandfather’s Secret, In Luck’s Way and Real and Unreal.
Following their marriage, they returned to the midlands and first settled in the village of Tettenhall near Wolverhampton. Harry appeared in Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire, 1896 living at Meridian in Tettenhall.
In 1901, Harry and Catherine were living at Eagle House in Upper Penn on the outskirts of Wolverhampton. Eagle Street in Penn Fields was ‘said to be named after a Mr. Eagle who owned the land and developed the area. A large house, Eagle House, stood where a block of flats, Eagle Court, now stands. Eagle House was once occupied by the Meynell family, who were the owners of Meynell Valves. And so it was the birth place of the prolific novelist, Laurence Meynell.’ Despite the apparent size of the house, only Harry, Catherine and one servant lived there in 1901. Harry’s occupation was listed as Commercial Manager Varnish Works and Catherine’s was listed as Author. Harry worked for Lever Brothers for many years and in official records, his occupation was often listed as Commercial Manager.
In 1911, Harry and Catherine were living at 29 Park Road East, in Wolverhampton where they occupied nine rooms and employed a cook and one domestic. Harry was listed as a Commercial Traveller while Catherine was again listed as an Author. He worked for Mander Brothers, makers of paints, inks and varnishes, in Wolverhampton for many years. Harry next appears in the 1914 issue of the Wolverhampton Red Book & Directory at ‘Deichull’ on Muchall Road in Penn but the directory listing did not include his occupation. Harry and Catherine remained in Wolverhampton until Catherine’s death on 18 April 1925 at St Dichul Penn, Wolverhampton. Harry place a memorial notice for Catherine in The Times on 18 April 1927 - In loving memory of Catherine Emma Mallandaine, at rest, Easter 1925.
eleanor mary fowler
Harry remarried on 5 September 1927 to Eleanor Mary Fowler, at St John the Baptist in Bodicote, Oxford. Eleanor, known as May, was born about 1888 to Hugh Newall Fowler, a Clerk in Holy Orders, and his wife Gertrude Freer. The wedding was a family affair as May’s father officiated at their wedding, her brother Reginald played the organ and another brother, Hugh, gave her away.
Following the death of his cousin, Honora, in 1933, Henry became the custodian of several Mallandaine family heirlooms including the oil portrait of Colonel John West Mallandaine, the accounting book and a silver salver with the family coat of arms. Harry was very knowledgeable about the Mallandaine family history and kept in touch with many relations including his cousin Edward Mallandaine in Canada and his niece, Norah, and nephew, Arthur John, who visited Harry and May at their house at Linkhill in Wolverhampton when they were posted to England during the war.
Henry died on 6 February 1949 in Chanctonbury, Sussex and left his entire estate, valued at over £7000, to his wife May. Following his death, his wife sent the portrait of Colonel Mallandaine to his nephew, Arthur John, in Edmonton, Canada. May died in Oxford in 1963.