All text and images © Helvellyn Consulting 2023
Edmund Thompson was born in July 1875 in Patterdale. His father, also Edmund, had married Elizabeth Thompson from Deepdale in 1865. By the time Edmund was born Edmund was working living at Wetside cottage and working as a lead miner. He was previously a Husbandman on the Patterdale Hall Estate and living at Close Cottage. They already had three children by the time Edmund was born, Margaret Ann (born in 1868), George (born 1869), and Mary Elizabeth (1872). After Edmund junior was born they had a further three children, Thomas (1880), twins Hannah & Eleanor (1883), William (1887), Moffat (1889) and Brownrigg (1892). By 1883 the expanding family had moved to "Norend Bank", which we assume to be Noran Bank farm, where Edmund senior was farming, as well as still working as a lead miner. Edmund junior and his siblings would have attended Patterdale School and it is quite likely that at least three of them, Thomas, Hannah and Eleanor, are featured on the photo we have of the children at Patterdale School from 1889. Shortly after the birth of the youngest child Brownrigg the family had moved into Side Farm and Edmund senior was working full time as a farmer. In 1901 his wife Elizabeth died, aged 61.
In December 1901 Edmund married Edith Annie Simpson at St John's in Carlisle. We have so far not been able to trace Edmund and Edith between then and the outbreak of the First World War although we know that they had moved away from Patterdale, and had three children, including one called Thomas. Back in Patterdale in 1904 , at the age of just 17, Edmund's younger brother William also died. By 1911 Edmund's father was still living at Side Farm helped by his children Hannah, Eleanor and Moffatt.
The only record we have of Edmund's service in World War One is his medal card, which showed that he originally enlisted in the 1/1st Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry, probably at the same time as his brother Thomas Thompson, and then transferred to the Border Regiment. He must have enlisted early on in the war and may well have served in the territorials like many of his fellow dalesmen. He entered France on the 10th July 1915 and served there until his discharge.
Again we have so far not been able to find many details of what became of Edmund after the war. We do know that sadly his son Thomas died in 1938. We believe Edmund may have become a bus driver and he died in March 1936 at the age of 61. His wife Edith died in Penrith at the age of 66 in September 1944.
In terms of the rest of Edmund's family, his father Edmund had died before the outbreak of the war at the age of 73 whilst living at Deer How in Patterdale. He was buried alongside his wife Elizabeth in St Patricks Churchyard.
Edmund's eldest sister Margaret Ann married Thomas Kilner on 11th July 1892. -
Edmund's brother George married Mary Ann Hodgson from Cockermouth. He originally worked alongside his father as a lead miner, and then moved to the Rookings to work as a gardener. By 1911 he was living at Ullswater House in Glenridding, which Mary Ann ran as a boarding house whilst George was a chauffeur. They had three sons, George (born in 1892), who served with his Uncles in the First World War, Sidney, who died in infancy in 1893, and Clifton (born 1901). By 1915 George was living along at Bank Foot Cottage and so far we are not sure when or where he or his wife died
Edmund's sister Mary Elizabeth married James Milligan, a farmer on 1st May 1907. They had one daughter, Elizabeth born in 1908. Mary Elizabeth died in Patterdale in June 1918 at the age of 48 and her husband stayed in the village until his death in June 1942 at the age of 74.
We believe Edmund's sister Hannah married a man from Belgium, Gustave Edmund Dessel. She moved to Ripon in Yorkshire and had at least 2 children, Racheal Auralia and Margaret. Hannah died in Claro Yorkshire in September 1961 at the age of 77.
We have so far found out no details about what happened to Edmund's sister Eleanor after 1911, although we believe she may have remained unmarried and died in June 1956 at the age of 74. We found a photo identified as her alongside a photo of her sister Hannah on the ancestry website (see below).
Edmund's other brothers Thomas (incorrectly listed as Thomas Thomson -
If you can add anything to the story of Edmund or his family please contact us.
Private Edmund Thompson
2160/260385 Cumberland & Westmorland Yeomanry and Border Regiment
Born 31st July 1875 Died March 1936 aged 61.
Son of Edmund and Elizabeth Thompson Noran Bank and Side Farm Patterdale
Husband of Edith Annie Simpson & Father of 3
Private Thomas Thompson
2120 Cumberland & Westmorland Yeomanry, 260457 7th Battalion Border Regiment, 79399 Royal Defence Corps
Born c.1880 Patterdale. Died 3rd Jan 1943 aged 63.
Son of Edmund and Elizabeth Thompson Noran Bank and Side Farm Patterdale
Husband of Clara Wall
Father of Henry Wall Thompson and Constance
Brother in Law of Thomas Wall
Brother of Edmund, Brownrigg, & Moffat Thompson
Thomas Thompson was born in early 1880 or even late 1879 and baptised on the 11th January 1880 at St Patrick’s Church Patterdale. He was one of 10 children born to Edmund and Elizabeth Thompson. At the time of his birth his father was working as a lead miner and the family was living at Wetside. More information on his family is detailed in the story of his elder brother Edmund above.
Thomas would have attended Patterdale School and is almost certainly pictured on the photo below of Patterdale School taken in 1889 alongside his sisters Eleanor & Hannah. When he left school we believe Thomas may have become a Railway Porter at nearby Tebay, and he was engaged to be married in 1912 to Clara Wall, eldest sister of Thomas Henry Wall. The marriage was planned for March 1912. However, for some reason the marriage was 'called off' before the third reading of the Banns on the 25th February 1912. They did eventually marry around August 1914.
Thomas joined the Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry in 1912 in the Territorials and was shipped to France on the 28th July 1915, arriving just 2 weeks after his brother Edmund. Sadly we do not have details of his service record but we know from his medal card that he, like his brother, transferred to the Border Regiment whilst serving in France, possibly alongside his brother-
Thomas was finally discharged from the army on the 1st April 1919. He was awarded the Silver War Badge, which was given to soldiers who had been wounded in action, usually overseas, and his papers shows that he was discharged under Page 392 (xvi) Kings Regulations -
We’re not sure how badly wounded Thomas was but by 1920 he and Clara were back in Glenridding and living at 2 Stybarrow Terrace. In May 1923 Clara died, at the age of just 33. We believe that at this point Thomas and the children then moved to Patterdale. It seems that the children moved into Oak Bank, with their grandmother, Clara’s mother, Ann Tuer Wall. Thomas seems to have moved into the Township Patterdale, opposite the White Lion and almost next door. Thomas was still living there in 1939 along with his daughter Constance Mary Thompson.
Thomas died in January 1943 at the age of 63. His son Henry Wall Thompson had enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1941 and saw much service in the Mediterranean area, including Sicily and Italy. Sadly he too died on the 2nd May 1944, although we’re unsure exactly how. buried in St Patrick's Churchyard on the 5th of May 1944 with military honours, next to his Uncle Thomas Henry Wall, who had died in the First World War. They are both therefore commemorated in St Patrick’s Church and on the Patterdale War Memorial.
We are still not sure what happened to Thomas’ daughter Mary. If you have any further information please contact us.
Notes on the Fallen
Contact Us
Roll of Honour
A photo of the children at Patterdale School in 1889, which almost certain includes Thomas and his sisters Eleanor & Hannah. We have tried to identify as many of them as possible on our Patterdale School Then and Now page.
Two of Edmund’s sisters, twins Eleanor (above) and Hannah (to the right)
Edmund’s Medal Card
Border Regiment, Thomas’ brother in law
Thomas’ son, Private Henry Wall Thompson
Who died in World War Two
Thomas’ medal card showing his Silver War Badge record as well as is “Pip, Squeak and Wilfred” medals.
A facsimile of Thomas’ Silver War Badge Scroll.