Hi - I was wondering if you might be able to help me,

My great-great-grandmother Julia Button formerly Murphy née Calnan/Hayes married her second husband, Edwin Charles Button in 1933 whilst living at 4 Grenville House, New King Street, Deptford. Family legend has it that she left her husband for another man (her first husband, Timothy Murphy died in 1924). She also worked as a money-lender, a profession which other Catholics would have found distasteful. As a result she fell out with most of her ten children from this marriage.

Julia died in 1949, nine years after her husband Edwin Charles Button. I would very much like to hear from anyone who may have known her. Unfortunately as a result of their fall-out, I have no photos of either of them to share, although it is possible that some may exist.

Her birth has also been the cause of some confusion - on both her marriage licenses she lists herself as the daughter of John Calnan, however on the birth certificates for half of her children she lists her surname as Hayes. She married in 1887 at the age of c. 16. There is no record for a Julia Calnan in the 1881 census but there is some record of a Julia Hayes - how she connects to the Calnan family is yet another mystery.

Thank you,

Daniel Maldonado

Help for Gill

Just wondering if anyone has any photographs of Dorking Road or the corner shop there before demolition?
My family were the Daltons and I am struggling to find any photos of this road.
Attached photo of my mum Marjorie Dalton (now 96!) and her brother Stan (sadly passed).

Gill Middleton

26 Deptford Broadway

Peter sent this photo in saying....

 I think this might be next door to the sweet shop in Church Street/The Broadway 

 oh BTW thats my great uncle and his half brother in the doorway.

The shop belonged to Charles Allen  b 1800  d  1870 

Sayes Court

View of the John Evelyn's manor house at Sayes Court, based on a drawing by Evelyn himself. The diarist John Evelyn came into possession of the Elizabethan manor house and the estate at Sayes Court through marriage to the heiress Mary Browne in 1647. He took up residence at the house in 1652 and lived there until 1694 when he returned to his family estate at Wootton, Surrey, letting the property to rent paying tenants.

The house was pulled down in 1728 or 1729, and the workhouse built on its site 

Sayes Court was the ancient manor house of Deptford. There was a building on the site from the 12th century. However, the building shown here (originally the St Nicholas Workhouse) dates from 1729. It was demolished c.1930.

This picture depicts one of the old parish workhouses that served the local poor in south London. In 1777 the parish of St Nicholas was known to have 130 inmates. The Poor-law amendments in 1834 stated that "no able-bodied person was to receive money or other help from Poor Law Authorities except in a workhouse". Despite the workhouse being considered a harsh environment, one observer of Greenwich's poor was to note: "It is curious to notice the effect that the workhouse regime has in prolonging the lives of those who may have often survived hard buffetings in the world. Anxiety and care concerning the future are thrown off at the entrance to the house, and the inmates are henceforth placed under conditions more favourable to health and longevity than they have ever before experienced".

Creek Bridge through the Ages