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Maria Eliza BUNTING b 1876 in Derbyshire

10:03AM UTC – Wednesday, 22 July 2009

Contributed by: Anonymous

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 Maria Eliza BUNTING Maria was born in 1876 in Holloway, a small Derbyshire village, approximately 5k SE of Matlock where her father, Aaron BUNTING was the post master, stationer & newsagent. Her mother was Harriett and Maria had 3 older siblings, James b 1867, Sarah b 1871 and Amelia b 1874.

I know very little about her early life. I always thought that she was born and brought up in NE Warwickshire and only learned recently that she, in fact, came from Derbyshire. According to my late father, she went to college and qualified as a teacher. In 1901 she was teaching in Chesterfield but shortly after that she moved to Coventry to continue her career. Whilst visiting her older sister in she met her future husband, Benjamin Herbert MAYO. In Maria’s own words “…  I was teaching in Coventry at that time (1904) & Ben used to go with your uncle Frank (GREEN) * to the swimming baths at Coventry every week & called at my sister’s home for a cup of tea afterwards. My sister (Sarah) was married to Ben MAYO Senior’s cousin H (arry) BARTON.”   Maria and Ben were married in Chesterfield in 1905. In 1900 Ben had taken over the License of the “Royal Oak” public house at 4 The Square, Attleborough, Nuneaton, from his father, Benjamin James MAYO. Maria joined him in the pub and they remained there for most of their life. Ben MAYO became an Alderman of Nuneaton and was a well respected citizen. He died in Fawley, Southampton, in March 1959. I am not sure when Maria died. She was still alive in 1968. She was always known in our family as “Auntie Tom” but I have no idea why! So far as I know they only had 3 children: Ben James, born in 1906 who died the following year, Mary Millicent, born in 1909 and Frank born in October 1911. Mary married John WRIGHT and lived at Swepstone, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire. Frank went to University and eventually became a Doctor of Science. He married Gladys MASON in 1936 and worked in the petro-chemical industry, latterly at Fawley, Southampton, until his retirement. I was in contact with Frank & Gladys until around 3 years ago. Frank MAYO died in 2008.

• Frank Henry GREEN (b 1883) was in fact my great uncle, the youngest brother of my paternal grandmother, Margaret GREEN, who married T Percy PALING, in 1903.

Anne Paling Lawson Sheffield

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