Henry King
1835 - 1943
Michael L. Roach
1835 - 1943
Michael L. Roach
As the result of his detailed studies of the life of this remarkably long lived man 'Henry King' Michael L. Roach brings you this remarkable record. Today is the 78th anniversary of Henry Kings passing.
Henry King was born on 10 November 1835 to Joseph King (1807-1870) and Hester/Esther King, nee Jones (1803-1854) in Bridgwater where his father was a shoemaker. Henry married Mary Ann Lester of Wells at Bridgwater in 1859 and they would have seven children together, but Mary died in 1894. Henry married again in 1898 to a lady who was some 20 years his junior. They had just one child together a boy born in 1900.
When Henry was 5 years old the Bristol & Exeter Railway opened the first stage of their main line from Bristol as far as Bridgwater to passengers on 14 June 1841, with the line being extended to Taunton on 1 July 1842. At the age of 23 Henry joined the railway as a carpenter and joiner perhaps after completing a 7-year apprenticeship; the date was 17 May 1859. This was an exciting time for the railways as two weeks earlier the first length of the Cornwall Railway had been opened between Plymouth and Truro and it was now possible to travel all the way from London to Penzance by train, but not by through train yet as the West Cornwall Truro to Penzance line was narrow-gauge and the rest of the route was broad-gauge. Just a couple of months later Henry married for the first time and set up home at North Street, Bridgwater. As a carpenter and joiner Henry would have travelled out from his base to various stations in the Taunton District and measured up for replacement doors, windows, staircases, fascias etc; come back to his carpenters shop and make the items which would have been dispatched in a goods wagon from a siding close to the carpenters shop. Later he would travel out with his carpenters bag by passenger train to the station where he would fit the items he had made in the workshop.
The Bristol and Exeter was one of the four “Associated Companies.” The others were the Great Western Railway, the South Devon Railway and the Cornwall Railway. Together the four railways ensured that a seamless service was offered to passengers from London to Penzance via Bristol. The arrangement came to an end when the Great Western finally took over the other three railways on 1 July 1889. On that date Henry would have become a Great Western worker employed as a carpenter in the Signal and Telegraph Department. With the Bristol and Exeter he might have done some new work, but the Great Western did most of its new work at the Reading Signal Works so Henry would have been doing more of fitting items received from Reading from 1889 but there was still room to show initiative. Henry was credited with designing a locking mechanism for level crossing gates.
The GWR mostly built their own signal boxes with spells of building all-timber boxes which were aesthetically pleasing to the eye. They would have arrived from Reading as a kit of parts to be put together on site. The Bristol & Exeter mostly used contractors to build their boxes but did build some boxes themselves like the one at Williton, on the Minehead Branch, completed in 1875. There are still a few boxes in Britain built before 1875 but Williton is one of only two operational boxes that were built to signal broad-gauge trains; the other one is the box at Par in Cornwall. Henry King would have been 40 years old in November 1875 and I wonder if he helped to build Williton signal box.
When Henry was 5 years old the Bristol & Exeter Railway opened the first stage of their main line from Bristol as far as Bridgwater to passengers on 14 June 1841, with the line being extended to Taunton on 1 July 1842. At the age of 23 Henry joined the railway as a carpenter and joiner perhaps after completing a 7-year apprenticeship; the date was 17 May 1859. This was an exciting time for the railways as two weeks earlier the first length of the Cornwall Railway had been opened between Plymouth and Truro and it was now possible to travel all the way from London to Penzance by train, but not by through train yet as the West Cornwall Truro to Penzance line was narrow-gauge and the rest of the route was broad-gauge. Just a couple of months later Henry married for the first time and set up home at North Street, Bridgwater. As a carpenter and joiner Henry would have travelled out from his base to various stations in the Taunton District and measured up for replacement doors, windows, staircases, fascias etc; come back to his carpenters shop and make the items which would have been dispatched in a goods wagon from a siding close to the carpenters shop. Later he would travel out with his carpenters bag by passenger train to the station where he would fit the items he had made in the workshop.
The Bristol and Exeter was one of the four “Associated Companies.” The others were the Great Western Railway, the South Devon Railway and the Cornwall Railway. Together the four railways ensured that a seamless service was offered to passengers from London to Penzance via Bristol. The arrangement came to an end when the Great Western finally took over the other three railways on 1 July 1889. On that date Henry would have become a Great Western worker employed as a carpenter in the Signal and Telegraph Department. With the Bristol and Exeter he might have done some new work, but the Great Western did most of its new work at the Reading Signal Works so Henry would have been doing more of fitting items received from Reading from 1889 but there was still room to show initiative. Henry was credited with designing a locking mechanism for level crossing gates.
The GWR mostly built their own signal boxes with spells of building all-timber boxes which were aesthetically pleasing to the eye. They would have arrived from Reading as a kit of parts to be put together on site. The Bristol & Exeter mostly used contractors to build their boxes but did build some boxes themselves like the one at Williton, on the Minehead Branch, completed in 1875. There are still a few boxes in Britain built before 1875 but Williton is one of only two operational boxes that were built to signal broad-gauge trains; the other one is the box at Par in Cornwall. Henry King would have been 40 years old in November 1875 and I wonder if he helped to build Williton signal box.
Williton in B.R. days. September 1970 Copyright Mike Roach
Williton Signalbox 9th May 2007 Copyright Chris Osment
Williton signalbox. The track diagram before the up line loop was extended. 11th June 2014 Copyright Chris Osment..
Major engineering works - lenthening to loop at Williton to increase the effective length of the up platform which had been shortened in BR Days. 26th January 2016 Copyright Rob Lindley Note - Chris Osment also advises that the facing point on the down main by the signalbox has been replaced by plain track.
In his private life Henry was a Member of The Salvation Army, a Sunday school teacher, a gardener and refrained from alcohol and cigarettes. Sometime before 1881 Henry moved from Bridgwater to Taunton where he resided at 15 Whitehall TA1 1PG which is a small terraced house which previously looked out on a retaining wall supporting Taunton's GWR engine shed. The wall now supports an elevated road. Henry lived at Whitehall for the rest of his life, which was more than 60 years, and retired from the GWR in 1907 at the age of 72 years. The GWR Magazine sent someone to interview Henry King at the end of 1941 when he was 106 years old. The magazine reported that he was the oldest-living ex-employee of the GWR and believed to be one of the oldest men in the country; he was being looked after by his unmarried daughter Miss Alice King who herself was 74 years old. Of his eight children three had worked for the GWR; one a retired signalman at Exeter; one a signal lineman at Shrewsbury; and one a footplate-man at Taunton. Henry lived for a further two years after giving that interview finally passing away on 30 December 1943 at the grand old age of 108 years.
The GWR Magazine reported his passing with the following obituary notice;
“Mr HENRY KING, on 30 December 1943, at the great age of 108 years. Born on November 10, 1835, it is believed that Mr. King was the second oldest man in the country. When one considers that Queen Victoria ascended to the Throne when he was a small boy, one can gain a true picture of the great span of Mr. King's life. In fact he was only a few weeks younger than the Great Western Railway, which was “born” on August 31, 1835. Mr. King entered the Company's service on May 17, 1859, and retired to old age 36 years ago – on December 28, 1907, to be exact. By trade he was a carpenter, and during his half century of railway service was employed at Taunton, in the Signal and Telegraph Department. Mr. King celebrated his 108th birthday barely three months ago, receiving congratulations from the King and Queen. He has been a life-long non-smoker and total abstainer, and leaves 80 descendants.”
MLR/ 5 August 2021
The GWR Magazine reported his passing with the following obituary notice;
“Mr HENRY KING, on 30 December 1943, at the great age of 108 years. Born on November 10, 1835, it is believed that Mr. King was the second oldest man in the country. When one considers that Queen Victoria ascended to the Throne when he was a small boy, one can gain a true picture of the great span of Mr. King's life. In fact he was only a few weeks younger than the Great Western Railway, which was “born” on August 31, 1835. Mr. King entered the Company's service on May 17, 1859, and retired to old age 36 years ago – on December 28, 1907, to be exact. By trade he was a carpenter, and during his half century of railway service was employed at Taunton, in the Signal and Telegraph Department. Mr. King celebrated his 108th birthday barely three months ago, receiving congratulations from the King and Queen. He has been a life-long non-smoker and total abstainer, and leaves 80 descendants.”
MLR/ 5 August 2021
With a very sincere thank you to Mike Roach for allowing us to use the results of his extensive research. Also many thanks to Chris Osment and Robert Lindley for the use of their photographs.
Rewe
Paul Barlow
Paul Barlow
What a lovely shot as 45132 works the 10.54 Paignton to Leeds 1E37 seen here passing Rewe. 28th November 1981, Copyright Paul Barlow
Many thanks Paul.
Exminster
Ron Kosys
Ron Kosys
47488 seen near Exminster on the 2nd February 1991 02.05.with the 1S15 the 12.12 Penzance -Glasgow. One member of the cattle herd pauses to watch the working Copyright Ron Kosys.
Many thanks to you Ron.