MEET THE COUSINS (5) THE CHILDREN OF LIL (NEE GIBSON) & TOMMY POTTS mi lol@

5. LILIAN GIBSON b 1908

"In 1930 Lil married Tommy Potts"

10TH SEPTEMBER 1930
LIL & TOMMY POTTS WEDDING
L-R Back:   Tom Gibson (Lillian's father), The (Chapel) Minister
L-R Middle:  Best Man, Bridesmaid,  Ann Gibson (Lillian's sister)
L-R Front:   Molly Gibson (Lillian's sister), Tommy Potts Groom, Lillian Gibson Bride

SOME 50 YEARS LATER - SEPTEMBER 18TH 1980
Lil and Tommy Potts on their Golden Wedding Day

 "Lil and Tommy had two children.

Their daughter Maureen qualified in UK as a nurse before emigrating with her parents to Australia.  Maureen continued her career in Australia. 

She met and married Derek and had two children (I never saw Maureen again after she moved to Australia)." 

OCTOBER 2004
MAUREEN (DAUGHTER OF LIL & TOMMY POTTS) WITH HUSBAND DEREK
Attending Ailsa McLeod's 70th Birthday Celebration  

Donald (Don) met and married Lois in Australia. Donald was a trained telephone engineer and found similar work when he too emigrated to Australia."

19th NOVEMBER 1955
WEDDING OF DONALD POTTS & LOUISE
L-R:  BEST MAN NORMAN GIBSON (SON OF ALBERT & NELLIE GIBSON)
BRIDESMAID, DONALD & LOUISE POTTS, BRIDESMAID, BRIDESMAID

NOVEMBER 19TH 1995
LOIS AND DONALD'S RUBY WEDDING CELEBRATIONS

"Donald and Lois had four children, Anthony, Stephen, David and Christine."

1996
On the back of this photograph is written
"Potts Family - Christmas Day 1996
Anthony, Stephen, Christine & David
Lois & Donald's Family"

Christine Potts on her wedding Day with her father Donald

"Don and Lois came to England many times and stayed with mum.  I remained very close to them until they died.  They always came to Scotland to visit my husband Jim and I, and we all loved them."

11th June 1987
Sitting on Hadrian's Wall, Heddon-on-the-Wall Northumberland
L-R:  Don Potts, Molly Moore (nee Gibson) and Lil Potts (nee Gibson)

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/hadrians-wall/ 

Three Gibson Girls
L-R:  Ann, Molly, Lil

19th June 1987
Cragside Northumberland
L-R:  Ann, Lil, Molly"

The next piece of family information is related by Christine Moore's cousin Pauline to show how the Gibson family and Cragside had a connection, See the 'Family Gossip' below.

CRAGSIDE HOUSE, ROTHBURY, NORTHUMBERLAND

This magnificent house with its grounds filled with Rhododendrons was owned by the very rich and powerful Lord Armstrong who was owner of Vickers Armstrong's.  This was a huge armaments factory, based in Scotswood, Newcastle upon Tyne, at one time they employed a staggering 23,000 workers, - Tom Gibson was the General Manager.  

Apparently it was said, men would follow Tom Gibson around  Vickers Armstrong's pleading with him for a job, especially during the Depression. It cannot be denied that there appeared to be a touch of nepotism regarding family and jobs in Vickers.

Another claim to fame for Cragside House is that it was the first home in the UK to have electricity installed.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragside/features/history-of-cragside

A BIT OF FAMILY GOSSIP ABOUT POLLY AND CRAGSIDE 

A cousin, once removed, who is also Christine Moore's cousin once removed, passed on to me a story that has gone from generation to generation. 

Apparently many years ago, Mary Ann, (Polly) Gibson, made a visit to the Grounds of Cragside, and rumour has it that Polly took it upon herself to march up to the front door to introduced herself, it is not known what the servant said to her, but it must have been something like "the lady of the house is not available".  What this bit of family gossip perhaps relates to is, that some of the family thought Polly had a bit of an inflated opinion of herself.

I wonder if Ann, Lil, and Molly related the story to each other on their visit to Cragside all those years ago?

Mary Ann (Polly) Gibson

Perhaps the following letter that Polly's mother Janet Clark wrote on the 28th August 1914 to Polly's sister Janet Dent (nee Clark) attests to this.

Janet Clark

I have done my best to decipher Janet Patterson's writing, and have kept her original grammar and spelling, in this great 106 year old piece of family history.

AUGUST 28TH 1914
Page 1

My dear daughter I now sit down
To write a few lines to you hoping to find
You in good health as thank god it 
Leaves us all at present and hopping
Look (Luke) has got back again all rite
And that he is working fool time
Now but your father is just 
Getting a chance day or to so you
See that we are among the

Page 2

Mary and you may think it bad
And unkind of your mother but
Not writing to you before now 
You need not for we are all like
Soldiers here for we cannot rest
In the house I think we are getting
All over since the war I think
It is no nearer hand than it was
At first dear Janet. I don't know
If I told you about your sister
Mary writing to me again but I 
Had a letter from her a fortnight
Since and she wanted a letter quick

Page 3

And I write to her a week since and I
Never got one back yet it must not
Hafe pleased her or him and I wrote
To your sister willehmina a week ago
And we hafe not had word yet
But she said in her last letter
That will (Will Kearton Willehmina's husband was a painter & decorator) was losson no time
With the war so that is a good job
Dear Janet I hafe thoughit more 
About it this last day or to then
Ever wich we can not helpit but
Them floting mines is going to

Page 4

Be a bad job dear Janet
We hafe one of our den? soldiers shot him
Self they brought it in that way
Weather it was or not but we don't
Think he did and when you write
Again let me know you know that
We can always spare a cup of te 
For you and look 
So I think I hafe said all this
Since from your ever loving father
And mother william and Janet
Pattison so be good and keep trusting
It is best it always come of best
At the end and you will find that
Come true with love to all not forgetting
Yourself and look (Luke) write soon back.