1935 Wedding of Violet Gwenda Titheridge

The Wedding of Violet Gwenda Titheridge 1935

Today I came across a newspaper article giving a lovely description of a Titheridge wedding that took place 82 years ago. The description of the wedding was so thorough that you could almost picture it. I was also surprised to see the article included a complete list of wedding gifts received and who had given them. All the weddings on the page were written up in the same way so it was obviously the fashionable thing to do. I would be worried about giving too small a gift if this was to happen today!

Here is the newspaper article of the wedding.

Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser 02 August 1935

 "Hartfield Wedding

A wedding of considerable local interest took place at Hartfield Parish Church on Saturday, when Miss Violet Gwenda Titheridge, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Titheridge, of Perryhill, Hartfield, was married to Mr Ronald Arthur Boorman, son of the late Mr. and the late Mrs Boorman, of Tunbridge Wells, and of Shepherds Hill, Coleman’s Hatch. The bride and bridegroom are both well-known and very popular in the village.

The bride who was given away by her father, was attired in white lace with ruffled silk with veil and wreath of orange blossom and carried a bouquet of white carnations and pink rosebuds. Her ornament was a gold and crystal necklace.  She was attended by four bridesmaids and one small page. They were Miss Joan Titheridge (sister), Miss Eileen Betterton and Misses Marcelle and Audrey Shoesmith (friends), and Master Malcolm Adams (nephew).  The two eldest were in pale pink dresses with large crinoline hats to match, and carried bouquets of pale yellow rosebuds.  The two younger maids were in long Victorian dresses of pale green sylmira, with pink rosebud head-dresses, and they carried Victorian posies.  They wore crystal necklaces, the gifts of the bridegroom.  The small page was in a green silk suit with a white silk blouse.  His gift from the bridegroom was a gold tie pin. 

The bride’s mother was dressed in blue crepe-de-chine, with navy silk marocain coat and hat to match. Mr Alfred Adams the bridegroom’s cousin, was best man. 

The Rector, the Rev. H. A. James, officiated at the ceremony, which was choral.  The hymns, “O Perfect Love” and “Love Divine” were sung, and as the bridal party left the church the Wedding March was played by Mr. T Floyd, the organist, while a merry peal was rung on the church bells by the local band of ringers.  About forty guests attended the reception at the Anchor Hotel, and later the happy couple left by car for Hastings, where the honeymoon is being spent.  The bride travelled in a pale blue crepe-de-chine dress with coat and hat to match.  The future home of Mr and Mrs Boorman will be at Stone Cottage, Hartfield.
List of Presents
Bride to Bridegroom, gold wrist watch: Bridegroom to Bride, silver dressing table set: Bride’s Father, tea service and bouquets; Bride’s mother, silver teapot …..”

The list of presents carries on with the giver listed and then present.  Presents were silver jam pot and spoon, cheque, cut glass trinket set, fruit set, picture, singer sewing machine, bath towels, linen tablecloth and serviettes, cheque, dinner service, cut glass salad bowl and servers, hand painted butter dish and silver knife, treasury note, hand crocheted afternoon tea cloth, bath towels, salad bowl and servers and salad knife, bath towels, table runner, glass cake dish, engraved biscuit barrel and “spot” honey jar, Treasury note, bedroom towels, marmalade jar, sweet dishes, pillow cases, tablecloth, table knives, biscuit barrel, pyrex dish, embroidered bed set, pyrex dishes, cooling pyrex dishes, hand crocheted table centre, clock, case of teaspoons and sugar tongs, lemonade set, chromium fruit dish, set of pillow cases and bolster, hand worked afternoon tea cloth, hand worked tray cloth, cruet, pin cushion, sandwich set, tea tray and cloth, silver plated jam spoon and butter knife, fruit dish, vases, powder bowl, jam pot, ware bowl, embroidered pillow cases, jam pot and spoon, wine glasses and old Derby china, tea tray, case of silver egg spoons.

Who was Violet Titheridge?

Violet Gwenda Titheridge was the six times great grand daughter of John Titheridge and Ann Quallat.  Her parents were James Forder Titheridge and Alice A Jukes.  James was born in Froxfield, Hampshire in 1882 and can be found on the 1891and 1901 census living in Sages Lane, Froxfield. In 1901 James was working as a gardener. After this he moved around and in June 1911 married Alice in the Mere district of Wiltshire.  Violet was born here on 17 August 1912.  James was probably in the army in WW1. By 1921 the family was living in the Alton district of Hampshire where Violet's sister Joan was born.  At some point after 1921 the family moved to Hartfield, Sussex. It was here that Violet married Ronald in 1935. On the 1939 register Violet and Ronald are living in Stone Cottage, Hartfield, with their one year old son and Ronald is working as a postman.  A second child was born a few years later.  Ronald died in 1979 in the Uckfield area and Violet died in 1998 in Haywards Heath area of Sussex.

In case you think the name Hartfield, Sussex sounds familiar it is because this was the home of A. A. Milne author of the Winnie the Pooh books and now a tourist spot visited by Winnie the Pooh fans who come to see local places associated with the books including Pooh bridge where Pooh dropped Pooh Sticks. A. A. Milne lived in Hartfield, one mile from Violet and Ronald, from 1925 until he died in 1956.

Are you related to Violet and can add to this story?  If so please get in touch.