William Murray Stratfield

William Murray Stratfield - born 6 September 1849 at Tring, Hertfordshire.

William Stratfield was also recorded as Stratful and more commonly Stratfull.

From about 1879 to 1899 he was given as a carpenter. There is a very strong possibility that he was a carpenter for the canal company. This has been deduced because from 1879 he was given as living in the Berkhamsted area and particularly from 1880 to about 1898 as living at either 49 Lock House or 52 Lock House. He seemed to move a few times between the two lock houses. By 4 July 1906 he was noted as an overseer for the canal company.

So, it seems that William Stratfull had followed his father (William Stratford) and his brothers (George Brooks & Charles Prince Stratfield) in to canal work.

William Stratfull married Mary Chowns on 27 April 1871 at Pitstone Parish Church, Bucks.. Mary Stratfull died 8 years later on 8 July 1879 in Northchurch (near Berkhamsted), Hertfordshire at the age of 28 years. She died from a diseased liver - they had no children.

William then married Sophia Andrews on 6 October 1879 at Berkhamsted. They were to have 6 children; they were all recorded with the surname Stratfull. Sophia Stratfull died of heart disease at 49 Lock House, Berkhamsted on 8 March 1898 at the age of 48 years.

Just over one year after the death of his second wife, William married for the third time. His bride was Ann Warren and they married on 2 December 1899 at Grove Church near Leighton Buzzard. Ann Warren had been William's house-keeper. Grove is a very small hamlet of just a few houses, including a cottage on the canal where William Stratfull was now the lock-keeper. Grove church formed part of the Wing parish (where the author lives). Grove church is now a private home.

William and Ann remained together for 21 years before the death of William after an appendicectomy he suffered a cardiac syncope on 24 August 1922 at Woburn. At the time of his death they were living in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.

Ann died of an ovarian cyst and myocardial degeneration on 6 January 1934 at 60 Vicarage Road, Watford, this was a former work-house which then formed part of Shrodells Hospital.

It is believed that both William and his last wife are buried together at Grove church (this needs to be checked). There is photo of William Murray Stratfull on this site.