My great grandmother was born Kate Edna Spring in Dover. Her father Robert Spring was an instructor in the army. She was brought up near Thame in Oxford. From an early age I had been aware of a family myth that the Springs were descended from a rich and noble family. I even have a detailed family tree purporting to show this glorious past. I strongly suspect that this is somewhat romantic wishful thinking by earlier generations of Springs. There was indeed a wealthy family called Spring whose family seat was at Lavenham in Suffolk. They made a fortune out of wool. Their family tree peters out ca 1730 with no demonstrable link to any of Kates ancestors. I have, however, managed to trace Kate's ancestors back to Wrawby in Lincolnshire ca 1700.

I was curious about how Kate had ended up in Lytham. I was provided with some clues when Brian Firth of Freckleton contacted me through Genes Reunited. He had a family tree that linked him with Kate Edna. It turns out that Kate had a cousin Jane Norris who, according to the 187 I census, had been in service as a nurse in Preston in the house of Edward Leese, a cotton manufacturer. Jane later worked in service at Fairlawn in Lytham. It is highly likely that this was the link that brought Kate to Lytham though I cannot prove it.

Jane married Ralph Braithwaite in 1876. Ralph worked at the Lytham Gasworks and became manager before dying prematurely in 1879 at the age of 25. They settled in Lytham in Warton Street and had two children WiIliam b 1877 and Eleanor b 1878. William had two children, Morris and Dorothy Braithwaite who lived at 2 St Johns Street in Lytham. Morris was the Clerk of Works in Lytham according to Brian Firth. Dorothy married Harry Firth in 1934 and they had 3 children, Ralph , Brian (my contact)and Margot. This family relationship that my father seemed to know nothing about might explain why, when Edna came up from London to visit her parents, she lodged in Warton Street.

I don't get the impression that Jane and Kate were particularly close and there is no evidence that any of their offspring regarded themselves as related. Certainly the obituary reports of Jane's death reveal no trace of any Lloyds, Norrises or Springs.