The Bower & Collier Family History
Research by Colin Bower
What's New?
Birthday in the Canary Islands
The year began with a Saga cruise around the Canary Islands.
I celebrated my birthday on La Gomera:
Visit to Silk Weavers in El Paso, La Palma
One of the excursions from the ship was a visit to El Paso on La Palma where silk weaving is still undertaken:
Visit to Cadiz
The highlight of the cruise was a visit to the beautiful city of Cadiz where Dad was taken by the Spanish rescue ship in 1941, before making his way home from Gibraltar:
Early Developments
We started the year trying to catch up on summarising some visits at the end of 2024:
Silk Weavers named Collier
- Vist to Sudbury, Suffolk October 2024
Saunders/Neville Family Tree
- Visit to Plymouth 11 December 2024
We made a further visit to Plymounth as part of a coach holiday in Babbacombe, Devon.
I took the opportunity to find out more about Stoke Damerel, where Ann Neville was baptised in 1811, and the Neville Family:
Cornelius Neville & Family
I later added a report on the Neville name to the Big One! Project:
Big One! Report - Neville Family
Joan Hughes, Female Aviator
I checked to see if there had been any articles on the internet about Joan Hughes which were new to me.
I duly came acros 3 articles:
Ferry Pilots of the ATA - Joan Hughes MBE
Women RAF pilots "forgotten" in centenary celebrations (RAF100), say relatives
Women of the ATA mentioned on International Women's Day 8 March 2023
International Women's Day 2023
and I updated my entry under RAF100:
Bower/Bagley Family
A current member of the Bagley Family advised me of the possible link to the Bower Family in the Fulham area:
Death of Cousin Colin Jeffrey
We were sad to hear that Chris' First Cousin Colin (Mother Queenie (Collier) Jeffrey) died on 19 March 2025 in Peterborough Hospital.
We had lost contact and made an interesting visit to see his bungalow in Market Deeping near Stamford, to where he moved from Enfield.
William Delves Collier
I was delighted to hear again fromn someone I exchanged correspondence with for some time and met at one of the Collier/Gaucheron/Kemp Gatherings in London.
She provided me with some further information about William Delves Collier.
This is a unique situation for us, as my contact is related to Chris, my wife, and I am related to her husband via the Saunders Family Tree.
He is descended from my Grandma's (Ellen Saunders) brother (James Saunders).
Saunders Family Tree
Even this connection is unusual because James and his brother Charles married 2 sisters Ada & Ellen Trudgill.
Walter James Collier
Another piece of Collier news!
I successfully bid for a photo/card of Walter James Collier that was for sale on e-bay:
The background to the purchase is attached:
Chris' cousin, mentioned above, updated me on the descendants of Walter James.
The Extraordinary Cornwallis-West Family
When undertaking the Find the Lady! project, I came across the extraordinary srory of the Cornwallis-Wests. It occurred to me that it remains the standout story in the website but I had not made the most of the research material.
I decided to add the story to the home page:
Find the Lady!
A second item turned up on ebay!
Another correspondent tipped me off that an envelope, addressed to Mrs Stuart Murray (the Lady! who kept the Calling Book) at Hoopers Hill, New Milton, was for sale on ebay:
Envelope addressed to Mrs Stuart Murray
The envelope is stamped 1904, the earliest date I have for the Murrays living in Hoopers Hill:
The Colliers
Not again, but once more!
Chris and I met up with Chris' cousin and husband in Southampton.They were part of a group from a bowling club in Jersey competing in a tournament nearby.
We had an enjoyable and interesting exchange of information and photos from the Collier Family Tree, particularly about Colin Jeffrey who died earlier in the year.
Chris' cousin had a fantastic set of photos of memorabilia collecterd by Ellen (Nell Collier) Rice, Len Collier's sister.
Colin Bower
31 July 2025
