Descendants of John Burgar (1742-1797)

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 William Edward Burgar(1880-1923) - son of Alfred Burgar (1839-1917) - son of Joseph Burgar (1794-1854) - son of John Burgar (1742-1797)

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William Edward Burgar is a direct ancestor of Bill Burgar, the author of this work (my grandfather)

He was born on 3 Dec 1880 in 2 Strewan St Chelsea.^15,16,88 Civil Registration of Births reference is Mar 1881 V 1a p 326. - Chelsea, London¹⁶ The Birth Certificate for William Edward Burgar (my Grandfather) states:

On the 6th December 1880, William Edwin Burgar, Boy, son of Alfred Burgar, Fishmonger, and Mary Burgar formerly Wetherilt, of 2 Strewan Square, Chelsea. Mary Burgar made her mark. Registered 17 January 1881.

Mary Ann Burgar registered the birth but at this stage was unable to write her name. Note that he was registered as William Edwin, but William Edward seems to have been the preferred name subsequently, although William Ernest appears sometimes.

He was baptized on 30 Dec 1881 in St Mary, Battersea, London.⁸⁸ The following is a summary of the entry in the Baptism Register:

William Edwin, born 3rd December 1880, son of Alfred and Mary Ann Burgar, Fishmonger of 2 Strewan Street, Chelsea, was baptised on the 30th December 1881 at St Mary Battersea.

He died in 1923 at Lambeth, London.¹⁶ Civil Registration of Death reference is Sep 1923 V 1d p 208. Aged 43. - Lambeth, London.¹⁶

William is seen living at home with his parents in the 1881 and 1891 Censuses.

See 1881 and 1891 Censuses

He  joined the Royal Navy as a cadet on the 4th October 1895 for a 2 year period. His recorded date of birth was the 3rd December 1879, whereas it was really 1880. It may be that he exaggerated his age from 15 to 16 years in order to get into the Navy. During this period his character was rated as 'Very good'.

On the 3rd December 1897 he joined up for a further 12 years. He was 18 years old, 5' 7¾"  (1.7m)  tall, brown hair, blue eyes, fresh complexion and had a tattoo on both forearms. He had a scar, 1½ inches long on the inner side of his right knee. His Royal Navy service record gives his Royal Navy number as 186067.

See photo of the young naval cadet

In the 1901 Census he is stationed at Chatham, Kent.

See 1901 Census

See photo about 1905

He served on about 13 ships and was promoted from an 'Ordinary' seaman to an 'Able-bodied' seaman on the 13th November 1898. His character was described as 'very good' but on the 2nd November 1907 his naval career ended when in the Discharge column of his record is the word 'Run'. This means that he had done a runner and was now a deserter.

During the next few years he was probably a labourer, as mentioned on his Marriage Certificate to Edith Peacock in 1911 (see below).

In August 1914 he rejoined the Royal Navy as they seem to have offered an amnesty to deserters. The word 'Run' was then crossed through on his service record. he signed up for 3 years, but in the end was demobbed in February 1919, after over 4 years service.

See Royal Navy Service Record

See Photo of family in about 1916

See Photo of William and mother and brother John

You might think that this part of my family have rather vacant and gormless expressions.  I am blaming the camera , since you had to sit still for a considerable period.  I have an obviously inherited problem in that my face freezes into a grimace on nearly every occasion that a camera is pointed in my direction.

After the war he eventually worked for Lyons, the tea shop and food company, as a marble mason. He died of some form of stomach cancer in 1923.

William Edward Burgar and Edith Florence Peacock were married in 1911 in Wandsworth London.¹⁶ Civil Registration of marriage reference is Jun 1911 V 1D p 855 - Wandsworth London.¹⁶  The following is a summary of the Marriage Certificate:

William Ernest Burgar, aged 30, Bachelor, Labourer of 23 Afgan Road, Battersea
was married to Edith Florence Peacock, aged 24, Spinster of 64 Hambala Road, Battersea on April 16th 1911 at Christ Church, Battersea. His father was Alfred Burgar, Fishmonger, and her father was Charles William Peacock (deceased), brewer. The witnesses were J.H. Joyce and A.M. Burgar. Both WEB and EFP signed the certificate.

William E. Burgar seems to be unsure what the E. in his second name stood for. Different records suggest it was Edward or Edwin or Ernest.

The identity of the witness, A. M. Burgar, is unclear. None of the Burgar family have those initials. It is possibly his brother, Alfred William Burgar.

Edith Florence Peacock is a direct ancestors of Bill Burgar, the author of this work.

See details of Edith, her siblings and ancestors.

William Edward Burgar and Edith Florence Peacock had the following children:

See Tree of the Descendants of William E. Burgar and Edith Peacock

 

	i.	William George Francis Burgar.
	ii.	Alice Elizabeth Burgar.
	iii.	Horace C Burgar was born in 1918 in Wandsworth London.16 Civil Registration of Births reference is Jun 1918 V 1d p 699 - Wandsworth London16 He died in 1930 at Wandsworth London.16 Civil Registration of Death reference is Mar 1930 V 1d p 448. Aged 11. - Wandsworth London.16
	iv.	Richard Alfred Joseph Burgar.
	v.	Florence Winifred Burgar.

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