John Thomas GUMBLETON

The family appears in Tiverton Street, Newington, in the 1851 census, but John was not present, and his location has not been found. Nor is he with the family, in Farnham, in 1861.

Nothing is known about John until 1869, when the Kelly's directory for Cambridge includes a reference to 'Gumbleton Brothers, Boot and Shoe Makers', at 4, Market Street. He set up this business with his brother Henry and on the 1st Jan 1870, a Christmas notice appears in the Cambridge Independent newspaper for J & H Gumbleton's Boot and Shoe Factory.

On the 21st Mar 1871, at the age of about 33, John was married to Martha SIMONS, daughter of George Simons, in Cambridge. The marriage certificate confirms that John was a cordwainer, and his brother Henry was a witness.

In the Cambridge 1871 census, the family were living at 4 Market St, Cambridge. Bertie MECHAM (son of his sister Mary Anne GUMBLETON) was staying with them.

In January 1872, the Ipswich Journal gives an account of an attempted robbery from the shop. The thieves were apprehended by Mr Gumbleton.

On Good Friday, the 29th March 1872, John's brother, Henry, was tragically drowned in a boating accident on the River Cam. Details of the inquest appear in several newspapers, including the Cambridge Independent. Shortly afterwards, a newspaper notice from John, indicates that he intends to 'conduct the business as heretofore - viz as Gumbleton Brothers'. However, Henry was presumably a joint partner in the business and as he apparently died intestate, his share of the business must have had to be divided according to the the rules of intestacy. Thus, John was not able to carry on the business as before but had to sell off the assets—a notice to that effect appearing in a May edition of the Cambridge Independent. He then presumably had to rebuild the business from scratch.

On the 12th April, John and Martha produced their first child, and named him John Henry. More children followed in quick succession: Martha Harriet in 1874, Josiah in 1875, and Fanny Maria in 1877, who was born in Cambridge but died in Camberwell in the same year, so John and his family must have moved back to London at this time.

John's business in Cambridge must have failed, because he was declared bankrupt in 1875. A son Robert George was born in Camberwell in 1878 and Janet in 1881. In the 1881 census, John and his family (including Martha and their children, John, Martha, Josiah, Robert and Janet), were living at 17 Amott Rd, Camberwell, where John was a commercial traveller.

By 1885, the family had moved again, and were now living in Runcorn, Cheshire, where they had a further son, George, daughter Elizabeth (in 1887), and son Richard (who was born and died in 1888). In 1887 they were living in Bridge Street (with dwelling house in Ellesmere Street and Bridge Street).

In 1891 the family were living at 59 Church Street, Runcorn, where John Thomas was described as a salesman and hawker. An 1890 directory for Runcorn lists John Thomas Gumbleton, bootmaker and knitted hosiery manufacturer at 59 Church St: the 1892 directory lists Mrs. Martha Gumbleton, wool repository, at that address.

By 1893, the family is believed to have moved to Bedford, where their son, John Henry, died at the age of 21. They were certainly living at 40 Newnham St, Bedford when, on 17 Nov 1897, their daughter Martha Harriet, a nurse in Kings Lynn, died of Enteric Fever, and were still there in 1901.

John Thomas GUMBLETON died aged 71 in 1910, in the Toxteth Park registration district. In 1911, His widow was living at 25 St Peter's Street, Bedford, where she was a knitter and hosier, along with her sons Josiah and Robert. She died in 1914 in the Bedford Registration District.