The Criddle family crop up all over Nancy Farrie’s book, baling out her father when the family business failed (The Reindeer Cafe, Gt Charlotte St.) (page 17) and then taking Nancy and the family into their house in Wallasey sometime around 1910. In the book, Nancy described this as helping out “again”, so the connection goes back a long way. On page 30, towards the end of the First World War, John and Helah Criddle are helping to nurse baby Betty (Nancy’s first daughter) who has the Scalet Fever. By page 49 John Criddle is paying for Nancy’s other daughter Alison to go to Commercial College, after which she became his private secretary. He is described as a great friend.
John Criddle owned a Sugar and Syrup business in Liverpool. He was a great philanthropist, realising his responsibilities to his workers he built them an estate to live in with very low rents. He was a firm believer in vegetarianism and provided good hot soups for his staff and the poor in Liverpool. By all accounts he was a very kind and gentle man who did his best to look after everybody around him, and was know affectionately by all as “Mister John”. Except in cousin Nancy (Taunton)’s house where he was “Uncle John” to all.
There’s more; Gilly recalls that as a child (of maybe about 10), she went with the family in a car which was sent for them, to the Criddle’s house in Blundellsands. We’re not sure whether it was Edgar or Bernard Criddle (or maybe both) who was a friend of her father Peter (Nancy Farrie’s son), but the family connection had continued through friendship. Peter Farrie certainly had a connection with Edgar through their involvement with the Unity Theatre in Liverpool.
Earlier this week, the Liverpool Echo ran a piece about John Criddle, a good news story about the memories of a good man. Accompanying the article, this photograph from the Liverpool Museum’s archive, annotated “Best wishes for Xmas. H & JFC”
This set things running: The man waving is Dennis Taunton, cousin Nancy’s father. Sat next to,his mother Constance, and with them are John and Helah Criddle.
Gilly found the vital clue to make the connection, the local Vegetarian Childrens’ Home had been founded by Mrs Elizabeth Thompson, with the vegetarian influence coming from two of her daughters: Helah who married John Criddle and Jessie whose married name was Hughes and whose daughter Constance was Dennis Taunton’s mother.
Thus was the Criddle Connection found.
There is one more twist, cousin Nancy recalled that there was a story of two sisters marrying two men, father and son: William Criddle had married the oldest daughter, Martha Thompson after his first wife Maria died, and his oldest son John, from the first marriage, had married the youngest daughter Helah., 13 years her junior.
Some mysteries remain, like how did the Criddles’ help with Nancy Farrie’s family earlier than the Cafe problems? Where did that connection come from? We are in touch with John Frankland Criddle’s great grand daughter and hope to find out more details soon.
Nancy (Taunton) wonders if her mother, Betty, is just visible behind her father, Dennis on the photo.
