and sod it, I've gone after the man.
William Robert Berkshire (or Barkshire) born 16.10.1879, place listed as either Camberwell or North Brixton.
1881 census shows 1 year old William Barkshire living at 15 Tindal Street (not far from Elliott Rd), with father Alfred J Barkshire (age 30, railway porter, born 'St John's Surrey') and mother Louisa - William is 4th child listed , two of whom were born in Philadelphia, America)
1891 census shows 11 year old William Barkshire (right age and born in Brixton) living at 16 Tindal Street (not far from Elliott Road) - one of two families living in the house, William now second of four children listed (possibly 2 older children might have left home by 1891), Louisa now single parent / charwoman (can find a record of an Alfred Barkshire's death in Camberwell age 35 - in early 1891. This doesn't quite match up with 1881 census or records of Alfred James born in Westminster in 1850 and married in 1871 to Louisa, so either the wrong person or error in transcribing age.)
Married Kate (nee Moore) from Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, on 13.1.1901 at St Jude's, East Brixton - address given for them on the marriage certificate as 80 Geneva Road, Brixton.
Possible match in 1901 census, William R Barkshire (although the writing's unclear and listed as either Barksdale or Barkshire) with wife Kate, living at Chase Road, Southgate, he working as a milk carrier. Occupation and places of birth match, but the ages are given as 27 and 26 which doesn't match (don't know if the census was transcribed from written forms then - could be a transcription error for 21 and 20.)
In 1911 he was still a milk carrier but back south of the river, living at 9 Beardell Street, off Westow Hill, complete with wife and family
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In the 1939 register (a sort of emergency census) as a 'retired dairyman' living with his wife Kate, at 17 Kingswood Road (which was then in Wandsworth Borough) - looks like the business kept his name.
died 28 May 1944.
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