MESSENGER, Mrs (Norah Emily nee STRUTT) 1918-2020

[Richard R]

From the Telegraph online 29 March 2020: MESSENGER Norah Emily Messenger, daughter of George Ashton Strutt and Winefred Strutt - formerly Cavendish, died peacefully on 25th March aged 102. Much loved mother of son Anthony and granddaughter Catherine. Private cremation and no flowers, please.

She was d of George Ashton STRUTT (1878-1935), scion of - though not descended from - the BELPER barons (descended from an uncle of the 1st Baron) by his 1904 m (div 1925) to Hon Winifred CAVENDISH (1880-1971) d of 4th Baron WATERPARK (1839-1912) and Emily (1845-1925) d of John STENNING (c1820-1888) by his 1841 m (reg Q4 Surrey) to Charlotte BUCKLE (c1822-?). She m ?_ _ MESSENGER and had a son as above.

[richard hill]

Norah Emily Strutt b. 12/10/1917, m. Q2 Bournemouth 1945 Peter Wortley Archer Mills (1924-1989), div. prior to 1955.

Son, Anthony Archer Wills b. Q3 Bournemouth 1946.

[richard hill]

*Archer Wills

[G. Willis]

I couldn't find anything on a second marriage, but company records for "Anthony Archer-Wills Ltd" give her (res. Petworth, W. Sussex) as "Ms" rather than "Mrs", where a Kathryn Lynn Archer-Wills (given her age, presumably Anthony A.-W.'s wife) is listed as "Mrs". Is "Ms" ever used for widows/ divorcees? I'm not very familiar with it.

Electoral roll records gave a Norah E. Messenger as resident with a Douglas B. Messenger at Eastleigh, Hants. in 2002 and 2006, but I found a 1951 marriage between D. B. M. and Norah E. Holwill (and her 1926 birth record) which put paid to that tentative conclusion.

However, there is also a 1961 marriage at Worthing, W. Sussex [n.b.- not far from Petworth, the address from company records as above] for a Norah E. Windham and Edwin Messenger, and no birth record for a Norah E. Windham, which possibly suggests an intervening Strutt/ Windham marriage(?) The Edwin Messenger b. 1889 who d. 1970 at Worthing [probate gives address as Stile House, Gay Street, Pulborough] would appear to be this man, but given the format of probate records of that time, no mention is made of a widow.

EDIT: Aha, the "Interior Designers Handbook" (1987), p. 192 gives "Anthony Archer-Wills, Stile House, Gay St, Pulborough, Sussex", which corroborates the above tentative conclusions; where the "Windham" came from I have no idea, but it all seems to fit otherwise. Grade II-listed 17th-century ("or earlier") Stile House also known as Stile Place Farmhouse).

[G. Willis]

Other references to A. Archer Wills as of Stile House: Country Life, vol. 174 (1983), The Garden, vol. 114 (1989); the promotion for his book "The Water Gardener" (2000) includes: "Anthony Archer Wills was 16 when he, his parents and grandmother moved into the ancient Stile House in the Sussex village of Pulborough." On the evidence, "parents" includes Edwin Messenger, his stepfather, since A. A. W. would have been 16 in 1962, the year after his mother's (possibly 3rd?) marriage and several years after her divorce from P. W. Archer Wills.

[richard hill]

Yes, I also found the ‘Ms’ record and wondered if she was divorced. Also came across the Windham marriage and suspect there was a 2nd marriage before the Messenger one.

[G. Willis]

Is it the done thing to eventually become a "Ms" during a lengthy widowhood? Since Edwin M. d. 1970... even then one would think "Mrs" would be retained?