As the marriage notes indicate, Edgar never did marry Amy, but the package I use for creating these family pages assumes that a couple who share their lives together must of course be married!
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From the snippets of information I have picked up from the family, I believe Edgar was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and is most likely to be the one who appears below, as taken from the 1901 census, aged 14 years, living with his parents Edwin and Annie, siblings Percy and Eliza, and grandmother Eliza.
I assume that the sister Eliza is the "problem sister" referred to in the Notes given under Edgar's partner, Amy Knibbs.
Edwin Gardner 47 Oxford Banbury Oxfordshire Banbury Carpenter
Annie Gardner 39 Oxford Banbury Oxfordshire Banbury �
Edgar Gardner 14 Oxford Banbury Oxfordshire Banbury Clerk Builders
Percy Gardner 10 Oxford Banbury Oxfordshire Banbury �
Eliza Gardner 6 Oxford Banbury Oxfordshire Banbury �
Eliza Gardner 79 Northampton Charlton Oxfordshire Banbury
And quite probably, the following shows Edgar's father Edwin, living in 1881 with his parents at No 11 Gatteridge St, Banbury, Oxford, England:
Daniel GARDNER Head M Male 61 Banbury Pump Maker
Eliza GARDNER Wife M Female 58 Charlton, Berkshire, England
Edwin GARDNER Son U Male 28 Banbury Carpenter
Ann Eliza GARDNER Daur U Female 21 Banbury Dressmaker
Arthur GARDNER Son Male 14 Banbury Scholar
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Read details of Amy's Last Will and Testament
Amy is 3rd from the right, wearing spectacles. Click photo for larger version
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Amy appears in the 1901 census aged 13 years living at 12 Medway Street, Westminster, London. She was living with Walter Drury and his wife Mary, and identified as a niece. Mary was Amy's mother's sister, Mary Markham.
Alfred Drury abt 1852 Dedham, Essex, England Brother
Mary Drury abt 1851 Middle Aston, Oxfordshire, England Wife
Walter Drury abt 1851 Dedham, Essex, England Head
John W Gould abt 1857 Buxton, Norfolk, England Lodger
Amy Knibbs abt 1888 Clifton, Oxfordshire, England Niece
Bertram Phillips abt 1878 St Leonards, Sussex, England Son
Daniel Symons abt 1836 Mile End, London, England Lodger
All were living at the parish of St John the Evangelist and St Margaret, Westminster, London
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We know from an address found in the address book of Howard Ernest Roberts of Connecticut, that Amy lived for some time at The Lych Gate, Chamberlaine's Lane, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England.
Amy was a neice of Howard Ernest Wright's grandfather, James Knibbs who emigrated to Connecticut in the 1850's.
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Whilst Amy remained a spinster all of her life, she was, as her niece Barbara put it to me, "very fond of" a man named Edgar Gardener. Edgar owned Gardener's Fish & Chip shop at Broad Street, Banbury. Amy worked for him as a general helper in the shop. Edgar was always referred to as "Uncle Edgar" by the nieces and nephews, but never married Amy. It is understood that at his mother's request, Edward had promised never to marry but always to look after his sister Liz. An unusual situation but nevertheless, the reason why he and Amy never married.
Edgar's sister Liz was able bodied and quite capable of looking after herself, but possibly spoilt by her parents, and was always one to monopolise conversations. She never had a boyfriend and no prospect of marriage, so the only conclusion is that Liz's mother perhaps feared that if Edgar ever married, his sister Liz would be all alone.
Edgar and Amy moved from the flat over the shop to live in a private house just down the road - with Liz of course! Liz was jealous of the relationship between Edgar and Amy and resented Amy being there. In the end, Amy could stand it no longer. She packed her trunk and caught the train to Wolverhampton to stay with family. She got a job as a Housekeeper/Nanny to a family there. Amy's mother was ill at this time so that may well have influenced her to move out. I believe it was Amy who moved in with her mother Elizabeth Knibbs at Clifton to look after her in her old age. Amy's niece Barbara told me that quite often as a child, she would be taken by her mother Ethel to Clifton to look after Grandma Elizabeth, giving Amy a break.
Edgar remained true to his promise to his mother and remained in Banbury looking after his sister. But used to visit Amy at weekends at Wolverhampton, staying at Amy's sister Sarah's house.
Edgar died some time after Amy, leaving Liz on her own. Liz moved into a home and died several years later.
