...Obituaries
Cissie
Black wife of Henry Black
DEATH OF MRS.
HENRY BLACK
WELL-KNOWN
SHOWMAN’S WIFE
Lifelong Experience of Mop Fair
On Thursday of last week Mrs. Cissie Black, wife of
Mr. Henry Black, died at her caravan home at the Oak
Meadow, Pewsey, at the age of sixty years.
Formerly Miss Cissie Bunce, she was the daughter of
the late Mr. And Mrs. James Bunce, of Reading, and
the niece of the late Mr. William Bunce, who for many
years carried on business as a horse dealer, and
lived at The Ferns, Pewsey. All her life Mrs.
Black has been associated with the travelling show
business and as a child and young woman regularly
visited, with her parents, all the fairs in the
district.
She married in 1900, Mr. Henry Black, son of the
late Mr. Amos Black, the well-known horse dealer of
Inkpen Common. The marriage was solenmised at
Inkpen Church by the late Rector. The Rev. H D.
Butler. With her husband. Mrs. Black has
continued in the show business throughout all her
married life, attending all the fairs in the
Wiltshire and Berkshire district with their steam
roundabouts and fun fair. On the occasion of King
George VI’s Coronation, Mrs. Black opened the
fair at the Windsor Home Park, an honour of which she
and her family are naturally proud. In
Marlborough she was well-known for she attended the
Marlborough Mop Fairs for upwards of fifty
consecutive years.
Mr. And Mrs. Black had a family of four sons and two
daughters. The eldest son, Mr. Henry Black, who
is married, travels with his father; the second son,
who is also married, lives at Marten, near Grafton.
The elder daughter, Mrs. Williams, is a widow, who,
with her two children, has a caravan home at Pewsey,
and the younger daughter, Mrs. Albert Smith, with her
husband and family, also form part of the little
community assembled in the Oak Meadow for the
duration of the war.
In consequence of the war conditions the show
business is now out of action, and Mr. Black, with
his son and son-in-law, are doing very useful work by
buying up scrap iron and other metals for the
Ministry of Supply.
The funeral took place at the Pewsey Cemetery on
Monday, the service in the chapel being conducted by
the Rev. W.A. Prideaux, Rector, who gave a short
address to the family.
The
mourners were Mr. Henry Black (the widower); Mr.
Henry Black (junr.), Mr. Maurice Black, Mr. James
Black and Mr. Nelson Black (sons); Mrs. Louisa
Williams and Mrs. Albert Smith (Ivy), (daughters); Mr.
George Bunce, Reading; Mr. Charles Bunce, Reading;
and Mr. Samuel Bunce, Maidenhead (brothers); Mrs. (Ellen)
W. Wyatt, Woolhampton, Berks (sister); Mr. Albert
Smith, Pewsey (son-in-law); Mr. Maurice Black, Alton,
Hants (brother-in-law); Mr. And Mrs. William Black,
Tadley (brother-in-law and sister-in-law); Mr. Albert
Black, Great Shefford (nephew); Mr. Tom Black,
Weyhill, Mrs. Robert Black, Weyhill, and Miss Black (cousins);
Mrs. Samson James, Newtown, Tadley (friend).
Others present included Mrs. Clarke, Mrs. Slack, Mr.
Henry Watts, Mrs.Muddle, Mr. and Mrs. Butcher, Mrs. D.
Brown, Miss D. Broomham, Mrs. H. Hillier, Mrs.
Goldsworthy, Mrs. Balcombe, Mrs. Brown (Keptnall),
ect.
The coffin was of unpolished elm with brass fittings,
and was conveyed to the cemetery by motor hearse.
The grave was lined with flowers and foliage and
there were many beautiful floral tributes.
The funeral arrangements were carried out by
Messrs. Percy C King, Mr. Arthur King personally
attending.