William Harry Parsonage Gardner
Lydia
Lydia was born in 1868 to Charles and Lavinia Cooper. She had one older sister, Mary Ann who was born in 1864. The only information found on Mary was that in 1881 she was living in London and working as a servant. Lydia remained in Chipping Campden and trained as a Dressmaker.
Charles and Lydia married at Sparkhill, Birmingham on 20 April 1899. In the 1901 census Charles and Lydia are living in Sparkhill with their new baby Cecil, Lydia's daughter Edith and William's siblings Frank and Selina.
Shortly after this the family moved to London and their second son Norman Parsonage Gardner was born in Bexley Heath, Kent in 1904.
It seems that the family remained in London until after Norman married Florence Williams and that after this they returned to Birmingham. Norman's son Peter is unable to explain when and why they returned but Norman and Florence lived near Lydia and Charles in Hall Green.
It seems that William and Lydia did not have a happy marriage. William would go weeks without talking to Lydia and it would appear that he was having an affair with his cousin Christine Deeley who he married after Lydia's death.