Family history sought about former landlords of the Turf Locks.

Does anyone know anything about Frances E Leigh aka Dow and the Harper family of Turf Locks please?
3 years after the original request, Starcross History now has the photographs to go with the 2015 request for information about the former landlords. Harry Harper was released as POW and he, and his wife Dow, took on Turf Locks in 1946.

Harry and Dow Harper

Dow Harper and sisters at Turf Locks

Dow Harper and sisters

Dow Harper and sisters

Dow Harper and sisters

(email 6th May 2015)

Hello

Does anyone have any connection to Frances E Leigh ( known as Dow) ), born 20.12.1906 in Birkenhead, married Charles Henry Harper (Harry ) in 1940 in Wallasey, had Eric Leigh Harper in 1947 in Liverpool. Harry and Dow Harper were the landlords of The Turf Locks from late 1940's to early 1950's . Harry had been a prisoner of war in WW2, where the Germans had taught him farming . He couldn't settle in pub life and  they moved to a farm in Cornwall. Dow came back to Starcross , late 70's, to nurse her sister ( name unknown) Dow died in 1983 registered in Exeter. We think that maybe her sister was married to a Starcross man and could have family still in Starcross.  We have 2 photos of family in the garden at The Turf Locks and photos of Dow and Harry in Birkenhead with my mum in May 1945 . I can send them if you are interested

Thanks anyway 

Sandra Ridley

 

(email 6th May 2015)

Thanks for your message Sandra.

If you could please send the photos, I will be delighted to post them and your message on the weblog. We've had over 4,000 hits already. I'll 'label' the post with the names you seek, and, because it's a Google blog, it will come up straightaway when anyone in the world googles any of those names. Clever innit? 

Mind you, I just googled Starcross Dow and up came your request on Facebook THE SECOND RESULT. (I also run https://www.facebook.com/starcrossnews )

Dow seems an odd sort of name for a first name, although there's plenty of documentation about it as a surname http://www.ancestry.co.uk/name-origin?surname=dow&geo_a=r&geo_s=us&geo_t=uk&geo_v=2.0.0&o_iid=41013&o_lid=41013&o_sch=Web+Property

I'm delighted that Starcross History is able to help you. Good luck with your research. Perhaps you could let Starcross History have the details when it's complete?

Regards
Monica Lang

 

(email 21 March 2018)

 Hello ..... I apologise for such a long delay in my reply ! I am searching for family members of my aunt -in-law , Dow Harper . I believe the family may still be in Starcross . Dow's name at birth was Frances Ethel Leigh b 1906 in Birkenhead . She married my uncle Harry Harper in Wallasey in 1940 and together with their baby son , Eric , came to live and run the Turf Locks Hotel around 1946/7 until the early 1950's . Then they moved to farm in Cornwall . Harry died in 1969 . Around 1980 Dow  came back to Starcross to nurse her sister , but died herself  in 1983 , which is registered at Exeter . Dow had one brother and 3 sisters , George , Elsie , May and Gertrude all born between 1905 and 1916, all around Birkenhead .  I think that it's probably one of those sisters who married locally and she would be the one who lived in Starcross , but I have no idea of her married name . Maybe the photos will jog someone's memory . Ist photo is of Dow with , I believe , her sister on her right and my mum on her left , taken at Turf Locks , early 50's . The next 3 photos are of Mum, Dow and her sisters , possibly taken at 165 Higher Road Halewood , Liverpool during WW2 when Harry was a POW in Germany . The 5th photo is of Harry and Dow Harper with my mum ( Harry's sister ) taken in 1945 on Harry's release . 

Thank you for reading my story 

From Sandra Ridley