Jean was born on 7th June 1948 to Irene & Francis Ashley the last child of four, who are Brenda, Colin, and Clive. The family house was ‘Rosedene’ in Middletown a delightful 3 bedroom semi-detached. (for the remainder of this story I will call jean as mum as she was (still is the best mum in the world).

Mum’s first school was the original Great Wollaston which is now a residential house situated leading to Middletown as you are travelling to Welshpool on the left. Mum’s secondary school was The Grammar School in Welshpool, this former school situated in the community of Welshpool, the old County of Montgomeryshire was built in 1853 to the designs of George Gilbert Scott. No longer in use as a school it recently been used as a Masonic Hall. The following is some of the comments from the Head Mistress written in school reports which mum carefully kept and are now safely kept in mum’s eternity box.

Head Mistress: F H Rossers

Age 11 (1959) Comments
Welsh – A very good start
Needlework – Good on the whole
French – Jean is working well

Jean has produced pleasing work with continued effort she should do well

Age 12 (1961) Comments
English Literature – Very Good
Latin – A very good pupil who has made excellent progress
Algebra – A careful and conscientious worker Jean is doing very well
General Science – Very Good – has made pleasing progress

A very good report Jean has continued to apply herself diligently and with considerable interest and has gained some very pleasing results, More attention should now be given to subjects below the pass mark.

Age 13 (1962) Comments
Latin. – A very good pupil who has a linguistic aptitude
English Language – Very good work
French – Good careful work
Needlework – Excellent work in both subjects

Again, A very good report, indicating pleasing progress Jean is proving herself a diligent pupil of more then average intelligence

Age 14 (1962) Comments
English Language – Jean is tryih hard and has done quite well
Latin – Is making good progress

This report shows that Jean is working well in most subjects, She must strive to improve her standard in mathematics and biology.

Age 15 (1963) Comments
Latin – Satisfactory Progress
Music – Quite good
Cookery – Jean’s work satisfactory

Jean has made fair progress in most subjects but is inconsistent in her efforts. We hope she will realise the value of completing her course to ‘O’ level

After mum left Grammar School, she met William Charles Venables and at the age of 18 got married in All Saints Church with the wedding party at the Middletown Village Hall. Due to dad joining the navy they were both stationed in Singapore for 2 years and during this period my brother Darren Paul Venables was born in June 1967. Upon returning to the UK, they initially lived with Nan and Grandad at Rosedene. Our first home from 1969 was in Heath Farm for a few years which is where I was born in March 1970 sadly my parents decided to separate, and the council provided mum, Darren, and myself the house on Moneybrook Way where we continued to live until 1999. During the 70’s mum went to Shrewsbury Technical College to obtain a GCE in English Language Grade B, Typewriting Grade A-, Shorthand Grade B, Secretarial Duties Grade C+, Calculations. The overall mark was Actual 333 out of a possible 356.

The three main jobs mum worked excellently for ALL employers were:

• Adrian Richards Chartered Accountants (Accounts)
• Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (Consultant’s Secretary)
• Adrian Richards Chartered Accountants (Accounts)
• Caerwyn Jones Chartered Accountants (Accounts)

Mum thankfully always worked and was financially independent.

In the early 90’s mum decided to purchase our council house and in 1999 mum, me Charlie (mum’s loyal cat) moved to a new 2-bedroom house. We all settled well, and Charlie made friends with Dylan at No. 6 and Dennis the Menace at No. 2. Sadly Charlie (Mummy’s little boy) passed away in 2008 due to cancer. In 2009, mum once again visited Shropshire Cat Rescue with Darren and grand daughter Evie May to choose Duffy who certainly became a mummy’s little girl and her No. 1.

Mum managed to save enough money to take Darren and me to a caravan holiday with Auntie Doreen with her two children (Amanda & Daniel), with a previous boyfriend Roger Boswell accompanied with his two children (Jamie & Sarah) who still live in Norfolk. A final holiday was with a friend and her two daughters. Around 2008 / 09 mum went with Brenda & Aneurin to Paris, France.

Mum was very house proud and created a lovely home by decorating the entire house by herself and hiring a landscape gardener to create the garden the before and after pictures included. She arranged for a lovely decorative marble background fireplace with a brass gas fire and mahogany surround. Hobs & Hotplates suppled and fitted a new kitchen, and the final house improvement was a new fitted bathroom.

Mum’s Family Tree (short version)

Grand Parents (Paternal)
John Ashley 1871 – 1942
Sarah Ashley 1876 – 1958

Grand Parents (Maternal)
Seymour Hilditch 1892 – 1977
Florence Hilditch nee’ Robbins 1893 – 1977

Father: Francis Harold Ashley
7th Sept 1908 – 26th Nov 1998

Mother: Rose Irene Roderick Ashley nee’ Hilditch
25th July 1917 – 31st Dec 1993

Children (Mum’s Siblings)
Brenda Joyce Cork
29th May 1939 –
Husband:
Aneurin Cork 1st July 1934 – 31st July 2019

Brenda’s Children:
Valerie, Denise, Nigel & Duncan

Francis Colin Ashley
30th Oct 1942 – 12th May 1996
Wives: 1st Rosemary, 2nd Doreen Davies & 3rd Jane

Colin’s Children:
Conrad, Daniel, Amanda, Gary & Ian

Desmond Clive Ashley
4th March 1945 – 22nd May 2022
Wife: Anne Davies
24th March 1948 – 7th Jan 2016

Clive’s Children:
Andrew, Tracey, Terry & Keith

Patricia Jean Venables
7th June 1948 – 22nd August 2022
Ex. Husband: William Charles Venables
16th Dec 1942 – 17th Nov 2004

Jean’s Children:
Darren & Kevin
Adopted:
Lord Charlie (1994 – 2008) &
Lady Duffy (2009 –

THANK YOU, FOR READING ABOUT MUM AND RELAXING ON HER DEDICATED BENCH TO ALWAYS REMEMBER MUM, LORD CHARLIE & LADY DUFFY IN A TRANQUIL LOCATION SURROUNDED BY THE MOST WONDERFUL RESIDENTS CATS ENJOYING A BEAUTIFUL HOME.