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Joseph Henry Lane

Grandfather of Norma Margaret Oliver

Born: 

2 Oct 1861 Southwark, Surrey, England

Baptised:

25 Oct 1863 St Mary's Church, Lambeth, Surrey, England

Married: 

(1) 12 Jan 1884 Borough Rd Congregational Church, Southwark, Surrey, England to Ann Jane Price

(2) 4 Nov 1928 St Jude's Church, Peckham, Surrey, England to Emmeline Ida Sophie Brasier

Died: 

9 Feb 1936 East Dulwich, Surrey, England. Age 74

Cause of death:

Myocardial degeneration and exfoliative dermatitis

Buried:

15 Feb 1936 West Norwood Cemetery, Norwood, Surrey, England

Timeline

Oct 1861

1862

Oct 1863

1865

1868-1873

1876-1884

Jan 1884

1885-1889

1891-1910

1911-1915

1916-1922

May 1923

1923-1928

Nov 1928

1928-1936

Nov 1932

Feb 1936

Born at parents' home at 3 Hayles Terrace, Southwark, Surrey [1]

Lived with parents at Northam, Southampton, Hampshire [2]

Baptised at St Mary's Church in Lambeth, Surrey. Lived with parents at Pratt St, Lambeth, Surrey [3]

Lived with parents at 24 Pratt St, Lambeth, Surrey [4]

Lived with parents at 15 Pratt St, Lambeth, Surrey [5] [6] [7]

Lived at 12 (later 7) Regency Square, Kennington Park Rd, Kennington, Surrey. From 1881, worked as a journalist [8] [9] [10] 

Married Ann Jane Price at the Borough Rd Congregational Church, Southwark, Surrey. Worked as a journalist/newspaper sub-editor [10] 

Lived with family at 41 Fleming Rd, Walworth, Surrey and worked as the editor of the Southwark Standard and then a reporter for the Camberwell & Peckham Times. Death of son Reuben in 1888 [11] [12] [13]

Lived with family at Parkview, 189 Norwood Rd, Norwood, Surrey and worked as a journalist for the Camberwell & Peckham Times and Lambeth Court reporter from early 1900s. Death of son Harold (Raldy) in 1895 [14] [15] [16] [17]

Lived with family at 5 Stradella Rd, Herne Hill, Surrey and worked as a journalist for the Camberwell & Peckham Times and Lambeth Court reporter [18] [19]

Lived with family at the Herne Tavern, 2 Forest Hill Rd, East Dulwich Surrey and worked as a journalist for the Camberwell & Peckham Times, Lambeth Court reporter and publican of the Herne Tavern [20] [21] [22] 

Death of wife Ann (Jeanette). Lived with family at 25 Ryedale, Dulwich and worked as a journalist for the Camberwell & Peckham Times and Lambeth Court reporter [23]

Lived at 5 Elsie Rd, Dulwich, Surrey and worked as a journalist for the Camberwell & Peckham Times and Lambeth Court reporter [24] [25]

Married Emmeline Ida Sophie Brasier at St Jude's Church, Peckham, Surrey. Worked as a journalist for the Camberwell & Peckham Times and Lambeth Court reporter [25]

Lived with family at 5 Elsie Rd, Dulwich and worked as a journalist for the Camberwell & Peckham Times and Lambeth Court reporter [25] [26]

Wrote will, making arrangements and bequests for his wife and two daughters [27]

Died at home on Elsie Rd, Dulwich from myocardial degeneration and dermatitis exfoliative. Buried at West Norwood Cemetery, Norwood, Surrey [26] [28]

Biography

Early years

Hayles Terrace Southwark - 1860 Stanford's map of London.jpg

1860s map of London, showing Hayles Terrace, Southwark [red dot]

Joseph Henry, or Joe as he was known, was born 2nd October 1861 as the first son of his parents, William Thomas Lane and Emma Francesca Collyer [1]. At the time of his birth, the family were living in 3 Hayles Terrace, Southwark, located on what was Gibraltar Row. Their home was in a terraced row, inscribed with the panel "Hayles Terrace 1853", suggesting the row had only recently been constructed at the time Joe was born. It was located off St George's Road, close to West Square Gardens and the Bethlehem Asylum hospital [29].

​

Only 4 ½ months prior to Joe's birth, William and Emma had lost both of their two older children, Ellen and Elizabeth, to childhood illnesses: bronchitis and croup [30] [31]. Joe’s arrival would have represented a new beginning to his parents. 

Joe’s father worked as a boilermaker, a skilled engineering occupation of the day [1]. One of the major innovations that contributed to the Industrial Revolution was the invention of boilers, or steam generators. Boiler making had evolved from the industrial blacksmithing trade and boiler makers constructed the steel or iron boilers or boiler systems where the steam was generated for power. Boilers fuelled the steam-powered engines of Victorian England - from steam ships to steam trains [32]. In some later documents, William’s children described him as a ‘marine engineer’ and ‘engineer’, so it is probable that William worked on steam engines used for steam ships [25] [33]. 

​

At the time, London was host to a number of major dockyards. Not only the Royal Dockyards at Deptford and Woolwich but also private dockyards such as those operated by the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, at Leamouth Wharf (located in modern-day Poplar/Canning Town). The Thames Ironworks, which had its beginnings in 1837, built over 1,800 warships and was the largest shipbuilder on the Thames. The family’s location in Southwark was in easy proximity to these areas and it is possible William worked for Thames Ironworks or a similar yard in his capacity as a boilermaker [34]. As a baby, Joe also spent time in Northam, a district of Southampton, in Hampshire, another area strongly linked to shipbuilding and site of the Northam Ironworks, a famous ship building and marine engineering firm founded in 1840 [2] [35].

Thames Iron Works.jpg

Thames Ironworks shipbuilding yard, showing war ships under construction

Northam Iron Works.jpg

Northam Iron Works, Southampton

Joe and his parents were only in Northam relatively briefly and, by 1863, when Joe was baptised, they were living on Pratt Street, Lambeth in a home owned by his great-aunt Francesca Collyer, who was left property by her grandfather [3] [2] [36].

 

Pratt Street (marked with a red dot) was located next to Lambeth Palace and was very close to the Thames river. Joe was surrounded by family, who all lived on the same street: his two spinster great-aunts, Francesca and Harriet Collyer, as well as his uncle Thomas Lane and his family [37] [38] [39] [40]. 

​​

In 1865, Joe's mother Emma delivered another baby boy, Frederick [4]. He was followed by a girl, Ada, in 1868 then, finally, a second daughter, Beatrice (fondly known as Beattie) in 1872. The family was thus completed [41] [42].

​

As a child, Joe attended George Street British School, a boys school located on Lambeth Walk, close to his home on Pratt Street [43]. The school taught its students biblical knowledge, geography, grammar, history and mental arithmetic [44]. Later, it appears he attended Heber Road School, in Dulwich, and then Dulwich College (Alleyn's College of God's Gift), a selective school which would have required Joe to complete an entrance exam [45] [46].

Career in journalism

By 1881, the family were living in Regency Square, Kennington. Joe - then 20 years old - was working at an engineering firm and, by his own description, was "dabbling" in journalism as a sideline [9] [2] [47]. In 1883, he was offered a job on the Lambeth Post, which had just launched. It was a weekly freesheet tabloid newspaper distributed to households in the South London suburbs of Lambeth, Streatham, Clapham and West Norwood [48]. 

​

Two weeks after starting at the Post, Joe was contacted by his old engineering firm with the news that their secretary had died and offering him the position. It was a crossroads for Joe but he decided to stay with the newspaper and a full-time career in journalism [2]. 

​

In his reminiscences, Joe described his early career as a journalist. As a young reporter, he was in awe of editors and he recalled a time when he was brought, all fear and trembling, into the presence of Thomas Catling, editor of the famous Lloyds Weekly Newspaper. Joe recalled this time as exciting - he reported on politics and, at one political event he was covering, feelings ran so high that Joe found himself under an overturned reporter's table while the crowd scrambled over him to storm the platform. The early 1880s was also the time of the Fenian dynamite campaign, which was a campaign of political violence orchestrated by Irish republican paramilitary groups in Britain. Their campaign involved using dynamite on British government and civilian targets in London and other major British cities, with the aim of ending British rule in Ireland. Joe not only covered these bombings but, perhaps foolishly and at some risk, visited the meeting places of the conspirators to dig for further information [47] [49].

​

The Lambeth Post offices were located on 18 Newington Causeway, about 1-mile's walk from Joe's family home at Regency Square [50]. Whether it was the office or reporting across London, Joe recalls mostly using "Shank's pony" (his legs) to get around, setting a habit of walking most places that would last the rest of his life. In fact, it was very common in those days for people to walk from their homes in Camberwell, Peckham and Brixton into the City of London. Joe recalled that the only other means of transport at the time were railways and an occasional horse bus and horse tram. In fact, when the horse tram came to town in 1870, people believed it to be the "last word" in travel [47] [2] [51].

London Horse Bus on Peckham Park Road c1895.jpg

Horse bus on Peckham Park Rd, c1895

London Tramways 2-horse tram c1890.jpg

London 2-horse tram, c1890

Marriage to Mdme Jeanette Price and beginning of his own family

In 1884, while still working for the Post, Joe married Ann Jane Price, a well-known soprano vocalist who used the stage name of Jeanette Price. She was born in Southwark to Welsh parents, and she showed an early aptitude for music. Ann trained at the Guildhall School of Music and had burst onto the south London music scene in 1881. At the time of their marriage, she was a popular and well-known entertainer, often joined on the stage by her younger sister Nellie Price, a singer in her own right [52] [53].

​

It is probable that they met through the Vagnolini family, whom they were mutually acquainted with. Joe went to school at George-street British School with Valentine and Raphael William Vagnolini and their sister, Maria, was also a vocalist in London and who sung at a number of the same concerts as Ann [43] [54] [55]. 

​

Joe and Ann were married on 12th January 1884 at the Borough Road Congregational Church in Southwark, a church that Ann was long acquainted with professionally [56]. Their marriage was covered by local newspapers due to Jeanette's popularity and it was reported that they were married by the Rev. G.M. Murphy, the church's pastor and that the wedding ceremony had a very large number of guests attend [57].

​

The following year, Ann gave birth to their first child, a son named Harold, and the family moved to Fleming Road, Walworth [11]. The Charles Booth map shows Fleming Road (map below, road marked with a blue dot) as being inhabited by people who were fairly comfortable with good, ordinary earnings. It was in this same year that Joe left the Lambeth Post to take up the editor position for the Southwark Standard, making Joe the youngest editor in south London [11] [2]. The Standard was a weekly newspaper established in 1881 and shared the same office address as the Lambeth Post [2] [58] [59] [60].

Fleming Rd Walworth - Charles Booth map.jpg

Charles Booth map, showing Fleming Road

While Joe worked at the Standard, Ann continued to sing at various events across south London, Kent and Essex to much acclaim. Even after the birth of Harold - affectionately known as Raldy - in 1885 and their second son, Reuben, in 1887, she walked the stage at the Royal Victoria Hall (more famously known as the Old Vic) in Waterloo and the Horns Assembly Rooms in Kennington, amongst other venues [61] [62].

The Old Vic Theatre - inside.jpg

Inside the Old Vic theatre

The Horns Tavern and Assembly Room Kennington.jpg

The Horns Tavern and Assembly Room, Kennington

In about 1888, Joe left the Standard and started to contribute to the South London Observer, Camberwell & Peckham Times. It was a more established paper, having been launched in 1868 and it was issued twice a week (Wednesday and Saturdays) rather than being a once weekly imprint like the Southwark Standard [2] [63]. This was also, sadly, the year that Joe and Ann's baby son, Reuben, died of tubercular meningitis at only 7 months of age. It was a rare complication that developed after exposure to the tuberculosis bacterium and caused fatal inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord [13] [64].

​

For Joe, the loss was further compounded by the death of his younger brother Frederick, who died at the age of 24 the following year, also from tuberculosis [65].

​​

Tuberculosis, also known as the White Plague, consumption or phthisis, had been known since ancient times. However, increased urbanisation, density of living and, with it, rising poverty and squalor, led to an epidemic in the 19th century. By the start of the century, it was the cause of 25% of total deaths. While people of all ages could fall susceptible to the disease, it disproportionately affected the young. Of the 4 million souls who died from TB between 1851-1910, more than a third were aged 15-34 and, of those, half were aged 20-24, like Frederick. Unlike the romantic, glamourised notions perpetuated by many at the time, death by tuberculosis was a terrible way to die. Slowly, over several weeks and months - and sometimes taking years - it would rob the sufferer of their body. They would waste away, develop a hacking cough that would lead to coughing up blood and experience nightly fevers, bedclothes soaked from seat [66].

​

At the time of Frederick's death, Ann was heavily pregnant with her and Joe's third child, Horace, who was born in August 1889 [12]. At about the same time, in addition to reporting for the Camberwell & Peckham Times, Joe began working as Lambeth Police Court's official reporter [2] [67]. 

​

Joe had some experience in reporting crimes, having covered the Jack the Ripper murders the previous year. As the Police Court reporter, Joe would cover many notable trials, including approximately 30 murder trials, and he developed a reputation for discreet and accurate reporting [47]. 

​

The professional relationship that Joe developed with the Camberwell & Peckham Times would last the remainder of his career. In late 19th century, journalism was undergoing huge changes. Historically, newspapers had focussed on the publication of news and facts without any opinion pieces. There was also a lack of first-hand accounts and "on the scene" reporting that is typical in modern news. In 1704, when Daniel Defoe reported on a week-long hurricane that hit England in 1703, he was considered innovative by placing an ad requesting members of the public to submit their own experiences of the storm, which he then selected and edited for publishing.  

​

However, by the mid-19th century, "new journalism", as it was called, began to focus on social engagement, with an emphasis on emotional language, investigative journalism and "eye witness" accounts. Joe was part of that new journalism movement, with its focus on socially-driven news. He would earn as much as 30s. a night reporting municipal news and he was well-known for maintaining a perpetual agitation for the opening of parks in the poorer parts of London. He maintained ceaseless writings in the press on this issue, including writing a leader a week on the subject, resulting in the opening of Vauxhall Park [2] [68]. 

​

It wasn't only thematic changes in journalism, it was also visual changes. Joe worked during a period when newspapers transitioned from close, text-heavy layouts produced by stereotype printing, to news presented with more attractive lay-outs. He adapted himself to change and adopted new ideas [51].

​

After Horace's (Horrie) birth, Joe and his family moved from Walworth to Herne Hill, a little further out in south London [14]. Herne Hill was an area that had historically been affluent - a rural district of large mansions and gardens, although the arrival of the railway in 1862 had encouraged working families to also move to the area [69]. However, the family's home - named Parkview - overlooked Brockwell Park and would have been very comfortable [70]. ​

Norwood Rd Herne Hill 1910.jpg

Norwood Rd, Herne Hill, 1910

In 1891, Joe lost his father William to bowel cancer [71]. A few years after his death, his mother Emma went to live with his younger sister Beattie who married Harry Cecil Hyde in 1895 and settled at Commercial Road, Peckham [72] [73].

​

1895 proved to be a tumultuous year for Joe. When attending Beattie's wedding - for whom he was an official witness - his wife Ann was heavily pregnant with their son, David Edric (Dio). At the time, their children numbered three - Harold Joseph (Raldy), 10, Horace Frederick (Horrie), 6 and Ellen Ruby (Nell), 2 [74]. 

​

However, it was not long after the happy birth of Dio in October 1895 that tragedy struck [75]. Raldy, suffering from liver disease, died of nephritis at the family's home on Christmas Eve [17]. Joe and Ann were devastated. After Christmas, on the 27th December, Joe bought a private burial plot at Norwood Cemetery and Raldy was buried there the following day on the 28th [76].

 

The substantial headstone erected for him spoke to the family's grief: 

​

In loving memory of our darling son Harold ("Raldy")

Born Aug 25th 1885 Died Dec 24th 1895 

Others there are who love me too but who with all their love could do what Jesus Christ has done? 

Jesus Christ with tender care will in his arms most gentle bear the helpless little one.

West Norwood Cemetery - Headstone - Jeannette (Ann Jane) Lane (nee Price) and son Harold J
West Norwood Cemetery - Headstone - Jeannette (Ann Jane) Lane (nee Price) and son Harold J

Headstone for Raldy at West Norwood Cemetery

In 1902, Joe and Ann had their final child, a daughter named Iris Margaret (Rissy) [77]. The following year, Joe and Ann arranged for all four of their children to be baptised at the nearby All Saints Church the following year [78].

​

The family were well-off and the girls received watercolour and music lessons, and other refinements of the Edwardian age [79].

​

In fact, despite Ann's official retirement, music continued to play a significant part of the Lane household and for the children. When Joe attended a school reunion for George-street British School, Horrie attended to sing "When the heart is young" and "The flight of ages" [45]. Rissy was an active participant in school concerts and local theatre. At the age of 12, she wrote a war play for children, complete with musical accompaniment and would later go on to perform at local events as a mezzo-soprano [80]. While Nell did not appear to do much singing, she also participated in concert events at her school - Westbridge House School on Deronda Road - and, one year, she played the title role in the concert's main event, a performance of "The Snow Queen" [81].

All Saints Church West Dulwich.jpg

All Saints Church, West Dulwich

In 1911, the family moved a few streets over to Stradella Road, Herne Hill. Their home on Stradella Road was very comfortable and a testament to Joe's success as a professional journalist - 10 rooms in total, including the kitchen [18]. It was a new development, with Stradella Road and nearby Winterbrook Road having only been built a few years before on what had previously been open paddock. The land belonged to the Estate Governors of nearby Dulwich College and although there was demand for smaller houses to support lower middle class families, the landowners exercised strict control in order for larger homes to be built, to encourage well-off middle classes to the area who would, in turn, be more likely to send their children to the College. The new homes on Stradella Road had rents of £60-£90 per annum, or were over £500 to buy, which required families to be comfortably off [82]. 

Stradella Rd Herne Hill.jpg

Stradella Rd, Herne Hill

Joe and Ann were vibrant members of the local Herne Hill community. The Great War was yet to arrive and the days passed pleasantly - the Lane family attended a garden party held by the Matthews at Stradella House, also on Stradella Road - their daughter would later marry Dio [83]. In 1913, Horrie married Dorothy Matilda Kruse - known as Dolly to the family - in a pretty spring wedding at the nearby St Paul's church at Herne Hill. It was a family affair with Dio acting as Horrie's best man and Rissy being one of Dolly's train bearers. At the wedding reception at the Horns Assembly Rooms, Ann re-took the stage and sang with her sister Nellie. In recognition of the role music played in the Lane's life, Joe and Ann gifted Horrie and Dolly with a piano as a wedding present [84]. ​

The Herne Tavern 

In 1916, the family's position in the community further strengthened as they took on the Herne Tavern, on the corner at No. 2 Forest Hill Road, opposite Peckham Rye Park. From the beginning, it was an enterprise between Joe and his son Dio, then aged 21. Their very first advertisement as the new proprietors of the Herne, published on 1 April 1916, proclaimed the Herne to be "The House with a reputation. Comfortable, cosy, select." Not long after, they were calling the Herne, "a home from home." It certainly was that. All the family, except for Horrie who was married, lived at the Herne in the upstairs quarters and the whole family was involved in the running of the Herne [85] [86].

Forest Hill Rd showing Herne Tavern.jpg

Forest Hill Rd, showing Herne Tavern, at the end on the left-hand side 

The Herne Tavern.jpg

The Herne Tavern

The Herne was used as a venue for a variety of clubs and societies - the Ivy Allotment Association, the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB), the Loan Club - most of which Joe was himself an active member of and the family would provide the evening's entertainment. Jeanette and Rissy, often joined by Ann's sister Nellie, would sing with other entertainers, while catering was taken care of by Joe and Dio. The quality of the entertainment was always commented on, as well as the excellence of catering, something which continues to be true to the modern day, where the Herne - still standing - operates as a gastropub [87].

​

During this period of time, Joe was Treasurer of the Herne's Slate Club and also The Loan Club, both of which operated as groups of people who saved money into a common fund. The Herne's Slate Club (and, similarly, the Loan Club) used the pool of money to pay for medical costs of group members, with the balance then distributed to all members at the end of each year [88] [89]. 

​

Joe was also Treasury of the Ivy Allotment Association, which was an association that managed the allotments at Ivy Cricket Field. In 1917, the Association petitioned Camberwell Borough Council to reduce the allotment rents and to extend the grounds. It wasn't only an Association for the prestigious - their members included several men in poor circumstances who worked allotments, for which the Association also petitioned the Council for relief of rent. Joe ensured that their petition was published in his paper, the Camberwell and Peckham Times, for public transparency [90]. 

​

A year after taking on the Herne, Dio married Frances Matthews at St Paul's Church, Herne Hill on 11th June 1917. It was Frances' birthday and she attended the church in a bridal dress of ivory satin with an embroidered veil and sprays of orange blossoms. Joe gave Frances away, while Rissy acted as one of her bridesmaids, along with Frances's sisters Nellie and Marion Matthews. Standing as Dio's best man was Horrie [91].

​

After the couple's honeymoon in Brighton, Dio enlisted in the Royal Navy Air Service for the War, serving as an Air Craftsman in England from 1917-1919. However, as he was posted out-of-county (Kent and Essex), the day-to-day running of the Herne during this period would have fallen to Joe [92] [93].

​​

In 1922, Joe and Dio let go of the Herne. With Joe and Ann's boys both married men, it was only their daughters Nell and Rissy with them. Prior to leaving the Herne, Ann had grown increasingly ill, suffering from the swollen stomach of ascites, caused by underlying cirrhosis of the liver. The ascites meant significant fluid collected in Ann's abdomen, which had to be regularly drained by doctors. As her condition worsened, both Nell and Rissy dedicatedly cared for her [52] [23].

​

Joe, Ann and their daughters moved briefly to Dio's home on 25 Ryedale and it was here that Ann died on 2nd May 1923 at the age of 60 [23]. She was buried in the private plot that Joe had bought at Norwood Cemetery, with her beloved son Raldy [94].

Second marriage and latter years

Lane Joseph Henry 3.jpg

Joe Lane outside his home at 5 Elsie Rd, East Dulwich

After his wife's death, Joe moved to nearby 5 Elsie Road, East Dulwich and, in 1928, he married a local girl, Emmeline Ida Sophie Brasier who was 37 year his junior and younger that most of his children [25]. At the time of their marriage, Emmeline worked as a draper's buyer and she had been a regular with her mother at the Herne Tavern. In fact, Joe had made Emmeline's acquaintance while he still owned the Herne and Rissy remembered her mother Ann watching them together in the Herne's beer garden while she watched from upstairs [95]. 

​

Emmeline was not particularly popular with her new step-children, whom they called "Cissie Brazenface" [79]. However, Joe's daughters Nell and Rissy attended their wedding at St Jude's Church on 4th November. Along with other guests were John's sister Beattie and her daughter Bessie, as well as his late wife's brother, John Sidney Price, who also was an official witness to the marriage. Joe's sons, Horrie and Dio, do not appear to have attended. ​

St Jude Peckham.jpg

St Jude's Church, Peckham, Surrey

​Joe continued working as a journalist with the Camberwell & Peckham Times and as the Lambeth Police Court reporter in his latter years until the early 1930s when he suffered what was described as a nervous breakdown. This forced him to take longer periods of rest, although he would write a leading article for the Camberwell & Peckham Times two weeks before his death [2]. 

​

He died on Sunday, the 9th February 1936 from degeneration of the heart and exfoliative dermatitis [26]. In the next issue of the Camberwell & Peckham Times, the paper ran a first page obituary, emblazoned with the words, "'Joe' Lane is dead" [2]. A number of articles were run across the papers of south London carrying news of his death, with sympathies and acclaim offered from many different corners. In a separate article to the obituary, the Camberwell & Peckham Times spoke of Joe's reliability, writing that it was his watchword and his bond. He could be relied upon to undertake any assignment conscientiously and on time. They further wrote that the courage of his convictions, his energy and his persistence in pushing for the opening of parks in poorer areas of south London would always be remembered to his credit [51].

​

In the Streatham News, an article on Joe's death covered his work as the Lambeth Police Court's reporter. It included a tribute from Mr. Barrington Ward, the Court's incumbent Magistrate, who stated that Joe had well-served the Court with his discreet and accurate reporting, his fairness and his courtesy [67]. 

​

On a foggy morning on the 15th February, Joe was buried in the Lane private plot at West Norwood next to his wife Ann and their son Raldy [28]. The pall bearers were his sons Horrie and Dio, and his son-in-laws, Alfred Oliver (Nell's husband) and Percy Capes (Rissy's husband) and the service was conducted by Canon Veazy, an old friend of Joe's and the vicar of St Mark's Church, Camberwell. He read the 15th Psalm, "the gentleman's psalm" and said that everyone was proud of the late Joe Lane, proud of his work and proud to have known him [96] [97]. 

​

Four years prior to his death, Joe wrote a will, in which he left his home at 5 Elsie Road - which he held on leasehold - to his wife Emmeline, upon which she would need to pay ground rent and all relevant rates and taxes. Upon Emmeline's death, the property would then move to his daughters Nell and Rissy, as "joint tenants in equal shares". The rest of Joe's property and personal effects were willed to Emmeline [27]. 

​

Emmeline remained at Elsie Road and, in the end, she outlived all of Joe's children, passing away on the 12th January 1992 at the age of 93 [98].

Joseph Henry Lane - headstone

Joseph Henry Lane's headstone, West Norwood Cemetery

Source information

  1. Joseph Henry Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1861 in St George Southwark, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]. Mother's surname is given as "Tollyer", however the birth certificates of Joseph's siblings and his parents' marriage certificate all confirm her surname as "Collyer".  

  2. Joe Lane is dead, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 11 Feb 1936, page 1, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk] 

  3. Joseph Henry Lane, Baptismal record, St Mary Lambeth Parish Register [Church of England], 25 Oct 1863, Record no: 1526, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  4. Frederick William Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 2nd Quarter 1865 in Lambeth, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]. Brother of Joe Lane. Parents' address used as a proxy for Joe, as he was a minor.

  5. Ada Catherine Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1868 in Lambeth, Record no: 63, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]. Sister of Joe Lane. Parents' address used as a proxy for Joe, as he was a minor.​

  6. Joseph H Lane [1871], Census return for Pratt St, Lambeth, Surrey, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  7. William Lane, Borough of Lambeth Voters List, First Division, South Marsh Ward, 1873, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. Father's address used as a proxy for Joe, as he was a minor.​

  8. William Lane, Borough of Lambeth Voters List, Mr Simpson's Collecting District, 1876, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. Father's address used as a proxy for Joe, as he was a minor.

  9. Joseph L H Lane [1881], Census return for Pratt St, Lambeth, Surrey, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]​

  10. Joseph Henry Lane and Ann Jane Price, England & Wales Marriage Certificate, Registered 1st Quarter 1884 in St Saviour Southwark, Record no: 70, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  11. Harold Joseph Price Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 3rd Quarter 1885 in St Saviour Southwark, Record no: 218, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  12. Horace Frederick Price Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1889 in St Saviour Southwark, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  13. Reuben Sydney Price Lane, England & Wales Death Certificate, Registered 3rd Quarter 1888 in St Saviour Southwark, Record no: 315, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]​

  14. Joseph H Lane [1891], Census return for Norwood Road, Streatham, London, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]​

  15. Joseph H Lane [1901], Census return for Norwood Road, Lambeth, London, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  16. Joseph Henry Lane, London England Electoral Registers 1832-1965, Borough of Wandsworth, Division of Wandsworth, 1910, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  17. Harold Joseph Price Lane, England & Wales Death Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1895 in Wandsworth, Record no: 233, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  18. Joseph Henry Lane [1911], Census return for Stradella Rd, Herne Hill, London, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  19. Joseph Henry Lane, Borough of Southwark, Division of Dulwich, 1915, London Electoral Roll Registers 1832-1965, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  20. ​Advertisement: Comin' Thro' the Rye, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 1 Apr 1916, page 4, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. This ad places the Lane family in running the Herne Tavern from at least Apr 1916 - it is the first ad found to be run in the local papers. The title of the ad "Comin' Thro' the Rye'" is a play on words - referencing both the Tavern's location opposite Peckham Rye park, as well as the well-known song of Comin' Thro' the Rye. 

  21. Joseph Henry Lane [1921], Census return for Forest Hill Road, London, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Address is given as 2 Forest Hill Rd SE22, which is the address for the Herne Tavern

  22. Popular licensees, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 13 May 1922, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. This article relates to Joe and his son Dio relinquishing the license for the Herne Tavern, indicating they stopped running the premises from May 1922.

  23. ​Ann Jane Lane, England & Wales Death Certificate, Registered 2nd Quarter 1923 in Camberwell, Record no: 326, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  24. Joseph Henry Lane, Borough of Southwark, District of Camberwell, 1923, London Electoral Roll Registers 1832-1965, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  25. Joseph Henry Lane and Emmeline Ida Sophie Brasier, England & Wales Marriage Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1928 in Camberwell, Record no: 84, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  26. Joseph Henry Lane, England & Wales Death Certificate, Registered 1st Quarter 1936 in Camberwell, Record no: 168, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  27. Will of Joseph Henry Lane, England & Wales National Probate Calendar 1858-1995, Proved 19 Jun 1936 London, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  28. Joseph Henry Lane, Burial record, West Norwood Cemetery Burial Register, 15 Feb 1936, Record no: A71455, Deceased Online [www.deceasedonline.com] 

  29. Sub Area 3 - Hayles Street and Brook Drive, West Square Conservation Area Appraisal, Adopted Mar 2013, Southwark Council [www.southwark.gov.uk] 

  30. Ellen Julia Lane, England & Wales Death Certificate, Registered 2nd Quarter 1861 in Lambeth, Record no: 27, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  31. Elizabeth Sarah Mary Lane, England & Wales Death Certificate, Registered 2nd Quarter 1861 in Lambeth, Record no: 24, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  32. Boilermaker, Wikipedia, Last edited 20 Mar 2024 [en.wikipedia.org] 

  33. Ada Catherine Lane and Edward Entwisle, Marriage record, St Mary Newington Parish Register [Church of England], 5 Mar 1893, Record no: 212, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  34. Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Wikipedia, Last edited 26 May 2024 [en.wikipedia.org] 

  35. Pollock and Brown Shipbreakers, Sotonopedia: The A-Z of Southampton's History, Accessed 21 Jun 2024 [sotonopedia.wikidot.com]

  36. Will of Edward Thomas Chapman of Mill Street Lambeth, Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1807, Reference no: PROB 11/1471/152, The National Archives, England & Wales Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills 1384-1858, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  37. Francesca Collyer [1861], Census return for Pratt St, Lambeth, Surrey, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Joe's great-aunt. Living with her sister Harriett Collyer, niece Rosa Combs and Joseph Parnacott.

  38. Thomas Lane [1861], Census return for Pratt St, Lambeth, Surrey, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Joe's uncle, who is living next door to his mother (and Joe's grandmother), Sarah Lane. 

  39. Francisca Collyer [1871], Census return for Pratt St, Lambeth, Surrey, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Joe's great-aunt. Living with her sister Harriett Collyer, niece Rosa Combs and Joseph Parnacott.

  40. Thomas Lane [1871], Census return for Pratt St, Lambeth, Surrey, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Joe's uncle. 

  41. Ada Catherine Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter in Lambeth, Record no: 63, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  42. Beatrice Annie Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 2nd Quarter in Lambeth, Record no: 231, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  43. Mr. Birkby's Old Boys, South London Press, 11 Apr 1903, page 10, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  44. George-street British Schools Lambeth, South London Press, 23 Dec 1876, page 14, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  45. To their memory - Alleynians and the War - Proposed memorial, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 13 Apr 1918, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. This article covers a committee meeting held at Alleyn's school hall to commemorate the activities of alumni in the Great War. Joe Lane was a committee member. 

  46. Heber Road School, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 3 Dec 1904, page 2, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. This article covers an assembly of current and previous pupils of Heber Road School - Joe Lane sung at the assembly. 

  47. Looking back - A journalist's reminiscences - Fifty years press work, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 16 Dec 1933, page 2, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. This article is an interview of Joe Lane, where he reminisces about his career as a journalist. 

  48. Lambeth Post (defunct), British Newspapers Online [www.britishpapers.co.uk] 

  49. Fenian dynamite campaign, Wikipedia, Last edited 25 May 2024 [en.wikipedia.org] 

  50. Lambeth Times, inc. Lambeth Post, Willing's Press Guide and Advertisers' Directory and Handbook, Volume 18, Willing's Press Service, 1891, Google Books [books.google.co.uk] 

  51. The late Mr. Joseph H. Lane, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 18 Feb 1936, page 4, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  52. Death of Mrs. J. H. Lane, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 5 May 1923, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  53. Evidence of Nellie's attendance with Ann: 

  54. Evidence of Maria Vagnolini's singing in London: 

  55. Evidence of Ann Jane Price and Maria Vagnolini singing at same events:

  56. Entertainment at the Borough-road Congregational Church, Southwark, Southwark Mercury, 23 Apr 1881, page 3, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]​

  57. Local items, South London Chronicle, 19 Jan 1884, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]​

  58. The Southwark Standard, Bermondsey, and Rotherhithe Times, The Printing Times and Lithographer, Volume 7, Wyman and Sons, 1881, page 214, Google Books [books.google.co.uk]. Confirms the paper was established in 1881.

  59. Southwark Standard & South London News, Kelly's Post Office London Directory, Kelly's Directories, 1891, page 2640, Google Books [books.google.co.uk]. Confirms the address of Southwark Standard on Newington Causeway.

  60. Southwark Standard, Sell's Dictionary of the World's Press, 1886, page 298, Google Books [books.google.co.uk]. Confirms the paper was a weekly publication.

  61. Reuben Sydney Price Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 1st Quarter 1888 in St Saviour Southwark, Record no: 365, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]​

  62. Evidence of Ann Jane Price at Royal Victoria Hall (Old Vic) and other venues:

  63. Camberwell and Peckham Times, Hubbard's Newspaper and Bank Directory of the World, Volume 2, page 1625, H. P. Hubbard, 1882, Google Books [books.google.co.uk] ​

  64. Meningitis, Tuberculosis, National Organization for Rare Disorders, Last updated 15 May 2009 [rarediseases.org] ​

  65. Frederick William Lane, England & Wales Death Certificate, Registered 3rd Quarter 1889 in Lambeth, Record no: 475, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]​

  66. Information on tuberculosis in the 19th century:

  67. Lambeth Court Journalist: Mr. Joseph H. Lane passes away, Streatham News, 14 Feb 1936, page 4, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]​

  68. 19th century, History of journalism in the United Kingdom, Wikipedia, Last edited 16 Jun 2024 [en.wikipedia.org] ​

  69. Short History, The Herne Hill Society [www.hernehillsociety.org.uk] ​

  70. Births, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 15 Apr 1893, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  71. William Thomas Lane, England & Wales Death Certificate, Registered 2nd Quarter 1891 in Lambeth, Record no: 154, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  72. Emma Lane [1901], Census return for Commercial Rd, Peckham, London, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  73. Beatrice Annie Lane and Harry Cecil Hyde, Marriage record, St Giles Camberwell Parish Register [Church of England], 14 Apr 1895, Record no: 261, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  74. ​Ellen Ruby Price Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 2nd Quarter 1893 in Wandsworth, Record no: 139, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  75. David Edric Price Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1895 in Wandsworth, Record no: 107, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  76. Harold Joseph Price Lane, Burial record, West Norwood Cemetery Burial Register, 28 Dec 1895, Record no: A18266, Deceased Online [deceasedonline.com] 

  77. Iris Margaret Price Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 1st Quarter 1902 in Lambeth, Record no: 11, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]

  78. Horace, Ellen, David and Iris Lane, Baptismal records, All Saints West Dulwich Parish Register [Church of England], 4 Oct 1903, Record nos: 28-31, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  79. Conversations with Norma Oliver, daughter of Ellen Ruby Price Lane

  80. Evidence of Iris Margaret Lane's singing and theatre activities:

  81. Westbridge House School, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 23 Dec 1905, page 2, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  82. Stradella Road Conservation Area Appraisal, 2007, Southwark Council [www.southwark.gov.uk] 

  83. Garden party at Herne Hill, South London Press, 11 Jul 1913, page 9, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  84. Pretty Herne Hill wedding: Lane-Kruse, South London Press, 14 Mar 1913, page 15, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  85. Advertisement: Herne Tavern, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 1 Apr 1916, page 4, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. This is the first published advertisement for Herne Tavern, with Lane & Son as proprietors. 

  86. Advertisement: Herne Tavern, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 6 Jan 1917, page 8, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. 

  87. Evidence of events at the Herne Tavern:

  88. Herne Tavern Slate Club, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 22 Dec 1917, page 3, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]​

  89. Herne Tavern, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 22 Dec 1920, page 3, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  90. Ivy Allotments, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 27 Oct 1917, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  91. Marriages: Lane-Matthews, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 20 Jun 1917, page 2, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  92. David Edric Price Lane, UK Royal Air Force Airmen Records 1918-1940, Pieces 1951-2100, File no: 2096, Fold3 [www.fold3.com]

  93. David Edric Price Lane, UK Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services 1848-1939, Service no: FF3040, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

  94. Ann Jane Lane, Burial record, West Norwood Cemetery Burial Register, 7 May 1923, Record no: A59160, Deceased Online [deceasedonline.com] ​

  95. Information from Sheila Capes, daughter of Iris Margaret Price Lane

  96. Mr. J. H. Lane, Sydenham Forest Hill & Penge Gazette, 21 Feb 1936, page 16, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  97. "Joe" Lane Buried, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 18 Feb 1936, page 1, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]

  98. Emmeline Ida Sophie Lane, England & Wales National Probate Calendar 1858-1995, Proved 18 Mar 1992 Brighton, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]

Personal map

Map of places from Joe's life

Family members

Siblings

Tree.png

Ellen Julia Lane

1858-1861

Tree.png

Elizabeth Sarah Mary Lane

1860-1861

Tree.png

Frederick William Lane

1865-1889

Lane Ada Catherine_edited_edited.jpg

Ada Catherine Lane

1868-1928

Beatrice Annie Lane.png

Beatrice Annie Lane

1872-1952

Wives

Ann J Price - large.jpg

Ann Jane Price

1862-1923

Emmeline Brasier.jpeg

Emmeline Ida Sophie Brasier

1898-1992

Children (by wife Ann)

Harold J P Lane.JPG

Harold Joseph Price Lane

1885-1895

Tree.png

Reuben Sydney Price Lane

1887-1888

Horace F P Lane.jpg

Horace Frederick Price Lane

1889-1973

Nell Lane - large.jpg

Ellen Ruby Price Lane

1893-1976

Lane L-R back Ellen Horace David Iris L-

David Edric Price Lane

1895-1937

Lane Iris Margaret Price - with husband

Iris Margaret Price Lane

1902-1983

Photo Gallery

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