Arnold

My maternal grandfather was born Reginald James Charles Arnold in 1917 in Leicester. He was the oldest of 5 children. His parents, James William Arnold and Ellen Emma Hayes married on the 9th of November 1915 at St Peter's Church in Leicester. At the time of his marriage, James was a soldier in active service. He had joined the army at the age of 14 in 1904 and was in the artillary during the First World War, eventually gaining the rank of Serjeant Major.

James father also called James Arnold and his mother was Mary, nee Vendyback. They are pictured here seated with James William and his 5 sisters. James the elder was born in London but came from a Newmarket family. His father, Robert, like James was a groom.

Robert came from Kennet, near Newmarket in Cambridgeshire. His father, John was from nearby Moulton. John and Ann both died shortly after the 1841 census and so not much is known about them. John appears to have been christened along with his sister, Jane, in Moulton in 1808. According to census and death records he was born about 1799 and it seems that many sets of siblings were baptised in Moulton at that time. John's father was Deirsley Arnold. This seems to be quite a common name amongst the Moulton Arnolds and it probably comes from a wife's maiden name further back in the line.