Life story written by Pat Letch (great granddaughter)
William Dawson JENNINGS died on 18th June 1900 at the age of 42 . He was a butcher and started the Jennings Bothers Butchers dynasty with a shop in St Mary’s Butts and carried on in Caversham for almost 100 years! The story continues with the Caversham shop, which was then carried on by his sons and then grandsons but sadly now closed.
The photo was taken in 1901 and he died shortly afterwards leaving his wife, Frances Mary JENNINGS, pregnant with their eighth child. The girl on the left of the photo is Dolly who was the first pupil listed at St Joseph’s Convent (now college) and they have named one of the school houses ‘Jennings’ after her.
Frances Mary Jennings died aged 96, long enough for me to have known her! She liked to smoke and drink beer!
Division 24, Row A, Plot 21