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I was curious to note when I ordered the above birth certificate (date of bith 13 November 1917) that he was detailed as born at 30 Commercial Road, Swindon (Wiltshire, England) and also that this was his Father Thomas' address according to that cert.

The relationship between Mary O'Reilly, his wife and him, was very fractious. Mary was born in Enniscorthy, Wexford, Ireland on 1 May 1891. Thomas meanwhile had worked in the Irish Army.

Mary came over heavily pregnant on the 12 November 1917 (or this is how the story goes) and gave birth on the Ferry. The birth certificate suggests she gave birth at 30 Commercial Road - as is listed as the Father's address).

I am trying to establish what 30 Commercial Road was, as to whether it was Thomas' home and he had settled and also as to whether there might have been another lady and perhaps even children.

The break up would also appear messy. Although I can't prove who's Dad is who's, Mary and (Thomas?) have another child, Laurence (Larry), after the birth of Patrick, back in Ireland. I know Mary had relationships with other men, so why shouldn't he have had relationships with other women is my logic?

I've tried to search on Ancestry by address but I had no look and I also explored a number of Thomas Phillips marriages but nothing seems to fit.

Thanks.

I’m a bit confused.

What is wrong ( ignoring the ferry issue)with being born at home - normal in those days.

When did the marriage break up

You can do a census address search on FMP not Ancestry.

Why assume that Thomas remarried after the marriage break. Divorce was expensive and not allowed if they were Catholic.

The Overton family lived at 30 Commercial Road, Swindon in 1917 - at least they're recorded there in 1901, 1911 and 1921.

If Thomas gave that as his address, he was either a lodger or lying.

William Overton
in the 1921 England Census
Name William Overton
Gender Male
Marital Status Married
Age 48 Years 3 Months
Relation to Head Head
Estimated Birth Year 1873
Birth Place Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Residence Date 1921
Residence Street Address 30 Commercial Rd
Residence Place Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Occupation Coppersmith & Brass Finisher
Occupation Code 227/6
Employer G W R Co
Employer Code 151
Place of Work Loco Dept, Swindon
Number of Children Under 16 1
Inhabited Y
Ward King's
Parliamentary Division Wiltshire Pc, Swindon Div.
Registration District Swindon
Registration District Number 240
Sub registration district Swindon Borough
Sub Registration District Number 3
Respondent Mr Overton
Enumeration District Name Swindon Mb
Enumeration District 20
Schedule 456
Schedule Type Code E
Household Members (Name) Age Relationship
William Overton 48 Years 3 Months Head
Maude M Overton 49 Years 3 Months Wife
William R Overton 25 Years 3 Months Son
Florence L G Overton 19 Years 10 Months Daughter
Maude E Overton 17 Years 4 Months Daughter
Albert E Overton 12 Years 4 Months Son
Ethel Bradford 25 Visitor


William Overton
in the 1911 England Census
Name William Overton
Age in 1911 38
Estimated Birth Year abt 1873
Relation to Head Head
Gender Male
Birth Place Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Civil parish Swindon
County/Island Wiltshire
Country England
Street Address 30 Commercial Rd, Swindon
Marital Status Married
Years Married 16
Estimated Marriage Year 1895
Occupation Coppersmith
Registration District Number 240
Sub-registration district Swindon
ED, institution, or vessel 27
Piece 11793
Household Members (Name) Age Relationship
William Overton 38 Head
Maude Mary Overton 39 Wife
William Roy Overton 15 Son
Dorothy Maude Overton 11 Daughter
Florence Grace Overton 9 Daughter
Maude Elizabeth Overton 7 Daughter
Albert Edward Overton 2 Son

From Victoria County Histoey:

Between then and 1901 the whole of the centre part of the Rolleston estate, stretching from Faringdon Road and Cambria Bridge Road across the fields to the top end of Regent Street in the east and the back of Dixon Street in the south, was covered with streets of closely-built brick terraces. Such terraces had always been the staple product of New Swindon builders. Even Commercial Road, the axis of the whole scheme, contains only two-storied dwelling-houses which in 1964 had been variously adapted as shops and offices.

Thanks for this everyone.

Argylgran - Thanks for this - very interesting -

Patrick Joseph Phillips birth certificate details the birth as at this address and it's listed as the Father's address.

Namelessone - well they were otherwise a married couple in Ireland so it's always been unexplained as to why my Grandad was born in England you see.

I think you need to establish a proven time line of when and where Thomas & Mary were.

Irish history could play a part in this along with where Thomas’s battalion was.

Check to see if there are any available Irish Army records of the time.. Also consider newspapers.

What was the father's declared occupation on the birth cert?

Where were he and Mary in 1911? Irish censuses for 1901 and 1911 are online..........FREE

For INFO only

PHILLIPS, PATRICK O'REILLY
GRO Reference: 1918 M Quarter in SWINDON Volume 05A Page 10

Not sure why you couldn't find the marriage

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/

Party 1 Name MARY OREILLY
Party 2 Name THOMAS PHILLIPS.........Soldier (at Richmond Barracks)
Date of Event 15 December 1915
Group Registration ID 1713872
SR District/Reg Area Dublin South
Fathers of both parties named Patrick****************

Re 30 Commercial Road...looking at newspaper articles in 1903, 3 houses are up for auction - nos 28, 30 and 34 Commercial Road, Swindon. They're all 3 bedroomed houses with bay windows but were previously known as nos 8, 6 and 2 Langley Terrace.

'The same are let at 8s 6d per week, inclusive of outgoings...'

Swindon Advertisor and North Wilts Chronicle 22 May 1903.

EDIT Can't find any Langley Terrace in Swindon when looking up addresses :-S

Irish regiments were part of the British Army until 1922.

Here is a shortcut to a list of units stationed in Ireland in 1914

I appreciate the above wedding was December 1915.

Do you have a service number or Regiment for Thomas??

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/other-aspects-of-order-of-battle/army-units-stationed-in-ireland-in-july-1914/

From a tree on ancestry, is it yours?


Thomas Phillips
Thomas Phillips
1895–1953

Birth SEP 1895 • Wexford, Ireland

Death 28 JAN 1953 • Wexford, Ireland



Parents

Nicholas Patrick Phillips

1856–1916
Catherine M Butler (Kate)

1861–1935

Spouse and children

Mary O'Reilly

1891–
Twin 2 Phillips

1917–1917
Twin 1 Phillips

1917–1917
Mary Phillips

1917–
Patrick Joseph Phillips
Patrick Joseph Phillips

1917–1969
Laurence Phillips

1921–2005




1901 Age 5

31 Mar 1901 • Kilcowan, Wexford, Ireland

Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head: Son


1911 Age 15

2 April 1911 • Kilcowan, Wexford, Ireland

Relation to Head: Son; Residence Marital Status: Single

I assumed (wrongly) that Thomas was English and possibly from Swindon.
So possibly he and Mary rented a room at 30 Commercial Road for a week or two to give them an address?

The Ancestry 'tree' is not correct for the man who married Mary O'Reilly in December 1915 - HIS father was PATRICK - a Labourer.

The man Nicholas Phillips on the 1911 census referred to was a Schoolmaster.

Yet another example of Ancestry trees NOT being accurate

I can see NO record of a birth of a Laurence Phillips with MMN O'Reilly


Name: Thomas Phillips
Date of Birth: 22 September 1919
Group Registration ID: 1700831
SR District/Reg Area: Enniscorthy
Sex: Male
Mother's Birth Surname: Reilly
Father Thomas - Soldier
Born in the Workhouse

???????
1901 census
Residents of a house 2 in Edward's Lane (Enniscorthy Urban, Wexford)
Phillips Patrick 40 Male Head of Family Roman Catholic Co Wexford Generals Labourer Read and write - Married -
Phillips Mary 39 Female Wife Roman Catholic Co Wexford - Read and write - Married -
Phillips Lawrence 19 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Wexford General Labourer Read and write - Not Married -
Phillips Mary Kate 17 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Co Wexford Domestic Servant Read and write - Not Married -
Phillips Patrick 15 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Wexford General Labourer Read and write - Not Married -
Phillips Bridget 12 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Co Wexford Scholar Read and write - Not Married -
Phillips Anastasia 10 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Co Wexford Scholar Read and write - Not Married -
Phillips Thomas 9 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Wexford Scholar Read and write - Not Married -
Phillips Jane 8 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Co Wexford Scholar Read and write - Not Married -
Phillips John 6 Male Son Roman Catholic Co Wexford Scholar Neither - Not Married -
Phillips Annie 4 Female Daughter Roman Catholic Co Wexford Scholar Neither - Not Married -

06 December 1920 / Enniscorthy
Name: Mary Kate Phillips
Date of Birth: 06 December 1920
Group Registration ID: 1788997
SR District/Reg Area: Enniscorthy
Sex: Female
Mother's Birth Surname: O Reilly

Father THOMAS - ex-Soldier.........who registered the birth

??????????

Name: Thomas Philips
Date of Birth: 30th December 1890
Group Registration ID: 9586646
SR District/Reg Area: Enniscorthy
Mother's Birth Surname: Walsh...............forename Mary
Father Patrick............Labourer.
dwelling place: Shannon

Grave of that Thomas Philips/Phillips:


Thomas Phillips
in the UK and Ireland, Find a Grave® Index, 1300s-Current
Name Thomas Phillips
Gender Male
Birth Date 30 Dec 1889
Death Date 5 Apr 1955
Cemetery St. Mary's Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland
Has Bio? N
Spouse Mary Phillips
Children
Tom Phillips
Larry Phillips
URL https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/225877181/thomas-phillips

Also according to Findagrave:

Larry - c1924 - 2006, buried in St Mary's Cemetery.
Tom - c1925 - 2004, St Mary's Cemetery. [ and wife Sally c1925 - 2012, nee Crean]
Mary Reilly Phillips 1891-1967, St Mary's Cemetery

Laurence Philips
in the Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958
Name Laurence Philips
Birth Quarter Jul-Aug-Sep
Birth Date 1924
Birth Place Enniscorthy, Ireland
Birth Registration Date Sep 1924
Birth Registration Place Ireland
Volume 4
Page 428
FHL Film Number 101229