Joshua Meredith was born in Hatton on 2nd March 1885 and baptised on 13th April that year at a non-conformist church in Warrington. He was the son of Joshua Meredith (born Northwich) and his wife Sarah E. (nee Findlow) who was born in Widnes. They had married at Daresbury in 1876 and their daughters Elizabeth and Mary E. were born in 1878 and 1880 and Emily in 1883.
Sadly, Joshua’s father, who was only 32 years old, died in the same year that Joshua (junior) was born.
By 1891 Joshua’s mother had married again, to Edward Bannister and the family were living in Spring Gardens in Shavington-cum-Gresty, near Crewe. Joshua now had a half-sister Marion (1).
Ten years later the family were in Hatton village and 16-year old Joshua was working as a groom. He now also had half-siblings Henry (9) and Elsie (2).
In 1905 Joshua married Frances Caroline Partington who was born in Hatton. She was the sister of Albert Partington, who would also serve in the Great War.
By 1911 they were living at Factory Yard in Hatton with their children, Hilda (4) and Joshua Norman (born 1910). Joshua was a domestic gardener. Their daughter Nora was born in 1913 and son Wilfred in January 1915. However Frances Caroline died on 14th December 1915 and was buried at Daresbury four days later.
Joshua served in the Machine Gun Corps in the Great War, as a Private with service number 63637. It was not clear which theatre of war he served in. He was recorded as an absent voter in Hatton in 1918 and spring 1919, but was demobilized and transferred to Class Z Army Reserve on Christmas Day 1919. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service in the Great War.
He had returned to Factory Yard by 1920 and worked for the local council. In early 1921 he married Elizabeth A. Parker, nee Mullen or Mullin, who was a widow with a daughter Frances, born in 1914.
The 1939 Register showed Joshua as living at Hickson’s Cottages in Hatton with his wife Elizabeth A. and her widowed mother Mary E. Kippax (originally married to Faithful Mullin of Hatton and then to John Kippax, after Faithful died in 1893). Joshua was a farm labourer. Next door to them were their sons Joshua Norman, who was an estate gardener and Wilfred, who was a café waiter. Joshua Norman had married his step-sister Frances Parker.
Joshua Meredith lived in Hatton all his life. He worked for a long time on Lord Daresbury’s estate and later for Cheshire County Council.
He died on 29th April 1952 (three years prior to his wife) and was interred at All Saints, Daresbury three days later. He was 67 years of age.