John Foster

Notes:

John's Police Service Record was obtained from the Preston Record Office.It seems somewhat mixed!
John joined the Lanashire Constabulary on 14 Nov 1863, at the age of 21. He had previously been a power loom operator. His last employer was Captain Wilson (?) in Preston.
His height was 5' 8". He had a fresh complexion, brown hair and grey eyes.

His Police Warrant Number was 4216.
His first posting was to Manchester. He subsequently (no date is given) moved to Kirkdale in Liverpool.
On 1 Mar 1865, he was promoted to 2nd class. One year later to the day, he was promoted to 1st class. This seems to have been the high point of his police career.
On 6 Dec 1866, he was given permission to marry Letitia Stirret of Green Lane, Stanley, Liverpool. The marriage took place on 1 Jan 1867, at St James Church in Mill Lane, West Derby, between West Derby Village and what is now Queens Drive.
His police career seems to have gone downhill following his marriage. On 17 Apr 1868, he was reduced to 2nd class following a reprimand (no reason given).
In 1869, matters came to a head. On 24 Jul, he was reduced to 3rd class (no reason given), but he had probably already given in his notice, because on 15 Jul 1869, Superintendent Martin writes the following comment on his record:
"I have long considered him of very little use and therefore cannot recommend him for re-appointment."
John left the police service on 13 Aug 1869. His reason was that he wished to reside near his parents (in Penwortham). This may have been because his mother Jenny was ill. She died of cancer in Nov 1870, after 13 months illness, but perhaps she was already unwell before the diagnosis.
During their stay in Penwortham (in Dec 1870), John and Letitia had their 2nd son William, the only child not born in Liverpool. By the following April, they were back in Liverpool.

John married Letitia Stirret on 10 Jan 1867 in St James Church West Derby. Letitia was born on 2 Oct 1848 in Green Lane, West Derby, Liverpool; died on 17 Oct 1903 in Ryder Street 18, West Derby, Liverpool. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Witnesses to marriage: Mary Jane Stirret (Letitia's younger sister), D Allott, T Glean

1. John Foster was born in 1878 in West Derby, Liverpool, Lancashire, England; died in 1943 in South Africa.
2. Wiliam Foster

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: William Green

William married Margaret Moss on 5 May 1835 in St Mary Church, Penwortham. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

This is an interesting marriage. William Green (aka Foster) and his younger brother Roger Foster married sisters Jenny and Margaret (Peggy) Moss respectively, in the same year. Perhaps William met Margaret at his brother's wedding, although this seems a little unlikely, since William and Margaret married only 3 months after Roger and Jenny.
The witnesses to the marriage of Roger Foster and Jenny Moss were Thomas Moss and Ellen Foster. Thomas was probably Jenny's elder brother who was 9 years older than Jenny. Roger had three cousins named Ellen, two of them unmarried. One of these was the daughter of Roger's uncle James, one the daughter of his uncle Roger. The witness was presumably one of these.