by Tessa Gibson

Tessa has been creating biographies of many of the families who have lived in Kingswear. In this article she introduces the Tribble family: 

The Tribble family seem to have worked hard to make a living in Kingswear but also did much to keep the school full of children! Here are a few of the facts that I have found out about the family. Thomas and Susan were born in Dartmouth before they moved to the village in about 1861. The census that year records that they lived in Lower Street. He was employed as a farm labourer. They had two children Susan and John. Susan, who was a dressmaker, had one illegitimate son called William George Tribble by an unknown father. She then went on to marry James Keeley. He was a gamekeeper and water bailiff and the family lived at Cemetery Lodge. It was here in 1904 that James hung himself in the morgue. He was 58. The inquest into his death occupied almost two columns in The Chronicle of June 3 1904. It seems he had become depressed at not being able to maintain the high level of work expected of him, although no witnesses felt he was falling short. Indeed he was a well-liked and respected member of the community. Susan, who found his body, was left with their son, Frederick Keeley. 

William stayed in the village and went into shipbuilding He married Betsy Elford in 1883. Having eight children with at least six attending the school they had to cope with much sadness when two of the children died young. Their eldest son John moved to Plymouth but on the 1911 census could be found in the coal pits of Wales. In 1915 son William joined the Canadian Forces and was later awarded the British Service medal. Susan Ann was born in Kingswear and will be remembered by some people as a wonderful lady who lived to be 95. 

Moving down through John Randle Tribble’s line you find Thomas James c.1873-1959. He lived at 1 College View, seen above, with his wife Elizabeth Ryder. He had two daughters both well known in the village, Elsie and Alice. Elsie had a son called Lionel Frank (b1915-1930). Lionel was very sadly killed on the railway. He was thought to have epilepsy and it was assumed that he had a fit on the day he died. He was found crushed on the railway line when the 5.20 from Newton Abbot had just passed by. This awful scene was found by two young ladies on their Sunday afternoon walk. The Inquest passed a verdict of accidental death. 

Alice, pictured here on a ferry, was a character who attended every event held in Kingswear and loved her bingo on Friday nights. She was born at 1 College View in 1906. She stayed at that address until in 1982 when she was one of the first residents to move into the Priory. This accommodation was donated by Mrs Carlow to house the elderly of the village. Alice married William Bowe and had one son Tommy. Alice died in 1989.