Constance Ellen Neve was godmother to Molly Evans. She was almost certainly a good friend of Florence Evans. She married Walter Loveridge in 1884 but was widowed after only three years of marriage.
She was the mother of Amy Constance Loveridge (b 1886). Mrs Walter Loveridge attended the wedding of Henry and Florence Evans in 1889. It is likely she is the inspiration for the first ‘given’ name of Molly whose full names were “Constance Mary Shaw-Hellier Evans”.
In Molly’s war time diaries she frequently talks about her letters from Aunt Constance.
Amy Loveridge went on to marry Lieut Tom Fisher (RN) on 15 Jun 1912. The attached pictures have survived in our archive. Sir Tom Fisher died on 21 Feb 1925 and Amy remarried Sir Geoffrey Hithersay Shakespeare in 1926.
Amy, Lady Fisher later Lady Shakespeare, was the Godmother of Molly’s eldest daughter, Pamela Downing, who was christened on 17 Aug 1920.
It would appear that Constance Loveridge died on 11 Apr 1951, aged 89. Her daughter Amy Shakespeare predeceased her on 14 Feb 1950, aged 63.
Sources
- Wolverhampton Archives – D-SSW/3/LOV: The Trust of Samuel Loveridge Deceased
“Walter Loveridge was born 1858 to Samuel Loveridge and Ann Pepperill Loveridge. In 1871 he was a pupil at Bromsgrove School. From there he went off to Oxford to begin studies for the bar. Around 1881 due to the falling health of his older brother Thomas Clark Loveridge, Walter abandoned his studies for the legal profession and moved back to Wolverhampton. In 1881 at the age of 23 he was shown living in Wolverhampton working as a clerk. He was a principal for the well known firm T and C Clark and Co. In April 1884 he married Constance Ellen Neve, daughter of Mr John Neve. Walter and Constance had two children, the first being Amy Constance Loveridge born 1886 and a son Samuel Guy Loveridge born 1888. Throughout the last 8 years of his life Walter became a well known and respected councillor in Wolverhampton, so much so that in February 1885 he returned to represent St. James Ward in the town council. He was also an ardent worker in the cause of Liberalism one of many reasons to which he is still remembered. Bad health was the cause of Walters death, after catching a serious cold which settled on his lungs which aggravated an old complaint of his which led to his death on 13th November 1888. The Probate was granted on 22nd January 1889 at Lichfield to Constance Ellen Loveridge, the sole executrix of his estate totalling, 2,317 4s 5d This was later resworn in March to a value of 2,400 4s 7d He was buried at Codsall Churchyard.” - Florence Marten’s Photo Album