There has been a plethora of books written about love and
the many stages it evolves through. The beginning
stage – does he, doesn’t he love me – will she, won’t she say yes? And how many times have you read the story where
she or he dies and a short time later the spouse follows. A perfect example of this is one of my
favorites, “The Notebook”.
I have often wondered if our ancestors felt the euphoria
bliss of a budding love. Was it
acceptable in that time to be that fanciful or was that a luxury only felt by the
upper class?
So it was a bit of a surprise one day when I found this very,
very sad love story in the old newspapers.
Samuel Palin was born in 1882 in Bechton, Cheshire to
William Palin and Jane Beddel. His
mother died when he was just six years old and his father remarried to Amelia
Robinson when he was 9 years old. Samuel
was number 5 of 10 children born.
Even though his father was a boatman and went up and down
the canals, at the time of Samuel’s birth his mother and four older sibling
were living in a cabin by Thurlwood Lock.
Perhaps it was because his mother had died that his father had given up
being a boatman and in the 1891 census we find William with his children living
in a house in Bechton and his occupation was chemical labourer.
In the 1901 census we find Samuel working with the horses on Mr. Thorley’s
farm in Alsager and his younger brother Arthur was there too, working with the
cows. His father and step mother were
living in Hassal and his father’s occupation was night watchman on the locks.
In 1902 Samuel at the young age of 20 found a girl who he
fell for big time and started courting. He was very serious, she, not so much. Five years later in 1907, Samuel still very
much love was invited for tea at her parent’s home and of course went only to
find the love of his life was not there.
One can only imagine how poorly Samuel must have felt. How he must have left her parent’s home with
his head hanging low. Did he wonder if
she was playing him for a fool or if she was off somewhere with her other
friends laughing at him?
We can only imagine how bad Samuel was feeling because he then
went home wrote a note, ending with the Lord’s prayer and then killed himself.
So I can’t leave this weeks’ entry on such a sad note. There is another newspaper article that
caught my eye pertaining to Cupids Bow.
This time a much happier and much more fanciful.
I have already wrote about Philip Charles Palin and his
military career, but I never mentioned his personal life. Philip Charles Palin married Diamante Elliot
in 1899 and was married to her until her death in 1934. One year later he remarries to the widow
Gladys Love. Was it the need for
companionship that brought the two of them together or was it true love as the article
hints at?
I must confess, I am a romantic at heart and when I first
read the article I got a visual image of an aged knight in full armour down on
one knee and professing his true love and devotion to the fair maiden. Ah, love, isn’t it grand!
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