William Parsons Hustwait was born at Wellingborough, son of Lewis, a tailor by trade, and Mary Ann. In 1891 he and two sisters and two brothers were all working at tailoring alongside their father, and there were four younger siblings at school. William married Clara Moss, the 5th daughter of Robert (a turner and brush maker) & Ann, of Lincoln, at the end of 1896, in Lincoln. They came to Rushden in 1898 and William started to trade in the High Street. When the 1901 census was taken, their son, Eric, was staying with his grandparents at Wellingborough, and his parents had moved into 25 Church Street.
A baby daughter, Madge was buried in February 1898, aged just 8 months. Their first son Eric was born a few weeks later, on 23rd April 1898, followed by daughter Winifred on 22nd August 1899, and two more sons, Victor in 1905 and Cyril in 1909.
The eldest son Eric Parsons, was killed in 1918, aged just 20. William died in September 1945 aged 77, and the business was renamed W P Hustwait & Sons and continued into the 1970s. Clara died aged 94 in 1964.
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