The Ernest DAWES Family

Ernest was the second child born to Thomas DAWES and Sarah BOXALL and was born 23 March 1866. He was baptised 5 June 1870 at St. Nicholas Church, Brighton on the same day as his older brother, Walter, and younger sister, Florence, who died shortly afterwards. Ernest became a carpenter following in his father's footsteps and eventually joined the family business, Thomas Dawes & Sons. On 4 August 1890 at the London Road Chapel he married Mary Jane WRIGHT (1865-1941) and they had one child, a daughter Gladys Kathleen born 19 Nov. 1897.

Gladys became a piano teacher and had a professional name of K. York-Palmer so must have had a career on the stage on in the theater. Gladys never married and died in 1979 ending the Ernest Dawes family line. Mary Jane and Ernest must have been estranged in their later years because he always attends family funerals with only Gladys and Mary Jane was very specific in her will that her property go to her daughter and not her husband as she feared he would try to get it.

I have looked extensively through the Brighton playbills for any mention of Gladys or K. York-Palmer without success. At the beginning of this post there is a photo labeled Mystery Photo that I believe is a Dawes family gathering for some sort of performance by a family member. The little girl in the front is wearing gloves (common among piano players) and is holding a Brighton Hippodrome playbill so she may be Gladys???