George COLEMAN (1819-1903)

George Coleman (1819-1903), was the uncle of Julius Sladden.  

George Coleman was born on 25th November 1819 at Goss Hall, Ash, Kent, the third of five children of Thomas Coleman and his wife, Elizabeth (née Noakes).  He was baptised at Ash on 21st December 1819.  George’s father farmed 340 acres at Goss Hall.  

George married Marian Rees in 1849 in the Stratford upon Avon district.  George was a captain in the Merchant Service.  At the time of the 1851 census, Marian and George were living with George’s parents at Goss Hall.

By 1861, George had given up the Merchant Service and was now a landed proprietor and living with Marian at Eastry.  The 1871 census records Marian as still being in Eastry, although George was away from home.   By 1881 they had moved to Rosway House, Middle Deal Road, Deal, where they were to remain until George’s death in 1903.  In both 1871, 1881 and 1891, various members of the Day family (Marian’s sister, Elizabeth, and family) were staying with them.

From 1882-1883, they also acted as guardians for their great-nephew, Lewis Coster Sladden, who came over from New Zealand to England to study at Dover College.  Lewis was the grandson of George’s sister, Elizabeth, his father, Dilnot, having emigrated to New Zealand in 1860.  According to Lewis’ granddaughter, Patsy Miller, Marian was distraught when Lewis went home; having no children of her own, she had thought of him as a son.

The Colemans were prominent in the town.  As a Queen’s Golden jubilee gift, George arranged for a sixth bell to be added in the parish church of St Leonard when the bells were recast in 1887.  George later became Mayor of Deal for several years.

George Coleman died on 7th February 1903.  Marian survived him by 23 years, dying in April 1926.