Crewys, Jack

Also known as: Jack Crews

Singer

Collection date: Sept 1906

Area: Somerset - Taunton District

---

Jack Crewys of Halse (1863-1920): age 43, 1 song ‘Brisk Young Sailor’(FT1104) on 3 Sept 1906: Sharp gave no age for Jack but the singer is likely to be John Crewys, baptised 30/8/1863 at Halse church, son of John Crewys, labourer and his wife Elizabeth (née Lock). In all subsequent censuses the family dropped the ‘y’ in their name and are shown as ‘Crews’. John Crews Snr was a flaxworker in the 1881 census at Halse and John Jnr was an agricultural labourer. Elizabeth Crews died in 1881, when John Jnr was 18. John Snr was remarried to Sarah Coles in 1882. In 1891 the family of 3 were living in nearby Fitzhead but in 1897 at the age of 34 John Crewys Jnr married Mary Ann Kelland at Fitzhead church 21/12/1897. They had no children and moved back to Halse by 1901 census (RG13/2279 f41 p6). Sharp recorded Jack at Halse. John Jnr probably died Sept 1920 Taunton 5c 322.

It is possible but unlikely that the singer was John Crewys Senior. He would have been 78 and did not die until 1/1912 but he was living at Fitzhead in 1901 and 1911. Sharp would have noted the change of village.