Carey had fond memories of his "great aunt May" including the gift, when he was about 6 or 7, of a small penknife "rather like a Swiss army knife, but very much smaller, with tortoiseshell fascias, and with a large blade, a small blade, a corkscrew, a button hook, a 'spike' and a nail file". He (much) later claimed that this present had been in virtual daily use for about 60 years!

Alice May's older brother, Thomas Carey Jnr, was born in Deptford, Kent. In 1896 he married (in Sheffield) Theresa Mary Harrison, a milliner, daughter of a table fork maker, from a large family. They soon returned to London because of Thomas Carey's employment with a cutlery firm. They initially lived in a small flat above a shop in Lordship Lane, East Dulwich, where daughter Enid Mary was born, but quickly moved to Chaffinch Road in Beckenham, Kent where a first son, Hanly Harrison, was born followed by another move to Clockhouse Road where a second son (and final child) Carey was born. Enid would grow up to become the famous children's writer (although her father believed she possessed a similar musical talent to her aunt and hoped she would become a musician) and Hanly would marry and become (our) Carey Blyton's father.

Carey's memories of Theresa (his paternal grandmother) are of someone who spoiled him as a child (she lived within walking distance). She would give him "sugar sandwiches and egg and tomato 'mix' on fried bread, much to my mother's alarm". He also recalls that she wore glasses with one lens frosted, of which he was rather scared. This, coupled with her size ("she was a large woman") made her a bit awesome to him.

Thomas Carey Jnr, who was a well read man with many interests (watercolour painting, writing poetry, playing piano, foreign languages, photography - to mention but a few), decided that his future was not to be in cutlery and joined his two older brothers (Bertha Hamilton and Sidney Charles) in the family 'mantle warehousing' business of Fisher and Nephew. Better pay and prospects enabled a move of house (still in Clockhouse Road) to a larger property with a larger garden. Unfortunately, during the early years of the new century, Thomas and Theresa gradually drifted apart until, in 1910, Thomas moved out having taken up with another woman. The children remained with Theresa but the split necessitated a move to a smaller house in Elm Road (still in Beckenham).

Thomas subsequently established a successful wholesale clothing business in the City of London and was able to pay private school fees for his children as well as regularly sending money to support his family. He died of a heart attack aged 50, while fishing the Thames. Wife Theresa died in 1950 and was buried with her husband, even though they had lived apart for 40 years.

More research is currently being undertaken regarding 'Hanly and Floss', Carey's father and mother, which will be included here in the future.

It seems obvious from the above chart that re-using family names is something of a tradition with the Blytons.

Carey's name is present in his father's generation (his uncle), and his grandfather's, and his great grandfather's, and is now passed on in son Daniel's middle name.

Many Mary's appear to have married into the family and that name was re-used for both Enid Mary Blyton and by her for both her daughters.

Carey's father, Hanly Harrison, appears to have been named for both his grandmother and his mother.

We suspect more research would uncover many more examples and again we invite our site visitors to provide further information using the Contact Us button below.