Carmine Pacitti
1876-1940
Cerasuolo

Carmine (1876-1940) was the second child in the family to bear that name. In the Cerasuolo birth records, there is an earlier entry for a Carmine, born 4th January 1872 to Ferdinando and Pasqua Coia; unfortunately this first Carmine died the following year.

Carmine married Rosa Pacitti at Filignano on 15th February 1900 and shortly afterwards they emigrated to London. In total they had eight children: Emilia Pasqua, Antonio, Domenica Assunta, Assunta, Vincenzo, Linda, Flora and Anna. Carmine was the first of my Pacitti family to emigrate; the birth of his first child Emilia in December 1900 is recorded at London. The 1901 England census places the family at 63 Aspenlea Road, Fulham, London. It took a little bit of detective work to track them down since the official census document lists him as "Colabanel Paget" (it looks like language challenges on all sides)! He was enumerated as an organ-grinder.

Antonio, Domenica Domenica Assunta, Assunta and Vincenzo were also born in London. Sadly Domenica Assunta, and Vincenzo both died in infancy. Around 1910, the family moved once again even further north to Holytown, Scotland where Carmine established their ice-cream and confectionery business.

Carmine is next recorded in the 1911 Scotland census living at 27 Main Street, Holytown. His occupation was given as "Confectioner" and the only other family member recorded was his daughter Millie (Emilia) aged 11. The 1921 Scotland census has the entire family still living at 27 Main Street, Holytown: Carmine (45), Rosa (45), Emilia (20), Antonio (19), Assunta (16), Linda (9) Flora (8) Anna (6). The census also records that daughter Linda was born at Filignano, Italy in June 1910 - so the most likely explanation is that Rosa and the rest of the children were also in Italy at the time of the census enumeration.

My father recalls that Carmine (also known as Charlie) ran two cafés; one in Holytown and one in Carfin. In the early days he also sold ice cream around the streets using a bolt-on sidecar to his motorcycle.

Carmine appeared in the newspapers quite a few times, mostly for some form of infringement. The last entry in July 1940 reported that Carmine died at sea on the torpedoed Arandora Star.

• November 1899 : Fulham Chronicle - remanded for being allegedly involved in the stealing of an oil-lamp.
• October 1916 : Belshill Speaker - fined 20 shillings for contravention of the Refreshment Shops Regulations.
• October 1918 : Belshill Speaker - fined £2 for contravention of the Lighting, Heating and Power Order by keeping his shop open for 5 minutes after the 10:30 limit.
• February 1928 : Belshill Speaker - fined 15 shillings for keeping his Refreshment Room open contrary to the County Council bye-laws.
• September 1929 : Motherwell Times - fined £5 for having reset a 28lb keg of butter. Carmine's defence was that he did not know it was stolen.
• October 1935 : Motherwell Times - fined 30 shillings by Lanark County Coucill for having sold an ice cream wafer and cigarettes after 11:30pm on June 22nd contrary to the Shop Hours Act 1928. He was subsequently charged for the same offence in October by Hamilton court - the charge was thrown out because he had already 'tholed his assize'.
• July 1940 : Motherwell Times - It is now learned that Carmine Pacitti, an Italian at Carfin, who lost his life in the Arandora Star disaster was one of three brother aboard. One was saved, another drowned and one is missing.

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