This article was originally published in the December 2006 edition of Soul Search, the journal of The Sole Society

George was born in 1840 at Woodnesborough, Kent, the eighth son of Edward and Rosanna (nee DRAYSON) SOLE.  He is the great grandfather of Diana Jones and great great grandfather of Georgina Mountford.

George married Catherine COUSINS in 1867 at Bideford, Devon and they had three children, Fanny (1867-1945), John Cousins (1868-1943) and Rose Hannah (1876-1921).  Catherine died in 1887 (aged 44) and George married Rachel TAYLOR nee BROOKS in 1901.  George went to sea and eventually became a Master Mariner.  He died at Appledore, Devon in 1933 aged 93.

Extract from an Obituary in the "Bideford & North Devon Gazette" (Jan 1934):

The deceased, who had reached the advanced age of  93, and was the oldest sailor in Appledore, was a native of Sandwich, Kent, and at an early age was apprenticed to the old sailing brigs of the east coast, but finding the living very hard, he left the brigs and joined the late Captain Walter Henry Lesslie, of Appledore, who at that time commanded the famous sailing barque St. George, and strangely enough on his arrival at Appledore, the barque capsized on the Ferry Rock at Beara's Slip, and by the aid of horses it was raised again as the tide receded. 

Deceased reached Appledore at the early age of 20 and shortly afterwards married Miss Katie Cousins, and had three children, two of whom survive him, Mr Sole, retired carpenter from H.M. Royal Navy at Devonport, and Mrs. Fanny Lobbett, at Portsmouth.

For 36 years, a long period, he commanded the sailing ship Pomona, belonging to the late Mr Edward Lemon, and then the Falcon.

He was a very quiet man and respected by all.  He married his second wife Mrs. Taylor, the widow of Captain Taylor, who was drowned at sea, and Mrs Sole survives her husband. 

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