Kelly Prior - Genealogical & Social History Services

The things you could die from in twentieth-century England.

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Catherine Ettrick initiated a separation from her husband William Ettrick in 1765, accusing him of beating his daughter, among other charges.

John D. Ramsbottom discusses women in early-modern families.

Blue plaque to honour Yorkshirewoman who was locked in asylum for calling vicar a liar Mary Heaton spent 41 years in a Wakefield asylum for challenging a cleric. Finally, her life and suffering are being recognised

Apologies, I've been quiet of late.

However, Find My Past have free war records until the 12th November, for remembrance week.

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/page/free-access

Findmypast free access | Free genealogy websites Find your ancestors in our extensive military records collection absolutely free from 5-12 November 2020.

With a 23 month old of my own, this one got me.
The area is now all relatively newly built flats.
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Western Morning News
18th September, 1926

Cigarette advert from 1932.

The early 1900s were pretty eventful for my husbands 3rd great uncle.

In November 1902, his boat collided with a Royal Navy steam launch. Two years later he helped cut his neighbour down from where he had hung himself - in the washroom they likely shared as William also lived at 2 Tamar Street. Finally in 1909, William discovered the body of Charles Kestell in the Hamoaze off Pottery Quay in a an advanced stage of decomposition after he had been missing from his home in Prince Rock for 13 days.

Shot by an ex-lover in a London Street
22nd July, 1881

This new years was certainly an eventful one for some.
1st January, 1870

Getting off with bigamy!
20th December, 1856

The capture of Ann Chamberlain after her escape from Reading gaol.
17th May, 1879

Stolen Child
Abergavenny Chronicle, 4th March 1881

Fatal Railway Accident, 4th March 1881

The future of education in the history sector.

A 360 degree, virtual reality view of the oldest coal pit in Wales. You can visit the following link to also learn about shop owners and schools.

https://www.visitblaenavon.co.uk/en/VisitBlaenavon/Time-Travel/An-introduction-to-the-real-characters.aspx

Document

Fatal Accident at Toxteth Workhouse
14th Oct, 1886
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The guardians' of the workhouse had recently opened the stone yard for the relief of the employed in Toxteth. Stone breaking is exactly how it sounds, the men break up large bits of stone into smaller pieces, which can later be sold for road making purposes. The broken pieces had to be small enough to fit through a heavy weight sieve, about 1 1/2 inches, just under 4cm. This of course was done without any protective equipment, health and safety being rather limited in the 19th century..

George Patterson's stone pile was next to that of John Kenington, who was breaking up stone and splinters were flying about. Patterson reported hearing Kenington cry out "Oh, dear me!" and walked five or six yards towards Kenington, asking what was the matter but receiving no reply. He lifted Kenington's chin after noticing some blood and saw a wound in his throat that blood was flowing freely "as though from a leaky pipe". Kenington was taken into the house immediately and the wound dressed. He progressed favourably but 3 days later John was found to be 'almost pulseless' and died shortly after.

A postmortem revealed that the wound passed downwards and forwards through some of the neck muscles behind the windpipe and entered the jugular vein. A large clot of blood about the size of a small orange was found behind the windpipe, almost blocking it up.

One of the jurymen enquired whether it would not be well to give the men in the stone yard a screen to protect their faces. The clerk said it would be laid before the proper authorities but the stone yard could remain open for the next 50 years with such an accident never occurring again.

Advert for the Glastonbury Children's Festival

Wells Journal, 7th July 1988

Here is the entry for my 4th great aunt and her family in the 1911 census.

Notice it says they have 5 children but only 4 living and 1 has died. They proceeded to give their deceased daughters name and age, clearly having never forgotten the pain of losing her.

Also, notice the entry has been crossed out by the enumerator because their deceased daughter "did not count".

Heartbreaking.

A lover's su***de in the Thames.
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Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 28 August 1911

Louis-Victor Baillot, the last surviving veteran of the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. This photo was taken about a year before his death in 1898 at 104 years old.

WILLS

They're a great source of information and if you're after more than just a long list of names and dates for your tree, then I'd say they're quite an important source.

For instance, although it took 3 days to transcribe fully and accurately, my 5th great grandfather, the Waterloo soldier and Police Superintendent, I not only have an idea of what kind of man he was, but I also know what kind of money and interests he had by the list of possessions he left behind.

He had five children and divided his property equally, protecting the assets from any banks. He owned 8 properties and ensured that each child received one and any survivors of them should then receive it. This not only shows his interest in the welfare of his children, particularly his daughters who would now not have to rely on finding a husband, but also any future descendants.

The books on the life of Wellington, Napoleonic statues and pictures of the French Wars show me that he had a keen interest in history, particularly given that he was there. (I have always wondered what my ancestors would have thought about me digging up their stories and now I know that this particular ancestor would likely be 'well chuffed'!)

Oh yeah, not to mention the man had tiger skins and lances! He clearly enjoyed luxurious living.
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You might be thinking it was hard work or expensive information to recover. I got heaps of information about this man, but it cost a grand total of £1.50 for his will, photocopied and sent to me via PDF!

Just to give you an idea how my day's going.
How about you?

My 5th great grandfather was a soldier present at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. On leaving the army he became the Superintendent of Police at Brynmawr in Breconshire, Wales.

I would argue he is probably one of the most fascinating people in my tree. Given the nature of his career, he is well covered in newspapers and his original handwritten diary (which has since been transcribed and made available for purchase), lies in the Welsh library, viewable online.

In 1852, he had to deal with the case of a young woman who concealed the birth of her child, by hiding it in a chamber pot under her bed. Whether she was aware of the pregnancy, or just too frightened to tell anyone due to the illegitimate nature (this came with a lot of stigma), is unknown. But what is clear, is the baby would have lived had it not been for the blood loss. What appears to have happened is the cord was cut, but not tied.

Whether the death of the child was intentional, or she was just frightened and hid the baby after its death is now left for speculation.
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Articles date 17th Sept 1852 and 8th Oct 1852.

Why did I have to be part Welsh?!

Article from the Dundee Courier, 25th December 1913
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Just 80 years after British Parliament abolished the practice of slavery in all British territories, attitudes towards black people had somewhat changed, but clearly not enough.

Here we find my 5th great grandfather's baptism recorded in 1782 in Lincoln. It says that he was born to 'Widdow Thorpe'. Many may take this at face value and assume she had an unusual name. In reality, it's an example of the time.

The previous page records her husband Thomas' burial the year before. When she married him, she lost her identity, she was his property. This is not to say they had a loveless marriage, but legally any property he had became his, including any children they shared. In life she would have been known as "Mrs Thomas Thorpe" and in his death she is simply "widow Thorpe".

I can't wait! Finally knock down some brick walls and tie up loose ends.

Announcing: the 1921 Census In the most anticipated family history development since the online publication of the 1939 Register, Findmypast has been selected as The National Archives’ commercial partner to make the 1921 Census of England & Wales available online.

VICTORIAN CRIMINALS
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Today's gentleman is not from my own family tree, but is definitely fascinating.

On the 18th December 1864, 31 year old Henry Wise and his accomplice Charles Coleman (38) accosted Elizabeth Williams on the pretence of asking for directions to the railway station. As Charles set about questioning Elizabeth further, Henry pickpocketed Elizabeth, freeing her of her leather purse and its contents of 5 shillings. He was committed to H.M Gaol Bristol on the 20th December 1864 and convicted on the 7th January 1865.

Life in a Victorian prison starts with the admission procedure and this must come as an enormous shock to the first-time offender. The realisation of what has happened to him, and what he may experience in the future, probably sinks in for the first time. The gates close behind the prisoner and the physical examination begins in order to provide a description of the person and to note any distinguishing marks. Henry was examined and recorded as being 5 foot 9 with light brown hair, hazel eyes and a fair complexion. His body was described as moderate, his face full and his nose ordinary. He could read and write well and was described as having conducted himself well in the prison but was a man of very bad character and associates.

Once completed prisoners were taken for a bath and their hair cropped to the scalp. This isn't done for hygiene, but to humiliate him. He then dons his prison clothes and his past life as a free man is obliterated as he starts a new life as a prisoner of Her Majesty. Henry was sentenced to five years under the separate system.

Every prisoner had a cell to himself, with adequate washing facilities, which present-day inmates of overcrowded prisons might envy. But the penal servitudes regime of the separation system was not one to be envied. It involved depriving a prisoner of all human contact; shutting him up in his cell except for brief exercise periods, masking his face, and forbidding him to speak. This compulsory silence was believed to lead to moral regeneration as the wretched prisoner contemplated his moral failings. Suicides were not uncommon.

On the 2nd February 1865, Henry was moved to Leicester County Gaol where he served as a shoemaker. Four days after his arrival, on the 6th February, he was reprimanded for talking in the chapel. Henry was again moved to Dartmoor Prison on the 13th September and here he served as a blacksmith, which must've been difficult given that Henry's original trade was as a hatter. On the 10th January 1866, Henry was admonished for having a loaf in his pocket when going to the chapel.

The diet of a convicted prisoner in gaol was restricted to one pound of bread per day, and for dinner, two pounds of potatoes or half a pound of boiled rice with treacle. No meat was supplied. This restrictive diet led to illness and death among the prisoners, so the justice ordered that five ounces of meat and soup could be given twice a week and a larger portion of bread on those days when meat was not allowed.

As a prisoner sentenced to hard labour, Henry would have been in the Class 5 diet category. These were prisoners whose sentences exceeded three months. His daily diet would have looked like this;

Breakfast 10 ounces of bread, 1 pint of gruel.

Dinner Two days in the week, 11 ounces of bread, 1 and a half pound of potatoes, or 3 ounces of cheese, when potatoes fail. Three days, 11 ounces of bread, 4 ounces of cooked meat, without bone, and half a pound of potatoes. Two days, 11 ounces of bread, 1 pint of soup, 1 pound of potatoes.

Supper 11 ounces of bread, 1 pint of gruel.

On the 7th February 1866, Henry was punished for having his cell and area in a dirty state. As a punishment, his diet was reduced to that of a class 3 prisoner;
Breakfast 8 ounces of bread, 1 pint of gruel.

Dinner Four days in the week, 8 ounces of bread, 1 pound of potatoes, or 2 ounces of cheese, if potatoes fail. Two days, 8 ounces of bread and 3 ounces of cooked meat, without bone. One day, 8 ounces of bread and 1 pint of soup.

Supper 8 ounces of bread, 1 pint of gruel.

Henry was lucky to escape transportation, for the colonies began refusing to accept England’s convicts in 1853. On the 18th June 1866, he was punished again for receiving a loaf of bread from a fellow prisoner, remember that he was not supposed to have any human contact. Henry was released from Dartmoor prison on license on the 6th February 1869.

116 Of The Oldest Color Photos Showing What The World Looked Like 100 Years Ago When you think of old photographs, you naturally think in terms of black and white, but as you can see from these stunning photographs from the turn of the 20th century, color photography has been around for a lot longer than you think.

I've noticed a certain image of a Victorian doss house circulating and thought it worth discussing.

Poverty was rife in the 19th century and those less well off had various accommodations available to them. The homeless, tramps, vagrants etc. could find very basic free accommodation at the casual ward in the local workhouse. The workhouse was such a feared place that many took their chances on the streets of Victorian London rather than admit themselves there, though starvation eventually forced many to seek refuge.

Those who could gain a little money (usually from begging which was illegal) could find a doss house for four or sixpence a night. Unlike workhouses or charitable accommodations, a stint of hard labour or participation in a religious service was not demanded of them in return for food and a bed.

For a tuppence you could sleep on a rope, known as the 'two penny hangover'. Some houses offered a bench with a rope intended to prevent the person falling forward. Fourpence could get you a coffin bed and they were packed in tight little rows. Often there was a two to three relay system in place, one person could use the bed in the day and another at night with a third taking up the bed a little later.

Kelly Prior - Genealogical & Social History Services updated their website address.

This absolutely has to be one of my favourites and gives a brilliant insight to a single household, one of which many of us can probably relate to today!

John Underwood in the infirmity sections labels each member of the family, beginning with himself as suffering from a "bad temper", his wife Ada a "long tongue" and each of his children as "quarrelsome, stubborn, greedy, vain and noisy".

Pets! We love them right? So did our ancestors, some of them so much so that they included them in the census!

The Little family in Dulwich, London included their four legged friend Roger, writing "incidentally, we have an Airedale Terrier, I do not know whether particulars are required, but in case you want them here they are!"

Roger was then listed as 5 years old, occupation 'watchdog, employed on own account' his industry listed as 'looking after house'. As for Roger's children, Mr. Little wrote "? but something over 100".

The Rigby family of Birkenhead included their cat, listed as 'Tom Cat' an 8 year old, married Mouse-Catcher, Soloist and Thief with 16 children, though his infirmity was recorded as "speechless".

Many people disapproved of census records being taken, believing it to be an invasion of privacy. This led to a lot of humorous remarks being written! For example, Rigby finished his entry with;

"All the above mentioned have breakfast, dinner, tea and supper. Eat standard bread and drink sterilised milk. Sleep with the windows open. Wash our feet once a week etc. God save the King RSVP".

This was all crossed out by a very annoyed enumerator, along with poor old Tom Cat's details.

Who said genealogy wasn't fun?!

The 1911 census record is a hoot to search through. It was the first census record to be delivered directly to homes, which means that it is (currently) the only census record available to view that shows our ancestors very own handwriting. This census is a brilliant source of information, not only does it give the usual information such as relationships, age, occupation, place of birth etc. It is the first census to list any children resulting of the current marriage, including how many had died or were still living. Sometimes however we get a unique glimpse of our ancestors personalities!

Coming up are a series of my favourite 1911 census entries!

We'll begin with probably the most well known, suffragette Emily Wilding Davison's entry. Emily had illegally hidden herself in the broom cupboard in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the House of Commons on census night, in order that she might put her address as the House of Commons, making a bold political statement. Pencilled at the bottom is a note stating that she had been hidden there since the Saturday (the census was taken on the Monday). At the top is a note; "Apply Common Row police station for more information".

WARNING: MAY CAUSE UPSET!
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Today we visit my 2nd cousin 3x removed, Emily May Storrar, and unfortunately it's a gut wrenchingly sad one.

Emily May Storrar married 27 year old widower and jewel case maker, Joseph George Morby, at St Peters Church in Clerkenwell, Middlesex on the 19th May 1907. A year later Emily gave birth to Alexander George Morby in 1908.

In later newspaper articles, Emily stated that she and her husband had lived quite happily for a year and that Joseph's unnatural behaviour began when their son was born. In 1910, Emily left her husband, sending Alexander (Alex) to live with her sister-in-law, Edith Mansell. On the 18th August 1910, Emily sought and obtained a separation order owing to her husbands consistent cruelty. The East Ham and Ilford Advertiser, dated 3rd September 1910, states that Emily made some very serious allegations against her husband which Joseph then characterised as "a dirty lie". The Bench granted the order and Emily was awarded custody of Alex and 7s a week for his maintenance and costs and expenses amounting to £2 10s. Emily was in regular employment and so no order was made in respect to her maintenance. This was the last time that Emily was to see her son alive.

On the 4th September 1910, Joseph took Alex from his sister's home at 14 Belmont Gardens in Manor Park, Essex, where he had resided since the 24th July. He took up lodgings at 14 Elizabeth Road in Southend for a week, for himself and Alex.

Mrs. Eliza Jane Bolden stated that the child seemed very fond of his father and vice versa. Joseph had mentioned he was having some domestic trouble at home and had come away for the weekend to get out of it. Mrs. Bolden said that he seemed a quiet man and that on the Friday 9th, he had used the front room to write letters. Joseph later left with his son at 6.30pm, telling Mrs. Bolden that he should be late in as he was taking Alex to the Kursaal and that he was returning home the next morning. She sat up all night expecting to see him, but he never returned.
Joseph's sister, Edith Mansell, said that she received a letter from her brother on the 7th September, asking if she could spend the day with him on the 8th September at Southend, which she did. Edith said that they had a very pleasant day and she left him about twenty to 8 in the evening, standing at the Kursaal with the baby on his shoulder and that he was quite cheerful. Joseph had told her to expect him home on Sunday.

Two days later, on the 10th September, Edith received another letter from her brother which read "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but by the time you receive this letter Alex and myself will be under the water". However, he had sent his mother a letter stating he was going abroad. When questioned further by the Coroner, Edith said that her brother had seemed q***r whilst at Southend, and when she asked what time he was going home to give the baby up, he replied, "What do you want to trouble yourself about when you come here on holiday to enjoy yourself? It's sufficient I shall be home on the morrow".

In a letter written on the evening of Thursday 8th September, to his sister Lucy he writes, "you have been my best little pal of all. I grieve very much at parting with you, but, dear, I am just tired of the continual strife that I have been into ever since I can remember, and Alex and I are going to have a long sleep", he ends the letter with "I made up my mind some weeks ago, if I had to part with Alex, my only fear was that I could not get him away, but we are together and we shall never part".
In a letter to his brother George he writes "unless Alex and I are found, don't say a word to anybody, as I don't want my loving wife to know, and I don't want her to know she is free".

On the morning of the 10th September 1910, at around 5.45am, Owen Davis of 93 West Street, Shoeburyness found Alex's body floating in the water under the piles of the Jubilee Jetty. Davis contacted the coastguard who removed the body to the coastguard station. Emily later identified the body and stated that the clothes he was wearing she had made herself.
It was stated that, "the unfortunate baby had its hands extended upwards, quite stiff, as though appealing against its fate or clinging to an object".

For a week Joseph was wanted for the murder of his son, described as about 32 years old, 5 ft 6, dark hair and moustache, fresh complexion with a dimple in the centre of his chin. When last seen he was wearing a dark tweed suit, cap and lace up boots, collar and tie. Though on the following Saturday, the 17th September at about 5.30am, his body too was discovered near the Government's new barge jetty close to the barracks at Shoeberryness by Henry James Henwood.

It took just ten minutes for the jury to reach the verdict of murder of the child by his father and su***de of the father, both by drowning.

Since my following so far is local to where I live, I thought I'd do some locally focused posts.
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I'm sure everyone knows this building, but do you know its history?
Although it is now the Highbury Trust, a local charity supporting adults with learning disabilities, formed in 1956, it previously served a much younger generation.

On the 3rd June 1925, the St Gregory's Home for Babies was opened by Lady Florence Cecil. Babies were first sent from their homes to the Receiving Home of the Waif's and Strays' Society in London and from there they were distributed to one of the various 300 branches throughout the country. St. Gregory's housed babies up to the age of 2 from all over England. The home held events such as the fête held on the 3rd July 1929 with stalls and displays of gymnastics and music. The garden was one big play area with swings and slides for the children. By December 1927, 110 babies had passed through its doors and by September 1931, just four years later, that number rose to 200.

On 19th September 1931, the Western Mornings News reported that "the little mites at St. Gregory's Home for Babies at Peverell, Plymouth could not receive more loving care and attention than if they were with their own parents. The young nurses sit up all night with the children when they are ill, as a mother would and the pretty little hand-embroidered frocks worn by the toddlers were all made by the members of the staff during their leisure hours".

St Gregory's also provided training for nursery nurses, in the December of 1925 there were 6 students. The home was closed during the Second World War in 1941. The residents were evacuated to Barleythorpe Hall Home for Babies in Oakham, Rutland and later to Milton Lodge Home for Babies in Gillingham

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