Henry Stone and Mary Ridgeway

Church of St John the Baptist, Ashbrittle
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Smith - geograph.org.uk/p/5104522
A plaque near The Ancient Yew of Ashbrittle declares, "Generations of local people
have cherished this tree, one of the oldest living things in Britain."

Henry Stone (bap. 26 Oct 1828 in Langford Budville, Somerset), son of William Stone and Mary Thorne, married Mary Ridgeway (bap. 28 Dec 1833 in Ashbrittle, Somerset), daughter of James Ridgeway and Mary Ann Lock, at her parish of St John the Baptist, Ashbrittle, on 24 Jan 1854. Witnesses were George Churly and Mary Ann Churly (who had married in 1853). Mary Ann Stone, as was, was Henry Stone's half-sister.

Henry and Mary Stone, a pair of my 2nd great-grandparents, had nine children. Frederick James was born in Stawley and the rest in Ashbrittle, Somerset. All were baptised at St John the Baptist, Ashbrittle.

1. Frederick James Stone bap. 25 Dec 1854
2. Henry William Stone bap. 13 Jul 1856 
3. John Stone bap. 23 May 1858 (Died, aged 24, on 27 Aug 1882)
4. Mary Ann Stone bap. 5 Feb 1860 
5. Tom Stone b. 11 Dec 1861, bap. 4 Feb 1862
6. Harriet Stone bap. 2 Apr 1865 
7. Francis Stone b. 1 Feb 1867, bap. 3 Mar 1867
8. Charles Stone b. 8 Apr 1869, bap. 9 May 1869
9. Lucy Jane Stone b. 11 Apr 1872 (1872 J Quarter in WELLINGTON SOMERSET AND DEVON Volume 05C Page 374), bap. 26 May 1872

Lucy Jane's birth was the only one that was registered at the GRO and upon which her mother's maiden name was confirmed as RIDGWAY.

Court Place, Ashbrittle
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Roger Cornfoot - geograph.org.uk/p/3819462

In 1861, Henry (31) and Mary (27) were also living in a Private Cottage at Court Place, as were Henry's parents at that time. With Henry and Mary were the four children born to date; Frederick (6), Henry (4), John (3) and Mary Ann (1), along with Jane Ridgeway (28), Sister-in-Law (Mary's sister).

In 1871, with their address merely given as Cottage, Ashbrittle, were Henry and Mary with Mary Ann (12), Tom (9), Harriet (6), Francis (3) and Charles (1). Frederick Stone (16) Ag Lab Indoor', was working for Henry Oxenham at Chevithorne, Tiverton. Henry Stone (13), Indoor Agricultural Labourer working for Richard Poole (62) a Farmer at Bathealton, Somerset.

In 1873, aged 15, John Stone, was arrested and taken to the Devon County Prison, on 2 Jun, accused of "Attempting to ravish and carnally know Maria Disney on the 28th May, 1873, at Hockworthy." The committing magistrate was J. C. New, Esq., of Cullompton, but John wasn't tried: the bill was ignored for assault with intent to ravish, indecent assault and assault. No further details or clues as to why the case did not proceed, but as Peter Calver of Lost Cousins suggests, securing a conviction was difficult in those times. (On the 1871 census, Mariah Disney (then 12, so 14 at the time of the alleged assault), daughter of John Disney, farm labourer, was living at Hockford Barton, Hockworthy. John's sister, Harriet Stone, married their first cousin, James Ridgway. James Ridgway's mother was Ann Tooze, who's mother was Eliza Disney, so John was also "keeping it in the family"!)

In 1875, the family were living in Hill, Huntsham, according to son Francis Stone's school record, when he was enrolled at Huntsham County Primary School that year. At the time he left school in 1879, Francis was attending school in Chevithorne, so presumably the family had relocated there.

Some of the listed buildings at Widhayes

By 1881, the family had moved to Lands Mill, Uplowman (Now demolished, Lands Mill, was part of the Widhayes estate, so assuming Henry was employed by Edward Chave at Widhayes Farm. The stable block, barn, linhay, gate house and farmhouse at Widhayes are Listed Buildings) with Henry (51) and Mary (49), Harriet (16), Francis (14), Charles (11) and Lucy Jane (8), granddaughter, Ellen Snow (2) and widowed Sister-in-Law, Jane Vickery (43). Visiting were Mary Ann Tarr (27) and Jane Tarr (22), General Servants. Widening the area of search, I eventually found John Stone on the 1881 census living in the household of Henry Payne, Railway Tunnel Miner, at Railway Hut, Hurst Green, Oxted, Godstone, Surrey. Living there were Henry Payne (31), his wife, four children aged 5 to 11, as well as nine men, all boarders, all railway tunnel labourers. And at the bottom of the long list was John Stone (22), Tunnel Miner's Labourer, born in Somerset. The Oxted Tunnel - on the Oxted line, which passes under the North Downs in two tunnels, and then splits into two branches at Hurst Green, adjoining Oxted in Surrey - opened in 1884. Living in such horrendous conditions, with so many people crammed into an overcrowded space, lacking in facilities, will have been a perfect environment for transmitting infectious diseases ...

Because one year later, John Stone, "Labourer on Railway", died, aged just 24, on 27 Aug 1882, in Uplowman. His sister, Mary Ann Prescott, was present at his death. Wondering if he'd been killed in an accident, I'd ordered his death certificate, but John had died of the all-too-common Phthisis (Tuberculosis). He was buried, on 3 Sep 1882, in the churchyard at Uplowman.

Mary Stone died, aged 52, on 28 Dec 1885 (1885 D Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 306) and was buried on 3 Jan 1886, also in Uplowman. 

In 1891, Henry Stone (63), Widower, was living at Greengate Cottage in Uplowman, with daughter Harriet (25), son Francis (23), granddaughter, Ellen Snow (12) (Henry's daughter) and grandson Francis (3) (Harriet's son).

In 1901, Henry (71), Widower (listed incorrectly as Henry Ridgway), working as a Labourer on Roads, was still living at Greengate, Uplowman, this time in the household of James Ridgway (34), who was married to Harriet Stone.

Henry Stone died, aged 72, on 26 Nov 1901 and was buried on 30 Nov 1901 at Uplowman. Henry and Mary are buried together in Uplowman Churchyard along with their son, John. Finding their grave was something I came across quite by accident online, thanks to the magnificent work of Janice Dennis, contributing at Find A Grave. We'd even been to the church and didn't bother to look, because we didn't expect the family to have had the resources.

Grave of John, Mary and Henry Stone in Uplowman Churchyard.

Benjamin Searle Sparrow Masters & Sage Boulton Ayres

St Mary's Churchyard Gardens, Rotherhithe
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Robin Stott - geograph.org.uk/p/7794520

Benjamin Searle Sparrow Masters (b. about 1786) married Sage Boulton Ayres (bap. 2 Jun 1786 at St Mary's, Rotherhithe), daughter of Elnathan Ayres and Elizabeth Perry, in the parish of St Mary, Newington, London (A History of the Parish of St. Mary Newington) on 24 Jan 1808.

They had six children, baptised at St Mary's, Rotherhithe:

1. Benjamin Masters bap. 13 Nov 1808 (Assume died in infancy)
2. George Sparrow Masters b. May 1811, bap. 26 May 1811 
3. Ann Masters b. 28 Jul 1813, bap. 18 Aug 1813. (Died 27 Nov 1816)
4. Emma Masters b. 12 Feb 1816, bap. 6 Mar 1816. (Died 10 Dec 1816)
5. Benjamin Masters b. 1 Dec 1817, bap. 21 Dec 1817
6. Charles Masters b. 26 Mar 1820, bap. 16 Apr 1820

Sage Masters, 35, widow of Benjamin Masters of Rotherhithe petitioned Trinity House for support after her husband's death. The details of the petition tell us that Benjamin Masters, Shipwright, was carpenter in several ships in the West India Trade [1], finally the 'New Phoenix' (assume Phoenix (1810). He died at Trinidad, West Indies in January 1820, leaving Sage and three children unprovided for: George Sparrow Masters aged nine, b. May 1811; Benjamin Masters two years six months, b. Dec 1817 and Charles Masters aged four months, b. Mar 1820 (therefore a posthumous child).

[1] The "West India trade" primarily referred to the transatlantic slave trade, where European powers like Britain and the Netherlands transported enslaved Africans to their Caribbean colonies to work on sugar plantations, exchanging them for goods like sugar, rum, and molasses, creating a triangular trade route between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. [Source]

Sage Boulton Masters later married Uriah Wackrill (bap. 22 Aug 1802 in Danbury, Essex), son of Uriah Wackrill and Susannah Stone, again in the parish of St Mary, Newington on 26 Apr 1833. (Son George Sparrow Masters married later that year, so I suspect Sage waited until he had reached majority before remarrying to maintain their assistance from Trinity House.)

In 1841, Uriah Wackrill (35) Gardener was living at Knights Hayes Farm, Tiverton, Devon with Sage B Wackrill admitting to being 45 - she was then actually 55 - along with George Branfield (15) M.S. [Male Servant].

Published in the London Gazette and local press of the time: "Notice is hereby given, that the Partnership between the undersigned, Uriah Wackrill and John Gath, in the trade or business of Brewers and Maltsters, Tiverton, in the county of Devon, and elsewhere, under the firm of Wackrill and Gath, was this day dissoled by mutual consent; and in future the business will be carried on by the said Uriah Wackrill on his separate account; and who will pay and received all debts owing from and to the said partnership in the regular course of trade." 25 Oct 1845. (Wackrill & Gath (& brewers), were in Bampton Street, Tiverton, according to Pigot's Directory of Tiverton in 1844.)

In 1851, Uriah Wackrill (47) Gardener from Danbury, Essex was living in Battersea Rise, Battersea, Wandsworth, with Sage B Wackrill (then claiming to be 52, but she'll have been 65); Hannah Wackrill (9) Niece (daughter of Uriah's brother Evan Wackrill and Hannah Bradbery), plus a K Austin (24) Visitor, Governess (presumably for Hannah), from Honiton, Devon.

Sage Boulton Wackrill died, age estimated as 71 (close, 73), in 1859 S Quarter in WANDSWORTH Volume 01D Page 281.

In 1861, Uriah Wackrill (58) Head Gardener was living at Bolingbroke Farms, Battersea Rise, Battersea, Wandsworth with Hannah Wackrill (19) Niece.

In 1871, Uriah Wackrill (68) Widower, Estate And House Agent, from Chelmsford, was a boarder in the household of David R Adsley in Battersea.

Uriah Wackrill of 2 Lime Cottage, Battersea, died aged 69, on 2 Feb 1872 (1872 M Quarter in WANDSWORTH Volume 01D Page 377) and was buried, in Battersea, on 7 Feb 1872. He left his effects to his brother, Edward Stone Wackrill of Cox Green, Bray, Berkshire, Gardener.