James Maslin and Ann Jones

Former St James church, New Cross
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Stephen Craven - geograph.org.uk/p/843636
St James, Hatcham was created in 1845 from Deptford, St Paul. The church
was designed by W Granville and consecrated on 17 October 1854.

James Maslin (20) Blacksmith of 9 Clifton Hill (Clifton Rise?), son of William Maslin, Brass Finisher, married Ann Jones (20) of 10 Vance Street, Deptford, daughter of John Jones, at St James Hatcham on 22 Oct 1877. Witnesses to their marriage appear to be William Campbell and Ann Rugg. However ...

In 1881, James Maslin (23) Blacksmiths Labourer was living as husband and wife with Jessie 'Maslin' (21) Collar Ironer, reputedly from Southwark, in the household of James' parents, William George Maslin and Charlotte Bland. 

(There was a death of an Annie Maslin, aged 19, in Greenwich, in 1878, but after much research, I'm convinced this relates to the unmarried daughter of a Joseph Maslin in Deptford, so I can find no further records, that can be corroborated, of Ann Jones who married James Maslin. And I'm certain that Jessie isn't Ann using a nickname as there are too many differences.)

James and Jessie had three children:

1. Jessie Elizabeth Maslin b. 1883 J Quarter in GREENWICH Volume 01D Page 994, bap. 6 Jul 1883 in Hatcham, presumably St James Hatcham
2. Florence Charlotte Maslin b. 1886 J Quarter in GREENWICH Volume 01D Page 1021, bap. 23 Jan 1890 at St James Hatcham
3. James Thomas Maslin b. 1890 M Quarter in GREENWICH Volume 01D Page 1032, bap. 23 Jan 1890 also at St James Hatcham

(Hatcham largely corresponds to the area around New Cross.)

All three children have the mother's maiden name listed as Dunford. On Jessie Elizabeth's baptism, her mother's name is also Jessie Elizabeth; on those of Florence and James, their mother is listed only as Jessie. Those records are the only sources for identifying who she was, because I found no previous records of a Jessie or Jessie Elizabeth Dunford anywhere, let alone near Southwark ~1860. There's no record of a marriage between James and Jessie either, and if they knew he wasn't free to marry, that makes sense.

In 1891, one of two families living at 15 Batavia Road, New Cross were James Maslin (33) Blacksmiths Labourer, Jessie Maslin (31), Jessie (8), Elizabeth (5) - surely, they mean Florence Charlotte - and James (1).

Jessie Maslin died, at 35, in 1895 M Quarter in GREENWICH Volume 01D Page 905. She was discharged from the Poor Law Hospital in Greenwich (St Alfege's Hospital), having died there at 8:35 am on Saturday, 2 Mar 1895.

In 1901, James Maslin (43), listed as single, and employed as a Potman (a man employed in a public house to collect empty pots or glasses), was living at the Common Lodging House, (formerly Brunswick House), 124, Tanners Hill, St Paul Deptford (Common Lodging Houses, also known as the doss-house, were an option for those who could scrape together a few pence to stay out of the workhouse, though they were scarcely any better and notorious for overcrowding); Eldest daughter, Jessie E Maslin was employed as a General domestic servant in the household of Sydney T Wayment (33) Grain merchant at 194, High Street, St Nicholas Deptford; Cannot be sure of where Florence Charlotte was in 1901, but at 15, she was almost certainly also in a situation somewhere as a domestic servant; Son, James Maslin (11) from New Cross, Surrey, was a boarder in the household of Edward Cheeseman (39) Potman (public house) at 4, Morden Street, Greenwich. 

James Maslin died, aged 44, in 1901 D Quarter in GREENWICH Volume 01D Page 667, having been discharged from the Poor Law Hospital in Greenwich on 26 Dec 1901. Reason for discharge, simply reads 'Dead'.

• In the 2nd quarter of 1910, Florence Charlotte Maslin married Albert Robert Williams, in Woolwich. In 1911, Albert Robert Williams (25) Soldier A S Corps, Sergeant, from Clonmel, Tipperary; Florence Charlotte Williams (24) from Deptford and their one-and-a-half month old son, Robert Ronald Williams, were living at Caxton House, Godfrey Hill, Woolwich. 2nd child, Irene Dorothy Williams, was born, in Woolwich, in 1912.
• James Maslin (21), in 1911, was with the 2nd Battalion The King's Shropshire Light Infantry, in Trimulgherry (Tirumalagiri), India.

Daniel Thompson Botterill and Jessie Elizabeth Maslin

St. Nicholas' Church, Deptford Green, SE8 - porch
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Mike Quinn - geograph.org.uk/p/1499613

Daniel Thompson Botterill (b. 1882), engineer, son of Dan Stephen Thompson Botterill and Mary Jane Harris, married Jessie Elizabeth Maslin (b. 27 Mar 1883), daughter of James Maslin and Jessie Elizabeth Dunford, at the church of St Nicholas, Deptford Green, on 2 Sep 1905. Witnesses were William Wilson and Florence Charlotte Maslin, the bride's younger sister.

Daniel and Jessie then had two sons: 

1. Joseph Daniel Botterill b. 1907 S Quarter in WOOLWICH Volume 01D Page 1203. Died 1908 M Quarter in WOOLWICH Volume 01D Page 761 and was buried on 25 Jan 1908 at Charlton Cemetery
2. Daniel Thompson Botterill b. 1908 S Quarter in GREENWICH Volume 01D Page 1064

Both birth registrations list the mother's maiden name as MASLIN. The second boy, like David Copperfield, was a posthumous child, because Daniel Thompson Botterill had died, aged 26, in 1908 M Quarter in WOOLWICH Volume 01D Page 760, at 26 Inverine Road, Charlton and was buried, on 18 Jan 1908, also at Charlton Cemetery (Greenwich). 

Not unsurprisingly, Jessie Elizabeth Botterill remarried, in 1910, to Evelyn John Gutton Budge (b. 17 May 1882 in Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales), son of Charles Frederick Budge and Ann Bowen Harris. 

Confirming I'd found the correct spouse, Jessie Elizabeth Budge, in 1911, was living with son, Daniel Tompson Batterell (sic) (2), in Gillingham, Kent. Her new husband was boarding in the household of a Henry Webb in Chatham, which suggests an estrangement, but there's no evidence of a divorce.

Evelyn John Gutton Budge arrived in Quebec, Canada in Jun 1911 having travelled alone. In 1913, he crossed the border into the United States, where he did Military Service during WWI and, on 1 Jan 1917, married (bigamously) nurse, Mabel Dorothy Morris. The couple applied for Naturalization in 1918. Evelyn John Gutton Budge died in Los Angeles, California on 2 Sep 1969 and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Long Beach.

In 1912, Jessie Elizabeth Budge was listed on the Electoral Register at 80 Queens Road, Peckham (2nd floor), a mystery in itself as she would not have had the vote until at least 1918 and only then if she had enough wealth.

Jessie Budge (37) and son her Daniel (11) - listed incorrectly with his surname dittoed as Budge - are shown sailing on the RMS Empress of France (1913) from Liverpool to Quebec on 8 Jun 1921. Their last address in the UK was given as 5, Clarence Mansions, Bromells Road, Kent (Clapham, London) and their country of intended future residence as Canada.

Jessie Budge had bearly stepped ashore when she married (also bigamously), Gerald Foll (b. 30 May 1865), son of John Foll and Sarah Anne Linnell of Stowe, Northamptonshire, on 20 Jun 1921, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Gerald Foll died on 10 April 1947 and is buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg. 

Jessie Elizabeth Foll died on 24 Sep 1965 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Searches reveal that Jessie's first cousin, Arthur Andrew Maslin, son of her father's eldest brother, Joseph Maslin, died in Vancouver, British Columbia, on 26 Dec 1955, which may explain why she was in that area.

Daniel Tompson Botterill married Edith Evelyn Benson, in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1939. They had three children. Daniel died in Winnipeg on 18 Jul 1964.

Con Colleano and Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail

Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail and Con Colleano

Cornelius Sullivan (b. 26 Dec 1899 in Lismore, New South Wales), Theatrical, son of Cornelius Sullivan and Julia Robinson, married my grandmother's 2nd cousin, Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail (b. 16 Sep 1900 in Lambeth, Surrey), Actress, daughter of Herbert Fleming Trevail and Alice Maud Stanley Blazey on 10 July 1926 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. The marriage licence states they were married by the Associate Pastor of the Central Methodist Episcopal Church, from which I deduce that the venue was the Central United Methodist Church (Detroit), although they were resident in Brooklyn, New York. Both stated they'd not been married before.

While researching, I found a record of a marriage of a Winifred C Trevail, in Victoria, Australia, in 1919 to a Leonard Mendoza. Even sounded like Winnie's "type" and I knew I would need to obtain the certificate to confirm, but just how many people named Winifred C Trevail were there likely to be, and in the same area? As expected, the record clearly tells us that the marriage between Leonard Mendoza (24) Bachelor, born in Melbourne, Victoria, son of Charles Mendoza, Carpenter and Annie Gordon, and Winifred Constance Trevail (19) Spinster, born in Brixton, England - both list their occupations as 'Theatrical' - in the Parish or Church District of Melbourne on 15 Aug 1919, lists her father as Herbert Trevail, Carpenter and mother as Alice Blazey, so there can be absolutely no doubt whatsoever that this was indeed 'our' Winnie.

It's said that Winnie met Con, in Melbourne, Victoria, when she was 22. What can have happened to Leonard Mendoza in those 3 years? If he'd died, or they divorced, Winnie would have listed that she was a widow or a divorcee when she married Con, so I'm certain Winnie was committing bigamy in 1926.

We also know Winnie was in Melbourne before that first marriage, because in the Victoria Police Gazette of 11 Apr 1918, appeared the following report: "TREVAIL, WINNIE theatrical, 7 McKenzie Street, Melbourne, reports stolen from the dressing-room, Bijou Theatre, Bourke Street, Melbourne on the 3rd inst. a diamond cluster ring, diamond in the centre set with other stones around, the centre stone is set a little to side, gold band at side of setting is wavy. Value £8." There can be no doubt who made this report either. 

Several articles mention that Winifred "claimed descent from the Earls of Derby" and it appears the source was her brother, Eric, so I assume the story was perpetuated within the family. It's very tempting to dismiss this entirely as theatrical fantasy, but as Winnie's great-grandfather on her mother's side, Augustus George Stanley, came from a quite well off background, and the family name of the Earls of Derby, is also Stanley, who knows? On the other hand, I can confirm that Winnie was a cousin of Silvanus Trevail, famous architect and former Mayor of Truro, as her great-grandfather, Joseph Trevail, was the younger brother of Philip Trevail, Silvanus Trevail's grandfather.

Known professionally as Con Colleano, Cornelius Sullivan, was the most famous and highest paid "swashbuckling circus performer with matinee idol looks" of his time, also hailed as “The Australian Wizard of the Wire”. A member of the Circus Hall of Fame, Con Colleano is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first person to successfully attempt a forward somersault on a tightrope. The forward somersault on a high wire (or tightrope) is widely considered one of the most difficult and dangerous balancing acts in circus history. Unlike a backward somersault—where an acrobat can keep the wire in their field of vision for a longer period—a forward somersault forces the performer to blindly rotate forward, losing sight of the wire until the absolute last millisecond before landing.

"Mrs. Winnie Colleano (neé Trevail) was herself a well known Australian Vaudeville Soubrette", dancer and trapeze artist." One article says that Winnie Trevail began appearing on the stage in Sydney as a child, but actually, she was performing before that in New Zealand. There in Lyttelton, New Zealand in 1909 - where her father's aunts, Ellen Higgs and Mary Ann Burn Trevail Bawden then lived - reports in the Lyttelton Times in Oct 1909 detail that Miss Winnie Trevail was appearing in one of the principle roles in a production staged by the Garrick Juvenile Opera Company, at the Opera House there. 

In 1913, a talented troupe of 40 children from Mount Victoria, under the direction of Mr. Herbert Fleming Trevail, presented an entertaining pantomine entitled "Babes in the Wood”. Winifred (Winnie) Trevail, who was one of the babes, lived with her family in Mount Victoria having emigrated from England. She was a rising vaudeville soubrette and dancer who made a name for herself on the Tivoli circuit. [Source]

Trevail abandoned her own career around 1924 to travel with her husband. Winifred "Winnie" Trevail played a vital role in transforming Con Colleano from a highly skilled acrobat into an international sensation, acting as his choreographer, creative director, and primary documentarian. [1], [2]. Winnie taught Con how to dance seamlessly on the high wire. Colleano's performances took them to all the big American theatres and on to Europe where Winnie became an important part of his act choreographing his routines. She helped him fuse intense wire acrobatics with stylized dance, such as the Spanish bolero. [3] While Con originally performed in a top hat and tails, Winnie encouraged him to adopt the dramatic Spanish toreador persona. This visual identity became his signature trademark, providing the necessary cover to bypass racial restrictions that targeted Indigenous performers at the time. [4] (That first marriage to Leonard Mendoza, which curiously, is never mentioned anywhere in these articles, looks to me like the source of her inspiration.) Winnie occasionally took part directly in the production. The couple presented a rich contrast on stage, Con with his handsome, dark features, and Winnie with her blonde hair—the proverbial English rose. [5] Behind the scenes, Winnie acted as the archivist of his career. She filmed behind-the-scenes rehearsals and life on the road using a 16mm home camera. Decades later, she donated these historic collections to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) and Arts Centre Melbourne, ensuring his legendary feats were preserved for history. [6], [7].

Con Colleano on a slack-wire, circa 1920

Con Colleano, was of Aboriginal, Anglo-Irish and West Indian descent and adopted a Spanish persona and a costume of a ‘toreador’ or bullfighter.

Con Colleano performed for several seasons with Bertram Mills' Circus at Olympia London.

Colleano’s Indigenous heritage was unknown to his fans – which included one of history’s most infamous racists - "Few people are aware of the fact that in the 1930’s, Adolf Hitler issued an Aboriginal Australian tightrope walker with a German passport so he could come and go as he pleased." Hitler wasn't the only dictator to be conned by "the Wizard". The Italian prime minister, Benito Mussolini, gave him a medal and called him "a stud of a man" [Source]

Passenger lists reveal that Cornelius Sullivan and Winifred C. S. Trevail left Southampton, England on 13 Sep 1924, on the RMS Berengaria (former SS Imperator), The first Cunard "Queen". This was their first trip to the US, so their port of arrival was the infamous Ellis Island, New York. Clearly they were let in. Various sources tell us that, in 1924, Con made his debut at the New York Hippodrome before returning to the circus with Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

There's also record of Cornelius and Winifred C Sullivan Colleano travelling from Southampton to New York, on the Berengaria, on 24 Feb 1937.

On 7 Jan 1938, Cornelius and Winifred (Sullivan) Colleano, left Sydney, bound for California, on the luxury ocean liner, SS Mariposa (1931).

On 8 Sep 1939, Cornelius and Winifred Sullivan, listed as British, boarded the Italian ocean liner, SS Rex, leaving Genoa, bound for New York.

In 1940, they are shown arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

These, I'm sure are just the tip of a globe-trotting iceberg, but it was finding these records of voyages that led me to discover more of their story.

The former Albion Hotel (pub) at Forbes, New South Wales, Sheba, CC BY-SA 2.0

"Sadly Con and Winnie ultimately lost all their money indulging in a luxurious lifestyle, giving it away to friends and making a disastrous investment in a pub in outback Australia in the 1950s (what were they thinking?)."

Con Sullivan died, in Miami, Florida, on 13 Nov 1973 and in his obituary in The Stage, the wife of Con's brother is quoted as saying, "His wife WINNIE has cabled that she is broken-hearted because she found my dear brother-in-law lying dead, obviously she is too shocked to tell me more."

Winnie returned to Australia, where she died, in Sydney, in on 5 Jan 1986. 

In 1997 the Australia government issued a postage stamp honouring Con Colleano.

Con Colleano home movie: circus preparations (1928)

Sources (many of these links contain images):

1. Con Colleano From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2. “The Australian Wizard of the Wire”
3. AUSTRALIAN VARIETY THEATRE ARCHIVE
4. Inducted into the Ring of Fame: 1992
5. Meet the true circus wonders
6. Con Colleano: Australia's 'Wizard of the Wire'
7. Con Colleano: Wizard of the Wire
8. Colleano, Con (Cornelius) (1899–1973)
9. Circus pays homage to wire wizard
10. Interview with Eric Trevail, brother of Winnie Colleano
11. The Aboriginal tightrope walker who duped Hitler & Mussolini
12. Wire wizard Con Colleano's incredible legacy celebrated on highwire in Lismore for NAIDOC Week
13. Con Colleano - a Landing after a Forward Somersault (Olympia 1932)

Videos:

1. Con Colleano rehearsing his tight wire act at his home, circa 1939
2. COLLEANO, CON, Australia's tightwire wizard (USA, c.1929)
3. COLLEANO, CON, a life commemorated, (Australia, 2005)
4. COLLEANO, CON, mini-doco of tightwire artist (Australia, 1994)
5. Con Colleano home movie: circus preparations (1928)

Further reading: The wizard of the wire : the story of Con Colleano 

Thomas Back and Mary Drake

Photo © Stephen Craven (cc-by-sa/2.0)

Plymouth Minster: nave, Friday, 30 June, 2023

Photo available for reuse under this Creative Commons licence.

The Minster Church of St Andrew, also known as St Andrew's Church, Plymouth

Thomas Back (39), Labourer, listing himself as a Bachelor and misnaming his father as Thomas Back, Shipwright, married Mary Drake (42) (b. 20 Apr 1810 and baptised in Stoke Damerel on 15 Dec 1812), daughter of Thomas Drake, Shipwright and Frances Poad, at the Chapel of East Stonehouse (St George, which was badly damaged during World War II in 1941, and demolished in 1957) on 22 Jun 1852. Both gave their address as 20 George Street, which is in Devonport, so a marriage in Stonehouse definitely seemed an odd choice. Thomas Back undoubtedly thought he was committing bigamy and these anomalies certainly make it look like he was actively trying to hide it.

Thomas Back (bap. 24 Oct 1813 in Stoke Damerel), actually the son of John Back, Shipwright and Martha Norton, had previously married Eliza Stafford (bap. 28 Jul 1814 in Stoke Damerel), 'Spinster', daughter of Samuel Stafford, said to have been a Sergeant in the 43rd Regiment of Foot, on 7 Aug 1837 at St Andrew's Church, Plymouth. On this marriage certificate, Thomas Back was (correctly) listed as a Mariner (Thomas Back b. 1813 is listed among Britain, Merchant Seamen, 1835-1857), son of John Back, Shipwright.

However, George Wright, Seaman, and Elizabeth Stafford, Spinster, had married at Stoke Damerel Church on 7 Aug 1832. Witnesses to this marriage were John Williams and Geo[rge] Nettle. Oh and just to double-check, I have researched and Samuel Stafford didn't have another daughter called Elizabeth, so this had to have been Eliza. As she didn't call herself a widow - and was again marrying under her maiden name of Stafford - when she married in 1837, we have to assume that Eliza was committing bigamy, so actually Thomas Back's marriage to her would have been automatically void. 

(Under English common law in that period, a bigamous marriage was classified as void from the very beginning and needed no decree of annulment.)

We know this is her, because George and Eliza Wright had a son: 

1. Samuel George Stafford Wright, bap. 11 Apr 1834 at Stoke Damerel Church, son of George Wright, Mariner, and Eliza.

And we know this because, in 1841, listed as Samuel Stafford, aged 8, this child was living with his grandparents, Samuel and Mary Stafford. (Thomas Back may have been led to believe he was Eliza's illegitimate son.) In 1851, he was listed as Samuel Wright, then 18, and was living with Eliza's father. 

So what happened to George Wright? Sadly, I don't have the answer. I did find a George Wright (~25) on the Stirling Castle, Convict Hulk, in Stoke Damerel in 1841, but cannot confirm if he was the right George Wright. 

Thomas and Eliza Back had two daughters:

1. Mary Ann Elizabeth Back b. 1838 J Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 09 Page 418 (mother's maiden name Stafford), bap. 25 Jul 1839 at Stoke Damerel Church, daughter of Thomas Back, Mariner and Eliza.
2. Eliza Ann Beck (sic) b. 1840 S Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 09 Page 395. Died, aged 1y 11mts, on 26 Aug 1842 (1842 S Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 09 Page 332), and buried on 30 Aug 1842 in Stoke Damerel. The address on the burial record was 26, Clowance Lane, Devonport. (Eliza's father lived in Clowance Lane in 1841).

In 1841, Thomas Back (25) occupation 'Navy'; Eliza Back (20), Eliza Back (2) and Mary Back (0) were among a long list of people in Pembroke Street, one of Devonport's principal streets, with a great number of retailers and public houses. In fact, the names of the their daughters were transposed, so I suspect either they or the enumerator had visited one of those pubs.  

Thomas and Eliza must certainly have parted ways in the early 1840's, because William Hill and Eliza Stafford married at Stoke Damerel Register Office on 9 May 1844. (Although the [civil] registration of births, deaths and marriages commenced on July 1st 1837, there was no such thing as a Register Office until the administration of the system was transferred to the local authorities, as required by the Local Government Act 1929. However, the original legislation in 1836 did require that an office be provided for the Superintendent Registrar because he was required to officiate at marriages. The Stoke Damerel one was at 20 Fore Street. [Source]). William Hill was listed as being 20 (actually around 18) and a Bachelor, son of John Hill, Sail Maker. (William Hill bap. 28 May 1826 in Stoke Damerel, was the son of John Hill, Mariner and Sarah Staton); Eliza was listed as 28 (actually 30) and (again) a Spinster, daughter of Samuel Stafford, Labourer. Both gave their address as Pembroke Street, Devonport. William Hill signed his name, while Eliza Stafford made her mark (as she had also done on the 1832 and 1837 marriages). Witnesses to this marriage appear to be Robert Prout and Jane Hedge. These names aren't familiar, so could have been anyone. 

Eliza's marriage to Thomas Back was void (because of her previous bigamy), but George Wright would need to have died, otherwise she was committing bigamy again, and surely she was, because if she'd been a widow, she wouldn't have said Spinster nor been marrying for a third time as Eliza Stafford. So Eliza's marriage to William Hill was technically invalid too. And what was she telling her dad, that these mariners kept getting lost at sea? Or maybe he was just glad someone was going to be looking after her?

Nevertheless, William and Eliza Hill had six more children together:

1. Caroline Hill b. 23 Sep 1844 (1844 S Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 09 Page 437), bap. 11 May 1845 in Stoke Damerel
2. Sarah Maria Hill b. 1846 S Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 09 Page 445 (No baptism record found)
3. Lavinia Hill b. 22 Jul 1849 (1849 J Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 09 Page 464), bap. 3 Oct 1855 at St Mary's Church, Devonport
4. John William Hill b. 2 Jun 1852 (1852 J Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 300), bap. 3 Oct 1855 at St Mary's Church, Devonport
5. Eliza Ann Hill b. 16 Sep 1855 (1855 S Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 268), bap. 3 Oct 1855 at St Mary's Church, Devonport
6. Elizabeth Jane Hill b. 1858 D Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 286 (No baptism record found)

The mother's maiden name on all six birth registrations was Stafford.

In 1851, William Hill (this had been miss-transcribed as Still) (32 - really 25) Waterman from Devonport was living at 6, Pembroke Street, Stoke Damerel, Devon, with Eliza Hill (36) Wife, Charwoman; Caroline (~12), Sarah (6) and Lavinia (4) and Mary A Back (12) described as his Daughter-In-Law - often then used interchangeably, as here, to mean Step-Daughter. Both Caroline and Lavinia were also names of Eliza's sisters, which is how I found them and the correct surname, searching for anybody with those given names, whose mother was Stafford. Also living at 6, Pembroke Street, Stoke Damerel, in 1851, in a separate household, was Eliza's father, Samuel Stafford (59) Widower, Chelsea Pensioner; with son William Stafford (22) Waterman (same as William Hill and only 3 years difference in age, Hill could have been a friend or workmate of Eliza's brother) and grandson, Samuel Wright (18). 

In 1861, at 4, Canterbury Street, Stoke Damerel, were William Hill (35) Waterman from Devonport; Eliza Hill (~45) Wife; Caroline Hill (17), Sarah Hill (15), Lavinia Hill (12), John Hill (9), Eliza Hill (7) and Elizabeth Hill (3).

In 1871, at 5, Prospect Row, Stoke Damerel, Devon, were William Hill (46) Waterman; Eliza Hill (56), Eliza Hill (16) and Elizabeth (12). (Next door were William Eustes (26) Seaman RN and wife Sarah (24) (née Sarah Maria Hill).

Eliza Hill, wife of William Hill, a Labourer, died on 28 Jan 1881 (1881 M Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 241), at 5, Prospect Row, Stoke Damerel, with her age under-estimated to 63. The informant was Caroline Langmead, daughter, in attendance, of 4, Prospect Row, Stoke Damerel. (Source: Andrews Newspaper Index Cards.)

In 1881, William Hill (54) Widower, General Labourer was a 'Boarder' in the household of Eliza Felwick (26) Seaman's Wife at 18, Monument Street, Devonport. (Eliza Ann Hill had married Arthur Felwick in 1876.)

In 1891, William Hill (with his age over-estimated to 69) Widower, appears to have been living alone at 15, Pembroke Street, Devonport.

William Hill died, aged 67, in 1893 J Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 228. He was buried on 16 May 1893, in Milehouse Cemetery.

43rd Regiment of Foot 1810

Eliza's parents: Bans were read on the 1st, 8th and 15th of August 1813 for the marriage between Samuel Stafford and Mary Winn, Widow, both then of the parish of St Andrew, Plymouth. Presumably they married there, however, I've not seen the record of the actual marriage. (This is held at Plymouth Archives, The Box. Ref 358/31). As Mary was a widow, obviously, Winn was not her maiden name, but I've not yet been able to confirm what her maiden name was, nor when or to whom she was previously married (or indeed what happened to her previous husband - for all we know, there could be a pattern here). 

When I read on the marriage certificate of the (bigamous) marriage of Eliza Stafford to Thomas Back in 1837, that her father was allegedly of the 43rd Regiment of Foot, my first search was to see if that regiment had been in Plymouth at the relevant time and indeed discovered that, "The 1st Battalion of the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot arrived in England from overseas in July 1814 and was quartered at Plymouth, Devon."

Clearly, Samuel Stafford had arrived before the rest of the regiment and his service records provide the rest of the story: Samuel Stafford, born ~1789 (well, he said he was 16) from Lambeth, Surrey, service number 121034976, had joined the army on 14 Mar 1805. His rank was Private, so (no surprise), his daughter had given him a couple of promotions. Samuel Stafford was discharged from the army on 15 Apr 1813, "in consequence of a gunshot wound to the hip at Badajoz on 27 Mar 1812". This will have been sustained taking part in the Siege of Badajoz (1812), during the Peninsular War.

At the time of his discharge, Samuel was 24 years old, 5ft 3in tall, with dark hair, grey eyes and a pale complexion. He was granted a pension from 6 May 1813. This fits in neatly just before the date the banns were read. 

Samuel and Mary Stafford had these six children:

1. Eliza Stafford bap. 28 Jul 1814 at Stoke Damerel Church
2. Lavinia Luke Stafford bap. 29 Jul 1818 at St Andrew's, Plymouth
3. Mary Ann Luke Stafford b. 18 Feb 1818, bap. 27 Jan 1819 at St Andrew's, Plymouth
4. Samuel James Stafford bap. 25 Dec 1820 at St Andrew's, Plymouth. Died aged 3yrs 4mts and was buried on 8 Jun 1824 at Stoke Damerel 
5. Caroline Stafford b. 30 Sep 1822, bap. 3 Feb 1823 Wesleyan Methodist
6. William Daniel Stafford bap. 26 Dec 1825 at Stoke Damerel Church

The family's address listed on several baptisms was Plymouth Dock (Devonport). With two of the girls being given the name Luke - guessing a surname - as a middle name, this had to have have been significant. 

In 1841, living in Clowance Lane, Stoke Damerel, Devon, were Samuel Stafford (55) Army P[ensioner] (Samuel Stafford is marked as NOT being born in Devon); Mary Stafford (55), Caroline Stafford (15), William Stafford (14) and Samuel Stafford (8). There are no indications of relationships on this census, but we now know this boy was their grandson, Eliza's son.

Mary Stafford died, with her age listed as 67, in 1849 S Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 09 Page 459, suggesting a year of birth of 1782. 

In 1851, as listed above, Samuel Stafford (59) Widower, Chelsea Pensioner; was living at 6, Pembroke Street, Stoke Damerel, with his son William Stafford (22) Waterman and grandson, Samuel Wright (18). Curiously, on this census, Samuel Stafford lists his place of birth as St Peters, Worcester. That's a bit too specific to be some random error, but is a long way from Lambeth that's on his army records. I cannot find a baptism for him at either, but would probably surmise from this that he was born in Worcester, but at some point went to Lambeth and thus was 'from' there at the time he enlisted.

Samuel Stafford, Pensioner, died on 29 Dec 1852 (1853 M Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 225) and his cause of death was "An accidental fall". He was buried at Stoke Damerel Church on 3 Jan 1853. The burial record incorrectly lists that he died on 27th and his army records erroneously killed him off on 28 Dec, then corrected it to the 29 Dec, which is the date stated on the death certificate. (His death was mentioned in The Western Courier of 5 Jan 1853.) Samuel's age was listed as 69, which would compute back to a year of birth of 1783, which is a few years older than on his army records. In this case, I think the reason for that was because his wife was older than him and his children would probably have thought, or perhaps been led to believe, that their parents were both around the same age. 

Research for a future date: Eliza's son Samuel George Stafford Wright married and all six of Eliza's children with William Hill lived to adulthood and married too. The only one of Eliza's children who I can't locate is her daughter with Thomas Back, Mary Ann Elizabeth Back, not yet confirmed after 1851. Well, there are some potential options, but only as either Mary or Mary Ann, but none that can be absolutely proven with corroborating evidence.

Other questions I'm still working on:

1. Was there a convict named George Wright? Was he due to be transported? Was Eliza then perhaps looking for a ticket to 'a better life' under the Convict Family Reunion Scheme? (Wouldn't be the first).
2. What is the significance of the Luke middle name? 
3. There was a Mary Williams who married a William Winn in 1798. Was this Mary's previous marriage? If it was, was there a link between Mary Williams and the John Williams who witnessed Eliza's first marriage (with those names VERY difficult to substantiate). 

So, finally back to our original protagonists ...

In 1841, Mary Drake (30) had been residing in Hill Street, St Helier, Jersey, along with her widowed mother, Frances Drake (75), and children Edward Drake (9) and Mary Drake (5). There is a baptism for this latter child, in St Helier, Jersey on 25 Jun 1837, illegitimate daughter of Mary Drake.

(As an aside, Mary Drake's father, Thomas Drake, was reputed to have been descended from Sir Francis Drake. This I doubt, but cannot actually rule out some sort of distant familial link. Mary's brother, John Poad Drake (1794–1883), inventor and artist, enjoyed some fame and the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich has a collection of his manuscript volumes.)

Mary Drake actually had 4 illegitimate children:

1. Edmund Drake b. 5 Oct 1831, bap. 22 Jan 1849 in Stoke Damerel, Devon, son of Mary Drake, Single Woman. Mary's eldest illegitimate child was listed, in 1841, as Edward Drake, born around 1832 on the Isle of Jersey. On both of his marriages, Edmund named his father as Edmund Drake (often correct, but also common is saying the same as one's own name when the father is not known). He also lists his father as a Tailor. Mary was a Tailoress and again, when people make stuff up for the records, there's usually a grain of truth in it, as we can see here.
2. Mary Drake (bap. 25 Jun 1837 in St Helier, Jersey) died on 3 Jun 1878 (1878 J Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 261) with age estimated as 38 (she was 40). She was buried on 7 Jun 1878, with her abode on the burial record as 40, Cannon Street, Devonport.
3. George Drake b. 23 Jun 1843, bap. 30 Jul 1843, illegitimate son of Mary Drake with abode given as Workhouse. George Drake from Devonport, Devon, with his date of birth listed as 23 Jun 1843 joined the Royal Navy at the Royal William Yard on 31 Jul 1857 as a Boy 2nd Class, service number 34047. At that time, the 14 year old was 4ft 9in tall, with a fair complexion, brown hair and blue eyes. He was at the Royal William Yard until Oct 1857; from Jan-Dec 1859 with HMS Impregnable (1810); from Dec 1859 to Aug 1862 with HMS Hydra (1838) on the North America and West Indies Station; In 1861, at 17, George was with the "Royal Navy At Sea And In Ports Abroad", with HMS Hydra in Havana, Cuba; from Aug 1862 to Feb 1864 with HMS Trafalgar (1841); then six months at HMS Wellesley; his last ship was the armoured frigate, HMS Achilles (1863) with the Channel Fleet, from 30 Sep 1864, until his date of discharge, 13 Feb 1868, when his record states that he was invalided. (He wasn't with the Navy in 1871 and he was NOT the George Drake who died at sea in 1878, as he'd left the Navy a decade earlier.) Our George Drake, from Devonport, Devon, next turns up, in 1881, aged 39, as a Boarder in the household of Cornwallis Johnson from Shelford, Cambridgeshire at 19, Pitt Street, Stansfield, Todmorden, Yorkshire, employed as Cellarman at cotton mill. Not found him again.
4. Thomas Drake, later known as Thomas Back b. 15 Oct 1850 in Stoke Damerel Workhouse, bap. 17 Nov 1850 at Stoke Damerel Parish Church of St Andrew with St Luke, son of Mary Drake, Single Woman. 

In 1851, we still find Mary Drake (44) Unmarried, Tayloress (sic) living in Stoke Damerel Workhouse, accompanied by Mary Drake (14) born in St Helier, Jersey; George Drake (8) and Thomas Drake (0). 

(In 1851, there is a record of a Thomas Beck (also transcribed as Bick) (37), by occupation a Sail Maker born in Devonport, Unmarried, living at 7, Mount Street, Stoke Damerel, Devon, listed as being Deaf. While this is the only record of someone who is about the right age, about the right name and in about the right place, I am certain this is NOT him. Sail maker is a skill that this Mariner or Labourer hasn't otherwise used and the disability of deafness is not mentioned on any of the subsequent census records that we can identify as Thomas Back, who appears to have evaded this census.)

After their marriage in 1852, Thomas and Mary added a daughter:

1. Eliza Back b. 21 Aug 1853 (1853 S Qtr in STOKE DAMEREL Vol 05B Page 266), bap. 12 Jan 1855 at St Mary's Church, Devonport, daughter of Thomas, Labourer, and Mary of 5 Trafalgar Court, Devonport

In 1861, living at 19, Dockwall Street, Stoke Damerel, Devon, were Thomas Back (42) Town Commissioner's Labourer; Mary Back (49), Mary Drake (22) Domestic Servant born in Jersey, Chanel Islands; Thomas Back (9) and Eliza Back (6). The jury's still out on whether Thomas was the biological son of Thomas Back, however, this census gives us the strongest evidence to suggest that he was, because they've made the distinction that Mary's daughter had the surname Drake and could have done the same for Thomas.

In 1871, at 17, Dockwall Street, Stoke Damerel, were Thomas Back (~57) Labourer; Mary Back (59) Tailoress; Mary Back (sic) (30) Servant born in Jersey; Thomas Back (20) Tailor and Eliza Back (17) Tailoress.

In 1881, Thomas Back (~70) Labourer and Mary Back (72) Tailoress, were at 40, Cannon Street, Devonport, in a separate household, but the same address as their daughter, Eliza and her husband, Samuel Eastabrook.

Mary Back of 40, Cannon Street, Devonport died on 20 Apr 1883 (1883 J Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 226), with her age over-estimated to 75. As Mary Beck (sic) she was buried at Milehouse Cemetery in Devonport, on 24 Apr 1883. Thomas Back, then of Chapel Street, died five years later, on 12 Nov 1888 (1888 D Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 217), with his age over-estimated to 78. He was buried (again miss-transcribed as Thomas Beck) on 16 Nov 1888 also at Milehouse Cemetery. On the cemetery records, M Back and T Back and the relevant dates are written next to each other on the page, so it it may be that they were reunited for a time. Sadly, in 1967, the cemetery was closed and cleared.

(My interest is because I'm VERY distantly related to Mary Drake, by marriage, through her eldest son, Edmund Drake. His son, Edward Charles Drake, married Emma Jane Gloyne. Her sister, Maria Gloyne probably met my dad, when he was 3 weeks old, at her daughter, Kathleen Mullarkey's wedding to Frederick Thomas Stone on 4 Aug 1923. My grandfather, Charley Stone was his 1st cousin and was best man at that wedding.)

Mary Drake | Mary Drake

Henry Caddy and Selina Mary Ann Harcus

St Mary, Dock Road, Chatham
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Kemp - geograph.org.uk/p/4674626
The church, now closed, is mainly late C19 but a few Norman features still remain.

Henry Caddy (24), Shipwright, son of John Henry Caddy and Sarah Orren, married, Selina Mary Ann Harcus (20), daughter of John Harcus and Selina Patrick, on 18 Dec 1870 at St Mary's Church, Chatham. Witnesses were her brother Henry George Harcus and Sarah Caddy, Henry's sister.

In 1871, Selina Caddy (21), Henry Caddy (24) Shipwright, were living with Selina's widowed mother, Selina Harcus (47) Licensed Victualler at the Chest Arms, 55 High Street, Chatham.

Henry and Selina Caddy then had one daughter: 

1. Selina Sarah Caddy, b. 15 Jan 1872 (1872 M Qtr in MEDWAY Vol 02A Page 470), bap. 11 Feb 1872 at St Mary's Church, Chatham.

Selina Mary Ann Caddy was one of the witnesses to the marriage of her brother Henry George Harcus and Susan Alice Tubb, on 29 Dec 1872.

Then on 18 Dec 1874, at All Saints Church, Haggerston, Selina Mary Ann Caddy (24), 'Widow' (no she wasn't, unless her father-in-law listed a ghost in 1881 - see below), who, nevertheless, listed her father (correctly) as John Harcus, Tailor, married Lewis Betjemann (31) Bachelor (nope), Sergeant in the Army, who named his father as John Jacob Betjemann, Gunsmith. 

John Jacob Betjemann, Gunmaker, had married Elizabeth Bull in 1825 and was in Whitechapel in 1841 and Bethnal Green in 1851. He died in 1853. Baptised Ernst Luy Ficktohr Betjeman (sic) on 3 Mar 1844 at Christ Church, Spitalfields, he was their youngest child, listed as Ernst (7) in his parents' household in 1851 and as Lewis Betjemann (17) Cabinet Maker, when living with his widowed mother, Elizabeth, in Haggerston, in 1861. 

As 'Herns' Lewis Betjemann, Cabinet Maker, he'd previously married Mary Sarah Jane Blumson, daughter of Benjamin Blumson, Dyer, at St James', Shoreditch, on 5 Nov 1863. This couple had at least two daughters: Mary Ann Betjemann b. 1 Dec 1863 (1864 M Quarter in SHOREDITCH Volume 01C Page 204), bap. 20 Dec 1963 at St Matthew's, Bethnal Green; and Caroline Betjemann b. 1866 M Quarter in SHOREDITCH Volume 01C Page 182. When daughter Mary Betjemann (20) married on 2 Feb 1884, she listed her father as Lewis Betjemann, Cabinet Maker and George Christian Betjemann, Lewis' brother, was one of the witnesses at her marriage. Reverting to Bachelor in 1874 was very fishy and leads me to be certain they were both knowingly committing bigamy. That Mary Sarah Jane Blumson went on to have another four children with Henry Thomas Comte and lived until 1924, confirms it.

Selina claiming to be a Widow, one might assume Henry Caddy had died ... However, in 1881, we find Henry Caddy (34) Shipwright, alive, listed as married, living in the home of his father, John Henry Caddy (59) Joiner (he had been a Joiner at the Dockyard) and his second wife Elizabeth Caddy (61) at 50, Church Road, Gillingham, Medway, Kent, with no mention of Henry's wife or child. (Henry's mother, Sarah Caddy, had died in 1866 and John Henry Caddy had married widow, Elizabeth Fowler, on 26 Mar 1874).

After that I can find no more records for Henry Caddy, not even a death. Instinct makes me suspect he may have jumped on a ship and emigrated.

Selina Sarah Caddy doesn't appear on a census either, until 1891, when we find George Lewis (47) Caretaker from Mile End, Middlesex at James Allen's School, Townley Road, Camberwell (James Allen's Girls' School), with wife Selina Lewis (41) Housekeeper from Chatham, Kent; daughter listed as Selina Lewis (19) also from Chatham, Kent, with two Assistant caretakers. It's clear that Lewis Betjemann has Anglicised himself to George Lewis. Subsequent records, which I found first, show that these are the right people however.

On 13 May 1894, Selina Sarah Caddy (22) married William Slate (24) at the church of St Michael, Burleigh Street, Westminster (Initially a chapel within the parish of St. Martin in the Fields, closed 1905 and was demolished.)

William and Selina Sarah Slate had at least eight children:

1. Victor Alfred William Slate b. 30 Nov 1895 in HOLBORN 01B 683
2. Eleanor Selina Slate b. 11 Nov 1897 in HOLBORN 01B 687
3. Alfred John Slate b. 10 Aug 1900 in WEST HAM Vol 04A Page 469, bap 2 Sep 1900 at St. James' Church, Walthamstow
4. Doris Margaret Slate b. 13 Oct 1904 in WEST HAM Vol 04A Page 458, bap. 13 Nov 1904 at St. James' Church, Walthamstow
5. Wilmet Geraldine Slate b. 24 Mar 1908 J Quarter in WEST HAM Vol 04A Page 455, bap. 19 Apr 1908 at Walthamstow St. James the Greater. Died at 16 months in 1909 S Quarter in WEST HAM Vol 04A Page 170 and buried on 21 Aug 1909 at Queen's Road Cemetery, Walthamstow.
6. Lily Slate b. 12 Aug 1910 in WEST HAM Vol 04A Page 474, bap. 9 Sep 1910 at St. James' Church, Walthamstow
7. William Leonard Slate b. 1913 D Qtr in WEST HAM Vol 04A Page 929
8. Philip Albert Slate b. 1917 M Qtr in WEST HAM Vol 04A Page 724

'George Lewis' was buried at Queen's Road Cemetery, Walthamstow, Grave 656A, on 14 July 1898 (there was a death of a George Lewis, aged 54, in 1898 S Quarter in LONDON CITY Volume 01C Page 8, which I'm sure relates), however the burial record shows that the purchaser of the plot was Selina Sarah Slate, confirming that this certainly was the correct burial.

In 1901, Selina Lewis (51) Widow, General shop dealer, from Chatham, Kent, was living at 52, Gladstone Road, Walthamstow, West Ham. William Slate (32) Bookbinder, was living at 81, Gladstone Road, Walthamstow, West Ham with Selina Slate (29) from Chatham; Victor (5), Selina (3) and Alfred (0).

In 1911, at 23 Camden Road, Walthamstow, were William Slate (41) Bookbinder, Selina Slate (39) from Chatham, Kent; Victor Slate (15) Junior clerk; Eleanor (13), Alfred (10), Doris (6), Lily (0) and Selina Lewis (61) Mother (mother-in-law), Widow, Dressmaker from Chatham, Kent.

In 1921, William Slate (51) Book Binder; Selina Slate (49), Violet Slate (25), Eleanor Slate (23), Alfred Slate (20), Doris Slate (16), Lily Slate (10), William Slate (7), Philip Slate (4) and Frederick Crisp (30) Visitor were all at 13 Forster Road, Walthamstow. (Frederick Crisp later married Eleanor Slate.) Selina Ana Lewis (71) was a boarder at 89, Hartington Road, Walthamstow.

Selina M A Lewis died, aged 88, at 13 Forster Road, Walthamstow and was buried at Queen's Road Cemetery, Walthamstow on 26 Sep 1938.

In 1939, William Slate (b. 1 Jul 1869), Groundsman and Sarah Selina Slate (b. 15 Jan 1872) were at 13 Forster Road, Walthamstow. William Slate died, at 89, in 1958 and Selina S Slate died, at 95, in 1966, in Waltham Forest.