Daniel and Sarah Hockley had nine children:
- George Arthur Hockley b. 1 Dec 1877, reg. 1878 M Qtr in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 453, bap. 30 Dec 1877 at St Mary's, Great Canfield
- Beatrice Margaret Hockley b. 1879 S Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 466, bap. 31 Aug 1879 at St Mary's, Great Canfield
- Samuel Frederick Hockley b. 1880 S Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 488, bap. Frederick Samuel Hockley (which he was known by thereafter) on 26 Sep 1880 at St Mary's, Great Canfield
- Rose Hockley b. 1882 S Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 523
- Herbert Hockley b. 1884 J Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 558
- Ernest Hockley b. 1885 S Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 559
- Amy Hockley b. 1886 D Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 594
- Christopher Hockley b. 1888 D Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 596
- Margaret Hockley b. 1890 M Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 04A Page 657, but who died in the same quarter, 1890 M Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 04A Page 398 and was buried on 27 Feb 1890 at St Mary's, Great Canfield with the burial record giving her age as 17 days.
In 1881, calling himself Daniel George Hockley (32) Coachman was living at
Fitzjohns, Great Canfield, Dunmow. He didn't have that middle name, but it was his father's name and this is the 2nd time this week I've found someone adding their father's name as a middle name, so I wonder if it was a 'thing'? And it was useful later on. Fitzjohns, it appears from the census schedules, is next door to the cottage he lived in ten years previously, so may have been with the same employer. With him were Sarah Hockley (25), George Arthur Hockley (3), Beatrice Margaret (1) and Samuel Frederick Hockley (0).
Sarah Hockley died, aged 33 (as 'Hackley' 1890 M Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 398), and was buried, at St Mary's, Great Canfield, six days before her last child, on 21 Feb 1890. It probably doesn't require a medical degree to work out what contributed to her cause of death.
In 1891, Daniel Hockley (40) Coachman, Widower, still living at Fitzjohns, Lodge Gates, Great Canfield, Dunmow, Essex with George A Hockley (13), Betsy M Hockley (11), Frederick Hockley (10), Rose Hockley (8), Herbert Hockley (6), Ernest Hockley (5) and Amy Hockley (4). Meanwhile, Christopher Hockley (2) was
being looked after by his aunt, Mary Ann Hockley (wife of Daniel's elder brother, William Hockley) in Poplar, London.
Unsurprisingly, Daniel Hockley then remarried, to Mary Ann Hurry (b. 31 Jul 1861 in Depwade, Norfolk), daughter of Samuel Hurry and Jane Moyes, also at St Mary's, Great Canfield, on 25 Jul 1891. At the time of the 1891 census (5 Apr), Mary Ann Hurry (29) had been employed as a General servant in the household of William J Peacock at Claremont, Lewisham Park, Lewisham.
Daniel and Mary Ann added a further three children:
- Daniel Samuel Hockley b. 14 Feb 1894 M Quarter Vol 04A 700
- Alice Jane Hockley b. 7 Jan 1898 M Quarter Vol 04A Page 750
- Stanley Hockley b. 24 Dec 1902, reg. 1903 M Quarter Vol 04A 893
In 1901, Daniel Hockley (49) had moved to Near Pennyfeathers,
High Roding, where he was employed as a Coachman gardener, living with Mary A Hockley (39), Ernest Hockley (15) Farmer's servant; Amy Hockley (14), Christopher Hockley (12), Daniel S Hockley (7) and Alice J Hockley (3).
In 1911, living at Round Bush Green,
Aythorpe Roding, were Daniel Hockley (65) Stockman, Mary Ann Hockley (51), Daniel Samuel Hockley (17) Labourer; Alice Jane Hockley (13) and Stanley Hockley (8) At School.
Daniel George Hockley (usefully adding the middle name), of Round Bush Green, Aythorpe Roding, died aged 73 (1918 S Qtr in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 800), and was buried on 10 Sep 1918 at St Mary's, Great Canfield.
In 1921, Mary Ann Hockley (60) Widow, was still at Round Bush Green, Aythorpe Roding, Dunmow, with Daniel Samuel Hockley (26) and Stanley Hockley (18), both Farm Labourers at
Brook End, Little Dunmow.
In 1939, Mary Ann Hockley, widow, lived at 4 Round Bush Villas, Braintree with son Stanley Hockley and his wife, Emily, and son Daniel S Hockley.
Mary Ann Hockley died, aged 81 (1942 S Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 04A Page 828), and was buried on 27 Aug 1942 at
St Mary's, Aythorpe Roding.
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Long Grove Asylum
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On 9 Jun 1897 George Arthur Hockley, Footman, b. 1879 in
Great Canfield, Essex, enlisted in the
Royal Artillery at Woolwich. At that time he was 18 years and 6 months old; 5ft 7½in, weighed 127lbs, with a fresh complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair. The record lists his father as Daniel Hockley and siblings as Frederick, Beatrice and Rose, in Great Canfield, so there can be no mistake. However, only 35 days later, on 13 July 1897, he was discharged, having been found to have given a false answer at attestation. Among the questions on his application form, was "9. Have you ever been sentenced to Imprisonment by the Civil Power?" He said no, but George Arthur Hockley had been convicted of a felony, tried and imprisoned by Civil Power.
A report of the Aylesbury Petty Sessions of Saturday, October 24th, in the
Bucks Herald of 31 October 1896 provides some details:
THE ROBBERY AT THE LILLIES, WEEDON
George Arthur Hockley, footman, was brought up in custody charged with stealing £7 17s in money, the property of Mr G A Brittain, of
The Lillies,
Weedon. Supt. Pitson said that up to the present time the defendant had been a footman in the employ of Mr Brittain at The Lillies. On Friday morning, when the defendant got up at seven o'clock, he reported to his master that the house had been broken into. In consequence of this, Inspector Bunker and he (the Superintendent) went there and found that apparently someone had entered the house by the drawing-room window, opened the door into the hall, and then gone into the library, which had been completely ransacked, the drawers of a writing table having been forced open, and money amounting to £7 17s stolen. In consequence of the circumstances of the case, Inspector Bunker and P S Shore went there that morning to complete the inquiries, which resulted in the arrest of the defendant now charged with the offence. He asked for a remand until such time as he could go into the case. The Chairman: Can you name a time? Supt. Pitson said that he had to send to London over the case. He would ask for a remand until Wednesday. Defendant offered no objection to the remand, and the Bench adjourned the case until Wednesday, when Mr G Butcher further remanded the defendant until today (Saturday).
I haven't had access to a record of what happened next in the case.
The next event, in the 3rd quarter of 1904,
George Hockley, son of Daniel Hockley and Sarah Skinner, married
Evangeline Dowell (b. 17 Sep 1884), daughter of Edwin Dowell and Ellen Jane Jones, in
Epsom, Surrey.
Evangeline was born in Dartmouth, Devon and brought up in Southsea, Hampshire, her father having been a Chief Band Master, Royal Navy.
In 1911, George A Hockley (33) was an Attendant at Long Grove Asylum, while Evangeline Hockley (26) was a Nurse at the same institution.
In 1939, George A Hockley, Mental nurse (retired) and Evangeline Hockley, Nurse (retired) were living at
2 Marlow Road, Brighton, with Alfred G Russell, Professional Musician, and his wife Nellie, Evangeline's sister.
George A Hockley died, age estimated as 86, in Brighton in 1966.
Evangeline Hockley died, at 87, in 1971, also in Brighton.
From the
Essex Newsman, of 31 Oct 1903:
A Policeman Summoned At Dunmow - Case Dismissed Through Lack of Corroboration
At
Dunmow Petty Session on Monday,
Sydney Robert Page, a police constable, stationed at
Great Stambridge, and formerly at Dunmow, was summoned by
Beatrice Margaret Hockley, a domestic servant of
High Roding, to show cause, etc. Mr J. W. Nutt appeared for the complainant and Mr B L Ackland for the defendant. Mr Nutt said that before this fall the applicant had an unblemished character. The child, which was born on Sept 28, 1902, was now out to nurse at 5s a week. The applicant, who had a baby in her arms, said she had known defendant since the summer of 1901. During the time she was in Mrs Byatt's service, the defendant used to come round after her. On one occasion when she was standing at the shop door Page came across the road, in the evening time, and said, "I am going to kiss my girl," and did so in the presence of Mrs Byatt. He was often round there. In November, 1901, she left Mrs Byatt's and went into the service of Miss Gibbons, at Down House, Dunmow. The defendant also followed her there. On January 3, 1902, Miss May Gibbons told her not to talk so much to the policeman. On December 23, 1901, Page came between ten and eleven o'clock at night and took advantage of her. On January 3, 1902, he repeated his conduct. In April, the night before she left Dunmow, she told Page of her condition. He replied that he had a little money, but not much, and that he was going up to London to join the Metropolitan Police. She went to live with her aunt at Bromley, and from there, on August 7, 1903, she wrote:
Dear Mr Page, I now write these few lines to you to ask if you intend to pay for your child without being made to do so? I think it cruel and shameful, the way you have treated me. I am shortly coming down to Dunmow to take out a summons against you for the maintenance of your child. Why I have not done so before is, as I have told you, because I do not wish to expose you, but why should I shield you while you treat me as you do? It is now time for me to begin to think what is to become of my poor child and of her future prospects. If you had been an ordinary man, instead of a policeman, I should have taken proceedings against you long ago, but you being a policeman I was afraid it might go against you, but I wish you no ill. You have never helped me and I think it time to help myself. I am very sorry that such a thing should ever have occurred, but everyone is apt to do wrong at times, but the least you could do now is to help keep your child, without it having to be made public. I remain, yours etc. B Hockley
A large number of other letters from the girl to the defendant were read. In one she said, "I have begun to like you rather". Again, so as to stop "the talk" she told someone in Dunmow "the talk about you and me is not true". On the day before she went into
Bromley Infirmary she wrote, "I know I am not perfect, but you might have done worse than marry me." After the child was born, she wrote, "She is a sweet, pretty baby", and later, "It is no use for you to say the child does not belong to you, because it is exactly like you, and that is the proof." Letters from Page in reply were read, in one of which he wrote: "I am not in the habit of writing to anyone except my friends, and if I receive any more letters from you I shall return them unopened." Page afterwards wrote that he was surprised at the charge, which he described as unfounded. The defendant, who had been subpoenaed by the complainant, totally denied the charge, or that he had been intimate with her. Mr Nutt stated that Miss Gibbons, whom he intended to call to give evidence, was unwell, and he could not call her. Mr Acland said that never in his life had he been called upon to take part in a case where the evidence was so absolutely uncorroborated as in this. If an order were made against Page no single man in the country would be safe. After the Bench had retired, the Chairman (the Rev. G M Wilson) said The Justices fail to find any corroborative evidence in the case, and the charge against Page is dismissed.
We'll never know, but while I agree there isn't the level of evidence required by the court, Beatrice's tone is mature and reasonable and I cannot see any reason to disbelieve her story, while Page will inevitably have known or been advised to just deny everything, because it was up to her to provide proof.
Sydney Robert Page (b. 1875 in
Hoxne, Suffolk), was the son of Arthur Page and Mary Ann Flaxman. His father, Arthur Page, in 1881, was an
Inspector of Police, living at Pighete,
Haverhill, Risbridge, Suffolk. In 1901, Sydney Robert Page (25) Police Constable, had been a boarder in Church End, Great Dunmow. Page, by the way, had married Ethel Annie Purser, on 7 Oct 1903, in
Stifford, Thurrock and in 1911, they were living at 1 The Limes, Great Stambridge, with two sons: Arthur Sydney (6) and Edward (4), as well as Sydney's sister, Millicent E Page (33) Certificated teacher.
Sydney Robert Page died, at 67, on 20 Jun 1942 in Braintree.
The child she had named Millicent Beatrice Hockley, b. 28 Sep 1902, reg. D Quarter in BROMLEY Volume 02A Page 495.
In 1911, Beatrice Hockley (27ish) from Great Canfield, Essex, was a Parlourmaid to Anna Maria Blakemore, Widow of Private Means at
4 Devonshire Terrace, Paddington, London. There was a Millicent Hockley (8) listed as an Orphan at a school in Stone Road, Broadstairs, Kent.
In 1921, Beatrice Margaret Hockley (38ish) born in Great Canfield, Essex, was a Parlour Maid to Ronald Malcolm, Banker, Director of
Coutts & Co at Headley Grove, Epsom, Surrey. Meanwhile, Millicent Hockley (18) Domestic Servant, born in Dunmow, Essex, was a Patient at
Braintree Union Workhouse, Bocking.
Millicent Beatrice Hockley married Frederick Thomas Mace (b. 10 Jul 1907) in Hendon, Middlesex in 1937.
In 1939, Frederick T Mace, Baker, and Millicent B Mace (Sewing machinist) were living at
10 Algernon Road, Hendon. Millicent's year of birth is listed as 1907, presumably to match her husband's, but her day and month were still given as 28 Sep. At 32 in 1939, Frederick will have been within the age group to be
conscripted during the war, but as someone in a job such as baking, may have been exempted. The couple don't appear to have had any children. Frederick Thomas Mace died, in Hendon, in 1975. Millicent Beatrice Mace died, in Hendon, in 1987. Her supposed birth year had slipped forward a further five years to 1912. She will actually have been 85.
