Herbert Fleming Trevail and Alice Maud Stanley Blazey

Kensington: St. John the Baptist Church, Holland Road
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Dr Neil Clifton - geograph.org.uk/p/3161496

Herbert Fleming Trevail (b. 1877 in Lambeth), son of Charles Trevail and Mary Fleming, married Alice Maud Stanley Blazey (b. 21 Dec 1875 in Dinapore, India), daughter of Francis Robert Blazey and Louisa Susan Stanley, both of 155 Holland Road, Kensington, on 5 Sep 1898, at St John the Baptist church, Holland Road, Kensington, London. Witnesses were Francis Robert Blazey, the bride's father and Edwin Fleming Trevail, the groom's brother. 

Various records point to Herbert and Alice having seven children:

1. Daisy Trevail b. 1899 S Quarter in LAMBETH Volume 01D Page 464. (Died 1899 S Quarter in LAMBETH Volume 01D Page 343)
2. Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail b. 16 Sep 1900 (1900 D Qtr in LAMBETH Vol 01D 386), bap. 4 Nov 1900 at St Anne, South Lambeth
3. Eric Herbert Stanley Trevail b. 29 Jul 1904 (1904 S Qtr in HATFIELD Vol 03A Page 796), bap. 18 Sep 1904 in Welwyn, Hertfordshire
4. Stillborn child b. 25 Oct 1908 in Christchurch, New Zealand
5. Lancelot Edwin Stanley Trevail b. 30 May 1910 in Christchurch, NZ 
6. Edna A S Trevail (if I was betting, I'd go for Alice Stanley), born and died in 1915 in Balmain North, New South Wales, Australia
   
7. Carmen Joyce Stanley Trevail b. 1917 in New South Wales, Australia

The mother's maiden name on the first three in England was BLAZEY.

In 1901, Alice (25) was at her father's household at 31, Sinclair Gardens, Hammersmith, Fulham, along with her daughter, Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail, while Herbert (24) Carpenter and Joiner, was alone at what was presumably their home at 83, South Lambeth Road, Lambeth. 

SS Miltiades (1903)

On 5 Aug 1908, Mr H Trevail (31), Mrs A Trevail (32), Miss W Trevail (7) and Master E Trevail (2½), embarked in London on the SS Miltiades. They were bound for Sydney, where they arrived in the September. 

There is only a record of a burial of a stillborn child (gender unknown), simply listed with the surname Trevail, born 25 Oct 1908, and buried at Linwood Cemetery, Linwood, Christchurch City, Canterbury, New Zealand. That would indicate that Alice was pregnant during the voyage. This pregnancy also fits neatly into the otherwise long gap between 1904 and 1910.

They were in Lyttelton, New Zealand in 1909 - where Herbert's aunts, Ellen Higgs and Mary Ann Burn Trevail Bawden then lived - because 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 1911, Herbert Fleming Trevail, carpenter, and Alice Maud Trevail were listed on the New Zealand Electoral Rolls at 56 Stanmore Rd, Linwood, Christchurch. (Herbert's aunt, Jane Rundle Robinson, lived in Christchurch.)

Then in 1913, we find both of them listed on the Australia Electoral Rolls at Mount Victoria, Hartley, New South Wales, Australia.

Painting of the British ocean liner RMS Olympic by Fred Pansing

On 2 Feb 1927, Herbert Trevail (49), Alice (50), Lance (16) and Carmen (10) sailed from Southampton to New York on the White Star Line's RMS Olympic. They gave their last address in the UK as 62 Milton Road, Wallington, Surrey, the home of Herbert's parents. On 29 Aug 1927, they left San Francisco, bound for Sydney, on the RMS Tahiti. (Known for the Greycliffe disaster.)

Herbert must have made another visit to England, because on 1 Mar 1933, he sailed, on his own, from Southampton to Sydney on the SS Moreton Bay.

In 1935, Herbert and Alice Trevail are both listed on the Australia Electoral Rolls at 3 Griffiths Avenue, North Bondi, New South Wales. 

On 8 Jul 1949, Mr H. F. Trevail (72) Builder, and Mrs A. M. Trevail (74), travelled from London (Port of Tilbury) to Sydney on the SS Orontes. 

Herbert Fleming Trevail died on 26 Nov 1961 in Ashfield, Sydney NSW.

Alice Maud Stanley Trevail died on 9 Mar 1965, in Dade, Florida, USA.

• In 1923 Eric H S Trevail married Miriam E Tuppling, in Balmain South, New South Wales, Australia. They went on to have two children: Conway Eric Stanley Trevail who married Beryl Pearl De Berg and Lois Winifred Stanley Trevail who married Ross Munro Brown, both in Waverley, New South Wales, Australia in 1944.
• Lancelot Edwin Stanley Trevail married Nancy Mary Harris Matthews in Waverley, New South Wales, Australia in 1935. However, Lancelot Edwin Stanley Trevail, Casket Maker, died on 6 Sep 1947, in Bondi, NSW.
• On 30 Sep 1937, Miss C. J. S. Trevail (21) travelled from Wellington, New Zealand to Sydney on the MS Wanganella, her profession listed as Theatrical. Carmen Joyce Stanley Trevail married Leslie Earnest Hull in Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia in 1938.

John Pryor and Elizabeth Wilton

Royston: early blossom in Kneesworth Street
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Sutton - geograph.org.uk/p/4814372

John Pryor (b. 22 Aug 1803 in Royston, Hertfordshire), son of John Pryor and Lydia Bateson, married Elizabeth Wilton (b. 1805, bap. 25 Feb 1807 in Royston) daughter of Stephen Wilton and Elizabeth Hankin, in Royston, Hertfordshire (the transcript does not specify venue) on 4 Sep 1823. 

John and Elizabeth appear to have seven children:

1. Lydia Pryor b. 17 Jun 1824, bap. 24 Jun 1837
2. Henry Wilton Pryor b. 14 Nov 1827, bap. 24 Jun 1837
3. Francis Pryor b. 4 Mar 1830, bap. 24 Jun 1837
4. Matthew John Pryor b. 14 Nov 1832, bap. 26 Jun 1837 (Died, aged 5, in 1838 M Qtr in ROYSTON & BUNTINGFORD Vol 06 Page 454)
5. Elizabeth Pryor b. 9 Dec 1834, bap. 24 Jun 1837 (Died aged 6, in 1841 D Quarter in ROYSTON & BUNTINGFORD Volume 06 Page 396)
6. William Bateson Pryor b. 1837 S Qtr in ROYSTON UNION Vol 06 400
7. Alfred John Pryor b. 1839 J Quarter in ROYSTON Vol 06 Page 600

All baptisms took place at the New Meeting House, Royston. Maybe they felt the need to catch up before Civil Registration came in on 1 Jul 1837.

Listed as Elizabeth Pryer (sic) she died, aged 35, in 1840 S Quarter in ROYSTON & BUNTINGFORD Volume 06 Page 361. 

In 1841, John Pryor (35) Tailor was living in in High Street, Royston, with Lydia Pryor (17), William B Pryor (3) and Alfred Pryor (2), Martha Wilton (30) Housekeeper (Elizabeth's sister); John D Tier (18) and Charles Robinson (15) Apprentices. Henry Wilton Pryor (listed as Henry Prior) (14) Apprentice Tailor, was living in the household of his Uncle Henry Wilton (Elizabeth's brother) in High Street, Great Dunmow; Francis Pryor (11), was in the household of Benjamin Batt (55) in Padler's Lane, Therfield, Hertfordshire.

John Pryor remarried, in Royston, to Edith Sell, daughter of Tempest Sell (Veterinary Surgeon) and Sarah Docwa, on 25 Aug 1842. 

They had two further children:

1. Edith Sell Pryor b. 1843 J Quarter in ROYSTON & BUNTINGFORD Volume 06 Page 555, bap. 25 Aug 1844
2. Tempest Simeon Sell Pryor b. 1846 J Quarter in ROYSTON AND BUNTINGFORD Volume 06 Page 607

"Edith Fossey Prior, daughter of Tempest Sell, who departed this life, April 5th, 1850 (1850 J Quarter in ROYSTON AND BUNTINGFORD Volume 06 Page 407), aged 37 years", was buried on 12 Apr 1850 at the Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul, Bassingbourn. (There are monuments to Tempest Sell at Bassingbourn Parish Church, Edith's brother and ancestors.) 

John Pryor died, aged 47, in 1850 D Quarter in ROYSTON AND BUNTINGFORD Volume 06 Page 385. 

In 1851, Alfred (12), Edith (7) and Tempest (5), surname spelt Prior, were all at the Bassingbourn Union Workhouse (Royston Union Workhouse).

(Alfred John Pryor died, in Hackney, London in 1898; in 1861, Edith [Sell] Pryor was visiting her maternal aunt Sarah Hitch in Bell Lane, Fen Stanton, Huntingdonshire. Edith Pryor married James Clements Howard in Royston, Hertfordshire, in 1867 and died, aged 43, in 1886; Tempest Simeon Sell Pryor died on 28 Feb 1929 in Uralla, New South Wales, Australia.)

Henry Wilton and Sarah Staines

St Peter, Colchester, Essex - East end
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/1862874

Henry Wilton (bap. 15 Jan 1809 in Royston, Hertfordshire), son of Stephen Wilton and Elizabeth Hankin, married Sarah Staines (bap. 23 Jul 1815 at St Giles, Mountnessing), daughter of Thomas Staines and Sally Hockley on 9 Aug 1838 at St Peter's Church, Colchester, Essex.

Henry and Sarah Wilton had at least nine children:

1. Henry Staines Wilton b. 14 Aug 1840 (1840 S Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 12 Page 70), bap. 27 Sep 1840 at St Giles' Church, Mountnessing
2. Stephen Thomas Wilton b. 1841 D Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Vol 12 Page 68, bap. 29 May 1842 at St Giles, Mountnessing
3. Maria Wilton b. 19 Dec 1843 (reg. 1844 M Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 12 Page 76), bap. 24 Mar 1844 at St Giles', Mountnessing
4. Mary Ann Wilton b. 7 Jan 1846 M Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 12 Page 82, bap. 29 Oct 1848 at St Giles's Church, Mountnessing. Died at 27 in 1873 J Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 239
5. Laura Elizabeth Wilton b. 1848 M Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 12 Page 73. Died aged 1 in 1849 J Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 12 Page 58
6. Still Born Child of Henry and Sarah Wilton buried 7 Jan 1850
7. William Hankin Wilton b. 1851 M Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 12 Page 93 (at home on 1871 Census, found nothing since)
8. Still Born buried 24 Jul 1854 (Dissenters)
9. Sarah Wilton b. 1856 S Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 299. Death registered 1856 S Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 207. As 'Infant Wilton' buried 10 Jul 1856 (Dissenters)

All of the GRO birth registrations have the mother's maiden name STAINES.

The "Dissenters" or Non-Conformist Burials are listed at the Protestant Dissenters Burial Ground, which I assume to mean of the Independent Meeting House (Quaker Meeting House) in New Street, Great Dunmow, which is where his brother Richard Wilton was married and buried.

In 1841, Henry Wilton (25) Saddler, Sarah Wilton (20), Henry [Staines] Wilton (10 mts); Henry Prior (14) Apprentice Tailor; Henry Joice (17) Apprentice Saddler and Charlotte Lodge (14) Female Servant, were in the High Street, Great Dunmow. (Next door were Henry's uncle Henry Wilton and his wife, Mary Barton, who, in turn, were next door to George Saich (25) Ostler (and his wife, Charlotte Thorogood), who I'm sure kept the Saracen's Head Hotel. The other side of them was John Prior (55) Basket Maker, father-in-law of Henry's sister Mary.) White's Directory of Essex 1848, also lists Henry Wilton as a saddler in the High Street, Great Dunmow.

1851 Census returns for both Great and Little Dunmow are missing.

In 1861, Henry Wilton (50), Saddler; Sarah Wilton (42), Stephen Wilton (19) Cabinet maker; Mary Ann Wilton (15), William Wilton (10) and apprentices; Charles Gandey (18) and Charles Knight (14) were still in High Street, Great Dunmow. Henry Staines Wilton (20) was staying with his grandparents, Thomas Staines and Sally Hockley in Ingatestone, Chelmsford.

In 1871, Henry Wilton (62) Sadler employing 1 man and 1 boy was still in the High Street, Great Dunmow with Sarah Wilton (54), Stephen Thomas Wilton (29) Cabinet maker; Mary Ann Wilton (25), William H Wilton (20) and Edith Mary Fuller (6) Granddaughter (Daughter of Maria Wilton).

Sarah Wilton died, aged 56, 1872 J Qtr in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 226.

The widowed Henry Wilton (63) Harness Maker, of Great Dunmow, Essex, son of Stephen Wilton (Deceased), Sadler (sic) then married Ann Staines (44) (bap. 31 Mar 1829 at St Giles, Mountnessing), Spinster, who was the younger sister of Henry's deceased wife, Sarah Staines, also the daughter of Thomas Staines and Sally Hockley, on 11 Sep 1873, by Licence, at the Independent Chapel, Ingatestone Street, Fryerning (GRO: 1873 Q3 Chelmsford Vol 4a Page 282). Witnesses were Elizabeth Staines (most likely Anne's niece, daughter of her brother William, who was then 26) and a John Joslin.

This marriage took place despite the fact that marrying the sister of a deceased wife was illegal in Victorian England and remained the case until the Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act 1907. In England the list of forbidden marriages was drawn up by the Church of England in 1560 and from then a marriage between a widower and his wife’s sister was valid but voidable - on the grounds of a passage in Leviticus, which suggested that such a relationship was incestuous (the same biblical extract Henry VIII had used to cast doubt on his marriage to Catherine of Aragon). However, it was not explicitly illegal until the passing of the Marriage Act in 1835. The 1835 bill said that the marriages that had already happened could no longer be voided, but from then on, "such marriages could no longer take place in the United Kingdom and colonies at all". It went on to say that these marriages would have to take place abroad, a solution available only to the rich. Au contraire, Henry and Ann's marriage did take place in England, in 1873, and thus, was not lawful. If there had been the usual bit about "any lawful impediment", either they didn't know, or everybody kept schtum. Marrying this time in the Independent Chapel seems to have successfully avoided anyone in the Church of England seeing the connection. At least the legal implications end there, since the mature couple did not have any further children together. 

In 1881, Henry Wilton (69) Saddler, and his new wife, Annie Wilton (52), with Henry Fuller (14) Grandson; Charles Fuller (10) Grandson [both sons of Charles William Fuller and Maria Wilton]; Martha Palmer (52) Boarder [older sister of Henry Staines Wilton's wife, Amelia Palmer] and Mary Smith (14) General Servant from Good Easter, were living in High Street, Great Dunmow, where Henry Wilton had lived and carried on his business for many years.

Henry Wilton died on 9 May 1890, leaving a decent, but not large £180 (around £29,558 in 2025) to his eldest son, Henry Staines Wilton.

In 1891, Ann Wilton (62) Living On Own Means, Widowed, was living in New Street, Great Dunmow and still boarding with her was Martha Palmer (63).

In 1901, Ann Wilton (72) and Martha Palmer (72) were back living in the High Street, Great Dunmow and they had one General Domestic Servant looking after them, Emily E Lee (15) from Boston, Lincolnshire.

In 1911, Ann Wilton (82) was still in Great Dunmow with one General Domestic Servant, May Bird (19). (Martha Palmer had died in 1909.)

In 1921, Ann Wilton (92) was still in the High Street, Dunmow, Great Dunmow, Essex and still employing May Bird (29) Domestic Servant.

Ann Wilton, widow, died at the age of 93, on 13 Apr 1922 (1922 J Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 04A Page 839), leaving £757 19s 10d (around £54,971 in 2025), also to Henry Staines Wilton, who was, of course, both her nephew and her step-son (although he'd actually pre-deceased her in 1915.)

Henry Staines Wilton and Amelia Palmer

Bridge Street, Bishop's Stortford
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Bill Boaden - geograph.org.uk/p/6410237

Henry Staines Wilton (b. 14 Aug 1840 in Great Dunmow, Essex), son of Henry Wilton and Sarah Staines, Harness Maker, married Amelia Palmer (bap. 15 Oct 1841 in Bishop's Stortford), daughter of William Palmer and Henrietta Crabb of Bridge Street, Bishop's Stortford at St Michael, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, on 4 Aug 1868. Witnesses were the bride's father, William Palmer; the bridegroom's parents, Henry and Sarah Wilton; and Martha Palmer, the bride's older sister. This looks like a 'beneficial match' for Henry, because Amelia's Great Western Railway shares passed to him on their marriage. (This was before the Married Women's Property Act 1882).

Henry Staines Wilton and Amelia Palmer had five children:

1. William Palmer Wilton b. 19 Sep 1869 (1869 D Quarter in THE BISHOP STORTFORD UNION Volume 03A Page 265), bap. 28 Nov 1869 at St Michael's, Bishop's Stortford. The Essex Herald of 28 Sep 1869 announced the birth, "WILTON: 19th inst, at Bridge Street, Bishop's Storford, the wife of Henry Staines Wilton, of a son."
2. Mary Henrietta Wilton b. 8 Feb 1871 (1871 M Quarter in OF THE BISHOP STORTFORD UNION Volume 03A Page 282), bap. 30 Apr 1871 in Bishop's Stortford. Her birth was announced in the press.
3. Olive Martha Wilton b. 25 Dec 1872 (1873 M Quarter in BISHOP'S STORTFORD Volume 03A Page 295), bap. 28 Feb 1873 in Bishop's Stortford. (Olive Martha Wilton, artist, died, aged 45, on 14 Apr 1918 in Ringwood, Hampshire. She is buried at Hampstead Cemetery.)
4. John Staines Wilton b. 17 Feb 1874 (1874 M Qtr in BISHOPS STORTFORD Vol 03A Page 295), bap. 24 Apr 1874 in Bishop's Stortford. (Died 6 May 1936 (1936 J Qtr in WESTMINSTER Vol 01A Page 521), at 62, buried on 11 May 1936 at Hampstead Cemetery.)
5. Margaret Staines Wilton b. 22 Dec 1876 (1877 M Quarter in SAINT GEORGE HANOVER SQUARE Volume 01A Page 365), daughter of Henry Staines Wilton, Saddler and Harness Maker of 261 Oxford Street, bap. 18 Mar 1877 at St Thomas, Portman Square, Marylebone. (Died aged 81 in 1957 D Quarter in CHAPEL EN LE FRITH Volume 10A Page 932. She was buried, on 31 Dec 1957, in Hampstead Cemetery.)

In 1861, Henry Staines Wilton (20) had been staying with his grandparents, Thomas Staines and Sally Hockley at Lord Peters (Sir William Petre) Alms Houses, Stone Field, Ingatestone, Chelmsford. He then set up business next door to his future father-in-law, in Bridge Street, Bishop's Stortford.

By 1871, Henry Staines Wilton (30), Saddler and Harness Maker, Employing 2 men, 2 apprentices and 1 boy in Bridge Street, Bishop's Stortford; Amelia Wilton (29), William P Wilton (1), Mary H Wilton (0). The household was completed with William Thorman (15) Saddler Apprentice; Martha Cornell (24) General Servant and Elizabeth Kitchener (16) Nurse.

In 1875, Henry Staines Wilton bought into an established saddlery company in Oxford Street and became associated with Henry Champion, and from the merger, the Champion & Wilton brand officially appeared. [Source]

Champion & Wilton Saddlers and Harness Makers by Royal Appointment

Champion & Wilton were the successors to two old-established firms of Oxford Street saddlers. One started out under the name of Matthew Wilson, in South Molton Street, moved around 1806 to Oxford Street, and became successively Wilson, Wilkinson & Kidd, then Wilkinson, Champion & Frewer and finally Champion & Wilton. Neighbouring saddlers, Samuel Blackwell, also long-established, was taken over by Champion & Wilton in the 1880s.

"Champion and Wilton [its predecessors, clearly] were founded in 1780 and had premises in Oxford Street, opposite Selfridges, in London’s West End. At one time they employed over one hundred saddlers making saddles, harness and other saddlery items and became, as holders of the Royal Warrant, the most highly respected firm in the country and I don’t doubt that many a stately home will still have a Champion and Wilton saddle tucked away somewhere in their tack room." - Keith Jenkin, SMSQF of Minster Saddlery

In their time, it is said that Champion & Wilton held Royal Warrants to Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II, and the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as to the German Emperor, Queen Maud of Norway and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. 

In The London Gazette of 4 January 1878, there was a notice regarding a Patent application: Henry Staines Wilton, of Bishop's Stortford, in the county of Herts, Saddler, for an invention of "improvements in the construction of saddles and saddle girths."—Dated 24th December, 1874. Then in 1879: 

In addition to the quality of the product, the main peculiarity that distinguished the saddles of this brand, owed much to the invention made in 1879 by Henry Wilton, who patented the well-known safety system, still in use and much appreciated today, which represented a technical revolution. 

This was but one of many Patents that Henry Staines Wilton applied for, including: "An Improvement in Side Saddles" in 1893; for "Improvements in and connected with Saddle Bars", in 1895; "Improvements in Trace and Pole Chain Attachments" in 1896; "Improvements in the Heads or Pommels of Side Saddles" in 1903 and "An Improved Machine for Centrally Punching and Spacing Holes in Leather Straps, and for like purposes" in 1905, are those I can find records for. The first was just in his name, the rest were applied for by Henry Staines Wilton in conjunction with Benjamin Samuel Weston.

Not found on the 1881 Census, the Hertford Mercury of 15 Oct 1881, reported on "DAMAGING A WALNUT TREE. Samuel Cowland, John Curtis, John Bush and Arthur Shorter, all young men of Bishop's Stortford, were charged with maliciously breaking part of a walnut tree, growing on enclosed land at Whitehall Farm, Bishop's Stortford, the property of Mr Henry Staines Wilton ..." Of course, owning the farm doesn't mean he lived there.

On 17 Feb 1881, Henry Staines Wilton, Saddler of 261 Oxford Street joined the Gihon Lodge (Freemasonry).

In 1891, the family were living at Braywick, High Town Road, Bray, Cookham, Berkshire with Henry S Wilton (50) Sadler & Harness Maker; Amelia Wilton (49), Olive Martha Wilton (18), John S Wilton (17) Saddlers Apprentice; Margaret Wilton (14), along with Sarah Asbridge (28) Cook from Margaret Roding and Kate Maydwell (23) Housemaid from Hornchurch, Essex. William P Wilton (21) Sadler, was that year [so far unaccountably] a Visitor in a household in Wanstead, Essex, along with three female servants. 

At the time of their daughter Mary Henrietta Wilton's marriage to Augustus Percival Bartley (of Bartley & Sons, Military and Hunting Bootmakers, of 493, Oxford Street), on 11 Aug 1894, at St Michael's Church, Bray, Berkshire, their address was then stately Stafferton Lodge, Braywick Road, Maidenhead. 

Fake news is not a new thing: Apparently, according to this document (PDF), in Vol IV No 5 of 'Saddlery and Harness' November 1894, a spurious claim appears, "p.101 Notable Members of the Trade: Mr H S Wilton (Champion and Wilton) Owner of Champion and Wilton. At 457/459 Oxford Street. One of the leading West End saddlery firms. Made Queen Victoria's first saddle when HSW was only 19 years old, some 63 years ago." [i.e. 1831] Complete and utter horse poop, of course, like so many family stories, and you have to laugh, as he wasn't even born until 1840! My feeling is the Oxford Street company that later became Champion & Wilton probably did make Queen Victoria's first saddle. It was Henry Staines Wilton's personal involvement that got tacked (pun intended) on as an embellishment to aggrandize himself.

In 1901, the family had moved back into town to 29, St Johns Wood Park, in the affluent community of Hampstead, where we find Henry S Wilton (60) Sadler & Harness Maker; Amelia Wilton (59), William P Wilton (31) Sadler & Harness Maker; Olive M Wilton (28), John S Wilton (27) Sadler & Harness Maker; Margaret S Wilton (24), along with Mary J Howlett (23) Cook from Norfolk and Annie Fosbury (21) Housemaid, from Maidenhead.

In 1911, still at 29, St Johns Wood Park, Hampstead, were Henry Staines Wilton (70) Sadler & Harness Maker; Amelia Wilton (69), Olive Martha Wilton (37) Artist; John Staines Wilton (36) Sadler & Harness Maker; Margaret Wilton (33) attended by three servants: Emma Fosbury (61) Widow, Cook Housekeeper; Ellen Gorey (37) Parlourmaid and Alice Fordham (24) Housemaid. The original census schedule also confirms that the couple had been married for 43 years and had five children, all then still living.

The Rebuilding of Oxford Street

"Nos. 453–459 (odd) Oxford Street and Nos. 22 and 23 North Audley Street, a small but elegant set of shops with flats over, were designed by Herbert Read and Robert Falconer Macdonald and built by Holloway Brothers in 1900–2 (Plate 46b). The client was E. H. Wilton of Champion and Wilton, saddlers, of Nos. 457 and 459 Oxford Street. (There was nobody with the initials  E. H. Wilton, so I assume this is H. S. Wilton and an error.) The building had three storeys towards North Audley Street and five on to Oxford Street. The ground floor was of Doulting stone, the upper storeys of red brick with stone dressings, and the style a picturesque and effective Arts and Crafts treatment." This tells us where the Champion and Wilton premises were, on the diagonally opposite corner to where Selfridges was later built. The building is long gone and replaced, with currently, a branch of Zara on that corner. 

Henry Staines Wilton (74) died on 31 May 1915 (1915 J Quarter in HAMPSTEAD Volume 01A Page 819) and his funeral took place on Thursday 3 Jun 1915. He is interred in Hampstead Cemetery (Camden) grave reference WE/222. He left his fortune to his two sons, William Palmer Wilton and John Staines Wilton, saddlers, and his son-in-law, Augustus Percival Bartley, bootmaker. The Probate record shows that Henry Staines Wilton left £57,256 11s 4d, which is now worth over seven million pounds (£7,376,323 in 2024).

Hampstead News of 10 Jun 1915, reported on the:

Death of Mr H Staines Wilton

The funeral of Mr H Staines Wilton, of 18 Fitzjohn's Avenue, took place on Thursday morning at St Paul's Church, Avenue Road. The deceased gentleman, who was much respected, had long been a resident in the neighbourhood and a member of St Paul's Church, where he was a sidesman and a generous supporter of the church. He had been in failing health, but was in church on Sunday morning and died the following day. The service was conducted by the Vicar (Rev W H T N Rainey) and the Rev P B Phelps, who together with the choir met the cortege at the entrance gate to the church. Psalm 39 was chanted, and the hymn "Blessed are the pure in heart" was sung during the service, and as the coffin was carried from the church, preceded by the clergy and choir, the "Nunc Dimittis" was sung. The coffin, upon which rested a few floral tributes, was of polished oak with brass fitting and plate, which was inscribed "Henry Staines Wilton, born 14th August, 1840; died 31st May, 1915." The immediate mourners at the church were the widow and family, but a large congregation included Mr Boyton MP, the Rev W H Wilkins (a former curate), the staff and employees from 457 & 459 Oxford Street, and the household servants. The coffin was conveyed in an open car, and was immediately followed by the deceased gentleman's carriage filled with numerous and beautiful floral tributes. The interment was made at Hampstead Cemetery, where the service at the graveside was concluded by the Vicar. The funeral arrangements were carried out by Messrs J Nodes & Co (M Nodes Lello) of 193 High Road, Kilburn; 23 Church Street, Grove End Road, etc.

Amelia Wilton died four years later, aged 77 (1919 D Quarter in PADDINGTON Volume 01A Page 77), and was buried, on 17 Dec 1919, in Hampstead Cemetery, along with her late husband. 

Neither Olive, John, nor Margaret ever married. I can find neither John, nor Margaret in 1921, however, in 1939, Margaret S Wilton (b. 22 Dec 1876) Single Female of Private Means, was at Lilybank Hydro, Chesterfield Road, Darley Dale, Matlock, Derbyshire (the last Hydro in Matlock to close in 1962). Described in the 1930's, "The establishment is not exclusively a sanatorium; it affords accommodation to families and others who desire to spend a holiday amidst the beautiful scenery of the English Switzerland and it is also a delightful winter resort for those delicate individuals who dread the severities of our English climate." As Margaret also died in Derbyshire, in 1957, we may reasonably assume she was using Lilybank as a residential care home.

Henry Charles Orton and Dahlia Trevail

St Mark's Church, North Audley Street, London W1
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/1536122

Henry Charles Orton, Widower, Carpenter of Shepherd's Market married Dahlia Mackness, Widow, of 1 Park Lane, London, daughter of Joseph Trevail, Farmer at the church of St George's, Hanover Square on 30 Jul 1881. 

Henry and Dahlia had two children, born at 6, Church Road, Watford:

1. Charles Orton b. 3 Jul 1882 (1882 S Quarter in WATFORD Volume 03A Page 502), bap. 24 Sep 1882 at St Andrew's, Watford
2. Emily Maud Orton b. 21 Sep 1884 (1884 D Quarter in WATFORD Volume 03A Page 534), bap. 2 Nov 1884 at St Andrew's, Watford

The mother's maiden name TREVAIL is quoted on both birth registrations.

Dahlia Trevail (bap. 27 May 1849), daughter of Joseph Trevail and Jane Rundle, in 1871, was cook to Thomas William Bramston, Conservative Member for South Essex, at his estate, Skreens, Roxwell, Chelmsford, Essex. In Q3 of 1876, aged 27, Dahlia had married Frederick Mackness (bap. 14 Feb 1827), sawyer, son of George and Susanna Mackness, at St Mark, North Audley Street (St Mark's, Mayfair, now home to Mercato Mayfair). However, within 3 months of the wedding, in Q4 1876, Frederick died, aged 49. 

In 1881, Dahlia Mackness (31), widow, was once again employed as a cook, in the household of Sir William Miller, 1st Baronet in London, at 1, Park Lane. 

It was "third time lucky" for Henry, son of Charles Orton and Mary Ann Leach, bap. 7 Oct 1838 in Leamington, Warwickshire. Henry Orton had first married Elizabeth Neal on 11 Oct 1863 in Leamington Spa, but Elizabeth died, aged 31, in 1867, in Shipston-on-Stour. That marriage didn't produce any children. Henry then married widow, Ellen Reynolds (née Carpenter), on 31 Jan 1869, in Bordesley, Warwickshire. They had three daughters: Florence Mary Orton b. 1870 J Quarter in SOUTHAM Volume 06D Page 600; Nellie Rose Orton b. 1873 D Quarter in WARWICK Volume 06D Page 537; and Lizzie Orton b. 1877 S Quarter in WATFORD UNION Volume 03A Page 409, who died, aged 1, in 1878 D Quarter in WATFORD Volume 03A Page 290. Ellen Orton died, aged 47, 1880 D Quarter in WATFORD Volume 03A Page 255, where Henry C Orton (42) Builder's foreman, was living at 6, Church Road, in 1881.

In 1891, Henry C Orton (52) Carpenter, wife Delia (sic) (42), Florence (21), Charles (8), Maud (6), plus boarders: Samuel Cos (21) and Albert Batchelor (19) were living in London at Worcester Street, St George Hanover Square.

Then Henry Charles Orton died, aged 54, in 1892 D Quarter in ST GEORGE HANOVER SQUARE Volume 01A Page 283. Various newspapers in Apr 1893 reported on the legal case surrounding his death:

DAMAGES FOR THE LOSS OF A HUSBAND

The case of "Orton v. Simpson" came before Judge Bayley and a jury at Westminster County Court for a partition of the damages. Mrs Dahlia Orton and her children claimed £280 under the Employers' Liability Act from Messrs. Simpson and Company (Limited), engineers, of Pimlico. The husband was an engineer, and on 3 Dec last was killed whilst in the employ of the defending company through the bursting of a defective cylinder. The plaintiff had two children, aged eight and ten years, and there were two children of the deceased by a former marriage, aged 18 and 21. The defendants admitted their liability and paid £210 into court, which sum the plaintiff accepted, at Westminster County Court yesterday applied under Lord Campbell's Act for a partition of the damages. The jury awarded the plaintiff £50, the two children by a former marriage £5 each, and the plaintiff's two children £75. 

In 1901, Dahlia Orton (52) widow, was living at 16, Balfern Grove, Chiswick with Charles Orton (18), Emily M Orton (16) and three boarders: Alfred Hooke (22), Thomas Willcox (25) and Albert Clarke (27).

In 1911, Dahlia Orton (62) was staying with her daughter and her husband, William Charles Creedon (27) Licenced Victualler at the Builder's Arms, 8 Wyvil Road, Lambeth. (William Charles Creeden and Emily Maud Orton married, in Brentford, in 1907 and, in 1910, William Charles Creedon had been landlord of the Oxford Arms, 77 St Peter Street, Bethnal Green.) On the 1911 Census, Dahlia Orton states that she had three children, two living and one had died, but I've been unable to find records relating to a third child.

In 1921, Dahlia Orton (72) Widow was once again living with her daughter and son-in-law, back at 16, Balfern Grove, Chiswick, Middlesex.

Dahlia Orton died, at 76, in 1925 D Qtr in BRENTFORD Vol 03A Page 222.

The Vauxhall Griffin, Renamed as the "Griffin Belle" in 2018, formerly Builders Arms
Image: Ewan Munro | Some rights reserved

William Cloughton and Alice Hockley

Holy Cross, Felsted, Essex - Porch
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/1303810

William Cloughton (b. 1855), son of Thomas Clowton (the surname, as it sounds) and Lydia Byatt, married Alice Hockley, daughter of George Hockley and Eliza Crow on 6 Jul 1879 at Holy Cross church, Felsted. This surname has probably had more variations than any other I've encountered: When William's parents married it was Clowton; on the 1841 census they were listed as Clouten; William was registered and baptised - on 6 Jan 1856 in Felsted - as Clowton; by the time he married Alice it was Cloughton, which it was then mostly or sometimes Claughton, Clawghton and even Claighton.

William and Alice had two daughters:

1. Lizzie Cloughton b. 1879 D Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 469, bap. 26 Oct 1879 at Holy Cross, Felsted
2. Ellen Cloughton b. 28 Jan 1882 M Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 536, bap. 26 Mar 1882 at Holy Cross, Felsted

In 1881, William Cloughton (25) Farm labourer from Felsted, Essex, Alice Cloughton (24) & Lizzie Cloughton (1) were at Bannister Green, Felstead.

Alice Cloughton died, aged 27 in 1883 J Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 298, and was buried on 30 Jun 1883, at Felsted.

William Cloughton then remarried, in the 3rd quarter of 1884, to widow, Hannah Lewis, at the church of St Michael the Archangel, Braintree. 

Born Rose Hannah Gowers on 12 Dec 1850, bap. 5 Feb 1851, she was the daughter of Thomas Gowers and Hannah Gowers (Cousins?) Hannah had previously married George Lewis in 1868, with whom she had two daughters. George died, aged 35, in 1883. William and Hannah didn't have any further children together, but they did bring up William and Alice's daughters.

In 1891, William Claughton (sic) (35) Agricultural Labourer, Hannah Claughton (40), Elizabeth Claughton (12) and Ellen Claughton (9) were living at Church End Farm, Brockley Road, Runwell, Chelmsford. 

In 1901, William Claughton (49) Farm labourer and Hannah Claughton (55) were living in Billet Road, Little Heath, Hainault, Romford. Elizabeth Clawghton (sic) (21) Domestic Cook from Felsted, Essex, was a Visitor in the household of Alfred Pottinger, Stocker at nursery, at 256, High Street, Cheshunt (Herts). Younger daughter, Ellen Claighton (strangest version yet) (19) from Felsted, Essex, was working as a General domestic servant to John Cull, Nurseryman and florist, at 36, College Road, Cheshunt (Herts).

So far, I've found no further records for Lizzie (Elizabeth) after 1901.

Nellie Claughton married Herbert Holton Hearn (b. 11 Aug 1880), son of Thomas Hearn and Elizabeth Holton, on 13 Jun 1908, in Cheshunt.

In 1911, William Claughton (55) Carman and nursery worker was living in the household of his son-in-law, Herbert Hearn (30) Nursery hand, and Nellie Hearn (29) at 13 Lordship Road, Cheshunt. Also living with them was Herbert's widowed mother, Elizabeth Hearn (60). Hannah Cloughton (62), meanwhile, was, seemingly alone, at 112 Birkbeck Road, Leytonstone.

Hannah Claughton died, at 65, in 1914 M Qtr in COLCHESTER Vol 04A 889.

There's a death of a William Clowton in 1935 J Quarter in WARE Volume 03A Page 910, within 5 years from his correct age, which would seem to be him.

In 1939, still at 13 Lordship Road, Cheshunt, were Herbert H Hearn, Nurseryman glasshouse food producer and Nellie Hearn. 

Herbert Holton Hearn of 37 Lordship Road, Cheshunt, died, on 20 Oct 1962, at Western House, Ware, Hertfordshire (Western House Hospital, the former Ware Union Workhouse). Probate was granted to Ellen Hearn, Widow.

Ellen Hearn died, aged 82, in 1964, in Edmonton, Middlesex.

William Palmer and Henrietta Crabb

St Cecilia, Little Hadham, Herts
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/362901

William Palmer (b. 6 Feb 1793 in Bishop's Stortford), son of William Palmer and Mary Sanders, married Henrietta Crabb (bap. 2 May 1800 in Little Hadham), daughter of James Crabb and Keziah Bocock at St Cecilia, Little Hadham on 24 Jun 1823. They were married by Licence and with the consent of James Crabb, even though Henrietta would have been over twenty-one.

They had six children, baptised at St Michael’s Church, Bishop's Stortford:

1. William Palmer bap. 4 Jul 1824. (Died in 1867.)
2. John Sanders Palmer bap. 4 Sep 1825. (Buried 27 Nov 1825.)
3. Martha Palmer bap. 4 May 1828 
4. John Smyth Palmer bap. 27 Oct 1831. (Buried 30 Aug 1835.)
5. Mary Henrietta Palmer bap. 4 Dec 1835. (Died at 30 in 1865.)
6. Amelia Palmer b. 1841 D Quarter in BPS STORTFORD Volume 06 Page 461, bap. 15 Oct 1841.

On the first five baptisms, William Palmer's occupation is listed as Stationer. On Amelia's baptism, William is described as a Bookseller. The GRO birth registration for Amelia confirms her mothers maiden name as CRABB.

In 1841, William Palmer (44) Tallow Chandler was listed in Bridge Street, Bishop's Stortford with Henrietta Palmer (36), William Palmer (15) and Mary Palmer (4), plus Susannah Perrin (20) Female Servant; Jane Judd (15) Female Servant; William Hopkins (20) Lighterman and Elizabeth Palmer (20) Governess. Martha Palmer (13) may have been away at school.

Henrietta Palmer died, at 43, in 1844 S Quarter in BISHOPS-STORTFORD Vol 06 Page 299 and was buried, at St Michael’s Church on 24 Sep 1844.

In 1851, William Palmer (58) Tallow Chandler Employing 4 Men & Shopkeeper, Widower was still in Bridge Street with William Palmer (26), Martha Palmer (22), Mary H Palmer (15), Amelia Palmer (9), Sarah Nichols (22) General Servant and Mary A Hammond (20) General Servant.

William Palmer Jnr married Eliza Skinner in Q1 1857, in Bishop's Stortford, but Eliza Palmer died, at 35, in 1858 J Quarter in OF THE BISHOP - STORTFORD UNION Volume 03A Page 120.

In 1861, William Palmer (68) Tallow Chandler employing 5 men, was still in Bridge Street, with Martha Palmer (33), Mary Palmer (25), Amelia Palmer (19) and one Servant, Sarah Handscomb (19). William Palmer Jnr (36) Chandler's Clerk, Widower, was a Lodger in Windhill, Bishop's Stortford.

Mary Henrietta Palmer died at 30, in 1865 D Quarter in THE BISHOP STORTFORD UNION Volume 03A Page 149.

William Palmer Jnr died at 43 in 1867 S Quarter in OF THE BISHOP STORTFORD UNION Volume 03A Page 164.

In 1871, William Palmer (78) Tallow Chandler was still in Bridge Street with daughter Martha Palmer (43) and one Servant, Mary Wood (21).

1840 letter from London to Bishop's Stortford businessman and father of six surfaces 180 years later – in New Zealand

William Palmer died at 84 on 8 Aug 1877 (S Quarter in BISHOPS STORTFORD Volume 03A Page 172) and was buried on 13 Aug 1877, at St Michael’s Church, Bishop's Stortford. Probate was granted on 22 Feb 1878, with the sole Beneficiary being, Henry Staines Wilton, husband of his youngest daughter, Amelia.

In 1881, Martha Palmer (52) was living in Great Dunmow in the household of Henry Wilton, her sister Amelia's father-in-law. 

In 1891, Martha Palmer (63) was living in New Street, Great Dunmow, with Henry Wilton's widow (his second wife), Ann.

And in 1901, Martha Palmer (72) was still living with Ann Wilton.

Martha Palmer died at 81, in 1909 J Qtr in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 415.

John Byatt and Elizabeth Leaper

St. Mary's Church and churchyard, Churchgate, EN8
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Mike Quinn - geograph.org.uk/p/4220309

John Byatt (bap. 3 Oct 1819 in Little Canfield, Essex) son of John Byatt and Jane Stokes, married Elizabeth Leaper (b. 10 Sep 1825, bap. 9 Oct 1825 in Aldenham, Hertfordshire) daughter of John Leaper and Mary Hayes at St. Mary's Church, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire on 25 May 1845.

John and Elizabeth had ten children:

1. John Edward Byatt b. 23 Mar 1846 J Quarter in EDMONTON Volume 03 Page 141, bap. 12 Apr 1846 in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire
2. George Byatt b. 3 Jan 1848 M Quarter in EDMONTON Volume 03 Page 132, bap. 13 Feb 1848 in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire
3. William Byatt b. 20 Jan 1850 M Qtr in EDMONTON Vol 03 Page 144
4. Charles Byart b. 1 Aug 1852 S Qtr in SHOREDITCH Vol 01C Page 149
5. Elizabeth Byart b. 1854 D Quarter in SHOREDITCH Vol 01C Page 125
6. Jane Byart b. 3 Nov 1856 D Quarter in SHOREDITCH Vol 01C Page 140
7. Emma Byart b. 1859 S Quarter in WHITECHAPEL Vol 01C Page 338
8. Thomas Byart b. 1861 J Quarter in ISLINGTON Vol 01B Page 290
9. Louisa Byart b. 1863 D Quarter in BETHNAL GREEN Vol 01C Page 323
10. Ellen Byart b. 1866 J Quarter in BETHNAL GREEN Vol 01C Page 329

The first three children were registered correctly under the surname Byatt, then thereafter they changed the spelling to Byart. Their mother's maiden name is consistently LEAPER (misspelled on William's as LEARPER). 

In 1861, John Byart (42) Carman from Dunmow, Essex, was in City Gardens, Islington with Elizabeth Byart (36) from Watford, Hertfordshire; John E Byart (15) Lucifer Match Maker (the production of Lucifer matches later caused the Bryant & May Match Workers Strike); George Byart (13), William Byart (11), Charles Byart (9), Elizabeth Byart (6), Jane Byart (4) & Emma Byart (2).

In 1871, John Byart (51) Carman was living in Mile End Old Town with Elizabeth Byart (48), John Byart (25) Engine Driver; Charles Byart (19) Horse Keeper; Thomas Byart (17) Scholar; Elizabeth Byart (16), Jane Byart (14), Louisa Byart (8) and Helen (sic) Byart (4).

In 1881, at 16, Alma Road, Mile End Old Town, London misspelled again as John Byard (sic) (63) Carman from Essex; Elizabeth (58) from Hertfordshire; Jane (24), Thomas (20), Julia [Louisa] (18), Ellen (15), John (35) and Jane (39) (John [Edward] Byart had married Jane Dove, in Poplar, in 1876.)

In 1891, John Byart (72) birthplace wrongly listed as Brentwood, Essex, was living in the household of Josiah Ayris (32) Carman in St Ann's Road, Mile End Old Town. Josiah was his son-in-law, second husband of daughter Emma. This took some deciphering, because John Byart's wife is inexplicably listed as Sarah and Emma was listed as Ann. Were they or the enumerator drunk? 

John Byatt died at 72 in 1892 J Quarter in MILE END OLD TOWN Volume 01C Page 344 and Elizabeth Byart died at 73, in 1898 D Quarter in MILE END OLD TOWN Volume 01C Page 306.

Squire Day and Sarah Hobbs

St Mary's Church, Hitchin
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Lucas - geograph.org.uk/p/989956

Squire Day (bap. 28 May 1797 in Ickleford, Hertfordshire), son of George Day and Mary Watson, married Sarah Hobbs (b. 28 Feb 1796 bap. 29 Apr 1796 at the Hitchin, Back Street Meeting), the daughter of Samuel Emly Hobbs and Elizabeth Saunders, in Hitchin, on 5 May 1819.

Squire as a boy's name is of Middle English origin, apparently.

Squire and Sarah had 6 children, baptised at the Hitchin, Back Street Meeting (The Independent Meeting House at Back Street, Hitchin):

1. John Day b. 27 Dec 1820, bap. 25 Mar 1821 
2. George Hobbs Day b. 27 Feb 1822, bap. 31 Mar 1822
3. Martha Hobbs Day b. 26 Feb 1826, bap. 20 May 1827. Died, aged 12, in 1838 J Quarter in THE HITCHIN UNION Volume 06 Page 411
4. Alfred Day b. 17 Jun 1828, bap. 14 Sep 1828
5. Phoebe Emma Day b. 4 Mar 1830, bap. 18 Apr 1830
6. Elizabeth Hobbs Day b. 22 Jun 1833, bap. 26 Jan 1834

Sarah Day must have died between 1833 and 1837, but no record identified.

Squire Day, Widower, son of George Day, Carpenter, then married Mary Ann Dear, Spinster, said to be daughter of William Dear, Carpenter, both of Back Street, Hitchin, at the Parish Church of St Mary's, Hitchin, on 20 Jul 1837.

Squire and Mary Ann added another four children:

7. Martha Dear Day b. 1839 M Qtr in HITCHIN UNION Vol 06 Page 500
8. Mary Ann Day b. 1841 M Qtr in HITCHIN UNION Vol 06 Page 540
9. Squire Day b. 1843 S Qtr in HITCHIN UNION Vol 06 Page 534
10. Sarah Elizabeth Day b. 1846 M Qtr in HITCHIN Vol 06 Page 578

In 1841, in Back of Street, Hitchin, were Squire Day (40) Grocer [1], Mary Ann Day (35), John Day (20), George Day (18), Martha Day (3), Mary Ann Day (0), Mary Kofford (20) Female Servant and John Taylor (20), who in perfect nominative determinism, was a Tailor. They were living next door to John Gascoine, Victualler, but that's probably unremarkable because these streets appear to have been full of now lost pubs. Also among their closest neighbours were a Fish Monger, two Bakers and a Shoe Maker.

[1] First wife Sarah's father, Samuel Emly Hobbs, had also been a grocer, declared bankrupt in 1829, so he may have taken over this business.

Back of Street, or Back Street, is described in this document on Hitchin Conservation Area (PDF): "A subsidiary road developed parallel to the market place on the east side of the River Hiz, probably from the 12th century onwards. Formerly called Back Street, and at its southern end, Dead Street. Biggin Lane and Portmill Lane connected the market place with Back Street and Dead Street respectively. Their name was changed to the more salubrious Queen Street in the 19th century. Queen Street was also the site of many houses, cottages and other buildings which were located close to St Mary’s Church, and which were swept away in the slum clearance of the 1920s. 

In 1851, in Back Street, Hitchin, were Squire Day (52) Grocer from Ickleford, Hertfordshire; Mary Ann Day (47) from East Barnet, Hertfordshire; Martha Day (12), Mary Ann Day (10), Squire Day (8) and Sarah Day (5).

In 1861, Squire Day (63) Upholsterer and lodging house keeper was running the Travellers Rest, Back Street, Hitchin, Hertfordshire with Mary Ann Day (56), Mary Ann Day (20) Bonnet Sewer; Squire Day (17) Boot and shoe makers apprentice; Sarah Day (15) Bonnet Sewer and 19 Lodgers.

In 1871, Squire Day (74) Upholsterer and lodging house keeper, was still in Back Street, Hitchin with Mary Ann Day (65), Mary Ann Day (29) Bonnet Sewer; Sarah E Day (25) Milliner; Alfred J Day (19) Reporter and Arthur S Day (15) Photographic Artist, these last two grandsons, sons of John Day.

Squire Day died, at 81, in 1878 S Quarter in HITCHIN Volume 03A Page 228.

In 1881, M A [Mary Ann] Day (76) Lodging house keeper was still running the Traveller's Rest in Back Street, Hitchin with Mary A Day (39) assistant; Susan White (44) General Servant, Henry White (10) and 13 Boarders.

Mary Ann Day died at 79 in 1884 M Qtr in HITCHIN Vol 03A Page 256.

Thomas Clark and Sarah Wilton

Part of the carriage drive in Southwark Park
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Marathon - geograph.org.uk/p/2649163

Thomas Clark (bap. 15 Mar 1818 in Great Dunmow), son of Claudius Clark and Hannah Cornell, married Sarah Wilton (b. 1819 in Royston), daughter of Stephen Wilton and Elizabeth Hankin, on 3 Apr 1839 in Royston, Hertfordshire. Thomas, like Sarah's brothers, was a Harness Maker.

Thomas and Sarah had ten children:

1. Thomas Clark Wilton b. 1838 S Quarter in ROYSTON Vol 06 Page 528
2. Ann Clark b. 1841 J Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Vol 12 Page 72
3. Emma Clark b. 1842 D Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Vol 12 Page 69
4. Sarah Wilton Clark b. 1845 M Quarter in BRAINTREE Vol 12 Page 26
5. Alfred Clark b. 1847 M Quarter in BRAINTREE Vol 12 Page 32
6. Robert Clark b. 1849 M Quarter in SAINT GEORGE THE MARTYR SOUTHWARK Volume 04 Page 525
7. Caroline Clark b. 1851 J Quarter in CAMBERWELL Vol 04 Page 84
8. Elizabeth Clark b. 1854 M Quarter in CAMBERWELL Vol 01D Page 465 (Died at 13 in 1867 D Quarter in CAMBERWELL Vol 01D Page 413)
9. Thomas William Clark b. 1857 S Qtr in CAMBERWELL Vol 01D 433
10. Walter Edward Clark b. 1862 M Qtr in CAMBERWELL Vol 01D 514 (Died at 18 in 1880 D Quarter in CAMBERWELL Vol 01D Page 443)

In 1841, Thomas Clark (23) and Sarah Clark (22) were in Great Dunmow, with Thomas Clark [dropped the Wilton] (2) and Ann Clark (3m).

In 1851, they were at 4 South Place, Camberwell, with Thomas Clark (33) Coach Trimmer; Sarah Clark (32), Emma Clark (8), Sarah W Clark (6), Robert Clark (2), Caroline Clark (1 Mo), Ann Wilton (34) Visitor (Sarah's sister) and Stephen Wilton (3) Nephew (Ann's illegitimate son).

In 1871, in Camberwell, were Thomas Clark (53) Harness Maker, birthplace Dunmow; Sarah Clark (52), birthplace Royston; Robert Clark (22), Harness Maker, birthplace Southwark; Thomas Clark (13), Scholar, and Walter Clark (9), Scholar, birthplace Peckham. Also living with them again were Ann Wilton (54), Needlewoman, birthplace Royston, wife's sister; Stephen Wilton (23), Harness Maker, birthplace Southwark, Nephew and Martha Wilton (10), Scholar, birthplace Peckham, Niece, both Ann's illegitimate children.

Then Thomas Clark died, in Camberwell, aged 59, in 1877 D Quarter in CAMBERWELL Volume 01D Page 524.

In 1881, Sarah Clark (62), widow, was lodging in the household of her married daughter, Caroline Thornhill (30) at 57, South Street, Camberwell.

In 1891, Sarah Clark (72), widow, was employed as a General Servant Nurse in the household of Henry R Weller (29) in Kimberley Road, Lambeth.

Sarah Clark died at 84 in 1903 M Qtr in ST. PANCRAS Vol 01B Page 24.

Richard Wilton and Catherine Byatt

Quaker Meeting House (Grade II Listed), New Street, Great Dunmow

Richard Wilton (bap. 20 Mar 1811 in Royston, Hertfordshire), middle son of Stephen Wilton and Elizabeth Hankin, married Catherine Byatt (bap. 4 Apr 1824 in Little Canfield, Essex), daughter of John Byatt and Jane Stokes, at the Independent Meeting House (Quaker Meeting House), New Street, Great Dunmow, on 25 Mar 1843, according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Protestant Dissenters. Richard Wilton, who had been listed on the 1841 census, living in the High Street, Great Dunmow, as a harness maker (as he is on the marriage certificate), was 32 at the time of the wedding and Catherine Byatt, then 19, was listed as a minor. Witnesses were Richard's younger brother Joseph Wilton and Maria Staines (then 17) sister of Richard's brother, Henry's wives (both), daughters of Thomas Staines and Sally Hockley.

Richard and Catherine had seven children:

1. Ann Wilton b. 1844 M Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 12 Page 76, mother's maiden name BYATE. (Died 27 Apr 1850 (1850 J Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 12 Page 56), aged 6, buried 2 May 1850)
2. Elizabeth Wilton b. 9 Aug 1847 (1847 S Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 12 Page 69). Many places, online and off, have listed Elizabeth's date of birth as 6 August, however, I've now obtained a copy of her birth certificate from the GRO and it clearly reads Ninth August 1847.
3. Richard Wilton b. 1848 (No GRO birth registration, under any name) (Died, aged 41, in 1889 J Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 322)
4. Walter Wilton b. 1850 D Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 12 Page 79 (Died, aged 1, in 1852 M Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 219)
5. Martha Wilton b. 1853 M Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 317 (Died, aged 1, in 1854 J Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 209)
6. William Wilton b. 1855 J Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 04A Page 311 (Died, aged 3, in 1858 J Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 223)
7. Ellen Wilton b. 1857 J Quarter in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 335

On the birth registrations for Elizabeth, Walter, Martha, William and Ellen, the mother's maiden name is correctly listed as BYATT. On Elizabeth's birth certificate, her father is listed as Richard Wilton, Harness Maker and her mother, Catherine Wilton, formerly Byatt, Informant, made her mark.

Richard Wilton, Harness maker (journeyman), died on 3 Mar 1858 (1858 M Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 262), from Phthisis (pulmonary tuberculosis). He was 46. The informant, present at his death, at Dunmow Down, was Ann Whybrow. (Formerly Ann Chandler, she had married Thomas Whybrow, a Currier (specialist in the leather trade) in 1823.) Richard's burial on 8 Mar 1858, is in Non-Conformist Church Records, so may have been in the burial ground attached to the Quaker Meeting House in Great Dunmow (PDF), and listed his cause of death as Consumption. 

George Wilton, born in the Dunmow Union (Workhouse) on 3 Feb 1860 (1860 M Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 361), birth certificate says his mother's name was Caroline Wilton, no father listed, but I cannot find a Caroline Wilton in the area at any time. On later census returns George was listed as Catherine's new husband - John Eldred's - step-son, so George appears to have been Catherine's 'mystery' illegitimate son.

(George can't have been Richard's son - unless sperm freezing was invented MUCH earlier than we've been led to believe - and an attempt to 'legitimise' this birth by suggesting a death of a Richard Wilton, in Whitechapel, in 1862, I can categorically refute, as now that the GRO provide a search facility, a quick look showed that this record was the death of a child, aged 1.)

In 1861, the widowed Catherine (surname transcribed as Wilson), was living with her brother, William Byatt, in Little Canfield. George Wilton, aged 1, was listed there as nephew to the head of the household. There was a Stephen Wilton (13) Baker, lodging in the household of Elizabeth Edwards (73) at Dunmow Down, Great Dunmow, however, I believe this was a pseudonym used by Catherine's son Richard Wilton (see 1884 below). While, the 13 year old Elizabeth and her 4 year old sister, Ellen (listed as being 6), were that year, listed as inmates in the Great Dunmow Union Workhouse.

Catherine then remarried to John Eldred, widower, on 27 Sep 1862 in Great Dunmow. (Various records list her previous surname as Walton or Wilson.)

John Eldred (bap. 10 Mar 1822 in Great Dunmow) son of William Eldred and Eleanor Fewell, had married for the first time to Harriett Page, on 20 Aug 1848, in Great Dunmow. John and Harriett Eldred had three sons:

1. John Eldred b. 1849 D Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 12 Page 73, bap. 10 Jul 1853 in Great Dunmow. (Died aged 10, in 1860 J Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 04A Page 224)
2. Walter Eldred b. 1852 D Quarter in WHITECHAPEL Volume 01C Page 355, bap. 10 Jul 1853 in Great Dunmow. On the baptism, his father's occupation is listed as Brewer's Servant and address given as No 12 Smith Place High Street Wapping London. (Died, aged 18, in 1871 J Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 256)
3. Alfred Eldred b. 1855 M Quarter in SAINT GEORGE (IN THE EAST) Volume 01C Page 468 (for reasons unknown the mother's maiden name is listed as PORTER, but there does not appear to be another Alfred Eldred it could relate to) bap. 12 Aug 1855 in Great Dunmow

But Harriet Eldred died aged 28, in 1855 D Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 312.

John Eldred remarried to Elizabeth Tennisse, Widow, daughter of John Pitts, Mariner, on 2 Nov 1856 at Christ Church, St George in the East. Elizabeth Pitts had previously married James Tennisse (born Jacobus Teunisse on 8 Feb 1823 in Amsterdam, Netherlands) on 5 Jun 1854, in Bethnal Green. The pair had three children, all of whom died as infants: Maria Sophia Tennisse (1849-1853); James John Tennisse (1851-1856) and Sarah Tennisse (1853-1855). James Tennisse also died, aged just 32, in 1855, in Stepney.

John and Elizabeth Eldred had one daughter:

1. Thomazine Maria Eldred b. 24 Jul 1857 S Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 413, bap. 4 Apr 1858 in the parish of St George in the East, Stepney. Her father's occupation was listed as Drayman and their address again as 12 Smith's Place.

Then Elizabeth Pitts Eldred died, aged 30, on 1 Apr 1859 (1859 J Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 271).

So when Catherine Wilton married John Eldred, she became his third wife.

In 1871, living in Braintree Road, Great Dunmow, were John Eldred (44) Ag Lab, Catherine Eldred (42) both had lost 5 years; Walter Eldred (18) Son, Alfred Eldred (16) Son, Maria Eldred (13) Daughter, Ellen Wilton (14) Step-Daughter; George Wilton (11) Step-Son; and Alice Wilton (2) Granddaughter (Alice Catherine Wilton born 12 Feb 1869, to Elizabeth Wilton.)

Then John Eldred died, aged 49, in 1876 D Quarter in WEST HAM UNION Volume 04A Page 54.

In 1881, Catherine Eldridge (sic) (56) Widow, Dressmaker from Canfield, Essex, was living at 23, Powis Road, Bromley, Poplar, with Richard Wilton (31) Labourer; George Wilton (21) Labourer; Ellen Wilton (24) Match Maker (although listed as married); Susan Robinson (21) Match Maker (Boarder) and four Lodgers: William Wardley (20) Labourer from Sudbury, Suffolk; Arthur Seatch (36) Labourer from Bromley; Frank Poulter (24) Carman from Cambridge and James Howard (18) Match Maker (Fusee) from Bromley.

Matchgirl strikers, several showing early symptoms of phosphorus necrosis. Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

White Slavery in London

Living little more than half a mile from the Bryant & May's factory in Bow, it's probably reasonable to assume this was where they were all employed, where conditions were especially bad. 

"The match girls worked from 6.30am (or 8am in winter) until 6pm, with just two breaks, standing all the time. “A typical case”, wrote Besant, “is that of a girl of 16, a piece worker; she earns 4s a week ..." (Worth around £26 in 2020).

"Conditions were appalling for the 1,400 women and girls who worked at Bryant and May's match factory in Bow, East London. Low pay for a 14-hour day was cut even more if you talked or went to the toilet, and 'phossy jaw' - a horrible bone cancer caused by the cheap type of phosphorus in the matches - was common."

"If you handled white phosphorus or came into contact with it too much, then it caused serious damage to your health and you ended up with a terrible condition known as ‘Phossy Jaw’ – where you would get severe toothache followed by swelling of the gums. Abscesses would then form on the jaw-bone, and the facial bones would glow a greeny white in the dark. If untreated then ‘Phossy Jaw’ would develop into brain damage and ultimately multiple organ failure." As a result of these appalling conditions, the London Matchgirls Strike of 1888 started in the factory, which led to the establishment of the first British trade union for women. Match Girls Strike at Bryant and May Factory: The 1888 Uprising for Workers’ Rights in London

The Essex Herald of 20 Oct 1884 reported on "WHOLESALE SHOP LIFTING. - Richard Wilton, a navvy, of Bromley-by-Bow, was brought up in custody charged with stealing a black rep cloth overcoat and 12 pairs of tanned leggings, value £1, from the shop of Edwin Joseph Wilton, in High Street, Dunmow on Saturday night last. Prisoner was further charged with stealing six twill jackets, value 24s, the property of Mr John Beard, of North Street, Great Dunmow, on Saturday night. Superintendent Ackers stated that the greater part of the property had been recovered and identified, and, it being believed that others were implicated in the robbery, he asked that the prisoner, who was only arrested on Sunday night, might be remanded. The prisoner was accordingly remanded for a week. Later reports, which (named the perp as Stephen Wilton (36) Baker) noted that Mr [Edwin] Wilton stated the prisoner was his cousin. The prisoner was acquitted. (There were two cousins, to both Richard and Edwin, named Stephen Wilton [1] [2] - neither were angels - but I'm sure this was Richard and not either of them.

Of Catherine's surviving children and two step-children: her daughter Elizabeth Wilton; her son George Wilton; Alfred Eldred and Thomazine Maria Eldred ... all four gave the name Catherine as the first or middle name to their first child. In the case of her step-son, Alfred's wife's mother was also named Catherine to account for this, but for all of them to use the name, I think tells us far more about Catherine as a person than records usually can.

So far, I've not found a death for Catherine, but with so many incorrect names given throughout her life, it's not easy to guess what it might be listed under. There's also the chance, of course, that she remarried once again and therefore this is under yet another totally new name.