Inherited Craziness
A place to share all the nuts found on my family tree

Showing posts with label Railway Labourer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Railway Labourer. Show all posts

Wednesday 6 March 2024

James Prescott and Mary Ann Stone

Tiverton : Gold Street
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Lewis Clarke - geograph.org.uk/p/1658721

James Prescott (b. 1858 in Washfield, Devon), son of John Prescott and Jane Gage, married Mary Ann Stone (b. 1860, in Ashbrittle, Somerset), daughter of Henry Stone and Mary Ridgeway, at St Peter's, Tiverton, on 6 Mar 1882. Witnesses were Henry Stone and Harriet Stone, Mary Ann's sister.

By 1881, Mary Ann (21) had left home and had been working, as a General Domestic Servant, for Alfred T Gregory, Newspaper Proprietor, in Gold Street, Tiverton, hence marrying in the town. (Alfred Gregory was publishing titles such as the Tiverton Gazette and East Devon Herald, Western Observer and affiliated papers for South Molton and Crediton. (The Tiverton and District Directory for 1894-5 lists them as, Gregory, Son, and Tozer.)

However, this couple were married for little more than a year, when Mary Ann Prescott died, tragically aged just 23, on 14 Apr 1883, in Chapel Street, Tiverton, from Acute Phthisis Pulmonalis (Tuberculosis (TB) 18 days - I'd suspected this when reading that Mary Ann had been present at the death of her brother, John Stone, when he had died from Phthisis, in the August of 1882. Her mother-in-law, Jane Prescott, was present at Mary Ann's death. 

Not unsurprisingly, James Prescott remarried quite quickly, to a Jane Davey in the 1st quarter of 1884, also in Tiverton. Then, in the 3rd quarter of 1884, they had a son Charles, who, it appears was their only child. 

My connection was broken once Mary Ann died, but one can't help being curious: In 1891, James Prescott (32), Labourer, wife Jane and son Charles were living in Eglwysilan, Glamorganshire, Wales; in 1901, we find the trio - with James a Navvy Ganger - in Staines, Middlesex and then, in 1911, with James Prescott (56) Dock Labourer, at 15 Unicorn St, Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire with Jane Prescott (57) and five other dock labourers in the household, presumably boarders. Son Charles, also living in Unicorn Street, Portsmouth and a Railway Labourer, was by then married. You wouldn't expect labourers at that time to have moved around so much or so far.

James' parents, John and Jane Prescott, meanwhile, then aged 78 and 83, respectively, were still alive and still living in Tiverton in 1911.

James Prescott was buried on 22 Oct 1913, in Uplowman.

Sunday 28 March 2021

William Henry Bridle and Emma Lucas

Interior of St Thomas a Becket's Church, Thorverton, Devon
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Derek Voller - geograph.org.uk/p/4038111

William Henry Bridle (b. 1844 in Rockbeare, Devon), son of Thomas Parsons Bridle and Elizabeth Wills, married Emma Lucas, in 1870, in Thorverton. 

The births of their four sons are widely spaced, but I found no others:
  1. William Bridle b. 1871 in Brampford Speke
  2. Mark Bridle b. 9 Jan 1876 in Newton St Cyres
  3. John Lucas Bridle b. 11 Jun 1879 in Newton St Cyres
  4. Harry Bridle b. 7 Aug 1887 in Stoke Canon
In 1871, Henry Bridle (26), Agricultural Labourer, Emma (21) and William (1) were living in Brampford Speke

In 1881, they had moved to Lilly Road, Newton St Cyres, Crediton and Henry (36) had changed occupation to Railway Labourer. 

In 1891, we find them living in Stoke Canon, where 4th son, Harry was born. Henry, listed as William Henry (45), was once again working as an Agricultural Labourer, wife Emma (40), with Mark (14), John L (11) and Harry (3).

In 1901 in the very small village or hamlet of Nether Exe (24 households in 1086), are Henry (56), Emma (51), with just Harry (13) still left at home. 

And in 1911, back in Stoke Canon, William Henry Bridle (66), Farm Labourer, and his wife, Emma (62), were living in the household of their son Mark and his wife, Maud Lucy Medcalf (who he married in St Pancras, London in 1905), along with Mark's nephew, Harry (3) and Elizabeth Deroney (72), boarder. 

In 1921, William H Bridle (76) described as 'Blind Retired' and Emma Bridle (71) were still living in Stoke Canon, Devon.

Henry Bridle died in 1928, aged 84. 

Emma Bridle died in 1937, aged 88.

Saturday 27 March 2021

Lewis Jerred and Mary Elizabeth Williams

Chapel Hill, St Erth
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Bill Boaden - geograph.org.uk/p/4062395

In 1888, Louis Jerrad (sic) married Mary Elizabeth Williams (born in St Erth, Cornwall), in Christchurch, Hampshire (now Christchurch, Dorset). 

The son of John Jerred and Frances Ann Orchard and elder brother of Frances Mary Jerred, Louis Jerred (as he was often listed), born in Silverton, Devon, was actually registered as Lewis Jerrad (sic) in the 2nd quarter of 1863. In 1871, aged 8, he was with the family in Sowton, but in 1881, Louis Jerred (18) was a Baker's Apprentice to George Hannabus, Master Confectioner, in Angel Hill, Tiverton. (George Hannabus was from Cadbury, Devon, which might have inspired a good name for a confectionery business ...) 

Mary Elizabeth, a Domestic, was the daughter of John Williams, a Tin Miner, and his wife Honor, of 2, Greenwich, St Erth, Penzance, Cornwall in 1881. 

Lewis and Mary Elizabeth Jerred had six children: 
  1. Ernest John Jerred b. 27 Feb 1891 in Bournemouth, Hampshire
  2. Arthur Jerred b, 1893 M Qtr in KINGSBRIDGE Vol 05B Page 194
  3. Ethel May Jerred b. 1896 M Qtr in KINGSBRIDGE Vol 05B Page 189
  4. Albert William Jerred b. 9 July 1898 in KINGSBRIDGE Vol 05B 184
  5. Honor Frances Jerred b. 1900 J Qtr in KINGSBRIDGE Vol 05B Page 169
  6. Violet Mary Jerred b. 15 July 1903 in KINGSBRIDGE Vol 05B Page 164
Louis and Mary Elizabeth are elusive in 1891, but their first child had been born that year, in Boscombe, historically Hampshire, today in Dorset. 

By 1893, they'd moved back to the south west to settle at Loddiswell, near Kingsbridge in Devon. There in 1901, listed as Lewis Jerred (36), Railway Labourer, with Mary E Jerred (38), Ernest J Jerred (11), Arthur Jerred (8), Ethel M Jerred (5), Albert W Jerred (2) and Honor F Jerred (0).

In 1911, still in Loddiswell, Devon, were Lewis Jerred (46) Railway Labourer; Mary Elizabeth Jerred (48), Ethel May Jerred (15), Alfred William Jerred (12), Honor Frances Jerred (10) and Violet Mary Jerred (7). Ernest John Jerred (20) had joined the Royal Navy in 1909, as a Stoker, and was with the Royal Navy At Sea And In Ports Abroad with HMS Edgar (1890). Not found Arthur.

In 1921, Lewis Jerred (56) Railway Labourer for the Great Western Railway Company was living at Quarry Park, Loddiswell, Devon with Mary Elizabeth Jerred (58), Albert William Jerred (22) Farm Labourer Out of Work and Violet Jerred (17) who was employed doing garden work at a nursery. 

Mary Elizabeth Jerred died in 1931 S Qtr in KINGSBRIDGE.

In 1939, Lewis Jerred was living at 36 Wallingford Road, Kingsbridge

The Great Western Railway (GWR) had opened the Kingsbridge branch line in 1893 and it was closed in 1963. Lewis Jerred, who died in 1951 J Quarter in KINGSBRIDGE, at the age of 88, thankfully, won't have seen the closure. 

Sunday 21 March 2021

John Stone: Attempting to ravish and carnally know

Hockworthy: Hockford Cottage
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Martin Bodman - geograph.org.uk/p/164609

John Stone, the third of Henry Stone and Mary Ridgeway's children, born in Ashbrittle, Somerset, in 1858, may have been a bit of a rogue. 

In 1861, John (3), like his older brothers, was at home with his parents at Court Place, Ashbrittle. I've not been able to locate him in 1871, when he will have been around 13, but he'd already left his parents' home. Undoubtedly employed as a farm labourer, his employer probably didn't know much about him, so he may well appear on the census, but with details they guessed.

In 1873, aged 15, John Stone, was arrested and taken to the Devon County Prison, on 2 Jun, accused of "Attempting to ravish and carnally know Maria Disney on the 28th May, 1873, at Hockworthy." The committing magistrate was J. C. New, Esq., of Cullompton, but John wasn't tried: the bill was ignored for assault with intent to ravish, indecent assault and assault. No further details or clues as to why the case did not proceed, but as Peter Calver of Lost Cousins suggested, securing a conviction was difficult in those times.

On the 1871 census, Mariah Disney (then 12, so 14 at the time of the alleged assault), daughter of John Disney, farm labourer, was living at Hockford Barton, Hockworthy. We may assume she was the young lady in question. 

[NOTE: John's sister, Harriet Stone, married their first cousin, James Ridgway. James Ridgway's mother was Ann Tooze, who's own mother was Eliza Disney, so there's no doubt that John was also "keeping it in the family"!]

Widening the area of search, I eventually found John Stone on the 1881 census living in the household of Henry Payne, Railway Tunnel Miner, at Railway Hut, Hurst Green, Oxted, Godstone, Surrey. Living there were Henry Payne (31), his wife, four children aged 5 to 11, as well as nine men, all boarders, all railway tunnel labourers. And at the bottom of the long list was John Stone (22), Tunnel Miner's Labourer, born in Somerset.

The Oxted Tunnel - on the Oxted line, which passes under the North Downs in two tunnels, and then splits into two branches at Hurst Green, adjoining Oxted in Surrey - opened in 1884. It doesn't take much imagination, therefore, to work out what John must have been working on in 1881. Living in what must have been horrendous conditions, with so many people crammed into an undoubtedly overcrowded space, lacking in facilities will have been a perfect environment for transmitting infectious diseases ...

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

John Stone was buried, on 3 Sep 1882, in the churchyard at Uplowman.

Grave of John Stone and his parents, Mary and Henry Stone, in Uplowman Churchyard

Friday 26 February 2021

Robert Middleton and Mary Pyke

The Square, North Tawton
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Derek Harper - geograph.org.uk/p/2768080

Robert Middleton (bap. 4 Jun 1826 in Knowstone), son of Robert Middleton and Elizabeth Baker, and elder brother of Jane Middleton, married Mary Pyke (bap. 1 Feb 1829), daughter of Hugh Pyke a Cordwainer, in the town of North Tawton in Devon and his wife, Elizabeth Ellis, in 1855. The marriage may well have taken place at her parish of St Peter's, North Tawton
A cordwainer is a shoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer's trade can be contrasted with the cobbler's trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes.
At home with her parents in Oakhampton Street, North Tawton, in 1841, Mary was the third of five children: John Pyke (15), Jane Pyke (14), Mary Pyke (11), Samuel Pyke (9) and Sarah Pyke (6). There was a further sister, Elizabeth Pyke, two years younger than Sarah. At that time, Robert Middleton, then 15, was already out working, as an Ag Lab, for William Follett at Bransford, Knowstone. 

Unable to find the couple in 1861, by the time we catch up with them in 1871, living in Sampford Courtenay, Robert was still employed as an Ag Lab, and in 1881, in Brightley, Okehampton, when Robert has become a Railway lab - Packer, we find they've been a bit busy. They have at least 7 children: 
  1. James Middleton born 1860  
  2. Thomas Middleton born 1862
  3. Sarah Ann Middleton born 1864
  4. Robert Middleton born 1867
  5. Mary Middleton born 1870
  6. William Middleton born 1873
  7. John Middleton born 1874
Robert Middleton died, aged 63, and was buried on 20 Jul 1889, in Okehampton. In 1891, the widowed Mary had moved into the household of her now married daughter, Mary, and her husband, John Lang, in Oakhampton and stayed with them for the rest of her life. In 1901, aged around 70, Mary was described as a Monthly nurse. Mary died in 1912, aged 84.