Charles Snowball’s birth certificate arrived today.   As per the tradition the father’s name column is left blank (it makes my blood boil how it all falls onto the woman), but the name is definitely Charles Hull as opposed the Charles Hall.  The finger of suspicion reverts back to the Hull household where Jane Ann Snowball, Charles’ mother, was working as a servant in 1881.

By 1881 the Merediths, Joseph and Ann were living at Checkhill – not far from where Ashwood Nurseries are today. The Hills were alive and well and living at Highgrove – between Kinver and the Whitington pub.

But tragedy was not far away for the Meredith family. Two young children were to die, whilst there mother was to suffer a still born child within two months.

The family bible records that Ellen L Meredith, just 1 year old when recorded in this sentence, was to die on January 12th 1884. Within a month on 5th February a second blow hit the family. George Meredith, aged just eight days short of his third birthday. Two months after that and a child was delivered still born to Joseph and Ann. A truly tragic time.

The excellent website A Vision of Britain Through Time produces statistics based on enumeration districts gives a good breakdown of age in Kinver at this time. This shows that the distribution of ages was not unusual. Many families did have young children.

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Sadly though the infant mortality rate was also high. One can only assume that the child death rate was also high. But it is doubtful whether the higher child death rates at the time made the loss any less traumatic for the parents of those involved.

1881 Census – Checkhill Kinver

Joseph Meredith, Head, Married, 39, Ag La, Staffordshire, Wollaston

Ann Meredith, Wife, Married, 39, Staffs Enville

Joseph, Son, 10, Scholar, Staffs Kinver

Maria, Daughter, 8, Staffs Brierley Hill

Caroline M Meredith, daughter,6, Scholar, Staffs Brierley Hill

Edward Meredith, son, 3, Staffs Brierley Hill

Ellen L Meredith, Daughter, 1, Staffs Enville

1881 Census – Highgrove, Kinver – High Grove Farm (Ecclesiatical District of Whittington)

Alfred Hill, Head, Married, 28, Shepherd, Staffordshire, Wolverley

Alice Hill, Wife, Married, 26, Warwickshire Stratford on Avon

Ada K Hill, Daughter, 4, Worcestershire, Hagley

Alice M Hill, Daughter 2, Worcestershire, Hagley

So perhaps it was Charles Hull Sunter (a la Snowball family website) after all.  Jane is working as a servant at the Hull family each year.  The lads in the house could have been the suspects…but then there’s the Hull who lives a few doors away.

Could there be more Hull family in the area who could provide suspects too?  I decided to browse through the Census for Bishop Auckland and suddenly this entry jumped out at me.  CHARLES HALL. OMG!

Could it have been a hall after all.  Rick McGarry indated the birth certificate was for Charles Hall Snowball.  I thought this could be down to transcription errors.  But now it appears there was a Charles Hall in the area.  Aged 46 lodging in a house of 49 residents a tin miner by trade and from London.

Could this be the father of Charles (our great grandfather)?  Did Jane take not just his last name, but also the first name for Charles Snowball from his father – Charles Hall Snowball?  After all many families named their first son after the father. If she did get pregnant by Hall what would the reaction of the Hull family have been?

I’m going to have to get hold of the birth certificate which could take a few weeks.

Jane Snowball gave birth to an illegitimate son, Charles in 1882. But who was the father?

The 1881 Census for Howden Le Wear shows the Snowball family – miners – were living there. But no Jane. A check back to the census in 1871 shows that she had been living with the family then.

So where is Jane?

Over in Bishop Auckland we can find a Jane. And just look who she’s living with!

3 South Road Bishop Auckland

Thomas Hull, Head, Maried 47, Auctioneer and Valuer, Bishop Auckland.

Isabith? (Isebitt? Hull, Wife, Marrie, 47, Durham Stockton on Tees

William L Hull,Son, Unm, 21, Auctioneer Clerk, Bishop Auckland

Joseph G Hull, Son, Unm

Thomas A Hull, Son, 17, ? Shopman? West Harlepool

Minnie Hull, Daughter, 12, Scholar, West Hartlepool

Walter B Hull, Son, 11, Scholar, Durah, West Hartlepool

Jane A M Snowball, Servant, Unmarried, 18, Servant, Durham Gateshead

Yes, servant to the Hull family.

So you would think this is the tale of a Servant girl, away from home attracting the eye of one of the alds in the Hull family. Assuming that Walter, at 11 was too young (now that really would be a story) then the suspects must be William L, Joseph G, or Thomas A…or perhaps even at a long shot head of the family Thomas Hull.

But wait…just a few doors away at 2 Fairless Street lives Arthur H Hull, son of Hannah Hull. He is eighteen years old. His trade is difficult to work out…(Curvier’s assistant?), although his mother is a glass and china dealer.

Mmm. A real whodunnit! Prime suspects:

William L Hull aged 21

Joseph G Hull aged 19

Thomas A Hull aged 17

Arthur Hull aged 18

Or maybe even Thomas Hull married and aged 47.

What do you think?

The facts…

Charles is born on 12th March 1882. The Snowball family website states that Charles is the offspring of the marriage of Joseph Sunter and Jane Anne Snowball.

Joseph and Jane got married on 14th September 1883 – a full 18 months after Charles was born. So he was illegitimate.

Remember Joseph was married to Isabella. She was living away from the area in the 1881 census. Was the relationship on the rock even then.

Isabella died in the first quarter of 1883 leaving the way open for Joseph to marry Jane.

Could Charles have been Isabella’s son? I don’t think so. In the 1901 Census data Jane is a widow and head of household. Isabella and Joseph’s son, William, is listed as her stepson. Charles is listed as her own son.

What would the effect of this be on Charles? William, surely, would have known the full story – Charles must have known. Given the social norms of the time what effect would this have had on Charles’ outlook? Could this help to explain the mystery disappearance when Lofty was a child?
 

Now I’ve returned to the 1881 census.  As noted previously Joseph doesn’t seem to appear on this census.  But a search for his wife Isabella reveals that she has moved to West Derby, Lancashire and is living at 106 Edge Lane.

The census entry reads:

• Isabella Sunter, head, 31, Milk Dealer

• William Sunter, son, 9, scholar, Gunnerside

• Hannah Sunter, daughter, 3, Durham Bishop Auckland

• Mary E Guy,  Sister, 12, Scholar, Yorkshire Geensykes

• Matty Sunter,Sister,22, Housekeeper, Gunnerside

• Richard T Pritchard, 16, abt 1865, Dairy Servant

I guess we’ll never know where Joseph was on this night.  We do know that by 1891 William is listed as Jane A Sunter’s stepson (see earlier entry).

Sadly Isabella died during the first quarter of 1883 and teh death ws registered in the district of Auckland, Durham (vol 10a p 128).

This link is strong enough to now identify Hannah and William as Joseph’s parents – my great, great grand parents.