Both the birth and death certificates for Lofty’s mother Emma arrived today, and, as ever there is some sadness.

First the good news…

The birth certificate shows that Emma was born on 16th August 1893 to John William Marsh and Jane Marsh (formerly Spencer). John William Marsh was a Pit Sinker and the family was living at Hickleton Main Cottages, Thurnscoe.

Hickleton Main was a colliery and the cottages were provided for its workers:

Victorian Countryside, by G. E. Mingay – Google Books

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jil6nzqbZz8C&pg=RA2-PA360&lpg=RA2-PA360&dq=Hickleton+Main+Cottages&source=bl&ots=oJi1qm1fRV&sig=plarNIYJXvoeo1GwUl7NbYgVC84&hl=en&ei=gd9FSuKCCNqrjAfDx9D8AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1

The birth certificate gives confirmation that Emma’s mother’s maiden name was Spencer.

The death certificate adds to the evidence that Emma became institutionalised.

Her death was recorded as taking place at Winterton Hospital, Sedgefield, Durham on 16th January 1978. Loft is given as the informant.

Winterton Hospital appears to have been an asylum. There is no indication of how long she had been in the institution.

In the nineteen seventies, when Lofty was researching his own family history, he asked me to drive him up to see his rediscovered mother.

We tried to go up on a Winter’s morning, but we had to turn back because of fog on the motorway (my first experience of motorway madness). The radio was broadcasting that Graham Hill, the racing driver had died in a plane crash the day before. So this must have been 30th November 1975 (I wonder why I was off school?). The visit was rescheduled for early the following year.

I remember sitting in a bay window, the light behind me, when they wheeled in Emma. Lofty gave her a hug and looked towards me with tears in his eyes – clearly moved.

The nurse said to Emma “here’s your son Emma”. Her response was “Billy? Is it Billy?” and, sadly, that was about the extent of the conversation.

Lofty was stoic on the way home and explained that when his father disappeared she had been put in a workhouse and had never really left institutions in one form or another.

On Emma’s death the state, having stolen her life, having pushed her from one institution to another, having placed Lofty in a children’s home at the age of 3, sent him the bill for the funeral.

What our ancestors were up to according to the 1901 Census…

Sunter

1901 Census which shows that Charles Sunter is aged 19, a railway Stoker, and living at 5 Victoria Street, Thornaby. 

Thornaby is in Stockport and just to the South East of Unicorn Yard and Brunswick Street.  I cannot find Victoria Street on Google Earth although there is a Victoria Road.

The household is composed of:

• Jane A Sunter, head, widow, 57, Leadgale
• William Sunter, stepson, single, 29, Labourer Iron Works, Yorkshire Heights Swaledale
• Charles Sunter, son, single, 19, Railway Engin (sic) Stoker, Howden Le Wear
• Dorothy Sunter, daughter, 13, Yorkshire Redcar
• Gertrude Sunter, daughter, 11, Yorkshire Redcar
• Olive J Sunter, daughter, 10, Stockton
• Joseph Sunter, son, 6, Thornaby
• Edward Sunter, son, 3, Thornaby

Rick McGarry points out that Jane had a further son, James, in 1901. This implies that she must have been pregnant at the time of the census. Presumably William and Charles are a source of income for the family.

 Marsh family

John William Marsh (33), Jane Marsh (34) and Emma Marsh (7) are living in Leeds, Yorkshire. John is listed as being born in Leeds and is a Pit Sinker; Jane was born in Liverpool; and Emma is listed as being born in Rotherham, Yorkshire.

Emma’s sister, Amy (15), is living at 76 Kieghley Road, Halifax. She is a servant in the Driver household. James driver, the head of the househod is a 28 year old Gas Engineer’s Cashier. His brother in law, Thomas Ask is a solicitor’s clerk.

Merediths

Edward Meredith (24) is living in lodging at 25 Norton Road Stourbridge. He is boarding with Walter and Caroline Knowles. Edward is a carter for a wine merchant (the career his is to follow for the rest of his life). Walter is a carter for a corn dealer. There are several other carters and a glass blower living in nearby houses.

Edward’s parents, Joseph and Ann, and his brother – also Joseph – are living in Kingsford Lane, Kinver. Joseph snr is an ‘ordinary agricultural labourer’. Joseph jnr is a ‘Groom domestic’.

Hills

The Hill family (12 of them) are Farm bailiffs at Castle Hill Farm, Wolverley. Alfred Hill is a Farm Bailiff and has responsibility for running the farm. Alfred, 19, and Fred, 15 are farm labourers. Frances May – “Auntie May” is an 8 month old baby.
 
 

Edward (34), Ada (34), Gertrude (1) and Edward Meredith (4) living at 3 Bath Cottages, Cecil Street Stourbridge. They have three singers lodging with them. 
Joseph and Ann Meredith are living alone at Bird’s Barn, Kingsley, Wolverley.

Hill

Alfred (61), Alice (56), Edward (21), Sidney Walter (16), Amy Maud (14), James Earnest (12) and Frances May (10) are living at Beehive Farm, Golden Cross Lane, Catshill near Bromsgrove. Alfred , Sidney Walter and Edward are listed as farm workers and then more specifically as ‘haulers’ working on their own account.

Sunter (and Marsh)

Charles Sunter (29) is living with his soon to be wife, Emma Marsh (17). She is pregnant. They are boarding with Emma’s parents John William Marsh (45) and a Lodging House Keeper, his wife Jane (46) and their other daughter Amy Dawson who is registered on the census as married, although her husband is not with her on this night. Charles is an unemployed ‘fireman, locomotive’.

Of Charles’s family Jane Ann Sunter, his mother is in the Middlesbrough Workhouse. She is 46, a widow and working as ‘relife (sic) foster mother’ helping to look after 12 boys aged from 5 to 15. Ironically she is not looking after her own children:

Joe Sunter (16) and Edward (13) are living at the Edgworth National Children’s home near Bolton. Joe is listed as an office boy – it is believed he went on to be editor of the Colne Times. Edward became a Congregationalist minister and died in 1964 near Halifax.

A third son, James (9) is living at Long Melford in Suffolk with watch maker Robert Henry Miles (55) and his wife of two years Unity (57). Robert’s son, Reginald Victor Miles (15), a post office messenger is also living with them, along with another boarder Albert Blake, also aged 9.  

Grace Elizabeth (26) married Alexander Crombie (45) in 1908. They are living with their one year old daughter Annie Rebecca at ‘Cottage rear f 89 High Street, Esplanade, Recar, Yorkshire’.

Of Dorothy (23), Gertrude (21) and Olive (20) there is no trace in the 1911 Census. There are possible records of a marriage of a Dorothy H Sunter in 1926 and Gertrude Sunter to John McKinnel in Stockton in 1923.

Jane Ann Sunter also had two step children from Joseph’s first marriage to Isabella.

William Sunter (38) is now living at Redcar at 3 North Terrace Coatham. He is a Labourer cycle manufacturer. He is boarding with 55 years old widow Margaret Graham and her son ‘Jn’ who is 25 and whose occupation is described as ‘slater house’ – possibly slaughter house?

A record of Hannah Sunter cannot be found on the 1911 census.

Which leaves further research questions: 

• Where were Fred’s uncle and aunt’s Meredith?
• Who is missing and where were they?

And here it is.  The 1911 Census entry for 14 West Row Stockton on Tees.

Whatever did we do before Google?  Now a Google Search confirms that Unicorn Yard and West Row were in the same place.  Google Earth shows that the location of this, and John’s birthplace in Brunswick Street are very close to each other.

Things to note:

1. The head of the household and lodging house keeper is John William Marsh.  His wife is Jane Marsh.  They have been married for 26 years and are aged 45 and 40 respectively.  These are my great grandparents.
2. Living with John and Jane are their surving two children (out of five) both daughters – Amy Dawson (25) and Emma Marsh (17).  Amy is an out of work servant.  She has been married for 6 years and has had three children, one of which has died.
3. There are 20 residents listed in the household – eight of whom are unemployed.  The list of trades seems to confirm the type of grim property it was.
4. The first of the boarders listed is Charles Sunter.  Can it be mere coincidence that he is first listed?  More likely there is already a relationship between Emma and Charles leading the family to list first.  Charles is a ‘fireman locomotive’, although out of work at the time of the census.  He is 29 years old and born in Howden Le Wear, County Durham.
5. Emma and Charles are my Grandparents.
6. The information suggests that John William Sunter is named after his grandfather, John William Marsh.

Born 19th November 1917 to Emma Sunter (formerley Marsh) and Charles Sunter.  Charles’ occupation is listed on the birth certificate as “Stoker R.N. H.M.S. Mars. No. 1517 (Labourer at Engineering works).  Place of Birth is listed as 62 Brunswick Street, Stockton on Tees.

The birth was registered by Jane Marsh of 3 Unicorn Yard, High Street, Stockton on Tees.