Person:Cain Smith (1)

Cain Smith was baptised on 13th October 1779 at Brinklow in Warwickshire. His baptism describes him as being “a Gypsy Child”, and does not name his parents.

Cain’s next sighting in 1798, by which time he was married to a woman called Trinity, when they had a daughter called Avenay baptised at Holdenby in Northamptonshire.

Cain and Trinity travelled around extensively. Between 1798 and 1824 baptisms for nine of their children have been found in eight different parishes across the three counties of Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Huntingdonshire. Two of the baptisms note that the family was from Brinklow. The fact that this was noted on those two baptisms may have been an effort on the part of the baptising parishes to deny responsibility for the family under the Poor Laws. It is entirely possible that there were other children in addition to these nine for whom baptisms have been found; some Gypsy baptisms in the area at this time do not record the parents’ names.

Cain’s name was variously recorded as Cain, Cainy, Cainey, Keneth, and Cane. As well as being described as a Gypsy in many records, Cain was also described as a fiddler, basket maker and labourer. One of Cain’s sons died when just over a year old in 1816, whilst another died aged nineteen in 1836.

Trinity died on 26th January 1851 in a Gypsy tent on the road between Great Casterton and Ryhall, in the parish of Great Casterton in Rutland. She was said to be seventy years old. She was buried two days later at neighbouring Little Casterton, described as a vagrant.

In 1852, Cain was charged with stealing a shirt at Stamford. He was tried at the Quarter Sessions in Northampton, found guilty, and sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment.

Cain later returned to the Stamford area. He died on 9th April 1856, aged 76, at the Stamford Union Workhouse (which was in the parish of Stamford Baron, Northamptonshire). An obituary notice in the Stamford Mercury described him as “Cain alias Gipsy Smith formerly of Wittering”.

1. ↑ Church of England. Brinklow Parish Registers, 1558-1978. (Warwick: Warwickshire Record Office).

   A[nno] Dom[ini] 1779
   Octo[be]r 13 Cain Smith (a Gypsy Child)

   This baptism has been linked to the Cain Smith who married Trinity on the basis that Cain and Trinity’s daughter Ambrothy’s baptism described Cain as being “a travelling Gypsey of the Parish of Brinklow, Warwickshire”, whilst their son Diverus’s baptism describes them as “wandering Gypsies belonging to Brinklow Warwickshire”. The age given on Cain’s death certificate implies that he was born around 1779.

2. ↑ Death certificate, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   Registration District Stamford Union
   1856 Death in the Sub-district of Stamford in the Counties of Lincoln, Rutland and Northampton
   No.	When and where died	Name and surname	Sex	Age	Occupation	Cause of death	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   366	Ninth April 1856 Union Workhouse Saint Martins Stamford	Cain Smith	Male	76 years [1779/80]	Almsman (Formerly a Labourer)	Natural Decay Certified	John William Kirby Present at the Death Union Workhouse Stamford	Ninth April 1856	Harry Whithome, Registrar

   
3. ↑ Burials register, in Stamford Baron, Northamptonshire, England. Parish Registers of Stamford Baron St Martin.

   BURIALS in the Parish of St Martin Stamford Baron in the County of Northampton in the Year 1856
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   1480	Cain Smith	Union Workhouse	April 10th	76 [1779/80]	Joseph Place, Curate

4.   Stamford Mercury, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   21 May 1852.

   At St. Martin's, Stamford Baron, on Friday last, before the Rev. C. Atlay, Cain Smith, a gipsy, was committed for trial at Northampton sessions on the charge of stealing a shirt, the property of Wm. Manton, of Easton, woodman.

5.   England & Wales Criminal Registers 1791-1892 (The National Archives, Kew).

   Tried at General Quarter Sessions, Northampton, 30th June 1852
   Name: Cain Smith
   Offence: Larceny
   Sentence: 6 weeks imprisonment

6.   Stamford Mercury, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 3, 11 Apr 1856.

   DIED.
   At the Union-house, Stamford… on the 9th, Cain alias Gipsy Smith, formerly of Wittering, aged 76.