Person:Caroline Mason (4)

Caroline Mason was baptised on 7th July 1822 at Kings Worthy in Hampshire, daughter of a labourer and gardener called William Mason and his wife Mary. Caroline’s father died in 1836, when Caroline was thirteen years old. It has yet to be established when her mother died.

By 1841 Caroline had moved to the nearby city of Winchester, where she lived with her older sister Sarah and her husband William Miles on Kingsgate Street, appearing there in the 1841 census.

On 7th June 1841 (the day after the census) Caroline married Walter Savage at the Independent Chapel in Winchester. Caroline’s brother-in-law William Miles was one of the witnesses to their marriage.

Walter worked as a saddler, harness maker and last maker (lasts being the wooden blocks around which shoes are made). Walter was originally from Winchester, but was living in Southampton by the time of their marriage.

After their marriage, Caroline and Walter moved to Southampton, having three sons born there between 1842 and 1846. At the time of their eldest son’s birth they were living on Winchester Street in the Kingsland Place area to the north-east of the town centre.

Sometime between 1846 and 1848 the family left Southampton and moved about twenty miles along the coast to Portsmouth. They had a daughter born in Portsmouth in 1848. Sadly, she died when only ten months old in March 1849.

Later that year, on 15th June 1849, Caroline also died. She was about 27 years old and had been suffering with phthisis (tuberculosis) for over two years. She died at 14 Hampton Terrace in the Landport area of Portsmouth, which was also where her sister Sarah was living at the time – Sarah was present at Caroline’s death and acted as informant. Walter survived Caroline by over 33 years.

1. ↑ Church of England. Parish Church of Kingsworthy. Parish registers, 1538-1945. (Winchester, England: Hampshire Record Office, 1992).

   7 Jul 1822 / Caroline / dau[ghter] of W[illia]m & Mary / Mason / Kings Worthy / Labourer

   This baptism has been linked to the Caroline Mason who married Walter Savage on the basis that Caroline was clearly connected to William and Sarah Miles – living with them in the 1841 census the night before her marriage, having her marriage witnessed by William Miles, and with Sarah Miles being the informant for her death. Sarah’s maiden name was also Mason and in the later censuses Sarah consistently gave her place of birth as Kings Worthy. Caroline’s marriage certificate gives her father’s name as William Mason. This baptism is at roughly the right time to be the Caroline who married Walter Savage, whilst William and Mary Mason also had a daughter called Sarah who had been baptised at Kings Worthy in 1818. We therefore conclude Sarah and Caroline were sisters.

2. ↑ England. 1841 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 410; Book 5; Folio 4; Page 3, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Kingsgate Road, Winchester (St Faith), Hampshire
   William Miles, male, 20 [1816-21], R[ail] Road Lab[ourer], born in county
   Sarah Miles, female, 20 [1816-21], born in county
   Caroline Mason, female, 15 [1821-6], born in county

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

   REGISTRATION DISTRICT Portsea Island
   1849 DEATH in the Sub-District of Landport and Southsea in the County of Southampton
   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
   230	Fifteenth of June 1849 7h 45m P.M. 14 Hampton Terrace, Landport	Caroline Savage	Female	28 years [1820/1]	Wife of Walter Savage (Harness Maker)	Phthisis above 2 years Certified	The Mark of X Sarah Miles Present at the death 14 Hampton Terrace, Landport	Eighteenth of June 1849	John Thomas Sueter, Registrar

   
4. ↑ Burials register, in Portsmouth, Hampshire: Parish Registers of St Mary, Portsea (Portsmouth City Council Library & Archive Service, Portsmouth).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Portsea in the County of Hants in the Year 1849
   No	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   1291	Caroline Savage	Hampton St[reet]	June 20	28 [1820/1]	G.D.W. Dickson