Person:Catherine Ward (8)

Catherine Ward was born on 28th February 1824 at Great Hale in Lincolnshire, daughter of Ann Ward, formerly Allam, and her husband Luke Ward, a carpenter. The family were Baptists; Catherine's maternal grandfather, John Allam, was deacon of the Baptist chapel in the neighbouring village of Heckington. Catherine was not baptised until she was 23 years old.

Catherine's grandfather John Allam died in 1841, leaving a house and a small amount of land in Great Hale to Catherine. Catherine's father died in 1844.

The 1851 census finds Catherine working in the city of Peterborough, thirty miles south of Great Hale. She was living on Priestgate Street and working for a Thomas Mills, who was Rector of Northborough, and his family. One of the other servants in the household was a James Bescoby, who was the footman.

Back in Great Hale, Catherine's mother died in 1857.

The 1861 census finds Catherine still living on Priestgate Street in Peterborough and working for the by then widowed Elizabeth Mills, with James Bescoby still working in the same household.

Catherine's employer, Elizabeth Mills, died in 1867. The following year, Catherine married James Bescoby. They married at Thurlby near Bourne in Lincolnshire on 25th November 1868. Catherine's sister Sarah lived at Thurlby, so perhaps Catherine had gone to live with her sister, possibly after Mrs Mills' death.

After their marriage, Catherine and James settled back in Peterborough and James worked as a gardener. They appear in the 1871 census living on Allens Lane there. Catherine and James were married for less than three years before he died in July 1871, aged 44.

Catherine survived James by over 25 years. She appears in both the 1881 and 1891 censuses living on Lincoln Road East in Peterborough. In 1881 she had her great-niece Elizabeth Cox living with her, being Catherine's sister Elizabeth's granddaughter. In 1891 Catherine was living alone.

Catherine died on 12th November 1896 at 88 Lincoln Road East in Peterborough. She was 72 years old. She left a will, which was administered by her brother in law William Everitt, who had been married to Catherine's older sister Ann, who had died the previous year.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Church of Great Hale (Lincolnshire). Parish registers for Great Hale, ca.1568-1988. (Lincoln, England: Lincoln Archives Office, 1993-2002).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Hale Magna in the County of Lincoln in the Year 1847
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   1147	May 30th Born Feb[ruar]y 28th 1824	Catharine D[aughte]r of	Luke & Ann	Ward	Great Hale	Carpenter	C.J. McCormick, Curate

   Baptised same day as siblings Edward, William, Luke, Elizabeth and Rebecca.

2. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1747; Folio 358; Page 30, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Priestgate Street, Peterborough, Northamptonshire
   Thomas Mills, head, married, male, 77 [1773/4], Rector of Northborough, Cowbit, Lincolnshire
   Elizabeth Mills, wife, married, female, 70 [1780/1], b. Peterborough, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth A. Johnson, granddaughter, female, 9 [1841/2], Scholar, b. Spalding, Lincolnshire
   Elizabeth Maplestone, servant, unmarried, female, 28 [1822/3], Governess, b. Spalding, Lincolnshire
   James Bescoby, footman, unmarried, male, 23 [1827/8], Footman, b. Evedon, Lincolnshire
   Catherine Ward, servant, unmarried, female, 27 [1823/4], Housemaid, b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Maria Richardson, servant, unmarried, female, 36 [1814/15], Cook, b. Spilsby, Lincolnshire

3. ↑ England. 1861 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 RG9; Piece 967; Folio 51; Page 14, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Priestgate Street, Peterborough, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth Mills, head, widow, female, 81 [1779/80], b. Peterborough, Northamptonshire
   Catherine Ward, servant, unmarried, female, 36 [1824/5], Servant, b. Peterborough, Northamptonshire
   Catherine Shelford, servant, unmarried, female, 34 [1826/7], Servant, b. Peterborough, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth Walton, servant, unmarried, female, 27 [1833/4], Servant, b. Peterborough, Northamptonshire
   James Bescoby, servant, unmarried, male, 33 [1827/8], Servant, b. Peterborough, Northamptonshire

4. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 1518; Folio 22; Page 36, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Allens Lane, Peterborough, Northamptonshire
   James Bescoby, head, married, male, 44 [1826/7], Gardner, b. Evedon, Lincolnshire
   Catherine Bescoby, wife, married, female, 46 [1824/5], Wife of Gardner, b. Hall Magna [sic], Lincolnshire

5. ↑ England. 1881 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 RG11; Piece 1596; Folio 13; Page 20, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 9 Lincoln Road East, Peterborough, Northamptonshire
   Catherine Bescoby, head, widow, female, 57 [1823/4], Income from Houses, b. Great Hall [sic], Lincolnshire
   Elizabeth A. Cox, visitor, unmarried, female, 16 [1864/5], b. Barnack, Northamptonshire

6. ↑ England. 1891 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 RG12; Piece 1230; Folio 49; Page 31, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 88 Lincoln Road East, Peterborough, Northamptonshire
   Catherine Bescoby, head, widow, female, 67 [1823/4], Living on my own means, b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire

7. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. Catherine BESCOBY, December Quarter 1896, Peterborough Registration District, Volume 3b, page 143, aged 72 [1823/4]

8. ↑ England. National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1858 onwards. (Ancestry.com).

   1896
   BESCOBY Catherine of Peterborough widow died 12 November 1896 Probate Peterborough 8 December to William Everitt retired builder Effects £217 4s.

9. ↑ Stamford Mercury, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 4, 20 Nov 1896.

   Deaths.
   BESCOBY.-Nov. 12th, at 88, Lincoln-road East, Peterboro', Catherine Bescoby, aged 72. Deeply lamented.