Person:Elizabeth Hart (36)

Childhood

Elizabeth Hart was born on 26th July 1812 at Dorking in Surrey, daughter of Elizabeth Hart, formerly Arthur, and her husband William Hart, an agricultural labourer. Young Elizabeth was the second of the couple's four children, having an older brother called William. When Elizabeth's younger sister Sarah was baptised in 1816 the family was living on Butter Hill in the town. By 1818, when Elizabeth's youngest sister, Lucy, was baptised, the family had moved to Holmwood, in the hills to the south of the town.

Adulthood

Elizabeth was married on 13th April 1833 to an agricultural labourer called Richard Godsmark at Ifield in Sussex, near the town of Crawley. They went on to have seven children between 1834 and 1852, all born at Crawley, although their eldest child died when he was only five years old.

The 1841 census finds Elizabeth and Richard living at a place called Magazine in Crawley. Elizabeth's recently married sister Lucy and her husband, George Sadler, were sharing the house with Elizabeth and Richard on census night. By this time, Elizabeth's parents had left the Dorking area and moved to Shipley in Sussex, which is where Elizabeth's father was originally from. Elizabeth's father died in 1854, and her mother died in 1857. Both were buried at Shipley.

Elizabeth and Richard appear to have lived in Crawley from shortly after their marriage for the rest of their lives. In both the 1861 and 1871 censuses they were living at the Old Workhouse. Crawley Workhouse had closed in 1859 when a new workhouse serving the area was built at East Grinstead. The old workhouse, which was built in the late 17th or early 18th centuries, appears to have been converted into three cottages.^[9]

Elizabeth died in 1882, aged 70. Richard survived her by about eight years.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Church of England. Parish Church of Dorking (Surrey). Parish registers for Dorking, 1538-1914. (Woking: Surrey County Council).

   Baptisms 1812 / September 13 Elisabeth, Daughter of William and Elisabeth Arthur, born July 26

   Although the name is given here as Arthur rather than Hart, this is considered an error; Arthur was Elizabeth's mother's maiden name (suggesting that the vicar who performed this baptism knew the mother's family well). William Hart and Elizabeth Arthur married in 1808 in Dorking and appear to have had four children baptised there between 1809 and 1818, whose surnames were recorded as Arter, Arthur, Hart and Hart. Elizabeth's younger sister was living with the family in the 1841 census.
   Elizabeth is not the Elizabeth Hart who was born on 17 Sep 1809 at Dorking. That Elizabeth appears in the 1881 census living with three of her siblings and unmarried.

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 1111; Book 5; Folio 6; Page 6, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Magazine, Crawley, Sussex
   Richard Godsmark, male, 25 [1811-6], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], born in county
   Elizabeth Godsmark, female, 25 [1811-6], not born in county
   Harriet Godsmark, female, 4 [1836/7], born in county
   Richard Godsmark, male, 1 [1839/40], born in county
   [second household in same house]
   George Sadler, male, 25 [1811-16], Ag[ricultural] lab[ourer], born in county
   Lucy Sadler, female, 25 [1811-16], not born in county
   Ann Burns, female, 10 [1830/1], born in county

3. ↑ 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 1641; Folio 444; Page 22, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Crawley, Sussex
   Richard Godsmark, head, married, male, 40 [1810/11], Day Labourer, b. Ifield, Sussex
   Elizabeth Godsmark, wife, married, female, 32 [1818/9], b. Dorking, Surrey
   Harriet Godsmark, daughter, unmarried, female, 14 [1836/7], b. Crawley, Sussex
   Richard Godsmark, son, male, 11 [1839/40], b. Crawley, Sussex
   George Godsmark, son, male, 9 [1841/2], b. Crawley, Sussex
   Ambrose Godsmark, son, male, 6 [1844/5], b. Crawley, Sussex
   James Godsmark, son, male, 3 [1847/8], b. Crawley, Sussex

4. ↑ 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 580; Folio 91; Page 19, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Old Workhouse, Crawley, Sussex
   Richard Godsmark, head, married, male, 50 [1810/11], Ag[ricultura]l Lab[oure]r, b. Ifield, Sussex
   Elizabeth Godsmark, wife, married, female, 49 [1811/12], b. Dorking, Surrey
   Richard Godsmark, son, unmarried, male, 21 [1839/40], Ag[ricultura]l Lab[oure]r, b. Crawley, Sussex
   George Godsmark, son, unmarried, male, 19 [1841/2], Ag[ricultura]l Lab[oure]r, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Ambrose Godsmark, son, unmarried, male, 16 [1844/5], Ag[ricultura]l Lab[oure]r, b. Crawley, Sussex
   James Godsmark, son, male, 12 [1848/9], Scholar, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Elizabeth Godsmark, daughter, female, 9 [1851/2], Scholar, b. Crawley, Sussex

5. ↑ 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 1059; Folio 94; Page 18, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: The Old Work House, Crawley, Sussex
   Richard Godsmark, head, married, male, 60 [1810/11], Farm Labourer, b. Ifield, Sussex
   Elizabeth Godsmark, wife, married, female, 59 [1811/12], b. Dorking, Surrey
   William Harman, grandson, unmarried, male, 12 [1858/9], Scholar, b. Ifield, Sussex

6. ↑ 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 1109; Folio 110; Page 2, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: London R[oa]d, Crawley, Sussex
   Richard Godsmark, head, married, male, 69 [1811/12], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Crawley, Sussex
   Elizabeth Godsmark, wife, married, female, 68 [1812/13], b. Dorking, Surrey

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

   d. Elizabeth GODSMARK, December Quarter 1882, Horsham Registration District, Volume 2b, page 185, aged 70 [1811/12]

8. ↑ Burials register, in Crawley, Sussex: Bishop’s Transcripts (West Sussex County Council, Chichester).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Crawley in the County of Sussex in the year One thousand eight hundred and eighty two
   No	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   499	Elizabeth Godsmark	The Old Workhouse Crawley	Nov[ember] 6	70 years [1811/12]	J.B. Lennard, Rector

9. ↑ The building today is a listed building called Fir Tree Cottage on London Road.