Person:Jane Wheeler (9)

Jane Sell’s origins have yet to be established. The ages reported for her as an adult fluctuate, indicating that she may have been born as early as 1808 or as late as 1817. She also gave conflicting places of birth for herself – in 1841 she said she was not born in Surrey, in 1851 she said she was born in Portugal, and in 1871 she said she was born in Southwark (which was in Surrey).

Jane’s first confirmed sighting is in 1838, when she had a son called John Wheeler in Southwark, in the southern suburbs of London. John’s father was also called John Wheeler and he was a bricklayer. Jane and John presented themselves as being husband and wife, although no marriage record has been found for them. One of their sons would later give his name as “Thomas Wheeler Sell” which may indicate that he believed he was illegitimate.

Jane, John and their son appear in the 1841 census living on Kent Street in Southwark. They went on to have a son called Thomas in 1842 and a daughter called Sarah in 1846. Later that year, John died. He was said to be 37 years old.

The 1851 census finds Jane and her children Thomas and Sarah living at 8 Fox’s Court in Southwark. Fox’s Court and the neighbouring street of Fox’s Buildings were off Kent Street, accessed through an archway between shops on the street. Jane’s occupation was given as “washing”.

On 19th March 1860, Jane married a man called John Meakins at the parish church of St George the Martyr in Southwark. He had been one of her neighbours at Fox’s Buildings for several years. He was a widower with one surviving son from his first marriage. When they married Jane gave her name as Jane Sell, but described herself as a widow and gave her father’s name as being William Wheeler, carpenter.

Jane’s marriage to John Meakins was tragically short; he died on 30th November 1860 of bronchitis. They had been married for less than nine months.

Jane’s next sighting is in the 1871 census, when she was living at 2 Fox’s Buildings. Jane died in 1874, when she was said to be 64 years old.

1. ↑ 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 1085; Book 3; Folio 29; Page 10, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Kent Street, St George the Martyr, Southwark, Surrey
   John Wheeler, male, 25 [1811-16], Bricklayer, born in county
   John Wheeler, male, 2 [1838/9], born in county
   Jane Wheeler, female, 25 [1811-16], not born in county

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 1563; Folio 156; Page 27, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: 8 Foxes Court, St George the Martyr, Southwark, Surrey
   Jane Wheeler, head, widow, female, 34 [1816/17], Washing, b. Portugal
   Tho[ma]s Wheeler, son, unmarried, male, 7 [1843/4], b. St George Southwark
   Sarah Wheeler, daughter, unmarried, female, 5 [1845/6], b. St George Southwark
   Elizabeth Smith, lodger, unmarried, female, 18 [1832/3], Fur Puller, b. [blank]

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.).

   Jane has not been found in the 1861 census. At the time of her marriage in 1860 she was living at Fox’s Buildings. According to the National Archives Discovery Catalogue, census piece RG9/327 covering the Kent Road Sub-District of Southwark St George the Martyr parish is known to be missing pages 5-6 and 9-39 from the book covering enumeration district 4. The description of enumeration district 4 at the start of the book lists “Foxes Buildings and Foxes Court” among the streets that were covered. As they are not listed in the surviving pages of that book, they must have been recorded on the pages that are lost.

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 598; Folio 117; Page 38, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: 2 Foxes Buildings, St George the Martyr, Southwark, Surrey
   Mrs Meakings, head, widow, female, 62 [1808/9], b. Southwark, Surrey

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

   d. Jane MEAKINS, June Quarter 1874, St Saviour Southwark Registration District, Volume 1d, page 18, aged 64 [1809/10]