Person:Mary King (232)

Childhood

Mary Ann King was baptised on New Year's Day in 1827 at the parish church of St Mary in Warwick. She was the daughter of Mary King, formerly Moore, and her husband Thomas King, a shoemaker. At the time of her baptism the family was living at Saltisford, the main road leading out of Warwick to the north-west. Mary Ann appears to have been known by her middle name as Ann. Ann was their second child, and the first child had died before Ann was born, making her effectively the eldest. After Ann her parents had another four children, although one died young leaving Ann effectively the eldest of four surviving children.

The 1841 census finds Ann living with her parents and siblings at Saltisford. The family was still there in 1851, although Ann's mother was away from home on census night working as a nurse. By this time Ann was working as a charwoman, going out cleaning.

Marriage

On 14th October 1851, aged 24, Ann married a brewery maltster named Samuel Mitchell, who was just a few months younger than her and also from Warwick. Six months after their marriage they had a daughter named Harriet, but sadly she died as a baby less than three months after her baptism. In 1853 they had a son named William Thomas, followed in 1855 by a son named Alfred, a daughter named Fanny in 1857 and a son named John in 1860.

The 1861 census finds Ann and Samuel and their four children living at Saltisford. Curiously, they had a Sarah Bromage living with them who was described as 'mother in law', but no plausible explanation for such a relationship has been established. If the age quoted for this Sarah Bromage was correct, she was probably too young to be either Ann's or Samuel's mothers, whilst there is good evidence that both their real mothers were still alive at this time, so she could not be a stepmother either.

Ann's parents died in quick succession in the early 1860s: her mother died in December 1862 and her father in June 1863. In 1862 Ann and Samuel had a son named Harry, but sadly he died when he was nine months old. They then had a daughter named Emma in 1864 and a daughter named Harriet Elizabeth in 1867.

The 1871 census finds Ann and Samuel and their six children living at 4 Saltisford Buildings. In 1873 Samuel and Ann's youngest daughter, Harriet Elizabeth, died aged six years old. Therefore although they had had eight children, only five survived to adulthood.

In 1875 Ann and Samuel had trouble with their twenty year old son Alfred. The family had taken in a lodger, and Alfred claimed that Ann and Samuel thought more of the lodger than they did their own children. After getting drunk one night in August, Alfred tried to fight Samuel, broke a window and was threatening to Ann and the lodger. Alfred was arrested and brought before the magistrate to be bound over to keep the peace, with Ann giving evidence against him. Alfred agreed to leave Warwick, which he did, going to work on the canals in Birmingham.

In 1877, Ann's daughter Fanny married a man named Alfred Hill. They did not have any children. The 1881 census finds Ann working as a laundress and living at 42 Saltisford, with Samuel and two of their five surviving children living with them. In 1882 Ann's daughter Emma married a man named George Wassell.

Samuel died on 4th April 1883 at home at 42 Saltisford. He was 55 years old.

Later life

Ann's first grandchild, Rose Wassell, was baptised just the month after Samuel died. Sadly, Rose died as a baby the following year.

In 1884, Ann's son Alfred reappeared in Warwick. He married a Harriet Bastock on 8th March 1885. Shortly afterwards they had a son named Samuel. About the same time Alfred was returning to Warwick, Ann's daughter Emma and her husband George Wassell moved to Birmingham, where they had a son named Henry in 1885. Also in that year Ann's son John was married in Coventry to a Lucy Warden. They did not have any children.

In 1886 Alfred and Harriet had a son named George William. In 1887 Emma and George had a daughter named Florence Beatrice. In 1889 Alfred and Harriet had a son named Alfred Thomas, and at about the same time Emma and George had a son named George Thomas. By 1889 therefore, Ann had six surviving grandchildren.

Ann's daughter Emma died aged 24, either giving birth to her son George Thomas or shortly afterwards. Baby George was brought from Birmingham to live with Ann in Warwick rather than stay in Birmingham with his father and older siblings, being baptised in Warwick in May 1889. The 1891 census finds Ann living in a three roomed home at 1 Whiles Court off Parkes Street, with her son William Thomas, daughter Fanny and son-in-law Alfred Hill (who was using his stepfather's name of Goodman at the time) and young George Wassell.

By this time Ann's son Alfred and his family had left Warwick and moved to Coventry, where they had a son named Henry Arthur just after the 1891 census, but sadly he died as a baby. In 1892 Ann's son-in-law Alfred Hill died, aged 47. Over in Coventry, Ann's son Alfred and his wife Harriet had another son, Charles Frederick, in 1893.

In 1894 Ann's last unmarried child, William Thomas, finally got married, aged 41, to Annie Haley. In 1896 they had a daughter named Edith, who would be the last grandchild that Ann would meet.

Ann died on 22nd December 1896, aged about 70, at home at Parkes Street, having been suffering with lupus for a year. She had survived Samuel by thirteen years and lived to see ten grandchildren, although two had died young. She had also raised her grandson George Wassell - after Ann's death George was brought up by his aunt Fanny, who had no children of her own and by this time was a widow herself. Ann had outlived half her own children, with only four of her eight children surviving her.

1. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish registers of St Mary, Warwick, 1538-1928. (Warwick: Warwickshire County Record Office).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of St Mary Warwick in the County of Warwick in the Year 1827
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parent's Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   226	Jan[ua]ry 1st	Mary Ann Daughter of	Thomas & Mary	King	Saltsford	Shoemaker	C.E. Carles

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 1155; Book 3; Folio 35; Page 20, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Saltisford, Warwick, Warwickshire
   Tho[ma]s King, male, 40 [1796-1801], Cordwainer J[ou]rn[e]ym[a]n, born in county
   Mary King, female, 40 [1796-1801], not born in county
   Mary King, female, 14 [1826/7], born in county
   William King, male, 12 [1828/9], born in county
   Harriott King, female, 9 [1831/2], born in county
   Emma King, female, 2 [1838/9], 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 2073; Folio 294; Page 31, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Saltisford, Warwick, Warwickshire
   Thomas King, head, married, male, 51 [1799/1800], Shoe Maker, b. Leek Wootton, Warwickshire
   Ann King, daughter, unmarried, female, 24 [1826/7], Goes out Charing, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   William King, son, unmarried, male, 22 [1828/9], Boatman, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Harriet King, daughter, unmarried, female, 19 [1831/2], Servant, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Emma King, daughter, unmarried, female, 11 [1839/40], Scholar, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Mary Connell, lodger, unmarried, female, 4 [1846/7], Scholar, b. Warwick, Warwickshire

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 2225; Folio 84; Page 18, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Saltisford, Warwick, Warwickshire
   Samuel Mitchell, head, married, male, 38 [1822/3], Labourer at Brewery, b. Warwick, St Mary
   Anne Mitchell, wife, married, female, 34 [1826/7], b. Warwick, St Mary
   Thomas Mitchell, son, male, 8 [1852/3], Scholar, b. Warwick, St Mary
   Alfred Mitchell, son, male, 6 [1854/5], Scholar, b. Warwick, St Mary
   Fanny Mitchell, daughter, female, 4 [1856/7], b. Warwick, St Mary
   John Mitchell, son, male, 1 [1859/60], b. Warwick, St Mary
   Sarah Bromage, mother in law, widow, female, 50 [1810/11], Washerwoman, b. Warwick, St Mary
   Charles Bromage, nephew, male, 3 [1857/8], b. Warwick, St Mary

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 3199; Folio 79; 4, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: 4 Saltisford Buildings, Warwick, Warwickshire
   Samuel Mitchell, head, married, male, 42 [1828/9], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Ann Mitchell, wife, married, female, 43 [1827/8], b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Thomas Mitchell, son, unmarried, male, 17 [1853/4], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Alfred Mitchell, son, male, 15 [1855/6], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Fanny Mitchell, daughter, female, 13 [1857/8], Scholar, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   John Mitchell, son, male, 10 [1860/1], Scholar, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Emma Mitchell, daughter, female, 7 [1863/4], Scholar, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Harriet Mitchell, daughter, female, 4 [1866/7], Scholar, b. Warwick, Warwickshire

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 3088; Folio 84; Page 19, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 42 Saltisford, Warwick, Warwickshire
   Samuel Mitchell, head, married, male, 52 [1828/9], General Labourer, b. Warwick
   Mary Ann Mitchell, wife, married, female, 53 [1827/8], Laundress, b. Warwick
   William T. Mitchell, son, unmarried, male, 25 [1855/6], Man Servant Dom[estic], b. Warwick
   Emma Mitchell, daughter, unmarried, female, 17 [1863/4], Laundry Maid, b. Warwick

7. ↑ 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 2468; Folio 88; Page 19, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 1 Whiles Court, Parkes Street, Warwick, Warwickshire
   3 rooms occupied
   Ann Mitchell, head, widow, 64 [1826/7], female, Laundress, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   W[illia]m S. Mitchell, son, single, 35 [1855/6], male, Chemists porter, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Alfred Goodman, boarder, married, 48 [1842/3], male, General labourer, b. Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
   Fanny Goodman, boarder, married, 27 [1863/4], female, Laundress, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   George Wassell, grandson, 2 [1888/9], male, b. Birmingham, Warwickshire

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

   Registration District Warwick
   1896 DEATH in the Sub-district of Warwick in the County of Warwick
   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
   289	Twenty second December 1896 No.1 Back of 10 Parkes Street, St Mary U.D.	Ann Mitchell	Female	64 years	Widow of Samuel Mitchell, Brewery Labourer	Lupus 1 year, Certified by S.L. Bullock, M.R.C.S.	X the mark of Fanny Goodman Present at the Death No.1 Back of 10 Parkes Street, Warwick	Twenty second December 1896	H.J. Stephens Registrar

   
9. ↑ Burials register, in Church of England. Parish registers of St Paul, Warwick, 1845-1920. (Warwick: Warwickshire County Record Office).

   BURIALS in the Parish of St Paul Warwick in the County of Warwick in the Year 1896
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   2284	Ann Mitchell	1, Tisos Court, Parke's Street	28th December	64 y[ea]rs	H.G. Hensley