Person:Mary Nicholls (8)

Watchers
  1. William Abraham Nicholls1857 - 1891
  2. Jesse Nicholls1859 - 1935
  3. Frederick Nicholls1861 - 1892
  4. Mary Ann Nicholls1863 - 1935
  5. Alfred Nicholls1866 - 1910
  6. Sarah Nicholls1868 - 1940
  7. Arthur Daniel Nicholls1871 - 1947
Facts and Events
Name Mary Ann Nicholls
Gender Female
Birth[1] 1863 Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, England
Christening[2] 31 May 1863 Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, EnglandSt Helen
Census[3] 2 Apr 1871 Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, EnglandNomansland
Census[4] 3 Apr 1881 Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, EnglandBrewhouse Hill
Census[5] 5 Apr 1891 Luton, Bedfordshire, England13 Brook Street
Census[6] 31 Mar 1901 Luton, Bedfordshire, England17 Milton Road
Census[7] 2 Apr 1911 St Albans, Hertfordshire, England43 Watson's Row
Death[8][9] 11 Feb 1935 St Albans, Hertfordshire, EnglandOster House Infirmary

Mary Ann Nicholls was born in 1863 at Nomansland in the parish of Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire. She was the daughter of a straw plaiter called Susan Warner and an agricultural labourer called Daniel William Nicholls. As Susan and Daniel were not married, Mary's birth was registered as 'Mary Ann Nichols Warner', although in all other records she used her father's surname.

The 1871 census finds Mary living with her parents and siblings at Nomansland. She was described as a straw plaiter. Shortly afterwards, when Mary was about eight years old, her mother died. Later that same year, Daniel married Susan's half-sister, Maria Wright (formerly Hornet), who thus went from being Mary's aunt to also being her stepmother.

The 1881 census finds the family living at Brewhouse Hill in Wheathampstead, with Mary still working as a straw plaiter. Through the 1880s, several of Mary's siblings emigrated to Australia. Mary stayed behind in England.

By 1891 Mary had moved to the nearby town of Luton, where she worked as a domestic servant for a straw hat merchant. She was still living in Luton in the 1901 census, but working as a straw hat sewer. A few days after the 1901 census, Mary's father died.

By 1911, Mary had moved to St Albans, a few miles south of Luton. Here she lived at 43 Watsons Row, also known as 43 Keyfield. She had living with her May Wright, who was daughter of her step-sister and cousin Sarah Wright. Mary was working in laundry as an ironer.

Mary lived at 43 Keyfield for the rest of her life. She died on 11th February 1935 at Oster House Infirmary in St Albans, aged 71. Her estate was administered by her half-sister Clara Seabrook, who lived in Harpenden.

References
  1. Birth index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

    b. Mary Ann Nichols WARNER, June Quarter 1863, St Albans Registration District, Volume 3a, page 283, mother's maiden name blank

  2. Baptisms register, in Church of England. Wheathampstead Parish Registers. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies).
    BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Wheathampstead in the County of Hertford in the Year 1863
    No.When BaptizedChild's Christian NameParent's NameAbodeQuality, Trade, or ProfessionBy whom the Ceremony was performed
    ChristianSurname
    1651863 May 31Mary AnnDaniel
    &
    Susan
    Nichols

    Warner
    Nomansland, WheathampsteadLaborer

    Single woman
    Owen W. Davys, Rector

    Baptised the same day as her brother Jesse.

  3. 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 1376; Folio 51; Page 18, 2 Apr 1871.

    Address: No Man's Land, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
    Daniel Nichols, head, married, male, 37 [1833/4], Ag Labourer, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
    Susan Nichols, wife, married, female, 36 [1834/5], Straw plaiter, b. Harpenden, Hertfordshire
    William Nichols, son, male, 13 [1857/8], Ag Labourer, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
    Jessie Nichols, son, male, 11 [1859/60], Ag Labourer, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
    Frederick Nichols, son, male, 9 [1861/2], Ag Labourer, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
    Mary Ann Nichols, daughter, female, 7 [1863/4], Straw plaiter, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
    Alfred Nichols, son, male, 5 [1865/6], b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
    Sarah Nichols, daughter, female, 3 [1867/8], b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
    Arthur Nichols, son, male, 1m [1871], b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire

  4. 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 1429; Piece 48; Page 7, 3 Apr 1881.

    Address: Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
    Daniel Nichols, head, married, male, 47 [1833/4], Farm labourer, b. Gustard Wood, Hertfordshire
    Maria Nichols, wife, married, female, 48 [1832/3], Straw plaiter, b. Batford Mills, Hertfordshire
    Frederick Nichols, son, unmarried, male, 19 [1861/2], Farm labourer, b. Nomansland, Hertfordshire
    Mary Ann Nichols, daughter, unmarried, female, 17 [1863/4], Straw plaiter, b. Nomansland, Hertfordshire
    Sarah Nichols, daughter, unmarried, female, 12 [1868/9], Scholar, b. Nomansland, Hertfordshire
    Arthur Nichols, son, male, 9 [1871/2], Scholar, b. Nomansland, Hertfordshire
    Clara Nichols, daughter, female, 8 [1872/3], Scholar, b. Nomansland, Hertfordshire
    George Nichols, son, male, 6 [1874/5], Scholar, b. Nomansland, Hertfordshire
    Sarah Wright, daughter, female, 13 [1867/8], Scholar (2nd family), b. Folly, Hertfordshire

  5. 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 1271; Folio 75; Page 17, 5 Apr 1891.

    Address: 13 Brook Street, Luton, Bedfordshire
    Five or more rooms occupied
    Frank Arnold, head, widower, male, 68 [1822/3], Straw Hat Merchant, employer, b. Ireland
    Mary Nichols, servant, single, 28 [1862/3], General Servant (domestic), b. St Albans, Hertfordshire

  6. England. England. 1901 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 RG13; Piece 1514; Folio 132; Page 33, 31 Mar 1901.

    Address: 17 Milton Road, Luton, Bedfordshire
    Five or more rooms occupied
    Martha Mardell, head, widow, female, 64 [1836/7], Straw hat sewer, worker, at home, b. Hertford, Hertfordshire
    Emily Mardell, daughter, single, female, 31 [1869/70], Straw hat sewer, worker, at home, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
    Florence A. Mardell, daughter, single, female, 20 [1880/1], Straw hat finisher, worker, b. Birmingham, Warwickshire
    Mary Nicholls, boarder, single, female, 40 [1860/1], Straw hat sewer, worker, b. Harpenden, Hertfordshire

  7. England. 1911 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 RG14; Piece 7674; Schedule 26, 2 Apr 1911.

    Address: 43 Watson's Row, St Albans, Hertfordshire
    2 rooms occupied
    Mary Nicholls, head, female, 39 [1871/2], single, Laundry work (ironer), b. Harpenden, Hertfordshire
    May Wright, cousin, female, 18 [1892/3], Laundry work (collar machine), b. Harpenden, Hertfordshire

    43 Watson's Row appears to have been the same property as 43 Keyfield, which was Mary's home at the time of her death in 1935. Old maps show that Watson's Row was the same street as the modern road Keyfield Terrace. The name presumably changed some time between 1911 and 1935.

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

    d. Mary Ann NICHOLLS, March Quarter 1935, St Albans Registration District, Volume 3a, page 1125, aged 71 [1863/4]

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

    NICHOLLS Mary Ann of 43 Keyfield St. Albans Hertfordshire spinster died 11 February 1935 at Oster House Infirmary St. Albans Administration London 3 May to Clara Seabrook widow. Effects £126 7s. 4d.