Person:Mary Tuff (1)

Mary Tuff was baptised on 15th April 1778 at Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire, England. She was the daughter of Elizabeth Tuff, formerly Little, and her husband Thomas Tuff, a seed man and gardener. Mary was the fifth of the couple’s thirteen children.

On 2nd July 1803, aged 25, Mary married an agricultural labourer named William Clark, who was originally from the nearby village of Lydiard Millicent, although he was living in Swindon by the time of their marriage. They married at Wootton Bassett went on to have six children baptised there between 1804 and 1818. One of their daughters died when only one year old in 1817.

Mary’s second son, Richard, married on 2nd April 1828. Mary’s mother Elizabeth died very shortly afterwards, being buried on 8th April 1828.

Mary’s first grandchild was born in 1829. Later that year Mary’s eldest son, William, died aged 25.

In 1831 Mary’s father Thomas died. He left a will, in which he left £20 to Mary and also provided that a mortgage that Mary’s husband William had taken out on their house should be repaid.

The 1841 census finds Mary and William living at Buthay in Wootton Bassett (the street has subsequently been renamed and is now known as Rope Yard).

Mary’s daughter Elizabeth died in 1845 at Dursley in Gloucestershire, aged 35, leaving five surviving children who ranged in age from eleven years old down to just seventeen days old.

The 1851 census finds Mary and William still living at Buthay.

Mary died on 9th December 1856, aged 78. She had outlived three of her six children and had lived to see at least 28 grandchildren born in her lifetime, although several of them had died young. William survived her by just over eight years.

1. ↑ Church of England. Wootton Bassett Parish Registers, 1584-1938. (Chippenham: Wiltshire Record Office).

   Baptized 1778 / April 15 Mary D[aughte]r of Tho[ma]s & Eliz[abeth] Tuff

   This baptism can be linked to the Mary Tuff who married William Clark on the basis of the 1851 census, in which she indicated that she was born at Wootton Bassett around 1778, and the will of Thomas Tuff, which refers to his daughter Mary wife of William Clark.

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 1179; Book 14; Folio 24; Page 41, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Buthay, Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire
   William Clark, male, 60 [1776-81], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], born in county
   Mary Clark, female, 60 [1776-81], born in county
   ~ second household in same house ~
   Joseph Wood, male, 25 [1811-16], Mason, not born in county
   Abram Hardy, male, 35 [1801-6], Mason, not born in county
   Thomas Marriot, male, 25 [1811-16], Mason, not born in county
   Thomas Lowe, male, 45 [1791-6], G[eneral] L[abourer], not born in county
   Robert Wilsdon, male, 35 [1801-6], Porter on Railroad, not 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 1834; Folio 121; Page 15, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Buthay, Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire
   William Clark, head, married, male, 73 [1777/8], Ag[ricultural] Laborer, b. Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire
   Mary Clark, wife, married, female, 72 [1778/9], b. Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire

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

   Superintendent Registrar's District: Cricklade Registrar's District: Wootton Bassett
   1856 DEATHS in the District of Wootton Bassett in the County of Wilts
   No.	When died	Name and Surname	Sex	Age	Rank or Profession	Cause of Death	Signature, Description, and Residence of Informant	When Registered	Signature of Registrar
   132	Ninth December 1856 Wootton Bassett	Mary Clarke	Female	78 years [1777/8]	Wife of William Clarke, Agricultural Labourer	X The mark of Rebecca Smith, present at the death, Wootton Bassett	Course of Nature Certified	Eleventh December 1856	N. Woodward, Registrar

   
5. ↑ Burials register, in Church of England. Wootton Bassett Parish Registers, 1584-1938. (Chippenham: Wiltshire Record Office).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Wootton Bassett in the County of Wilts in the Year 1856
   No	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   93	Mary Clarke	Wootton Bassett	Dec[embe]r 12th	78 [1778/9]	T.H. Ripley Vicar