Person:Sophia Cox (2)

Sophia Cox was born in 1844 at Barnack in Northamptonshire, daughter of a dressmaker called Catherine Cox, formerly Mason, and her husband William Cox, a blacksmith and farmer. Sophia was the youngest of their eleven children, two of whom had died before Sophia was born. The 1851 census finds Sophia living with her parents, siblings and paternal grandmother at Barnack. Her grandmother died later that year.

Sophia's father died in 1856, when Sophia was about twelve years old.

The 1861 census finds Sophia working as a house servant at the Post Office in Barnack. By 1871 she had left Barnack and moved to the nearby town of Stamford, where she was working as a domestic cook for a widow and her daughters. Later that year, on 23rd October 1871, she married a labourer called George Smith. He had been working as a porter at the Stamford Union Workhouse, so they presumably met in the town, but they married at Glaston in Rutland, close to where he was from.

Shortly after their marriage, Sophia and George moved to Sileby in Leicestershire, where they went on to have four daughters between 1872 and 1882. Back in Barnack, Sophia's mother died in 1876.

The 1881 census finds George, Sophia and their children living at Back Lane in Sileby, with George working as a general labourer.

During 1883, three of George and Sophia's four daughters died. Their eldest daughter died aged ten in the June, and their youngest two daughters were buried twelve days apart in the November, one aged seven, one aged sixteen months.

The 1891 census finds George and Sophia and their surviving daughter living at Rookery in Sileby. They also had a two-year old girl from the nearby town of Loughborough living with them, who was also living with them in both the 1901 and 1911 censuses - perhaps they had effectively adopted her, after having lost three of their own children.

By 1901, George and Sophia were living at Cemetery Road in Sileby. They were still there in 1911, when they also had a grandson living with them.

It would appear that Sophia died in 1920, aged 75. George appears to have survived her by two years.

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

   b. Sophia COX, December Quarter 1844, Stamford Registration District, Volume 14, page 547, mother's maiden name Mason

2. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Church of Barnack (Northamptonshire). Parish registers, 1695–1974. (Northampton, England: Northamptonshire Record Office).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Barnack in the County of Northampton in the Year 1845
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   53	1845 Jan[uar]y 26	Sophia	William & Catherine	Cox	Barnack	Blacksmith	Sam[ue]l K. Webster, Curate

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 2094; Folio 484; Page 3, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Barnack, Northamptonshire
   William Cox, head, married, male, 49 [1801/2], Farmer of 95 Acres, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Catherine Cox, wife, married, female, 47 [1803/4], Farmers Wife, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   John Cox, son, unmarried, male, 23 [1827/8], Farmers Son, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth Cox, daughter, unmarried, female, 22 [1828/9], Dressmaker, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Mary Cox, daughter, unmarried, female, 16 [1834/5], Farmers Daughter, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Catherine Cox, daughter, female, 14 [1836/7], Farmers Daughter, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   William Cox, son, male, 12 [1838/9], Farmers Son, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Matthew Cox, son, male, 11 [1839/40], Farmers Son, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Josiah Cox, son, male, 8 [1842/3], Scholar, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Sophia Cox, daughter, female, 6 [1844/5], Scholar, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Catherine Cox, mother, widow, female, 77 [1773/4], b. Barnack, Northamptonshire

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 2314; Folio 50; Page 19, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Post Office, Barnack, Northamptonshire
   William Wilson, head, married, male, 57 [1803/4], Grocer & Draper, b. Lamas, Norfolk
   Mary Wilson, wife, married, female, 47 [1813/14], b. Hackonby [sic], Lincolnshire
   William R. Wilson, son, male, 10 [1850/1], Scholar, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Arthur F. Wilson, son, male, 7 [1853/4], Scholar, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Sophia Cox, servant, unmarried, female, 16 [1844/5], House Servant, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire

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 3309; Folio 85; Page 2, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: 20 St Mary's Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire
   Sarah Clapton, head, widow, female, 63 [1807/8], Income from Houses &c., b. Stamford, Lincolnshire
   Sophia Clapton, daughter, unmarried, female, 31 [1839/40], b. Stamford, Lincolnshire
   Ann Clapton, daughter, unmarried, female, 27 [1843/4], b. Stamford, Lincolnshire
   Sophia Cox, servant, unmarried, female, 26 [1844/5], Domestic Cook, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Emma Tansley, servant, unmarried, female, 14 [1856/7], Housemaid, b. Stamford, Lincolnshire

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 3150; Folio 121; Page 28, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Back Lane, Sileby, Leicestershire
   George Smith, head, married, male, 33 [1847/8], General Labourer, b. Wing, Rutland
   Sophia Smith, wife, married, female, 36 [1844/5], House Wife, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Mary Angelina Smith, daughter, female, 8 [1872/3], Scholar, b. Sileby, Leicestershire
   Georgenar [sic] Sophia Smith, daughter, female, 6 [1874/5], Scholar, b. Sileby, Leicestershire
   Florence Loveday Smith, daughter, female, 4 [1876/7], Scholar, b. Sileby, Leicestershire

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 2519; Folio 106; Page 21, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: Rookery, Sileby, Leicestershire
   4 rooms occupied
   George Smith, head, married, male, 43 [1847/8], General Laborer, employed, b. "Rutland - Wing Co"
   Sophia Smith, wife, married, female, 46 [1844/5], b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Georgina S. Smith, daughter, single, female, 16 [1874/5], Shoe Machinist, employed, b. Sileby, Leicestershire
   Ethel C.L. Hewitt, boarder, female, 2 [1888/9], b. Loughborough, Leicestershire

8. ↑ 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 2980; Folio 125; Page 40, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: Cemetery Road, Sileby, Leicestershire
   George Smith, head, married, male, 52 [1848/9], General Labourer, worker, b. Wing, Rutland
   Sophia Smith, wife, married, female, 55 [1845/6], b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Ethel C.L. Hewitt, boarder, single, female, 12 [1888/9], b. Loughborough, Leicestershire

9. ↑ 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 19141; Schedule 282, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: Cemetery Road, Sileby, Leicestershire
   6 rooms occupied
   George Smith, head, male, 63 [1847/8], married, General Labourer, b. Wing
   Sophia Smith, wife, female, 67 [1843/4], b. Barnack
   Arthur Cramp, grandson, male, 9 [1901/2], b. Belgrave, Leicester
   Ethel Hewitt, boarder, female, 22 [1888/9], single, b. Loughborough

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

    Two plausible deaths in the Barrow upon Soar district (which covered Silby), of which the 1920 death seems most likely as the age given was correct:
    
    d. Sophia SMITH, December Quarter 1915, Barrow upon Soar Registration District, Volume 7a, page 182, aged 67 [1847/8]
    
    d. Sophia SMITH, September Quarter 1920, Barrow upon Soar Registration District, Volume 7a, page 135, aged 75 [1844/5]