Person:Susannah Worvell (1)

Early life

Susanna Worvell was baptised on 16th February 1816 at Stanway in Gloucestershire, a small village in the Cotswolds. She was the daughter of a nurse called Ann Worvell, formerly Hopkins, and her husband William Worvell, a labourer. Her parents went on to have a daughter named Ann at Stanway three years later, when William was described as an ‘under gardener’, suggesting he probably worked at Stanway House.

Marriage to John Haines

In 1839, Susanna had a daughter called Ellen Lucretia at Laverton in the parish of Buckland, about three miles north of Stanway. Ellen’s birth was registered in the April to June quarter of 1839 as “Helen Lucretia Worwell”. However, in July 1839 the baby was baptised at Buckland church and described as “Ellen Lucretia Haines, illegitimate daughter of Susanna Worvell”. The following month, Susanna married John Haines. The fact that John’s surname appears on Ellen’s baptism strongly suggests that he was her father. Why Susanna and John did not marry prior to the birth of their first daughter is unclear.

Susanna and John married at Buckland on 17th August 1839, when they were both 23 years old. John was from Laverton and worked as a cow doctor. Susanna and John stayed in Laverton after their marriage. Susanna was clearly literate, signing the register, spelling her name “Susanna” rather than any of the other variants of that name she was listed under in records written by others.

The 1841 census finds the family living at Laverton with their daughter, as well as a three year old niece called Jane Haines and two of John’s younger siblings. John’s parents had died by this time, and as the eldest child he probably became responsible for his younger siblings.

Susanna and John had a son named John Thomas in 1841, a daughter named Ann in 1844 and a son called William Thomas in 1847, all born at Laverton. The 1851 census finds Susanna and John living with their four children. Their niece Jane was also still with them, suggesting they brought her up too.

Two more children followed the 1851 census: Violante Susannah in 1852 and Frederick in 1856. In total, Susanna and John had six children between 1839 and 1856. John died in 1857, aged 41. Susanna and John had been married for seventeen years. Susanna was then left with six children aged between seventeen and less than a year old.

Back in Stanway, Susanna’s father died in 1858.

Later that year, Susanna’s eldest daughter Ellen married, whilst Susanna’s son John married in 1859. The 1861 census finds Susanna living with her three youngest children at Laverton, and working as a gloveress. The family had also taken in a lodger, presumably to help make ends meet.

Marriage to Walter Reece

The following year, aged 46, Susanna remarried. Her second husband was a blacksmith named Walter Reece, who was originally from Ludlow in Shropshire. They married at Buckland church, but then moved to Maugersbury, about twelve miles to the south east, near the town of Stow on the Wold.

Susanna’s mother died in 1866 at Stanway.

The 1871 census finds Susanna living with Walter and her youngest son Frederick at Maugersbury. Frederick, who had been less than a year old when his father John Haines had died, was described as Frederick Reece, using his stepfather’s surname. Susanna and Walter were still at Maugersbury in 1881. Walter died in 1883. Susanna and Walter had been married for twenty years. Susanna was about 68 when she was widowed for the second time.

Later life

Susanna’s next sighting is in 1891, by which time she was living at Broadway in Worcestershire. Broadway lies immediately north of Laverton and Buckland where she had lived throughout her first marriage, and several of her children had stayed in that area, including her eldest son John Thomas Haines, who was established as a veterinary surgeon in Broadway by this time. In the 1891 census Susanna was living on the High Street in Broadway in the same house as her grandson Hubert John Haines and his family. Susanna’s son John (Hubert’s father) lived a few doors down the street.

By 1901, Susanna had moved again - and this time she had moved about 100 miles away from the Cotswolds, to London. Her eldest daughter, Ellen, had moved with her husband to London some years earlier, and Susanna went to live with them. In the 1901 census they were living at 66 West Hill in Wandsworth, a three storey terraced house with a shop at the ground floor on the busy road (later the A3) from London to the south west. It must have seemed very different to the rural Cotswolds she had lived in until she was in her seventies, if not eighties.

Susanna appears to have stayed in Wandsworth for the rest of her life. She died there in 1906, at the age of 90, having lived to see numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

1. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Stanway Parish Registers. (Gloucester: Gloucestershire Archives).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Stanway in the County of Glocester in the Year 1816
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parent's Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   36	February 18th 1816	Susanah daughter of	William and Anne	Worville	Church Stanway	Labourer	C.W. Keepsall, Curate

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 360; Book 2; Folio 7; Page 9, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Laverton, Buckland, Gloucestershire
   John Haynes, male, 25 [1811-16], Cow Doctor, born in county
   Susanna Haynes, female, 25 [1811-16], born in county
   Joseph Haynes, male, 15 [1821-6], born in county
   Thomas Haynes, male, 11 [1829/30], born in county
   Eleanor Haynes, female, 2 [1838/9], born in county
   Jane Haynes, female, 3 [1837/9], 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 1971; Folio 14; Page 224, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Buckland, Gloucestershire
   John Haines, head, married, male, 35 [1815/6], Horse and Cattle Doctor, b. Laverton, Gloucestershire
   Susana Haines, wife, married, female, 36 [1814/5], b. Stanway, Gloucestershire
   John Haines, son, male, 9 [1841/2], b. Laverton, Gloucestershire
   Ellen Haines, daughter, female, 11 [1839/40], b. Laverton, Gloucestershire
   Jane Haines, niece, female, 12 [1838/9], b. Laverton, Gloucestershire
   Ann Haines, daughter, female, 7 [1843/4], b. Laverton, Gloucestershire
   William Haines, son, male, 3 [1847/8], b. Laverton, Gloucestershire

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 1793; Folio 104; Page 11, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Laverton, Buckland, Gloucestershire
   Susannah Haines, head, widow, female, 45 [1815/16], Gloveress, b. Stanway, Gloucestershire
   William Haines, son, male, 13 [1847/8], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Laverton, Gloucestershire
   Violanda Susannah Haines, daughter, female, 9 [1851/2], b. Laverton, Gloucestershire
   Frederick Haines, son, male, 4 [1856/7], b. Laverton, Gloucestershire
   John Jackson, lodger, single, male, 63 [1797/8], Farmer, b. Arrow, Warwickshire

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 2655; Folio 55; Page 18, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Cottage, Maugersbury, Gloucestershire
   Walter Reece, head, married, male, 66 [1804/5], Smith, b. Ludlow, Shropshire
   Susannah Reece, wife, married, female, 55 [1815/16], Wife, b. Church Stanway, Gloucestershire
   Fredrick Reece, son, male, 14 [1856/7], Farm Boy, b. Laverton, Gloucestershire

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 2563; Folio 41; Page 18, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: No. 7, Village, Maugersbury, Gloucestershire
   Walter Reece, head, married, male, 76 [1804/5], Blacksmith, b. Ludlow, Shropshire
   Susan Reece, wife, married, female, 66 [1814/15], b. Stanway, Gloucestershire

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 2337; Folio 86; Page 10, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: High Street, Broadway, Worcestershire
   3 rooms occupied
   Hannah Staite, head, widow, female, 78 [1812/13], Living on her own means, b. Stanton, Gloucestershire
   Susannah Reece, visitor, widow, female, 76 [1814/15], Living on her own means, b. Stanton [sic], Gloucestershire
   [second household in same house:]
   Hubert J. Haines, head, married, male, 30 [1860/1], Castrator & Cattle Dealer, neither employer nor employed, b. Buckland, Gloucestershire
   Annie S. Haines, wife, married, female, 28 [1862/3], b. Bretforton, Worcestershire
   Adelina M. Haines, daughter, single, female, 4 [1886/7], Scholar, b. Broadway, Worcestershire
   Cecil F. Haines, son, single, male, 2 [1888/9], b. Broadway, Worcestershire
   Percy J. Haines, son, single, male, 1 [1889/90], b. Broadway, Worcestershire

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 481; Folio 111; Page 11, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 66 West Hill, Wandsworth, London
   Jephunneh Spire, head, married, male, 64 [1836/7], Ironmonger’s General Hand, worker, b. Buckland, Gloucestershire
   Ebenezer Spire, son, single, male, 22 [1878/9], Grocer’s Assistant, worker, b. Kensington, London
   Jessie Spire, daughter, single, female, 25 [1874/5], Mother’s Help, worker, b. Kensington, London
   Susannah Reece, mother in law, widow, female, 85 [1815/16], b. Stanway, Gloucestershire
   William Spire, grandson, male, 6 [1894/5], b. Bayswater, London
   John Tobias, boarder, single, male, 19 [1881/2], Ironmonger’s Assistant, worker, b. Portardower [sic], South Wales

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

   d. Susannah REECE, June Quarter 1906, Wandsworth Registration District, Volume 1d, page 284, aged 90 [1815/6]