Person:Ann Hutchings (2)

Childhood

Ann Hutchings was baptised on 1st August 1834 at Wayford in Somerset. She was the daughter of Mary Ann Hutchings, formerly Forsey, and her husband Edmund Wilkins Hutchings, an agricultural labourer. Ann's baptism at Wayford was a private baptism and notes that the family did not live in Wayford parish, but in the hamlet of Woolminstone in the parish of Crewkerne. Nine days later Ann was baptised in her home parish of Crewkerne. Although Woolminstone is in the parish of Crewkerne it is about over two miles away from the parish church there, whereas Wayford is only just over a mile away. When Ann was born her paternal grandparents were both living in Woolminstone too, although her grandmother died in 1836 when Ann was nearly two.

Ann appears to have been the second of seven children. In the 1841 census she was living with her parents, siblings and paternal grandfather at Woolminstone. In the mid 1840s the family left Woolminstone and moved four miles to the west to Whatley in the parish of Winsham, where her brother Herbert was born in 1847. Winsham was also the parish in which Ann's mother Mary had been born. Back in Crewkerne parish Ann's grandfather William Hutchings died in 1849. The 1851 census finds the family living at Whatley, with Ann's father Edmund now described as a farmer.

Adulthood

Ann's next sighting is in 1856, aged 22, when she was a witness to her older sister Mary's marriage some 140 miles away from Winsham and Crewkerne, at St Pancras in the suburbs of London.

By 1860 Ann was living back in Crewkerne. She was married on 28th February 1860, aged 25, to William May. He was originally from Bradninch in mid Devon, some thirty miles or so west of Crewkerne, but at the time of their marriage he was also living in Crewkerne. Soon after their marriage Ann and William left Crewkerne and moved to the Plymouth area, initially settling in Devonport.

Ann's first son, William, was born on 19th January 1861 at 30 Pembroke Street in Devonport. William had previously worked as an agricultural labourer, but now became a publican, running 30 Pembroke Street as the Jolly Bacchus public house. The 1861 census finds Ann, William, their baby son and a couple of sailors lodging with them at the Jolly Bacchus. Two years later they had a daughter named Kate. Her baptism shows the family still living at the Jolly Bacchus.

Between 1863 and 1864 the family moved from Devonport into Plymouth itself, to another public house: the Portland Inn at 29 James Street, just north of the town centre. (A photograph of the Portland Inn taken in about 1956 is available here: Plymouth Reconstruction.) Here they had a son, Frank in 1864. They stayed at the Portland Inn for at least nine years, with William still being listed as the publican in trade directories in 1873. They had several more children whilst living there: Amos in 1866, who sadly died as a baby, then Maude in 1867 and Elizabeth in 1870. The 1871 census finds Ann and William at the Portland with four of their children. Their daughter Kate was away from home on census night, staying with Ann's parents, who by this time were living at Broadwindsor in Dorset.

Ann's mother Mary died in 1872 at Broadwindsor. Ann's widowed father came to live in Plymouth with Ann and her family. Ann had another two daughters in the early 1870s: Annie and Hannah. In 1877 Ann's eldest daughter Kate died aged 14.

The 1881 census finds Ann, William, their children and Ann's father living at 10 John Street, just around the corner from the Portland Inn. Their son Frank was described as an imbecile in the 1881 census, indicating that he was unable to look after himself. He died as a young man of 22 in 1886.

Ann's eldest son William was married in 1884, and Ann became a grandmother aged about 50 later that year when his first child was born, but sadly the baby died young. William and his wife went on to have a daughter the following year, who would live to adulthood.

As well as looking after Ann's father, the family also took in Ann's widower father-in-law, William May senior, who died at 10 John Street in 1890. The 1891 census finds Ann and William, their youngest daughter Hannah and Ann's father Edmund at 10 John Street. Ann's father died later that year.

The 1901 census finds Ann and William and their youngest daughter Hannah living at what was by then called 19 John Street, but appears to have been the same house as 10 John Street from the previous censuses, but the street had been renumbered. Their son William and his family were living next door at 21 John Street.

Some time between 1901 and 1910 William and Ann moved back to Devonport, living at 2 Wake Street, where Ann died on 4th December 1910. She was 76 years old. She had had nine children, but outlived four of them. (William's response to the 1911 census indicates that there must have been another child who died young whose identity has yet to be established.) She had also seen at least 25 grandchildren born in her lifetime, although some of these had died young too. She did not quite life long enough to see her first great grandchild: he was born less than a month after her death.

After Ann's death William went to live with their daughter Elizabeth and her family. He died at their home about two and a half years later.

1. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Church of Wayford (Somerset). Wayford Parish Registers, 1704-1901. (Taunton: Somerset Heritage Service).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Wayford in the County of Somerset in the Year 1834
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   232 Privately	Aug[us]t 1st 1834	Ann D[aughte]r of	Edmond & Maryann	Hutchings	Woolminstone, Parish of Crewkerne	Labourer	Rich[ar]d Cox, Rector

2. ↑ Church of England. Parish Church of Crewkerne. Crewkerne Parish Registers, 1558-1901. (Taunton: Somerset Heritage Service).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Crewkerne in the County of Somerset in the Year 1834
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   501	Aug[us]t 10th	Anne daughter of	Edmund & Mary Anne	Hutchings	Crewkerne	Labourer	Rd. Lowe, P.C.

3. ↑ 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 940; Book 1; Folio 20; Page 9, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Woolminstone, Crewkerne, Somerset
   William Hutchings, male, 60 [1776-81], Ag Lab, born in county
   Edmund Hutchings, male, 30 [1806-11], Ag Lab, born in county
   Mary Ann Hutchings, female, 25 [1811-16], born in county
   Ann Hutchings, female, 7 [1833/4], born in county
   William Hutchings, male, 3 [1837/8], born in county

4. ↑ 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 1928; Folio 208; Page 7, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Whatley, Winsham, Somerset
   Edwin Hutchings, head, married, male, 40 [1810/11], Farmer, b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   Mary Ann Hutchings, wife, married, female, 39 [1811/12], Farmer Wife, b. Winsham, Somerset
   Marey [sic] Hutchings, daughter, unmarried, female, 18 [1832/3], Farmer Daur, b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   Ann Hutchings, daughter, unmarried, female, 16 [1834/5], Farmer Daur, b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   William Hutchings, son, unmarried, male, 13 [1837/8], Farmer Son, b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   Alfred Hutchings, son, unmarried, male, 9 [1841/2], Farmer Son, b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   G.H. Hutchings, son, unmarried, male, 6 [1844/5], Farmer Son, b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   Herbert Hutchings, son, unmarried, male, 3 [1847/8], Farmer Son, b. Winsham, Somerset
   J. Hutchings, son, unmarried, male, 8 months [1850], Farmer Son, b. Winsham, Somerset

5. ↑ 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 1450; Folio 11; Page 16, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: The Jolly Bacchus, 30 Pembroke Street, Devonport, Stoke Damerel, Devon
   William May, head, married, male, 25 [1835/6], Victualler, b. Collumpton, Devon
   Ann May, wife, married, female, 26 [1834/5], b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   William May, son, male, 2 months [1861], b. Devonport, Devon
   John Deacon, lodger, unmarried, male, 39 [1821/2], Seaman R.N., b. Greenock, Scotland
   Samuel Walker, lodger, unmarried, male, 37 [1832/3], Seaman R.N., b. Stokenham, Devon

6. ↑ 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 2116; Folio 56; Page 2, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: 29 James Street, Plymouth, Devon
   William May, head, married, male, 34 [1836/7], Beer House Keeper, b. Collumpton, Devon
   Ann May, wife, married, female, 35 [1835/6], b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   William May, son, male, 10 [1860/1], Scholar, b. Stoke Damerel, Devon
   Frank May, son, male, 6 [1864/5], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Maud May, daughter, female, 3 [1867/8], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Elizabeth M. May, daughter, female, 1 [1869/70], b. Plymouth, Devon

7. ↑ 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 2194; Folio 7; Page 19, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 10 John Street, Plymouth, Devon
   William May, head, married, male, 45 [1835/6], Publican & Hauler, b. Tiverton, Devon
   Ann May, wife, married, female, 45 [1835/6], Publican's Wife, b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   William May, son, unmarried, male, 20 [1860/1], Compositer Printer (unemployed), b. Devonport, Devon
   Frank May, son, male, 16 [1864/5], b. Plymouth, Devon, Imbecile
   Maud May, daughter, female, 13 [1867/8], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Elizabeth M. May, daughter, female, 11 [1869/70], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Annie May, daughter, female, 8 [1872/3], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Hannah May, daughter, female, 6 [1874/5], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Edmund Hutchings, father, widower, 70 [1810/1], Gardener, b. Crewkerne, Somerset

8. ↑ 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 1726; Folio 14; Page 21, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 10 John Street, Plymouth (Charles), Devon
   4 rooms occupied
   William May, head, married, male, 55 [1835/6], Shop Keeper & General Laborer, employed, b. Cullompton, Devon
   Ann May, wife, married, female, 56 [1834/5], b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   Hannah May, daughter, single, female, 17 [1873/4], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Edmund Hutchings, boarder, widower, male, 80 [1810/11], Gardener, worker, b. Crewkerne, Somerset

9. ↑ 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 2103; Folio 11; Page 13, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 19 John Street (General dealer shop), Plymouth, Devon
   3 rooms occupied
   William May, head, married, male, 64 [1836/7], Beer retailer & grocer, own account, b. Bradnick [sic], Devon
   Ann May, wife, married, female, 65 [1835/6], b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   Anna May, daughter, single, female, 25 [1875/6], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Elsie May, daughter, female, 3 [1897/8], b. Plymouth, Devon

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

    Registration District Devonport
    1910 Death in the Sub-district of Stoke in the County of Devonport
    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
    1	Fourth December 1910 2 Wake Street U.D.	Ann May	female	76 years	Wife of William May Hauler (Master)	Senile Decay certified by Eustace B. Thomson M.D.	W.H. Turner Son-in-law Present at the Death 14 Third Avenue, Camels Head, Devonport	Fifth December 1910	E.M. Brenton Deputy Registrar