Person:Bethia Moss (2)

Bethia Jane Moss was born on 18th April 1878 at Aley Green in the parish of Caddington. Caddington parish at this time straddled Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, with Aley Green falling in the part of the parish in Hertfordshire. She was the daughter of a bonnet sewer called Bethia Moss, formerly King, and her husband William Moss, an agricultural labourer. Her birth was registered under the name "Bethia Moss", but she appears to have later become known as Jane or Jenny, calling herself "Bertha Jane" when she married and appearing in the 1911 census as Jenny.

In the 1881 census she was living with her parents and siblings at Aley Green. By 1891 they had moved to the nearby town of Luton, living at 146 Chapel Street. The 1901 census finds Jane living with her parents and sister at Farley Green in the parish of Caddington, but very close to the border with Luton. By this time she was working as a straw hat sewer.

In 1903 she had a son, called Sidney Oliver.

In 1905, aged about 27, Jane married Hubert Tompkins. It is not clear whether Hubert was actually Sidney's father, but he certainly took on the role of father and the boy adopted Tompkins as his surname, even though his birth had been registered under Jane's surname of Moss. Jane's mother died in 1906.

Jane and Hubert do not appear to have had any further children after their marriage. The 1911 census finds them and Sidney living at 152 Chapel Street in Luton, in the same house as Jane's father and her brother's family. Hubert's brother Oliver also lived with them. Hubert was working as a general labourer at this time, whilst Jane was a hat sewer. Jane's father died four days after the 1911 census.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Jane and Hubert were living at 23 Elizabeth Street in Luton and Hubert was working as a furniture manufacturer. Their son Sidney lived a few doors down at number 17 Elizabeth Street with his children (his wife had died in 1937).

Hubert died in 1942, aged 61. After the war Jane appears in the electoral registers living with her son Sidney and his children at 17 Elizabeth Street. Sidney died in 1955. After his death, Jane continued to live at 17 Elizabeth Street with her granddaughter and her granddaughter's husband.

Jane died in 1971, aged 92.

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

   b. Bethia MOSS, June Quarter 1878, Luton Registration District, Volume 3b, page 474, mother's maiden name King

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Baptisms register, in Church of England. Caddington Parish Registers. (Bedford: Bedfordshire Record Office).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Caddington in the County of Bedford in the Year 1879
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parent's Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   1728 [born] April 18 1878	Aug[ust] 3	Bethia	William & Bethia	Moss	Aley Green	Labourer	Tho[ma]s Prescott, Vicar

   Baptised same day as her brother William Arthur.

3. ↑ 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 1653; Folio 136; Page 4, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Aley Green, Caddington, Hertfordshire
   William Moss, head, married, male, 42 [1838/9], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Bethia Moss, wife, married, female, 44 [1836/7], Bonnet Sewer, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Victoria A. Moss, daughter, female, 13 [1867/8], Bonnet Sewer, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Alice M.M. Moss, daughter, female, 11 [1869/70], Scholar, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Walter A. Moss, son, male, 9 [1891/2], Scholar, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Prince L. Moss, son, male, 6 [1894/5], Scholar, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   William A. Moss, son, male, 4 [1896/7], b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Bethia Moss, daughter, female, 2 [1898/9], b. Caddington, Hertfordshire

4. ↑ 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 1274; Folio 59; Page 38, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 146 Chapel Street, Luton, Bedfordshire
   Five or more rooms occupied
   William Moss, head, married, male, 53 [1837/8], Agricultural Laborer, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Bertha Moss, wife, married, female, 55 [1835/6], employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Susanah Moss, daughter, single, female, 25 [1865/6], Hat Sewer, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Alice M. Moss, daughter, single, female, 21 [1869/70], Hat Sewer, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Ellen S. Moss, daughter, single, female, 20 [1870/1], Hat Sewer, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Walter B. Moss, son, male, 18 [1872/3], General Laborer, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Prince L. Moss, son, male, 16 [1874/5], Agricultural Laborer, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   William A. Moss, son, male, 14 [1876/7], Errand Boy, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Bethia Moss, daughter, female, 12 [1878/9], Scholar, employed, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Thomas Lewis, stepson, married, male, 34 [1856/7], Rag & Bone Collector, employed, b. Aspley Guise, Bedfordshire
   Thomas Lewis, grandson, male, 5 [1885/6], Scholar, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Arthur Lewis, grandson, male, 4 [1886/7], Scholar, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Ethel Bert Lewis, grandson [sic], female, 3 [1887/8], b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Harry Lewis, grandson, male, 1 [1889/90], b. Luton, Bedfordshire

5. ↑ 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 1519; Folio 104; Page 1, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: Farley Green, Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Five or more rooms occupied
   William Moss, head, married, male, 65 [1835/6], Cowman on Farm, worker, b. Aley Green, Hertfordshire
   Bethiar Moss, wife, married, female, 63 [1837/8], b. Aley Green, Hertfordshire
   Bethiar Moss, daughter, single, female, 22 [1878/9], Straw Hat Sewer, worker, b. Aley Green, Hertfordshire
   Ada Moss, daughter, single, female, 19 [1881/2], Straw Hat Sewer, worker, b. Aley Green, Hertfordshire

6. ↑ 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 9013; Schedule 607, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 152 Chapel Street, Luton, Bedfordshire
   3 rooms occupied
   William Moss, father, 75 [1835/6], Widower, married 40 years, 17 children born alive, 12 children still living, Gardener, worker, b. Caddington
   Hubert Tompkins, head, male, 30 [1880/1], married 6 years, 1 child born alive, 1 child still living, General Laberor, worker, b. Markyate, Hertfordshire
   Oliver Tompkins, boarder, male, 27 [1883/4], single, General Laberor, worker, b. Markyate, Hertfordshire
   Jenny Moss, wife, female, 31 [1879/80], married 6 years, 1 child born alive, 1 child still living, Sewing Hats, worker, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Sidney Moss, son, male, 7 [1903/4], School, b. Luton, Bedfordshire

7. ↑ General Register Office. 1939 Register
   Luton Municipal Borough, 29 Sep 1939.

   Address: 23 Elizabeth Street, Luton, Bedfordshire
   Tompkins, Hubert / male / b. 7 Feb 1881 / married / Furniture Man[u]f[acture]r General Labourer
   Tompkins, Bethiar [later hand has added "Jane"] / female / b. 15 Apr 1878 [later hand adds "79"] / married / Unpaid domestic duties

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

   d. Bethiar TOMPKINS, March Quarter 1971, Luton Registration District, Volume 4a, page 340, born 15 Apr 1876