Person:Edward Feary (1)

Edward Scholes Feary was born on 22nd July 1875 at Lincoln, son of a wheelwright named William Feary and his wife Emma. Edward was baptised at St Swithin's Church in Lincoln when he was a month old, at which time the family's address was given as 27 Flaxengate, on the eastern side of the city centre. The 1881 census finds Edward living with his parents and siblings at 10 Penneys Buildings By the time of the 1891 census the family had moved out to the suburbs on the opposite side of the River Witham, living at 43 Thesiger Street, and Edward was an apprentice iron turner.

In January 1892, aged sixteen, Edward joined the Navy. He signed up for a twelve year tour of duty which would start on his eighteenth birthday. Until then he would be in training, as a "boy seaman". He started his service on HMS Impregnable, transferring a few days later to HMS Ganges on which he served has a "boy 2nd class" for a year, being promoted to "boy 1st class" on 9th February 1893. However, he had obviously decided that the Navy was not for him. On 23rd February 1893 he left the Navy. Having previously promised to serve for twelve years from his eighteenth birthday, he had to pay £20 to the Navy for his discharge. We know from his naval records that he was five feet two and and eighth inches tall, with brown hair and brown eyes. His conduct whilst in the Navy was described as very good.^[8]

In the late 1890s Edward appears to have moved to Rugby in Warwickshire, over 70 miles away. Here he started a relationship with a woman named Harriet Mitchell, formerly Bastock. Her husband, Alfred Mitchell, was still alive, but had become disabled and unable to look after himself or his family, and would spend the rest of his life in Coventry Union Workhouse. Harriet was therefore not free to marry Edward, but they lived together as though husband and wife. In fact, Edward sometimes claimed to be Alfred Mitchell, or sometimes called himself Edward Mitchell or Edward Scholes Mitchell in order to maintain the illusion that they were married. Edward acted as a sort of stepfather to Harriet's four surviving sons from her marriage to Alfred Mitchell.

Edward and Harriet had a daughter named Rose May Mitchell on 11th April 1899, born at 19 Rileys Court in Rugby. Rileys Court was a courtyard of about twenty very small houses tucked behind the frontage buildings at the corner of Dunchurch Road and Warwick Street. The entrance to the courtyard was almost directly opposite the grand chapel of Rugby School - quite a contrast between rich and poor.

They then left Rugby and moved to Coventry, where Harriet and her sons had previously lived. They moved to house 11 in Court 2, Thomas Street, to the south-west of the city centre. This was another tightly-packed urban courtyard house, backing on to The Compasses public house. To get to the eleven houses in Court 2 you had to pass through a narrow arch between 16 Thomas Street and The Compasses (which was 17 Thomas Street).

On 14th August 1900 Edward and Harriet had a son named Edward. Just seven days later Rose May died of diarrhoea, aged sixteen months.

The 1901 census finds Edward, Harriet, her four surviving sons from her marriage to Alfred Mitchell and Edward and Harriet's son Edward living together at house 11 in Court 2, Thomas Street. Edward was working in engine making as a turner and fitter. Sadly baby Edward also died young just a few weeks after the census, dying on 17th May 1901 of pneumonia, aged nine months.

The family then moved across the road from house 11 in Court 2, to house 2 in Court 11 - a confusing reversal of the numbers. Court 11 was a much smaller courtyard, having just two houses which were back to back with the frontage houses of 82 and 83 Thomas Street, accessed through a narrow arch between those two. Here they had a son called Levi in 1902 (presumably named after Edward's younger brother), a daughter called Florence Maud in 1903 and finally twins called Lily Emma and Percy Henry in 1904. Lily died in 1905, leaving apparently three surviving children - although Florence has not been traced after her baptism in 1903.

On 8th October 1909 Harriet died, aged 43, of pneumonia. Edward was left with their three surviving children to look after, the youngest of whom was only four years old. Three of Harriet's four surviving sons from her marriage were still living at home at the time of their mother's death.

The 1911 census finds Edward still at house 2 in Court 11, Thomas Street. He was working as an iron turner in motor manufacturing, and described himself as a widower. His sons Levi and Percy were living with him, as were three of Harriet's four surviving sons, who were described as Edward's boarders.

Some time after 1911 Edward left Coventry and moved back to Lincolnshire, probably before 1938, when his son Percy was married in the Lincoln area.

Edward died in 1943, aged 67. He had outlived Harriet by over 33 years.

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

   b. Edward Scholes FEARY, September Quarter 1875, Lincoln Registration District, Vol, 7a, page 484

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Baptisms register, in Church of England. St. Swithin's Church (Lincoln). Parish registers, 1686-1961. (Lincoln: Lincolnshire Archives, 1990).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Lincoln Saint Swithin in the County of Lincoln in the Year 1875
   No.	When Born	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parent's Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   				Christian	Surname
   792	1875 July 22	1875 August 22	Edward Scholes	William and Emma	Feary	27 Flaxengate	Wheelwright	E.W. Barker Curate

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 3243; Folio 57; Page 51, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 10 Penneys Buildings, Lincoln, Lincolnshire
   William Fery, head, married, male, 37 [1843/4], Wheelwright, b. Con, Huntingdonshire
   Emma Fery, wife, married, female, 39 [1841/2], b. Stainton, Lincolnshire
   Emma J. Fery, daughter, female, 14 [1866/7], b. Lincoln
   William Fery, son, male, 13 [1867/8], b. Lincoln
   Eliza A. Fery, daughter, female, 8 [1872/3], b. Lincoln
   Edward Fery, son, male, 6 [1874/5], b. Lincoln
   Margaret Fery, daughter, female, 2 [1878/9], b. Lincoln
   Levi Fery, son, male, 3m [1880/1], b. Lincoln

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 2590; Folio 113; Page 51, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 43 Thesiger Street, Lincoln, Lincolnshire
   5 or more rooms occupied
   William Feary, head, married, male, 47 [1843/4], Wheelwright, employed, b. Colne, Lincolnshire
   Emma Feary, wife, married, female, 50 [1840/1], b. Stamford, Lincolnshire
   William Feary, son, single, male, 23 [1867/8], Iron turner, employed, b. Lincoln, Lincolnshire
   L.A. Feary, daughter, female, 17 [1873/4], b. Lincoln, Lincolnshire
   E.S. Feary, son, male, 15 [1875/6], Apprentice to Iron Turner, employed, b. Lincoln, Lincolnshire
   Levi Feary, son, male, 10 [1880/1], Scholar, b. Lincoln, Lincolnshire
   S.B. Feary, daughter, female, 7 [1883/4], Scholar, b. Lincoln, Lincolnshire

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 2907; Folio 116; Page 4, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 2 Court 11 House, Thomas Street, Coventry, Warwickshire
   2 rooms occupied
   Harriet Mitchell, wife, married, female, 34 [1866/7], b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Samuel Mitchell, son, single, male, 15 [1885/6], Brazier: Cycle work, worker, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   George Mitchell, son, single, male, 14 [1886/7], Automatic Machine Turner Cycle Trade, worker, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Alfred Mitchell, son, single, male, 12 [1888/9], b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Fred Mitchell, son, male, 5 [1895/6], b. Coventry, Warwickshire
   Edward Mitchell, son, male, 7 mo [1900], b. Coventry, Warwickshire
   Edward S. Feary, Boarder, single, male, 25 [1875/6], Engine Making; Turner / Fitter, worker, b. St Swithun, Lincolnshire

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 18522; Schedule 356, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 11C2H Thomas Street, Coventry, Warwickshire
   3 rooms occupied
   Edward Scholes Feary, head, male, 35 [1875/6], widower, Turner Iron - Motor Manuf, worker, b. Lincoln
   Samuel Mitchell, boarder, male, 26 [1884/5], single, Assistant Butcher, worker, b. Warwick
   Alfred Mitchell, boarder, male, 22 [1888/9], single, Milling machine - Motor manuf, worker, b. Warwick
   Frederick Mitchell, boarder, male, 17 [1893/4], single, Errands for Tobacconist, worker, b. Coventry, Warwickshire
   Levi Feary Mitchell, son, male, 8 [1902/3], School, b. Coventry, Warwickshire
   Percy Feary, son, male, 6 [1904/5], School, b. Coventry, Warwickshire

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

   d. Edward S. FEARY, June Quarter 1943, Lincoln Registration District, Vol. 7a, page 540, aged 67 [1875/6]

8. ↑ Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services, ADM 188/244/164944, accessed 5 Jan 2014