Person:Eliza Kempson (1)

Eliza Kempson was born in 1852 at Dunstable in Bedfordshire, daughter of a straw plaiter named Sarah Kempson, formerly Gobby, and her husband Joseph Kempson, a straw dealer and agricultural labourer. Eliza appears in the 1861 census living with her parents and siblings at Church Street in Dunstable.

By 1871 the family had moved to the neighbouring town of Luton. Eliza appears in the census that year working as a straw bonnet sewer and living with her father, brother James and his wife at 5 Park Lane in the centre of Luton. Eliza's mother was in the Luton Union Workhouse on census night. Eliza's mother died in the workhouse two years later in 1873.

On 3rd April 1875, aged 22, Eliza married a printer called James Doherty. At the time of their marriage he was described as living in Preston in Lancashire, nearly 200 miles from Luton. Eliza was heavily pregnant when they married, giving birth to a son less than a month later.

James died on 10th December 1876, aged just 31 years old. Eliza was pregnant when he died, having a daughter the following month.

On 3rd May 1880, Eliza married again. Her second husband was a straw hat blocker called George Cook. From her second marriage onwards, Eliza took to calling herself Elizabeth rather than Eliza. Later in 1880, her father Joseph died.

Eliza and George had six children together between 1881 and 1891, although two died young. In the 1881 census Eliza, George, their first son and her two Doherty children were living at 4 Chequer Street in Luton. By 1891 they had moved to 23 Union Street.

Around 1893 the family moved from 23 Union Street to 2 Cowper Street. George has yet to be traced after the 1894 electoral register which records that he had moved between those two addresses in the qualifying period for that register. There is no obvious death record for him in the Luton district. By 1898, Eliza was listed as the qualifying voter at that address, which she would not have been if George were still the householder.

The 1901 census finds Eliza still at 2 Cowper Street with five of her children, and a lodger called George Frederick Hare and his son. Ten years later Eliza and George Hare were still living together at 2 Cowper Street. It therefore seems possible that they were in a relationship and that Eliza was separated from George Cook. Eliza is listed (as Elizabeth) in each electoral register up to 1914 at 2 Cowper Street.

It seems likely that Eliza died on 28th February 1914 at 18 Ashton Road in Luton, just around the corner from 2 Cowper Street. Her death was registered as Eliza Elizabeth Cook, using both versions of her first name. She was 61 years old.

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

   b. Eliza KEMPSON, December Quarter 1852, Luton Registration District, Volume 3b, page 382, mother's maiden name Gobby

2. ↑ 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 1011; Folio 48; Page 3, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Church Street, Dunstable, Bedfordshire
   Joseph Kempson, head, married, male, 44 [1816/7], Ag[ricultural] Labourer, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Sarah Kempson, wife, married, female, 51 [1809/10], Straw Plaiter, b. Wobourn [sic], Bedfordshire
   Rebbecca Kempson, daughter, unmarried, female, 18 [1842/3], Straw Plaiter, b. Toddington, Bedfordshire
   Elizabeth Kempson, daughter, unmarried, female, 17 [1843/4], Straw Plaiter, b. Dunstable, Bedfordshire
   James Kempson, son, unmarried, male, 14 [1846/7], Straw Plaiter, b. Dunstable, Bedfordshire
   Eliza Kempson, daughter, unmarried, female, 8 [1852/3], b. Dunstable, Bedfordshire

3. ↑ 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 1572; Folio 29; Page 8, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: 5 Park Lane, Luton, Bedfordshire
   James Kempson, head, married, male, 24 [1846/7], Bricklayers Laborer, b. Chalk Hill, Bedfordshire
   Sarah Kempson, wife, married, female, 24 [1846/7], Straw Bonnet Sewer, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Joseph Kempson, lodger, married, male, 55 [1815/6], Straw Drawer, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Eliza Kempson, daughter, unmarried, female, 18 [1852/3], Straw Bonnet Sewer, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire

4. ↑ 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 1651; Folio 35; Pages 15 & 16, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 4 Chequer Street, Luton, Bedfordshire
   George Cook, head, married, male, 24 [1856/7], Blocker, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Elizabeth Cook, wife, married, female, 29 [1851/2], b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Samuel S. Daperty, son-in-law, male, 5 [1875/6], Scholar, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Elizabeth Daperty, daughter, female, 4 [1876/7], Scholar, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Frederick E. Cook, son, 2mo [1881], b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Mary Ann Milles, lodger, unmarried, female, 37 [1843/4], No occupation, b. Markyate St, Bedfordshire

5. ↑ 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 1273; Folio 117; Page 26, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 23 Union Street, Luton, Bedfordshire
   Five or more rooms occupied
   George Cook, head, married, male, 35 [1855/6], Straw Hat Blocker, employed, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Elizabeth Cook, wife, married, female, 38 [1852/3], Straw Hat Sewer, employed, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Samuel Cook, son, male, 15 [1875/6], Milkman's Boy, employed, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Elizabeth Cook, daughter, female, 14 [1876/7], Straw Hat Sewer, employed, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Frederick Cook, son, male, 10 [1880/1], Scholar, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   George Cook, son, male, 8 [1882/3], Scholar, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Edith Cook, daughter, female, 2 [1888/9], b. Luton, Bedfordshire

6. ↑ 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 1516; Folio 56; Page 27, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 2 Cowper Street, Luton, Bedfordshire
   Five or more rooms occupied
   Elizabeth Cook, head, widow, female, 47 [1853/4], b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Elizabeth Cook, daughter, single, female, 24 [1876/7], Straw Hat Machinist, worker, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Frederick Cook, son, single, male, 20 [1880/1], Straw Hat Blocker, worker, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   George Cook, son, single, male, 18 [1882/3], Coal Porter, worker, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Edith Cook, daughter, single, female, 12 [1888/9], b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Emma Cook, daughter, single, female, 9 [1891/2], b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   George F. Hare, boarder, widower, male, 46 [1854/5], Iron Foundry Labourer, worker, b. Epping, Essex
   Sidney Hare, boarder, single, male, 14 [1886/7], Errand Boy, worker, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Emily Wooding, boarder, married, female, 27 [1873/4], Straw Hat Finisher, worker, b. Luton, Bedfordshire

7. ↑ 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 8996; Schedule 82, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 2 Cowper Street, Luton, Bedfordshire
   Five rooms occupied
   Elizabeth Cook, head, female, 59 [1851/2], widow, 6 children born alive, 4 still living, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   George Cook, son, male, 29 [1881/2], married 5 years, 1 child born alive, 1 child still living, Bricklayers Labourer, worker, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   George Hare, boarder, male, 56 [1854/5], widower, 5 children born alive, 3 children still living, Foundry Labourer, worker, b. Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire
   Sidney Hare, boarder, male, 23 [1887/8], single, Ware Stores Labourer - Luton Brewery, worker, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Emily Cook, daughter, female, 20 [1890/1], single, Milliner - Straw Hat Industry, worker, b. Luton, Bedfordshire
   Harold Cook, grandson, male, 1 [1909/10], b. Luton, Bedfordshire

8.   Bedfordshire, England. Electoral Registers 1832-1986 (Bedfordshire Archives, Bedford / Ancestry.co.uk).

   1894
   East Ward, Luton
   Occupation Voters
   No. 350
   Name: Cook, George
   Abode: Luton
   Nature of Qualification: Dwelling house (succession)
   Description of Qualifying Property: 2, Cowper road from 23, Union street
   
   1898:
   Occupation Voters:
   Cook Elizabeth / 2, Cowper Street / Nature of Qualification: House
   
   1914:
   Occupation Voters:
   Cook Elizabeth / 2 Cowper street / Nature of Qualification: House

9. ↑ General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. Eliza Elizabeth COOK, March Quarter 1914, Luton Registration District, Volume 3b, page 526, aged 62 [1851/2]

   There is another death of an Eliza Cook in 1914 which can be ruled out - a newspaper notice gives that Eliza's address as 34 New Town Street, where an Eliza Cook was living in the 1911 census, who was therefore a different person to the subject of this page.
   Another alternative may be this one:
   d. Eliza COOK, March Quarter 1926, Luton Registration District, Volume 3b, page 471, aged 76 [1849/50]

10. ↑ Luton Times and Advertiser, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    6 Mar 1914.

    DEATHS.
    Feb. 28th, at 18, Ashton-road, Luton, Eliza Elizabeth Cook, aged 62 years.