Person:Emma Castle (2)

Emma Castle was born in 1841 at Evesham in Worcestershire, daughter of a boot binder named Mary Dingley Castle, formerly Lies, and her husband Thomas Castle, a hatter. When Emma was just under four years old her father Thomas died, aged 25.

Emma's mother Mary remarried when Emma was six years old to a slater and plasterer named Richard Keyte, who was from Broadway, a few miles from Evesham. The 1851 census finds Emma living in Broadway with her mother, stepfather and a half-brother. Emma was baptised in Broadway on 28th December 1851, aged 10, alongside two of her younger half-siblings. Although Emma was baptised into the Church of England, the family appears to have later converted to Catholicism, with several of Emma's younger half-siblings from the mid 1850s onwards being baptised at Broadway's Catholic Church.

By 1861 Emma had left Broadway and moved to Birmingham, where she was working as a servant at St Anne's Convent on Lowe Street, which also served as a Catholic school, with many girl pupils boarding there.

Emma appears to have stayed at St Anne's Convent for the rest of her life. She died there on 30th April 1870, aged of 28, having been suffering with tuberculosis for eighteen months. She was buried at St Joseph's Catholic Cemetery in Birmingham on 5th May 1870. Her death and burial were recorded under the name Mary Emma Castle. Her mother survived her and was listed as her nearest relative on her burial record.

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

   b. Emma CASTLE, December Quarter 1841, Evesham Registration District, Volume 18, page 360, mother's maiden name Lees

2. ↑ 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 2044; Folio 433; Page 9, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Church Street, Broadway, Worcestershire
   Richard Keyte, Head, married, male, 28 [1822/3], Slater and Plasterer, b. Broadway, Worcestershire
   Mary Keyte, wife, married, female, 29 [1821/2], Boot Binder, b. Evesham, Worcestershire
   Emma Castle, daughter in law, female, 9 [1841/2], b. Evesham, Worcestershire
   John Keyte, son, male, 2 [1848/9], b. Broadway, Worcestershire

3. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Registers of Broadway, 1539-1966. (Worcester: Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Broadway in the County of Worcester in the Year 1851
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   1564	Dec[embe]r 28th	Emma, 10 years old	Thomas and Mary	Castle	Broadway	Hatter	Sam[ue]l Franklin

   Baptised same day as half siblings John and Elizabeth Keyte.

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 2172; Folio 132; Page 33, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: St Ann's Convent, Lowe Street, Aston, Birmingham, Warwickshire
   [Many girl scholars and staff, including:]
   Emma Castle, female, 19 [1841/2], Servant, b. Broadway, Worcestershire

   Although her place of birth is here given as Broadway rather than Evesham, Emma had been brought up in Broadway from a young age, and no other Emma Castle of a similar age from Broadway can be found in either the birth records or the 1851 census.

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

   Superintendent Registrar's District Aston / Registrar's District Deritend
   1870. DEATHS in the District of Deritend in the County of Warwick
   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
   413	Thirtieth April 1870 St. Anne's Convent Lowe Street	Mary Emma Castle	female	28 years [1841/2]	Daughter of John Castle a Slater	Phthisis 1½ year Certified	Lucy Holl present at the death St. Anne's Convent, Lowe Street, Aston	Third May 1870	Sam[ue]l Westwood Deputy Registrar

   Although her father's name is given as John Castle, this is considered to be in error, especially in light of the burial record which shows that her nearest relative was Mrs Keyte, and her appearance in the 1861 census at the same convent which points back to her being the Emma Castle who grew up in Broadway. Emma's stepfather, Richard Keyte, was a slater, which may explain the father's occupation given in the death register. It seems likely that the informant for the death was a little uncertain on Emma's details.

6. ↑ St Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, Birmingham, Warwickshire: Burials Register (Birmingham Archdiocesan Archives, Birmingham).

   Date of Internment: 1870 May 5th
   Running Number: 5408
   Name of Deceased: Mary Emma Castle
   Parent's Name, Relative or Principal Connexion: Mrs Castle now Mrs Keyte
   Last Residence: Alcester St Convent
   Age: 27 [1842/3]
   Officiating Priest: Rev. F. Dowling