Person:Frederick Wright (18)

Frederick Wright was born on 16th September 1864 at The Folly in the parish of Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire. He was the son of a straw plaiter called Maria Wright, formerly Hornet, and her husband Charles Wright, a labourer. He appears to have been known as Fred. When he was only four years old, his father died. The 1871 census finds Fred living with his mothers and two sisters at The Folly. Later in 1871 his mother married again, to an agricultural labourer called Daniel William Nicholls, who thus became Fred's stepfather.

By 1881, Fred had left home and had moved to the nearby parish of Redbourn, where he was working as an agricultural labourer at Beeson End.

Some time between 1881 and 1888, Fred left the south of England altogether, moving over 180 miles north west to the Padiham area of Lancashire. He was married there in 1888, to Susannah Southwell, who worked in the local cotton industry as a creeler and winder.

They went on to have twelve children together between 1888 and 1908, although their third child died when only one year old.

The 1891 census finds the family living at 9 Back Manchester Road in Hapton, a village just south of Padiham, and Fred was working as a gas and boiler stoker. By 1901 they were living at Stone Moor in Padiham, and Fred was a stoker in a chemical works.

Back in Hertfordshire, Fred's mother died in 1906.

In 1911, Fred and Susannah were living at 97 Hapton Road in Padiham. Some time between 1911 and 1938 Susannah and Fred left Padiham and moved to Wythenshawe in Manchester, where a large housing estate was being built by Manchester Corporation. They lived there at 16 Wynyard Road.

Susannah died in Manchester in 1938, aged 72. She was buried back at Padiham.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Fred was living alone at 16 Wynyard Road. He later returned to Padiham to live with his son Frederick. On 7th February 1941, Fred was hit by a car at the junction of Church Street and King Street in Padiham. The driver drove off without stopping. Other passers by stopped to help Fred, taking him to the local doctor. He was taken to the Victoria Hospital in nearby Burnley, where he died of his injuries eighteen days later, on 25th February 1941. He was 76 years old. He was buried alongside his wife at the St John's Road Cemetery in Padiham.

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

   b. Frederick WRIGHT, December Quarter 1864, St Albans Registration District, Volume 3a, page 288, mother's maiden name Hornet

2. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Wheathampstead Parish Registers. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Wheathampstead in the County of Hertford in the Year 1864
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parent's Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   258	November 27	Frederic	Charles & Maria	Wright	Folly, Wheathampstead	Labourer	Owen W. Davys, Rector

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 1376, Folio 36, Page 34, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: The Folly, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
   Maria Wright, head, widow, female, 39 [1831/2], Straw plaitter, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
   Sophia Hornet, daughter, female, 9 [1861/2], Straw plaitter, b. St Albans, Hertfordshire
   Frederic Wright, son, male, 6 [1864/5], Scholar, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
   Sarah Wright, daughter, female, 3 [1867/8], Scholar, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire

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 1430; Folio 37; Page 30, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Bisney End, Redbourn, Hertfordshire
   Thomas Cox, head, married, male, 27 [1853/4], Farmer of 120 Acres Employing 4 men & 2 Boys, b. Sandridge, Hertfordshire
   Catherine Cox, wife, married, female, 21 [1859/60], Wife, b. St Albans, Hertfordshire
   Henry Impey, servant, married, male, 47 [1833/4], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Redbourn, Hertfordshire
   Mary Impey, servant, married, female, 45 [1835/6], Household domestic, b. Redbourn, Hertfordshire
   Arthur Rolf, servant, unmarried, married, 14 [1866/7], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Redbourn, Hertfordshire
   Fred Wright, servant, unmarried, male, 17 [1863/4], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire

   'Bisney End' is presumed to be the same place now generally spelled 'Beeson End' or 'Beesonend'. The enumerator's notes make clear that this enumeration district is the part of Redbourn parish east of the London to Holyhead Road (the Roman Watling Street, later the A5) and Bisney End is listed in the census returns immediately after Redbourn Bury Farm, which is on the lane leading up to Beeson End, which at that time was in Redbourn parish.

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 3374; Folio 132; Page 19, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 9 B[ac]k Manchester R[oa]d, Hapton, Lancashire
   3 rooms occupied
   Frederick Wright, head, married, male, 26 [1864/5], Gas & Boiler Stoker, employed, b. Folby, Herefordshire [sic]
   Susannah Wright, wife, married, female, 25 [1865/6], Cotton Winder, employed, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Charles W. Wright, son, male, 2 [1888/9], b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Christiannah Wright, daughter, female, 1 [1889/90], b. Padiham, Lancashire

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 3878; Folio 119; Page 22, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 10 Stone Moor, Padiham, Lancashire
   3 rooms occupied
   Fred Wright, head, married, male, 36 [1864/5], Stoker Chemical Worker, worker, b. Folly, Hertfordshire
   Susannah Wright, wife, married, female, 35 [1865/6], b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Charles W. Wright, son, single, male, 12 [1888/9], Joiner's Errand Boy, worker, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Christian Wright, daughter, single, female, 11 [1889/90], b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Annie Wright, daughter, single, female, 6 [1894/5], b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Alice Wright, daughter, single, female, 5 [1895/6], b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Thomas Wright, son, single, male, 4 [1896/7], b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Fredy Wright, son, single, male, 2 [1898/9], b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Elizabeth Wright, daughter, single, female, 11mo [1900], b. Padiham, Lancashire

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 24870; Schedule 117, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 97 Hapton Road, Padiham, Lancashire
   5 rooms occupied
   Fredrick Wright, head, male, 45 [1865/6], married, 12 children born to marriage, 11 children still living, Labourer - Chemical Works, worker, b. Folly, Hertfordshire
   Susannah Wright, wife, female, 44 [1866/7], married 23 years, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Charles William Wright, son, male, 22 [1888/9], single, Labourer - Chemical Works, worker, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Christiana Wright, daughter, female, 21 [1889/90], single, Cotton Weaver - Cotton Manuf., worker, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Annie Wright, daughter, female, 16 [1894/5], single, Winder Cotton - Cotton Manuf., worker, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Alice Wright, daughter, female, 15 [1895/6], single, Laundry, worker, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Thomas Wright, son, male, 13 [1897/8], Cotton Weaver - Cotton Manuf., worker, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Fredrick Wright, son, male, 12 [1898/9], School, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Elizabeth Wright, daughter, female, 10 [1900/1], School, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   James Wright, son, male, 8 [1902/3], School, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Clara Wright, daughter, female, 7 [1903/4], School, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   Phyllis Wright, daughter, female, 5 [1905/6], School, b. Padiham, Lancashire
   John Edward Wright, son, male, 2 [1908/9], b. Padiham, Lancashire

8. ↑ ^8.0 8.1 General Register Office. 1939 Register
   Manchester County Borough, 29 Sep 1939.

   Address: 16 Wynard [sic] Road, Manchester, Lancashire
   Wright, Frederick / male / 16 Sep 1864 / widower / Retired Chemical Labourer

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

   d. Frederick WRIGHT, March Quarter 1941, Burnley Registration District, Volume 8e, page 406, aged 76 [1864/5]

10. ↑ Burnley Express, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    Saturday 1 Mar 1941.

    Page 4
    DEATHS.
    WRIGHT.-On Tuesday, at Victoria Hospital, Burnley, Frederick Wright, aged 76 years. Interment on Saturday, at Padiham Cemetery.
    
    Page 8
    KNOCKED DOWN BY UNKNOWN CAR
    Padiham Man's Fatal Injuries
    Knocked down on February 7th, in Church-street, Padiham, by a car which failed to stop, and has not yet been traced, Frederick Wright (76), retired bleacher, 15, Bridge-street, Padiham, died in Victoria Hosipial last Tuesday from pulmonary congestion due to the injuries he received.
    At the inquest on Wednesday, in Burnley Town Hall, the Burnley Deputy Coroner (Mr. C. Waddington), recorded a verdict of "Death by Misadventure," said that his verdict would not affect any inquiries by the police, or the driver of the car being punished if he was found and sufficient evidence could be obtained to show that he was grossly at fault.
    Frederick Wright, 15, Bridge-street, Padiham, said he was returning home from work about 7 p.m. on Friday, February 7th, when a neighbour told him his father had met with an accident and had been taken to Dr. Lang's surgery. Witness went to the surgery, and learned that his father had been knocked down by a motor vehicle, but the driver had failed to stop. His father was seated on a couch, but though conscious he was dazed, and could not remember anything. His father had told him at the hospital that the vehicle appeared to come from the direction of King-street. He had been a very active man for his age, with good eyesight and hearing. He always carried a torch, but would not need to use it on the night of the accident as it was very light.
    EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT
    Mrs. Bertha Freeman, 60, Church-street, Padiham, said that at 6-55 p.m. on February 7th she came out of Thompson's shop in Church-street, about 14 yards from King-street. She noticed a car coming up Church-street on its own side, and as it passed her she saw a man struck, apparently by the front of the vehicle. She could not estimate the speed of the car, or tell whether the man was standing or walking before he was hit. He appeared to be near the footpath. After hitting the man the car went on, and she did not notice whether it continued on the main road or turned off it. She ran back into Thompson's shop as she was frightened.
    Questioned by Chief Inspector Cook, Lancashire Constabulary, witness said that it was dusk but she could see across the street. She did not recollect if the car had lights, or whether it was big or small. It was a private car, not a wagon, and appeared to be of the saloon type. The was nothing to prevent the driver seeing the man. She could not say whether the car swerved or accelerated.
    Wm Henry Walmsley (40), motor driver, 5, Bridge-street, Padiham, said that at 6-55 p.m. on February 7th he was driving a motor car, owned by Fred Ashworth, of 12, Whalley-road, Padiham, along Church-street in the direction of Blackburn. Thirty yards from the junction of King-street and Church-street he saw something in the road and pulled up a few yards beyond King-street. He reversed the car into King-street, and on getting out found an injured man lying face downwards in the road, with his head pointing towards King-street, and his feet in Church-street. With the assistance of two men he carried the man into Dr. Lang's surgery. Witness did not see any car in front of him.
    Replying to Chief Inspector Cook, witness said that the man appeared to have been hit by a vehicle which had come up Church-street.
    Chief Inspector Cook said that in fairness to the witness he would state that the car he was driving had been examined by the police, and there was nothing to show that it had been involved in an accident.
    Albert Gardner, chemical manufacturer, 32, Blackburn-road, Padiham, said that he was walking on the nearside footpath of Church-street, going in the direction of Blackburn, with a Mr. Whitaker, and when 15 yards from the King-street and Church-street junction a woman whom he did not know told him there was a man lying in the road. He saw the man, and also a saloon car standing on the off-side of King-street. A man approached from this car, and helped them to carry the man to the surgery. Five minutes previously witness had remarked to his companion on the heavy traffic using Church-street.
    Robert Randolph Whitaker, master tailor, 12 Vicarage-avenue, who accompanied Gardner, bore out the latter's statement, and added that he saw the body in the road before the car driven by Walmsley passed them.
    Acting Sergeant Thomas Kitchin, of Padiham, spoke to being called to the surgery about 7-15, and seeing Wright lying on a stretcher with injuries to the face and head, and abrasions to the right knee and hand. Subsequently a number of cars were examined by the police, and people questioned.
    WIDESPREAD ENQUIRIES
    By Chief Inspector Cook, witness said that inquiries had been made throughout the whole of the North of England with a view to tracing the vehicle concerned, but so far they had been without result. Walmsley's car was examined the same evening, and they were satisfied it was not the vehicle involved. There were no marks of any description on it.
    Dr. Mary J. Walmsley, resident surgeon at the Victoria Hospital, who described the injuries Wright received, said, in reply to Chief Inspector Cook, that the man must have been hit from behind and thrown forward. There were no marks to indicate where he was struck.
    P.C. Robert McMecham, Simonstone, said he obtained a statement on February 19th from Wright, who said that he left home at 6-50 to go to the working men's club in Church-street. He walked down the right side of Church-street towards Padiham Centre, as far as King-sreet. It was just going dusk, and he looked in both directions and then started to cross the road. As soon as he stepped off the footpath he felt a bump and was knocked to the ground. He did not see any car approach, or hear any horn sounded, and did not remember anything more.
    Mr. Waddington said that it appeared quite obvious that Wright had been knocked down by a car, but unfortunately no one could tell exactly what happened, as the police had not yet traced the driver, and Mrs. Freeman did not recollect very much of what took place. It was very difficult to reconstruct an accident, and particularly hard for anyone who had been distressed like Mrs. Freeman had apparently been with what she saw.
    It was clear that the driver was at fault to some extent, as the evidence was that visibility was good. They were not certain whether the front of the car or the side of it struck the man. If it was the front the driver must have known that he had been involved in an accident, but if it was the handle of a rear door, he might not have known.

11. ↑ Lancashie Online Parish Clerks.

    Burial: 1 Mar 1941 St John's Rd Cemetery, Padiham, Lancs.
    Frederick Wright
    Age: 76 years [1864/5]
    Abode: 15 Bridge St Padiham
    Grave: 3704A
    Plot: 21
    Died at Victoria Hospital Burnley
    Registrar: Walter Helm
    Buried by: R H Hothersall
    Register: Burials 1930-2016, Page 38, Entry 7461
    Source: Original Register held at Burnley Cemetery