Person:Louisa Harry (1)

Childhood

Louisa Kate Harry was born on 10th December 1857 on Crowthers Hill in the town of Dartmouth, Devon. She was the fourth child of a charwoman named Jane Harry, formerly Drake, and her husband William Richard Harry, a shipwright. Her eldest sister had died as a baby, making Louisa effectively the third child.

The family was not from Dartmouth, and only lived briefly in the town around the time of Louisa's birth. Louisa's mother was from Bere Ferrers, whilst her father was from Saltash in Cornwall. They had married in Plymouth in 1850 but then spent most of the 1850s moving around ports on the south coast: Portsmouth, Dartmouth and Plymouth, as well as Jane's native Bere Ferrers. Presumably they moved to wherever William could find work as a shipwright. By the time Louisa was nineteen months old, when her brother William was born, the family had left Dartmouth and was living in Plymouth. From William's birth onwards the family appears to have stayed in Plymouth. Louisa's parents had five children after her, all born in Plymouth, but the youngest two died young, leaving six children who lived to adulthood (four girls and two boys).

The 1861 census finds Louisa living with her parents and siblings at 12 Claremont Street in Plymouth. Ten years later the family was still in Claremont Street but now at number 25. Louisa's father was out of work in 1871, with the only people in the house with occupations being 13 year old Louisa and her sister Mary who were both working as domestic servants.

Adulthood

By 1881 Louisa had left home and was working as a domestic servant for the family of a gas company's collector.

On 24th June 1884 Louisa was married at Plymouth Register Office to William May, a printer. He was three years younger than her; when they married she was 26 and he was 23. The fact that they married in a register office is unusual for the time. Shortly after her marriage, Louisa's father died.

Less than a month after her marriage, Louisa gave birth to a son named William May. Sadly he died as a small baby. Between 1885 and 1895 Louisa and William had another seven children, who all survived to adulthood. Louisa managed to give birth in five consecutive calendar years: 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890 and 1891. Louisa's first two children, William and Winifred, were born at 46 Claremont Street, which was the street where Louisa had grown up. By the time of the 1891 census the family was living at 11 John Street, which was the street where her husband William's family lived. His parents ran a grocery shop and beer house next door. Louisa was to live on John Street for the rest of her life, mostly at Pear Tree Cottages, a row of houses behind 21 John Street. Louisa's mother died in 1894.

Louisa's eldest daughter married in 1909, and Louisa's first grandchild was born in January 1911. The census later that year finds Louisa and William at 1 Pear Tree Cottages. William was no longer working, being described as an invalid. He died later that year, aged 50.

Louisa survived William by over 21 years. She died on 2nd February 1933 at 21 John Street, aged 75.

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

   REGISTRATION DISTRICT Totnes
   1857 BIRTH in the Sub-district of Dartmouth in the County of Devon
   No.	When and where born	Name, if any	Sex	Name and surname of father	Name, surname and maiden name of mother	Occupation of father	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   173	Tenth December 1857 Croters Hill Saint Saviours Dartmouth	Louisa Kate	Girl	William Harry	Jane Harry formerly Drake	Shipwright	William Harry Father Croters Hill Dartmouth	Eighteenth December 1857	Percy Hockin Registrar

   
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 1440; Folio 125; Page 16, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: 12 Claremont Street, Plymouth, Devon
   William Harry, head, married, male, 34 [1826/7], Shipwright, b. Saltash, Cornwall
   Jane Harry, wife, married, female, 39 [1821/2], b. Beerferris, Devon
   Maryann Harry, daughter, female, 8 [1852/3], Scholar, b. Dartmouth, Devon
   Amelia Jane Harry, daughter, female, 6 [1854/5], Scholar, b. Beerferris, Devon
   Louisa Kate Harry, daughter, female, 3 [1857/8], Scholar, b. Dartmouth, Devon
   W[illia]m R[ichar]d Harry, son, male, 1 [1859/60], b. Plymouth, Devon

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 2118; Folio 109; Page 5, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: 25 Claremont Street, Plymouth, Devon
   William R. Harry, head, married, male, 44 [1826/7], Shipwright (out of employ), b. Saltash, Cornwall
   Jane Harry, wife, married, female, 37 [1823/4], b. Parish of Beer Ferris, Devon
   Mary A. Harry, daughter, unmarried, female, 17 [1853/4], Domestic Serv[an]t, b. Portsmouth, Hampshire
   Louisa K. Harry, daughter, female, 13 [1857/8], Domestic Serv[an]t, b. Dartmouth, Devon
   William R. Harry, son, male, 11 [1859/60], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   John E. Harry, son, male, 7 [1863/4], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Ellen S. Harry, daughter, female, 4 [1864/5], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Elisabeth M. Harry, daughter, female, 1 [1869/70], b. Plymouth, Devon

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 2196; Folio 84; Page 19, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 33 Sydney Street, Plymouth, Devon
   Thomas Gibbons, head, married, male, 30 [1850/1], Gas Co's Collector, b. Edinburgh, Scotland
   Mary Ann Gibbons, wife, married, female, 26 [1854/5], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Frederic B. Gibbons, son, male, 3 [1877/8], b. Plympton, Devon
   Helen Mary Gibbons, daughter, female, 1 [1879/80], b. Plymouth, Devon
   H[enr]y Reginald Clarke, boarder, unmarried, male, 21 [1859/60], Ironmonger's Ass[istan]t, b. London
   Louisa Harry, servant, unmarried, female, 23 [1857/8], Domestic Serv[an]t, b. Dartmouth, Devon

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 1726; Folio 14; Page 21, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 11 John Street, Plymouth, Devon
   3 rooms occupied
   William May, head, married, male, 30 [1860/1], Printers Compositor, employed, b. Devonport, Devon
   Louisa May, wife, married, female, 33 [1857/8], b. Dartmouth, Devon
   Winnifred May, daughter, single, 6 [1884/5], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Louisa May, daughter, single, female, 4 [1886/7], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Alice May, daughter, single, female, 3 [1887/8], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Frank May, son, single, male, 2 [1888/9], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Harry May, son, single, male, 1 [1889/90], b. Plymouth, Devon

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 2103; Folio 11; Page 13, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: Pear Tree Cott[age], 21 John Street, Plymouth, Devon
   4 rooms occupied
   William May, head, married, male, 40 [1860/1], Letterpress Printer, worker, b. Devonport, Devon
   Louisa May, wife, married, female, 43 [1857/8], Dartmouth, Devon
   Winifred May, daughter, female, 15 [1885/6], General Servant (Domestic), worker, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Louisa May, daughter, female, 14 [1886/7], General Servant Domestic, worker, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Frank May, son, male, 11 [1889/90], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Alice May, daughter, female, 13 [1887/8], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Harry May, son, male, 10 [1890/1], b. Plymouth, Devon
   William May, son, male, 9 [1891/2], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Bertram May, son, male, 6 [1894/5], b. Plymouth, Devon

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 13001; Schedule 450, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 1 Pear Tree Cottages, 21 John Street, Plymouth, Devon
   4 rooms occupied
   William May, head, male, 50 [1860/1], married, Invalid, b. Devonport, Devon
   Louisa May, wife, female, 53 [1857/8], married 27 years, 8 children born to marriage, 7 children still living, b. Dartmouth, Devon
   Louisa Rimmer, daughter, female, 24 [1886/7], married 1 year, 0 children, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Alice May, daughter, female, 23 [1887/8], single, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Harry May, son, male, 20 [1890/1], single, Domestic R.N., worker, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Bertram May, son, male, 16 [1894/5], single, Errand Boy (Printer's), worker, b. Plymouth, Devon

8. ↑ The Post Office Directory of Plymouth and District, 1915-16, accessed 24 Feb 2012
   1915.

   May, Mrs. L., 1 Pear Tree cotts., P[lymouth]

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

   Registration District Plymouth
   1933 DEATH in the Sub-district of Plymouth South West in the County of Plymouth C.B.
   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
   52	Second February 1933 21 John Street U.D.	Louisa Kate May	Female	75 years	Widow of William May a Printer's Compositor	I(a) Cerebral Haemorrhage (b) Arterio Sclerosis No P.M. Certified by F.W. Perry L.R.C.P.	B.S. May Son Present at the death 7 Longfield Place Plymouth	Third February 1933	R.C. Davy Registrar