Person:Maria Rossie (1)

Maria Louisa Rossi was born on 18th December 1893 at Newport on the Isle of Wight. Her birth was registered under the name Maria Luigia Rossa, but she appears to have generally used an Anglicised version of her middle name, calling herself Louisa. She was the daughter of Filomena Rossi, formerly Tomasso, who was originally from Naples in Italy. Filomena’s first husband, Antonio Rossi, had died in 1891, and so could not be Louisa’s father. It seems that shortly after Antonio Rossi’s death Filomena and her other children moved from Bristol, where they had been living, to the Isle of Wight. There, Filomena set up home with an Italian organ grinder called Cosimo Di Giacca, eventually marrying him in 1903. It would seem that Cosimo was actually Louisa’s father.

The 1901 census finds Louisa living with Filomena, Cosimo, and two of her sisters from her mother’s first marriage at 52 South Street in Newport. In the 1911 census the family was living at 4 South Street. Louisa filled in the family’s census return that year, listing herself as “Louisa di Jaccia” in the main part of the form, but signing the bottom of the form as “Louisa Rossi for Cossimo di Jaccia”. The whole family was working as street musicians. Louisa described herself as daughter of Cosimo, reported that her parents had been married for 20 years and that only one child had been born to that marriage, indicating that she believed Cosimo to have been her father.

In 1912 Louisa married James George Meekins (who was known by his middle name), who had appeared in the previous year’s census at the Albany Barracks just outside Newport, where he was serving as a private in the army.

Louisa and George went on to have three sons between 1913 and 1916, all born in Newport on the Isle of Wight. The family briefly moved to Salford in Lancashire around the time of the 1921 census, but later returned to the Isle of Wight.

Louisa’s father Cosimo died in 1916. Louisa’s mother remarried in 1919 to a Thomas Maslen or Maslin. He died in 1934.

In 1926 George appears to have been involved in a fight in Newport. When two policemen arrived George walked away but the others involved in the fight carried on fighting with the police. Louisa was present too and gave evidence in court afterwards as to what had happened, but was herself found to have obstructed the police and she was fined £1.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Louisa and George were living at 32 Caesars Road in Newport, along with Louisa’s mother. Louisa’s mother died in 1942.

Louisa and George later left the Isle of Wight and moved to the Maidstone area of Kent, where Louisa died in 1959, aged 65. George survived her by eleven years and married again two years after her death.

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

   b. Maria Luigia ROSSA, March Quarter 1894, Isle of Wight Registration District, Volume 2b, page 602, mother’s maiden name Thomasso

   There was another "Maria Luigia Rossie" birth registered on the Isle of Wight in the September Quarter of 1894. That girl would appear to have been the daughter of Francesco Rossi and Annunziata Cornochia. The birth in the March Quarter is considered to be the correct one on the basis of the date of birth Louisa gave to the 1939 Register, being 18th December 1893, and the fact that her mother was living with them in 1939.

2. ↑ 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 1020; Folio 120; Page 6, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 52 South Street, Newport, Isle of Wight
   2 rooms occupied
   Cosimo Di Giacca, head, single, male, 70 [1830/1], Organ Grinder, own account, b. Italy Italian
   Filomena Rossi, boarder, single, female, 40 [1860/1], Organ Grinder, own account, b. Italy Italian
   Mary Rossi, boarder, female, 11 [1889/90], b. Bristol, Gloucestershire
   Carrie Rossi, boarder, female, 8 [1892/3], b. Newport, Isle of Wight
   Luisa Rossi, boarder, female, 7 [1893/4], b. Newport, Isle of Wight
   Joseph Mass, boarder, single, male, 24 [1876/7], Organ Grinder, own account, b. Italy Italian

3. ↑ 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 5702; Schedule 149, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 4 South Street, Newport, Isle of Wight
   5 rooms occupied
   Form signed by "Louisa Rossi for Cossimo di Jaccia"
   Cossimo di Jaccia, head, male, 83 [1827/8], married, Street Musician, worker, b. Italy
   Philomena di Jaccia, wife, female, 48 [1862/3], married 20 years, 1 child born alive to present marriage, 1 child still living, Street Musician, worker, b. Italy
   Louisa di Jaccia, daughter, female, 17 [1893/4], single, Street Musician, worker, b. Newport, Isle of Wight
   Antonio Polino, relative, female, 51 [1859/60], widow, Street Musician, b. Italy
   Theresa Polino, relative, female, 19 [1891/2], single, Street Musician, worker, b. Brighton, Sussex
   Joseph Polino, relative, male, 14 [1896/7], school, b. Brighton, Sussex
   Benjamin Polino, relative, male, 11 [1899/1900], school, b. Brighton, Sussex

4. ↑ General Register Office. 1939 Register
   Newport Municipal Borough, 29 Sep 1939.

   Address: 32 Caesars Road, Newport, Isle of Wight
   Meekins, James G. / male / b. 29 Dec 1891 / married / Clipper machinist aeronautical plywood / A.R.P.
   Meekins, Louisa M. / female / b. 18 Dec 1893 / married / Unpaid Domestic Duties
   [one record closed]
   Moslin, Philomena / female / b. 24 Nov 1859 / widow / Unpaid Domestic Duties
   Low, Angela J. / female / b. 14 Mar 1930 / single / at school
   [one record closed]

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

   d. Maria L. MEEKINS, December Quarter 1959, Maidstone Registration District, Volume 5b, page 596, aged 65 [1893/4]

6.   Portsmouth Evening News, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 9, 6 Jul 1926.

   INSPECTOR MAULED AT NEWPORT.
   STREET ROUGH AND TUMBLE.
   At the Newport Borough Police Court yesterday before the Mayor (Alderman J.C. Millgate) and other Justices, John Lockyer (33), labourer, of Barton’s Village, defended by Mr. H.R. Palmer, was summoned for assaulting Police-Inspector Oliver Sibbick and Prison Officer E.J. Bartlett.
   Inspector Sibbick said that on the night of the 26th ult., he and P.C. Wheatcroft went towards a crowd in St. Thomas’s Square, where two men named Meekins and Hobbs had started fighting. Meekins walked away on their approach and Hobbs was taken away by friends, including defendant. Hobbs was still creating a disturbance and when the constable spoke to him defendant pushed him back. The inspector went to the constable’s assistance, and as defendant was making another rush at the constable the inspector stopped him and told him to keep back and go away quietly. Defendant then struck the inspector a violent blow on the mouth with his fist and the inspector closed with him and they fell to the ground. When allowed to get up defendant started kicking him in the legs, and the inspector threw him on the ground with the intention of putting on the handcuffs, but was prevented from doing so by several of defendant’s friends pulling him back. Defendant’s brother Joseph pulled him back off the defendant, who, then kicked him twice in the face – on the forehead and on the side of the face which resulted in a scar on his forehead and two black eyes and he was bruised on both legs. Prison Office Bartlett came to his assistance and also Provost-Sergeant N.C. Millan, of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and defendant struggled and kicked on the way to the police station.
   In cross-examination he strongly denied a suggestion of Mr. Palmer that he first struck defendant, saying he never struck him at all.
   P.C. Wheatcroft and Prison Officer Bartlett gave corroborative evidence, the latter saying that when he went to the assistance of Inspector Sibbick he received two blows on the left eye and leg from defendant’s foot.
   Defendant gave evidence saying that he was trying to get Hobbs away when he received a blow on the mouth from the inspector, which knocked him down, and he then defended himself and had a rough and tumble on the ground.
   Defendant’s wife and sister-in-law and Mrs. Meekins gave supporting evidence.
   The Bench fined defendant £5, in default one month, the Mayor saying that but for defendant’s record of war service he would have been more severely dealt with.
   The Bench commended Prison Officer Bartlett for assisting the police and congratulated him on doing what any Englishman should do.
   Superintendent Salter said the police wished to thank Office Bartlett and Sergt. McMillan very much indeed for the assistance they gave to the police.
   Joseph Lockyer, Kate Lockyer, Charlotte Lockyer, and Louisa Maria Meekins, were each fined £1 for obstructing the police on the occasion referred to.

7. ↑ 1921 Census of England and Wales.

   Address: 71 Bury Street, Pendleton, Salford, Lancashire
   Meekins, George / lodger / 29y 6m [1891] / male / married / b. Woolwich, Kent / Scaffolder
   Meekins, Louisa / wife / 26y 6m [1894] / female / married / b. Newport, Isle of Wight, Hampshire / House Wife
   Meekins, George Henry / son / 8y 5m [1912/13] / male / b. Newport, Isle of Wight, Hampshire
   Meekins, Joseph Edward / son / 6y [1914/15] / male / b. Newport, Isle of Wight, Hampshire
   Meekins, James William / son / 4y 10m [1916] / male / b. Newport, Isle of Wight, Hampshire