Person:Mary Hewlett (22)

Mary Hewlett was baptised on 29th March 1807 at Ivinghoe in Buckinghamshire, daughter of William and Martha Howlett. She later claimed to have been born in the hamlet of Ivinghoe Aston, to the north-east of the main village of Ivinghoe.

Mary appears to have had a daughter called Ann in around 1830.

On 19th November 1836, aged 29, Mary married John Kempson, an agricultural labourer. They married at Totternhoe, a few miles north-east of Ivinghoe. They had one son, Thomas, born in 1838. The 1841 census finds Mary, John and young Thomas living together in Totternhoe. Mary's daughter Ann seems to have been a servant girl in the nearby village of Kensworth at the time.

In 1844, John Kempson died, aged 32.

The following year, Mary remarried. Her second husband was Thomas Dudley, another agricultural labourer. They went on to have another three sons together between 1846 and 1852. The 1851 census finds Mary and Thomas living in Totternhoe with their children, including Mary's daughter Ann.

Thomas Dudley died in 1859, aged 54. Mary was therefore a widow for the second time at the age of 52. The 1861 census finds her living at Church End in Totternhoe with all four of her sons, and working as a straw plaiter. By 1871 she was living with her sons Joseph and John at Lower End in Totternhoe, still working as a straw plaiter.

Ten years later, census night found Mary about 90 miles north of Totternhoe, in Nottingham. Her son Joseph had taken a job as a goods guard on the railways and moved up there, and Mary was living with him and his wife and children at 9 Rutland Terrace. She was described as an unemployed laundress.

It appears Mary later returned south to the Totternhoe area. She died in Bedfordshire in 1890, aged 83.

1. ↑ Buckinghamshire Family History Society. Buckinghamshire Baptisms Database.

   ch. 29 Mar 1807, Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire: Mary daughter of William & Martha Howlate

2. ↑ England. 1841 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 HO107; Piece 5; Book 36 part 2; Folio 7; Page 9, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   John Kempson, male, 30 [1806-11], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], born in county
   Mary Kempson, female, 30 [1806-11], born in county
   Thomas Kempson, male, 3 [1837/8], born in county

3. ↑ 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 1757; Folio 6; Page 5, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Thomas Dudley, head, married, male, 46 [1804/5], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Mary Dudley, wife, married, female, 44 [1806/7], b. Ivinghoe Aston, Buckinghamshire
   Elizabeth Dudley, daughter, unmarried, female, 19 [1831/2], Straw Plaiter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Jane Dudley, daughter, unmarried, female, 16 [1834/5], Straw Plaiter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Thomas Dudley, son, male, 13 [1837/8], Straw Plaiter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   George Dudley, son, male, 9 [1841/2], Straw Plaiter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   William Dudley, son, male, 4 [1846/7], b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Joseph Dudley, son, male, 1 [1849/50], b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Mary Dudley, widow, female, 77 [1783/4], b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Ann Howlett, daughter in law, unmarried, female, 20 [1830/1], Straw Plaiter, b. Ivinghoe Aston, Buckinghamshire

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 1010; Folio 7; Page 8, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Church End, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Mary Dudley, head, widow, female, 54 [1806/7], Straw Platter, b. Ivinghoe Aston, Buckinghamshire
   Thomas Kempson, son, unmarried, male, 23 [1837/8], Ag[ricultural] Lab[oure]r, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   William Dudley, son, male, 14 [1846/7], Ag[ricultural] Lab[oure]r, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Joseph Dudley, son, male, 11 [1849/50], Scholar, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   John Dudley, son, male, 8 [1852/3], Scholar, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire

5. ↑ 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 1566; Folio 55; Page 10, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Lower End, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Mary Dudley, head, widow, female, 64 [1806/7], Straw Plaiter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Joseph Dudley, son, unmarried, male, 21 [1849/50], Straw Plaiter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   John Dudley, son, unmarried, male, 18 [1852/3], Straw Plaiter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire

6. ↑ 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 3363; Folio 115; Page 24, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 9 Rutland Terrace, Nottingham (St Mary), Nottinghamshire
   Joseph Dudley, head, married, male, 31 [1849/50], Railway Goods Guard, b.Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Fanny Dudley, wife, married, female, 28 [1852/3], Wife, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   William Dudley, son, male, 5 [1875/6], Scholar, b. Nottingham
   Edith M.A. Dudley, daughter, female, 4 [1876/7], Scholar, b. Nottingham
   Fred Dudley, son, male, 2 [1878/9], b. Nottingham
   Mary Dudley, mother, widow, female, 74 [1806/7], Laundress (unemployed), b. Edlesboro [sic], Buckinghamshire
   Henry Birch, boarder, unmarried, male, 21 [1859/60], Railway navy, b. Calverton, Nottinghamshire

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

   d. Mary DUDLEY, September Quarter 1890, Luton Registration District, Volume 3b, page 216, aged 83 [1806/7]

   Although in 1881 Mary had been living in Nottingham, there does not appear to be a plausible death for a Mary Dudley in the Nottingham area. Nor does there appear to have been a Mary Dudley of this age living in the Luton district (which covered Totternhoe) in the 1881 census. It therefore seems the most likely explanation is that Mary returned to the Totternhoe area after 1881. Death certificate would need to be obtained to confirm.