Person:Mary Moss (45)

Mary Moss was born probably between 1816 and 1821, quite likely in the Hertfordshire part of the parish of Caddington (which then straddled Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire). She was the daughter of Martha Moss (formerly Winters), whose husband Thomas Moss was a soldier and had gone to India for several years. Whilst Thomas was away, Martha appears to have had three children - Elizabeth with a butcher named John Bigg from the neighbouring village of Markyate and James and Mary, whose father is unknown. Mary and Elizabeth were not baptised as babies, but were baptised together in 1831, after Thomas had returned from India.

In 1836, when Mary's brother James was married, she and a William Lines witnessed his marriage. Less than two weeks later, Mary married William Lines at the same church. The following year they had a son, but he died as a baby.

Later in 1837, William Lines was arrested, tried and convicted of pig stealing. He was sentenced to seven years transportation and sent to Australia. The 1841 census finds Mary living in Caddington. She has yet to be traced after the 1841 census.

1. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Caddington Parish Registers. (Bedford: Bedfordshire Record Office).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Caddington in the County of Bedford in the Year 1831
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parent's Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   896	June 8th	Mary Dau[ghter] of	Thomas & Martha	Moss	Cross	Laborer	W. Mellard, Vicar

   Although this baptism names Mary's father as Thomas Moss, it seems pretty certain that she was (like her sister Elizabeth baptised the same day) born whilst Thomas was absent in India. Whether she was another child that Martha had with John Bigg the butcher from Markyate is not certain.

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 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.)
   Piece HO 107/4 Book 4 Folio 4 Page 3, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address	Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Name	Sex	Age*	Implied birthdate	Occupation	Born in county?
   Mary Lines	female	20	1816-21	Straw Plaiter	N
   Elizabeth Bunyan	female	15	1821-6		N
   *Age was supposed to be rounded down to the next multiple of five for everyone over 15.