Person:Mary Ratt (1)

Mary Ratt was baptised on 18th November 1800 at Stamford in Lincolnshire, daughter of Thomas and Mary Ratt. The family later moved to Uppingham in Rutland, which Mary consistently claimed was her birthplace as an adult.

As a young woman, Mary worked for several years in the household of the Reverend Thomas Roberts, who was rector of the parish of St Mary's in Stamford.

On 6th December 1836, aged 36, Mary married a butcher called Joseph Henry Mason at Tinwell, just west of Stamford. Her former employer officated at their wedding.

Mary and Joseph went on to have two children together: Elizabeth in Stamford in 1840 and Josiah in Sleaford in 1842. The 1841 census finds Mary living with her baby daughter in Stamford with Joseph's brother Francis and his family. Joseph was away from home on census night. Both Mary and Joseph's children were baptised together in 1848 at Preston, just north of Uppingham.

By 1851 the family had moved to the village of Helpston in Northamptonshire.

Joseph has yet to be traced after 1851. The 1861 census finds Mary living in Helpston with her son Josiah. She was working as a seamstress at this time and still described as married, although Joseph was not with her at the time. In 1871 she was living in Helpston with Josiah and his wife, but described herself as being a widow.

Later in 1871 or early in 1872 Mary moved with Josiah and his wife to Stanground in Huntingdonshire. Mary died at Stanground on 23rd August 1872, very suddenly. She was apparently feeding one of her grandchildren after having had her own dinner, when she "fell forward from her chair and immediately expired". She was 71 years old.

1. ↑ Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. Parish Registers of St Michael's Church, Stamford (Lincolnshire Record Office, Lincoln).

   1800 / Nov[embe]r 18 / Mary Dau[ghte]r of Tho[ma]s & Mary Ratt / Laborer

   Although the adult Mary gave her place of birth as Uppingham, this baptism is believed to be correct on the basis that Thomas and Mary Ratt went on to have more children in Uppingham after Mary (notably two daughters baptised when a few years old in 1820). Thomas and Mary appear in the 1851 census in Uppingham, with Mary giving her place of birth as Stamford and Thomas giving his as Uppingham. Presumably they were the Thomas Ratt and Mary Sherwood who married at St John's in Stamford on 18th February 1800.

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 625; Book 9; Folio 6; Page 5, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: North Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire
   Francis Mason, male, 35 [1801-6], Stonemason, not born in county
   Ann Mason, female, 35 [1801-6], not born in county
   Mary Mason, female, 8 [1832/3], not born in county
   Henry Mason, male, 2 [1838/9], not born in county
   ~ [second household in same house]
   Mary Mason, female, 40 [1796-1801], not born in county
   Elizabeth Mason, female, 1 [1839/40], 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 1747; Folio 711; Page 21, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Helpstone, Northamptonshire
   Joseph Henry Mason, head, married, male, 42 [1808/9], Butcher, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Mary Mason, wife, married, female, 51 [1799/1800], b. Uppingham, Rutland
   Elizabeth Mason, daughter, female, 10 [1840/1], Scholar, b. Stamford, Lincolnshire
   Josiah Mason, son, male, 8 [1842/3], Scholar, b. Sleaford, Lincolnshire

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 969; Folio 53; Page 2, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Stamford Road, Helpstone, Northamptonshire
   Mary Mason, head, married, female, 61 [1799/1800], Seamstress, b. Rutland, Uppingham
   Josiah Mason, son ,unmarried, male, 18 [1842/3], Brickmaker, b. Sleaford, Lincolnshire

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 1521; Folio 58; Page 2, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Helpston, Northamptonshire
   Josiah Mason, head, married, male, 28 [1842/3], Brick Maker, b. Langham, Rutland
   Mary A. Mason, wife, married, female, 31 [1839/40], b. Sleaford, Lincolnshire
   Mary Mason, mother, widow, female, 71 [1799/1800], Pauper, b. Uppingham, Rutland

   It would appear that Josiah's birthplace and his wife's have been transposed on this record.

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

   d. Mary MASON, September Quarter 1872, Peterborough Registration District, Volume 3b, page 138, aged 72 [1799/1800]

7. ↑ Stamford Mercury, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 4, Friday 30 Aug 1872.

   Sudden Death at Stanground.-On Friday afternoon a very sudden death took place at Stanground, the deceased being a woman named Mary Mason, who for some months has been living in the village with her married son. She had just taken dinner, and was in the act of feeding one of her grand-children, when she fell forwards from her chair and immediately expired. The coroner (W.D. Gaches, Esq.) was duly informed of the occurrence, and from inquiries made there was no doubt that death was caused by disease of the heart; it was therefore not deemed necessary to hold an inquest.