Person:Susannah Moles (2)

Susannah Moles was baptised on 11th August 1811 at Willian in Hertfordshire, daughter of Mary Ann Moles, formerly Best, and her husband Thomas Moles, an agricultural labourer.

Susannah was married on Christmas Day 1832, when she was 21 years old, to a John Day. They married at Offley, a few miles west of Willian, which is where they appear to have settled, having at least eight children there between their marriage and 1854. The 1841, 1851 and 1861 censuses each find Susannah, John and their children living in Offley. Susannah worked as a straw plaiter, whilst John was an agricultural labourer.

Back in Willian, Susannah's father died in 1853. Susannah's mother then left Willian and came to live in Offley too, dying there in 1861.

Susannah's husband John died in 1869, aged 60. After his death Susannah lived with some of her children, appearing in the 1871 census with her son Charles and his wife, and working as an charwoman. In both the 1881 and 1891 censuses she was living with her daughter Emily and her family. In 1891 they were living at Wellbury Lodge, in the rural northern part of the parish, away from the main village. The 1891 census also recorded that Susannah had gone blind.

Susannah died later in 1891, aged 80. She was buried at Offley on 22nd October 1891.

1. ↑ Church of England. Willian Parish Registers.

   Baptized Anno D[omi]ni 1811 / Susannah Moles, Daughter of Thomas & Sarah Moles August 11

   Although Susannah's parents' names are given as Thomas and Sarah, it is believed that this is an error in the parish register, and that they were actually Thomas and Mary. There are nine baptisms at Willian between 1807 and 1829 of children of Thomas Moles - three (1809-1813) giving the mother's name as Sarah but the remainder (1807 and 1816-1829) give the mother's name as Mary. The spacing of children does not suggest that there were two separate couples. One theory might be that Thomas was married first to a Mary, second to a Sarah and third to another Mary, but there is no evidence of a burial for wives 1 and 2, nor marriages 2 and 3 to support that theory. We therefore conclude that the clerk at Willian was confused as to Mary's name. The fact that Thomas and Mary had only moved to Willian relatively recently and named their first daughter after moving there Sarah may partially explain the mistake.

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 445; Book 12; Folio 7; Page 8, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Offley Village, Offley, Hertfordshire
   John Day, male, 30 [1806-11], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], born in county
   Susanah Day, female, 30 [1806-11], born in county
   Eliza Day, female, 5 [1835/6], born in county
   Mary Day, female, 2 [1838/9], born in county
   Daniel Pratt, male, 5 [1835/6], born in county
   John Bread, male, 70 [1766-71], Ind[ependent?] Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], 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 1710; Folio 361; Page 8, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Offley, Hertfordshire
   John Day, head, married, male, 43 [1807/8], Farm Labourer, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Susanah Day, wife, married, female, 39 [1811/12], Straw Plaiter, b. Willian, Hertfordshire
   Eliza Day, daughter, female, 14 [1836/7], Straw Plaiter, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Mary Ann Day, daughter, female, 11 [1839/40], Straw Plaiter, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   James Day, son, male, 9 [1841/2], Scholar, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Elizabeth Day, daughter, female, 6 [1844/5], b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Sarah Day, daughter, female, 4 [1846/7], b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Charles Day, son, male, 1 [1849/50], b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Eliza Pratt, niece, female, 6 [1844/5], b. Baldock, Hertfordshire

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 821; Folio 27; Page 19, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Offley Village, Offley, Hertfordshire
   John Day, head, married, male, 53 [1807/8], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Susan Day, head [sic], married, female, 49 [1811/12], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer] Wife, b. Willian, Hertfordshire
   James Day, son, unmarried, male, 19 [1841/2], b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Elizabeth Day, daughter, female, 16 [1844/5], Plaitter of Straw, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Charles Day, son, male, 12 [1848/9], Scholar, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Emily Day, daughter, female, 7 [1853/4], Scholar, b. Offley, Hertfordshire

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 1370; Folio 30; Page 21, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Offley, Hertfordshire
   Charles Day, head, married, male, 21 [1849/50], Ag. Lab, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Ann Day, wife, married, female, 21 [1849/50], b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Susan Day, mother, widow, female, 59 [1811/2], Char Woman, b. Wilyan, Hertfordshire
   Emily Day, sister, unmarried, female, 17 [1853/4], Straw Plaiter, b. Offley, Hertfordshire

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 1421; Folio 23; Page 9, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Offley, Hertfordshire
   Alfred Clarke, head, married, male, 28 [1852/3], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Emily Clarke, wife, married, female, 27 [1853/4], Straw Plaiter, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Frederick G. Clarke, son, male, 6 [1874/5], Scholar, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Herbert J. Clarke, son, male, 4 [1876/7], Scholar, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Arthur C. Clarke, son, male, 3 [1877/8], b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Susan Day, mother in law, widow, female, 70 [1810/11], Straw Plaiter, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Harriott Day, niece, unmarried, female, 18 [1862/3], Straw Plaiter, b. Offley, Hertfordshire

7. ↑ 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 1108; Folio 160; Page 1, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: Wellbury Lodge, Offley, Hertfordshire
   4 rooms occupied
   Alfred G. Clarke, head, married, male, 38 [1852/3], Shepherd, employed, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Emily Clarke, wife, married, female, 37 [1853/4], b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Frederick G. Clarke, son, single, male, 16 [1874/5], House Boy, employed, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Arthur C. Clarke, son, male, 13 [1877/8], Farm Boy, employed, b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   Susan Day, lodger, widow, female, 81 [1809/10], b. Willian, Hertfordshire, Blind

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

   d. Susan DAY, December Quarter 1891, Hitchin Registration District, Volume 3a, page 286, aged 82 [1808/9]

9. ↑ Burials register, in Church of England. Offley Parish Registers, 1653-1943. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Offley in the County of Hertford in the Year 1891
   No. 338
   Name: Susan Day
   Abode: Offley
   When buried: Oct 22 1891
   Aged: 82 yrs [1808/9]
   By whom the ceremony was performed: C.R.W. Hardy, Vicar