Person:Susannah Puddephatt (2)

Early life

Susannah Puddephatt was baptised on 24th April 1814 at Caddington in Bedfordshire, daughter of Elizabeth Puddephatt, formerly Hall, and her husband Jeremiah Puddephatt, a carpenter. The family lived at Aley Green, a hamlet to the south of Caddington village, which lay in the part of Caddington parish which at that time (and until 1897) fell within Hertfordshire rather than Bedfordshire. Susannah was one of at least six children.

Susannah's mother Elizabeth died in 1835, aged 50, when Susannah was 21 years old. At the time of Elizabeth's death the family was living at Pipers Bottom, which was an old name for the main road through Aley Green (now called Mancroft Road).

Marriage to James Moss

On 1st October 1836, aged 22, Susannah married an agricultural labourer named James Moss, who was also from Caddington. He was a couple of years younger than her, being about 19 when they married. Just over five months later they had a son named William baptised at Caddington. The family was still living at Pipers Bottom at that time. In 1840 they had a daughter named Elizabeth, by which time they were living at Cross, just over half a mile north of Aley Green at the crossroads of the roads now called Mancroft Road, Dunstable Road and the track to Bury Farm. At Cross, Susannah and James appear to have lived with (or next door to) James' mother, Martha, and her husband Thomas Moss. Susannah's mother-in-law Martha died at the end of December 1840, less than a month after baby Elizabeth's baptism.

The following June the 1841 census finds James and Susannah and their two children William and Elizabeth living at Cross, next door to James' stepfather Thomas Moss. Three weeks after the census James was accidentally killed when a tree fell on him, aged only 23, leaving Susannah a widow at the age of 27 with a four year old son and baby daughter to look after. Susannah's daughter Elizabeth did not long survive her father, dying later in 1841 just after her first birthday.

Marriage to John King

The following year Susannah married again. Her second husband was an agricultural labourer named John King. He was a couple of years older than her and also from Caddington. At the time of their marriage both were living at Tipple Hill, a lane from Pipers Bottom at Aley Green up to Tipple Hill Farm. Susannah and John do not appear to have had any further children. Susannah's father Jeremiah died in 1843. Susannah and John appear in the 1851 census living with her son William and John's nephew Edward King.

In 1858 Susannah's son William married a Catherine Warren, and Susannah's first grandchild, Elizabeth Moss, was born in 1859. The 1861 census finds Susannah and John living at Tipple Hill next door to William, Catherine and their children. In 1861 Susannah was described as a straw plaiter. This was a common occupation for women and children in this area at that time, being part of the straw hat industry centred on neighbouring Luton.

By 1864 Susannah's son William and his wife Catherine had had five children. However, in the space of less than two months in the autumn of that year Catherine died aged 26, then the youngest daughter died aged five months, then the second daughter died aged four.

William married again the following January. His second wife was Bethia King, who was Susannah's husband John King's niece - and sister of the Edward King that Susannah and John had been looking after at the time of the 1851 census. William and Bethia went on to have another nine children between 1865 and 1882.

On the night of the 1871 census, Susannah was working as a domestic servant at Zouches, a remote farm up on the high ground at the northern end of Caddington parish. Her husband John was living at Aley Green, and had Susannah's eldest granddaughter Elizabeth living with him. John died in 1875, aged 62. Susannah was a widow for the second time at the age of 60.

In 1879 Susannah was the victim of a burglary - perpetrated by her own grandson, James Moss. He broke into her house and stole some clothes. He was sent to prison for three months after which he was to be sent to a reformatory for three years.

The year 1879 also saw the birth of Susannah's first great grandchild, Laura Moss, daughter of her eldest granddaughter Elizabeth. The 1881 census finds Susannah living with her granddaughter Elizabeth and great granddaughter Laura at Aley Green. Sadly Laura died when she was only two years old in 1882. More great grandchildren followed from 1883 onwards as several of Susannah's grandchildren started having families of their own. Susannah continued living at Aley Green with her granddaughter Elizabeth. The 1891 census records that they lived in a four roomed house, and had Elizabeth's two young children living with them too.

Susannah died on 16th December 1896, aged 82. Although she only had one child who had survived to adulthood, she had lived to see fourteen grandchildren, twelve of whom survived to adulthood, and at least nineteen great grandchildren.

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 1814
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parent's Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   64	April 24	Susannah Daug[hter] of	Jeremiah Elisabeth	Puddephat	Ayley Green	Carpenter	G.W. Mead

   This baptism has been linked to the adult Susannah on the basis that the adult Susannah consistently claimed in the censuses to have been born in "Caddington, Hertfordshire" and in 1871 even specified her place of birth as the hamlet of Aley Green. The ages she quoted for herself in the censuses suggest she was born between 1812 and 1814. On her second marriage certificate she gave her father's name as "Jeremiah Puddephatt, carpenter". There is no other baptism record at Caddington or the surrounding parishes (Dunstable, Luton, Flamstead, Studham, Houghton Regis and Kensworth) for another Susannah Puddephatt around this time, nor has any evidence been found that suggests the Susannah baptised in 1814 died young, married someone else locally or appears in the censuses unmarried.

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 440; Book 10; Folio 37; Page 8, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Cross, Caddington, Hertfordshire
   James Moss, male, 20 [1816-21], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], born in county
   Susanna Moss, female, 25 [1811-16], born in county
   William Moss, male, 4 [1836/7], born in county
   Elizabeth Moss, female, 7 months [1840], 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 342; Page 10, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Caddington, Hertfordshire
   John King, head, married, male, 37 [1813/4], Farm Labourer, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Susan King, wife, married, female, 37 [1813/4], b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   William Moss, son in law, unmarried, male, 14 [1836/7], Farm Labourer, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Edward King, nephew, male, 10 [1840/1], Scholar, b. Caddington, 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 1015; Folio 89; Page 3, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Tipple Hill, Caddington, Hertfordshire
   John King, head, married, male, 48 [1812/3], Ag[ricultural] Lab[oure]r, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Susan King, wife, married, female, 48 [1812/3], Straw Plaiter, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   ~ next household ~
   William Moss, head, married, 24 [1836/7], Ag[ricultural] Lab[oure]r, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Catherine Moss, wife, female, married, 22 [1838/9], Bonnet Sewer, b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Elizabeth Moss, daughter, female, 2 [1858/9], b. Caddington, Bedfordshire
   Mary Moss, daughter, female, 1 [1859/60], b. Caddington, 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 1568; Folio 14; Page 19, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Zouches, Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Thomas Rudd, head, married, male, 41 [1829/30], Farmer of 300a employ 6 m[en] & 2 b[oys], b. Zouches, Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Ellen Rudd, wife, married, female, 36 [1834/5], Wife, b. Scotland
   Sarah E. Rudd, daughter, female, 4 [1866/7], b. Caddington, Hertfordshire (Zouches)
   Thomas Rudd, son, male, 2 [1868/9], b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Elisabeth Rudd, daughter, female, 1 [1869/70], b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Susan King, servant, married, female, 58 [1812/3], Domestic Servant, b. Aley Green, Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Eliza Purger, servant, unmarried, female, 19 [1851/2], Domestic Servant, b. Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire
   Louisa Pagie, servant, unmarried, female, 16 [1854/5], Domestic Servant, b. Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire
   John Bunsee, servant, unmarried, male, 15 [1855/6], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Dunstable, Bedfordshire
   Edwin Chapman, servant, unmarried, male, 16 [1854/5], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Offley, Hertfordshire
   James Laurence, servant, unmarried, male, 15 [1855/6], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Stopsley, Luton, Bedfordshire
   Charles Burgoyne, servant, unmarried, male, 19 [1851/2], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Aley Green, 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 1653; Folio 137; Page 5, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Aley Green, Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Susan King, head, widow, 67 [1813/4], Straw Plaiter, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Eliz[abet]h Moss, granddaughter, unmarried, female, 22 [1858/9], Bonnet Sewer, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Laura Moss, granddaughter, female, 16mo [1879/80], b. Caddington, 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 1275; Folio 133; Page 5, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: Aley Green, Caddington, Hertfordshire
   4 rooms occupied
   Susan King, head, widow, 77 [1813/4], b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Elizabeth Moss, granddaughter, single, female, 31 [1859/60], Bonnet Sewer, employed, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Annie Moss, granddaughter, female, 7 [1883/4], Scholar, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire
   Joseph Moss, grandson, male, 5 [1885/6], Scholar, b. Caddington, Hertfordshire

8. ↑ Death certificate, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   Registration District Luton
   1896 DEATH in the Sub-district of Luton in the Counties of Beds and Herts
   No.	When and where died	Name and surname	Sex	Age	Occupation	Cause of death	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   235	Sixteenth December 1896 Aley Green, Caddington, Herts R.D.	Susannah King	Female	82 years	Widow of John King, Farm Labourer	Senile Decay Exhaustion Certified by F.W.D. McGachen? L.F.P.S.	X The mark of Elizabeth Moss Grand-daughter Present at the death Aley Green, Caddington, Herts.	Nineteenth December 1896	Edward Barnard, Registrar