Ebbans Archives - Geneageek

“Is There Anyone to Save My Life?”

Paraffin lamp advertisement from 1897 (Leven Advertiser, 28 Jan 1897, p2)

Samuel Perkins and Elizabeth Collins were both born in Market Harborough and married there in 1846. By 1851, the couple had taken up residence in Sun Yard.

The yards of Market Harborough ran off the High Street and adjoining roads, behind the more substantial shops, inns and houses. The residential yards were similar to court housing – low quality, high density property where poor people were housed, often in less than desirable conditions. Sun Yard, now demolished, was situated behind the church in which they married – roughly where Roman Way now leads off from Church Square and Adam and Eve Street.

Samuel and Elizabeth, who did not have any children, continued to live in Sun Yard until a tragic event occurred in early 1892.

Sun Yard highlighted on a map of Market Harborough c1885

On the night of Saturday 2 January, about quarter past 9, Samuel decided to go to bed, and left his wife Elizabeth sitting by a small fire – she said she would go to bed herself in a few minutes.

After about 20 minutes, Samuel heard Elizabeth shouting, “Fire!” and rushed downstairs to find his wife in flames. She was standing in a corner near the door which led into the yard, with her clothing in flames from her knees up over her head. He threw some water over her that he kept in the room in case of fire, and went out to fetch more water.

While he was gone, their neighbour, Catherine Holmes, who had been coming down the passage at the end of the Perkins’ house, saw Elizabeth rush out in flames shouting, “Oh, dear, is there anyone to save my life?”

Mrs. Holmes took a bag (or sack) that was hanging nearby and put it around her shoulders to extinguish the flames. With assistance, Elizabeth was carried into Mrs. Holmes’ house. She went to get another neighbour, Mrs. Bale, and when she came back Elizabeth’s clothes had been taken off, and she was wrapped in a blanket.

When Samuel returned to his house, he found the lamp-glass lying on the table, and the light from it blazing nearly up to the ceiling. Elizabeth was carried back home, and Mrs Holmes’ then sent one of her young sons to fetch a doctor.

The next day, Samuel asked Elizabeth how the accident happened. She said she was trying to put the glass over the lamp with her apron, when the apron caught fire.

Despite continuing medical treatment from doctors, Elizabeth died about 8 o’clock Monday evening.

An inquest was held at the police station on Tuesday 12 January.

Mr. William Frederick Bruce, the surgeon who attended her, stated that he found Elizabeth suffering from extensive burns on the body, especially on the right side, the throat, and mouth. He dressed the wounds and attended her until her death which he thought was caused by shock to the system.

Samuel said he had not been in the habit of going to bed and leaving his wife downstairs, and that when he had gone upstairs the glass was on the lamp.

The jury returned a verdict that Elizabeth was accidentally burnt to death by the upsetting of a paraffin lamp. Touchingly, the jury, in an act of sympathy and/or charity, gave their fees to Samuel.

This 1887 cover of ‘The Family Doctor and People’s Medical Adviser’ cautioned against the dangers of paraffin lamps.

Poor Elizabeth was just one of many deaths attributed to the use of paraffin lamps in the home. Although there are no specific numbers and statistics, a look through the newspapers shows just how prevalent paraffin lamp accidents were in Victorian times. In an age where gas and electricity were not yet widely available (gas lighting was only introduced to Leicestershire in 1879, and electricity in 1899), these lamps offered more affordable, brighter and longer-lasting light than candles.

Market Harborough Advertiser, 19 Jan 1892, p5, c1

Elizabeth was my husband’s 3rd great-grandaunt.

She was the sister of Sarah Collins who was the wife of Thomas Ebben. Thomas died in Market Harborough in 1878, and it seems quite likely that he also died in Sun Yard, maybe even in the home of Elizabeth and Samuel.

Newspaper Sources:

Shocking Case of Burning: Market Harborough Advertiser, 12 Jan 1892, p4, c1
Shocking Paraffin Lamp Accident; Leicester Chronicle, 16 Jan 1892, p7, c8
Fatal Case of Burning: Market Harborough Advertiser, 19 Jan 1892, p5, c1

A Walsallian Story

Rage Against the Thrashing Machine

R.I.P. Rose

Rage Against the Thrashing Machine

As part of my Ebbans One Name Study, I spent some time researching a man involved in the Agrarian Riots of the 1820s and 1830s. Imagine my excitement when while watching an episode of Who Do You Think You Are, parts of the story began to sound familiar to me and I realised they were referring to the man I had researched!

Part of the episode focused on Ed Balls’ agricultural labourer ancestor, Christopher Green, who was also involved in the riots and charged with arson alongside William Ebbon in 1832. (It can be viewed on the BBC iPlayer – Green’s story begins at 29:45.)

William Ebbon was baptised at St Leonard’s, Horningsheath (later known as Horringer) in Suffolk, on the 4th of August 1799. He was the son of William Ebbon and Temperance Elliss.

An oil painting landscape. Two men on a hill look out over an extensive tract of land north-east of Norwich. — *Mousehold Heath, Norwich* by John Crome (c1816-1818)

By 1821, the family had settled in nearby Winfarthing, Norfolk. In the 1821 census, William was recorded with his parents at the Winfarthing Workhouse. However, they were not inmates, his father was noted as the governor, whereas 22-year-old William was recorded as a labourer.

The show discusses Christopher Green’s arrest for destroying a threshing machine at Winfarthing on 19 September 1822. William wasn’t named as one of the men involved that night, but he was arrested for the same offence 10 days later. He and Ed Balls’ ancestor were both part of the growing movement of disgruntled agricultural labourers who felt forced to act against their livelihoods being taken away from them. One of the main issues was the introduction of new machinery that took even more work away from the already struggling labourers. (For more information see my post about the Agrarian Riots.)

On 29 September 1822, William was involved in the breaking of a threshing machine at Winfarthing during a riot of agricultural labourers. He and a man named Robert Large, pleaded guilty and the court decided that as their conduct was “not having been of an aggravated description”, both were sentenced to be bound in their own recognizance of £20. They were able to do so and were discharged.

newspaper clipping — Norfolk Chronicle, 14 December 1822, p3, c2

Ten years later, William was again involved in destruction of property. In 1832, he, along with Christopher Green and Robert Hubbard, was charged with “having set fire to the premises of the Manor-house called Winfarthing Lodge, the property of the Earl of Albemarle, and in the occupation of Mr. Daniel Doggett, an opulent farmer…”. The men were committed to Norwich Castle (the county gaol). Hubbard ‘turned approver’ and gave evidence implicating William, Christopher Green and two others, Robert Dixon and Francis Mullett, in the crime of sheep stealing. [Stamford Mercury, 25 May 1832, p4, c6]

A colour drawing. Norwich Castle on a hill looms over a stonemason's yard in the foreground. — *Norwich Castle* by James Bridges (1833)

Ultimately, the grand jury of the Norfolk and Norwich Assizes held 30 August 1832, ignored the bills of arson against them, and acquitted them of having stolen a ewe sheep, the property of Mr. Edmund Bale, of Tibbenham on 21 December 1831. [Norwich Mercury, 04 August 1832, p3 c1]

The Norwich Mercury reported: “This case rested almost entirely on the uncorroborated evidence of an accomplice, who had never mentioned the matter till he was apprehended on suspicion of setting fire to some premises at Winfarthing.” [Norwich Mercury, 04 August 1832, p3 c1]

William Ebbon and his family stayed in Winfarthing for a few years after this, but sometime after 1836, the family emigrated to the United States.

In 1840, William was recorded at Sackets Harbor, Hounsfield, Jefferson, New York and again at Hounsfield in 1855 before the trail goes quiet.

All William Ebbons‘ other ‘accomplices’ remained in Winfarthing. Robert Hubbard, the ‘turncoat’, died there only a few years later in 1835. Christopher Green died in 1860 at the Kenninghall Union Workhouse. Robert Dixon died at Winfarthing in 1865, and Francis Mollett died in the Kenninghall Union Workhouse in 1873.

Has anyone you were researching ever been mentioned on television?

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A Walsallian Story

Companion post for the Geneageek’s Gems podcast episode:
A Walsallian Story

(The relationship of George Ebbans and Sarah Ann Crossley was also previously discussed in the post: ‘George the Absconder‘.)

In the 1921 census, Sarah Ann Crossley was recorded in the home of her parents on 35 Farringdon Street, Walsall. Her husband was not with her and I was unable to find him elsewhere, despite George being released from military service in 1919.

page from 1921 census — Crossley family on 1921 census: 35 Farringdon Street.

I knew the couple had stayed together because they had two children who went on to have families of their own: a son, George, born in 1922, as well as a daughter, born in 1925.

old birth certificate — 1922 birth certificate of George Ebbans

George junior’s birth certificate stated that he was born at 74 Upper Green Lane, so I began to search the newspapers for that address, and struck gold! Through these newspaper reports, I was able to piece together the ‘tumultuous’ relationship of George and Sarah Ann.

George Ebbans and Sarah Ann Crossley married in Walsall on 14 June 1917, while George was home on leave from serving in the First World War. Their first child, Renee Victoria Ebbans was born 18 July 1919, and all appeared well with the couple. The following day was Peace Day, and George apparently celebrated a bit too hard, came home drunk, and abused his wife, who was still recovering from giving birth the day before. He also made the vile accusation, that little Renee was actually the child of Sarah Ann’s father. The 1920 Walsall Observer article recounts several episodes of George’s abusive behaviour, including an attack on his sister-in-law at George’s mother’s house (this would have been 140 Bridgeman Street). George blamed his lack of financial support for his wife and daughter, on his inability to work regularly due to ill-health.

The cycle of abuse, separation, and reunion continued for another five years, with Sarah Ann often taking refuge with her parents at 35 Farringdon Street. During this time, little Renee died (1921), and two sons were born, George (1922) and Sidney (1924) (Sidney died shortly after or at birth). The 1925 Walsall Observer article reported that George would be gaoled (and often) if his refusal to support his wife and child continued.

clipping from newspaper — Walsall Observer, 8 Aug 1925, p5, c2

Sarah Ann had been pregnant at the time of the previous article, and their last child was born in the final quarter of 1925. By February 1926, George had still not given any money to Sarah Ann and was committed to gaol for two months.

The last ‘sighting’ of George was in the 1930 Birmingham Daily Gazette, when he was sentenced to another three months in prison for owing a whopping £174 in maintenance arrears.

The 1920 article gave George’s address as 38 Farringdon Street but he was not there in the 1921 census. Fortunately, I was finally able to locate him by browsing the other Farringdon Street pages/returns. It turns out that in 1921, he was lodging with the Greatrex family at 32 Farringdon Street.

1921 census page — George Ebbans on the 1921 census: 32 Farringdon Street

Where George went, and what he did AFTER 1930 is still a mystery. Any information regarding this would be very welcome (rumours or fact). (Contact Me)

Listen to the episode: A Walsallian Story

Show notes and post-show notes for this episode can be found on the podcast page.

"Is There Anyone to Save My Life?"

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An Ebbans By Any Other Name

The Ebbans surname is not a particularly common one. Spelling is a relatively recent convention so I’m used to seeing names spelled in a variety of ways in records – and that’s not including mistranscriptions! (See below for a list of Ebbans variations I’ve found so far – my favourite is ‘Ebbags’.) But something about the name ‘Ebbans’ intrigues me.

The family theory was that the name had mutated from Evans and that there were probably Welsh connections – a quite reasonable assumption considering the family’s proximity to Wales. However, the further back I went, the further the family got from Wales. Also, the further back I went, the less likely I was to see the name spelt with a final ‘s’. I decided to track the name from the earliest Ebbans ancestor found so far.

In 1822, Mary Ebbon, an unwed woman, gave birth to Thomas Ebbon at Old Buckenham, Norfolk. Her surname was also recorded as Ebben, Ebbin and Ebborn in the Overseer’s Accounts for the parish.

From the 1841 census onwards, Thomas was recorded in official records as Thomas Ebben:

Marriage of Thomas Ebben and Sarah Collins – 1855

Birth registration of William Ebben – 1856

Thomas, Sarah and William Ebben in 1861 census

Thomas Ebben on the Wolverhampton electoral register – 1877

The only noteable exception occurred when he was recorded as ‘Thos Evans’ in the 1871 census. Although it’s possible the surname was spoken as ‘Ebbens’, in this case the enumerator seems to have misheard, and/or recorded the more common surname (Evans), since Thomas and his children continued to be recorded as Ebben in subsequent records.

The family is recorded as Evans in the 1871 census

Thomas’ widow and daughter continue to use Ebben – 1881 census

Adding a final s

A deliberate shift to ‘Ebbens’ seems to have been initiated by Thomas’ son William (b1856) around 1880. William was still giving his surname without a final ‘s’ in 1875 (his marriage record), but in the 1881 census was recorded as Evans.

The family is recorded as Evans in the 1881 census

This may have been a simple error, such as in 1871, except that he actually signs his name as ””William Ebbens”” 3 years later, on his sister Mary Elizabeth Ebben’s marriage record. This is despite his sister (and father’s name) being recorded as Ebben on the same document. (Mary also continues to give her maiden name as ‘Ebben’ when later registering her children’s births.)

Marriage of Edward Morris and Mary Elizabeth Ebben – 1884

From 1881 onwards, William (and his children) consistently use a final ‘s’ (regardless of other spelling variants).

In 1895, William was first recorded on the electoral register as ‘Ebbans’ – a spelling which he used consistently until his death in 1926.

William Ebbans on the Walsall electoral register – 1895

The reasons for the shift to a final ‘s’ may never be known but it certainly seems intentional. The ‘Ebbans’ spelling in particular seems to be prevalent around the West Midlands area – elsewhere ‘Ebbens’ is more common. The research is still in progress but my hypothesis is: all those whose name is spelt ‘Ebbans’ are descended from this William Ebbans. We’ll see if that theory checks out.

Official Ebbans Firsts

The first official birth registration using the spelling ‘Ebbans’ was William’s son, John Ebbans, whose birth was registered in 1896.
The first official marriage registration was William’s son Thomas Ebbans in 1904.
The first official death registration was William’s granddaughter (daughter of the above Thomas), Elizabeth Ebbans in 1907.

Some Variations and Mistranscriptions of Ebbans

Ebbens	Ebbins	Ebbing
Evans	Ettans	Ebbon
Ebben	Ellen	Ebbags
Hebbin	Ebbaus	Ebbam
Ebbin	Hebben	Hebbings
Ebbels	Ebbers	Abon

Looking for Lovell

Rage Against the Thrashing Machine

Certified Muddle

George the Absconder

three men sitting on a bench — A young bachelor George EBBANS (far right?) with two of his brothers (c1910)

The family story goes that George Ebbans (b. 1893) left his wife and children around 1927 and started a new family with another woman.

In my mother-in-law’s words:

George Ebbans married Sarah Ann Crossley. They had 2 children, Irene and George. For some reason, my mother-in-law says George spread it around and Sarah Ann (known as Sarann) was no angel. George left their home and could not be traced for quite a few years. It later emerged that he had gone to live in Wolverhampton and lived with another woman (can’t find any record of a divorce or remarry). They raised a family, don’t know how many but one was christened George just to complicate matters. (It was also known that Sarann and her mother didn’t want George around so his reputation could well be made up).

a group of women sitting on and around a bench — Sarah Ebbans (nee CROSSLEY) ~~in centre~~ far left

This information seemed to come from family members who had first hand knowledge of the people, so I have no reason to doubt it. However, I have also been unable to find any evidence of this desertion…

Until now.

Found in the Birmingham Daily Gazette, 25 November 1930, p3:

£174 ARREARS.

“I should have liked to give you another chance, but it is impossible; this has been going on for five years,” said the Mayor of Walsall yesterday in sentencing George Ebbans, aged 34, labourer, 35 Farringdon-street, to three months’ imprisonment for owing £174 maintenance arrears and costs due to his wife and two children.

Ebbans pleaded, “I have not been picking up a lot of money, and I have had to pay for my lodgings.”

The trail still ends there really. Still no evidence of a second family in Wolverhampton – marriage or children – and I am yet to even find a death record for George himself.

But we now know that he did indeed desert his family and had done by at least 1925 – the same year his second child was born. It probably was hard for George to find enough money to support himself but I’m sure it was even harder for Sarah looking after two children and working as a hospital laundry maid (source: 1939 register).

National Registration Identity card of George Ebbans (son of George and Sarah Ann)

I’m a little confused by his address being listed as 35 Farringdon Street as his son lists it as an address on his National Registration Identity Card (c1945 – 1951) which leads me to believe it was actually the family address. George mentions lodgings – presumably at a different address away from the family and therefore NOT Farringdon Street? Sarah (and I presume her 2 children – names currently redacted) are living on nearby Blue Lane in the 1939 register so this is unclear.

We may never know what really happened to George – the Ebbans name has been written in error and transcribed in so many different ways that it’s possible he’s hiding in the records under some alternative spelling I’ve yet to come across. But I’ll keep my fingers crossed…

UPDATE:

Sarah Ann has been identified as the woman on the far left of the picture (by her daughter/granddaughter)
More details of George and Sarah Ann’s relationship have been shared via the podcast