Category: PLACES

The Baddow Elopement

Companion post for the Geneageek’s Gems podcast episode:
The Baddow Elopement

(The full story details can be heard on the podcast. This post is to illustrate places featured in the story.)

old photograph of pub on road
The Cock Inn, Boreham c1893 (via Pub History)

James and Eliza made their escape from Little Baddow on the morning of 28 September 1872. On the way to Chelmsford, they stopped at the Cock Inn at Boreham ‘for refreshment’.

clipping from newspaper with 'the Cock Inn, Boreham' highlighted
Chelmsford Chronicle, 4 October 1872

After unloading their items at Chelmsford Station, James, Eliza, and their driver Thomas Peacock, spent some time at the Fleece Inn on Duke Street.

newspaper clipping with 'the Fleece Inn, in Duke-street' highlighted
Essex Weekly News, 17 Jan 1873
The Fleece Inn (trading as the Golden Fleece), Chelmsford (via Pub History)

The map below, although drawn 20 years later than the events in 1872, shows where these places were located in relation to each other:

old map with Little Baddow, the Cock Inn, Chelmsford Station and the Fleece Inn labelled with arrows
c1893 map showing Little Baddow, the Cock Inn, Chelmsford Station, and the Fleece Inn

Unfortunately, we can no longer visit these establishments. The Cock is no longer a pub and has since become a private home. The Fleece Inn, which was situated at 84 Duke Street, was demolished by 1932. A new building was erected which now trades as the Golden Fleece.

Even the Chelmsford Station of James and Eliza’s time is no more. It was originally situated slightly to the north of where the station is today; the present building was constructed (initially) in 1885.

Cock Inn in 2021 (now a private home)
The former Cock Inn, Boreham c2021 (via Google Street View)

Listen to the episode: The Baddow Elopement

Show notes and post-show notehttp://The Baddow Elopements for this episode can be found on the podcast page.

Christ Church, Blakenall Heath

front of stone church behind low brick wall and trees bare of leaves
Christ Church in April 2023

Christ Church on Ingram Road, Blakenall Heath was opened for service on 3 December 1870. It cost about £3000 to build and able to seat more than 500 people.

An article in the Staffordshire Advertiser (10 Dec 1870, p7), stated that the church was to be consecrated early the following year. Consecration did not actually happen until 21 May 1872. The Birmingham Post (22 May 1872, p7), reported that the building was consecrated “After considerable delay, arising from the interposition of various obstacles”. Total cost of the work was given as £3500.

Staffordshire Advertiser, 10 December 1870, p7, c7
West side of Christ Church from rear (2023)
North side of Christ Church from front (2023)

Family Connections

1946 – marriage of Harry Richards and Rose Lamb

 

Mary Wilcox – A Minor Mystery Solved

(continued from previous post: Who was Mary Wilcox?)

The first step was to do a ‘blanket search’ for Mary born c1828. There was another Mary Wilcox of a similar age recorded in the 1841 census, however this one was recorded with her parents, so I was able to rule out any record for this daughter of William and Jane Wilcox.

I found a baptism record for Mary of the correct age – born 22 October 1828 (baptised 1832), daughter of snaffle maker John Wilcox and his wife, Mary. This means she was 12 at the time of the 1841 census which matched up neatly with the Mary Wilcox recorded with the Thomasons. But another clue lay in where she was baptised – the ‘Independent’ Bridge Street Chapel, Walsall. This was the same place Hannah Craddock and her brother Samuel had been baptised about two decades before. Samuel Craddock was also a snaffle maker, indicating a possible family trade.

Baptism entry
1832 Baptism of Mary Wilcox – Bridge Street Chapel, Walsall

But where was the Craddock link?

I searched for the marriage of John and Mary and… BINGO! There was a marriage on 1 November 1824 at West Bromwich of John Wilcox and Mary Craddock. (Unfortunately there was no image.)

I was unable to find a baptism record for Harriet Wilcox, but did find her with parents John and Mary in the 1841 census. This supports my theory that the  Harriet Wilcox, also with the Wheeley family on the 1851 census, was the sister of Mary Wilcox.

family entry from 1841 census
Wilcox family on 1841 census – Blue Lane, Walsall

So, there we are – minor mystery solved:

Mary Wilcox was the niece of Hannah Wheeley (nee Craddock); daughter of Hannah’s sister Mary Wilcox (nee Craddock).

We will probably never know if Lydia Thomason (nee Walton) was introduced to Samuel Craddock by Mary or vice versa – but we at least know that connection was there.

However, another minor mystery has emerged…

Mary’s sister, Harriet Wilcox, went on to marry miner James Pearson in 1855 – was he related to Mary’s fellow servant, Sarah Pearson, in the 1841 census? I think I’ll leave that one for ‘another day’.

Who Was Mary Wilcox?

I first came across Mary Wilcox quite a few years ago. She was recorded on the 1881 census, in the home of Thomas Henry Wheeley, as his cousin. At 53, Mary was considerably older than 30-year-old Thomas, but since the term ‘cousin’ could be used rather loosely, this did not necessarily mean they were first cousins. The exact relationship between them was unclear.

1881 census – 36 Garden St, Walsall: Mary as cousin

As I worked backwards through the censuses, Mary kept cropping up.  In 1851, 1861, and 1871, she was recorded with Thomas Henry’s parents, Thomas and Hannah Wheeley. In 1851, she was recorded as a 22-year-old japanner and servant to Thomas Wheeley (as was a 17-year-old Harriet Wilcox). 

part of 1851 census record
1851 Census – Garden Walk, Walsall: Mary Wilcox as servant

However, in 1861 and 1871, her relationship was recorded as ‘niece’. 

family entry on 1861 census
1861 census – Garden Street, Walsall: Mary Wilcox as niece

In my experience, relationships to the head of the family, can refer to either the head or his wife, so this Mary Wilcox was the niece of either Thomas Wheeley or his wife, Hannah Craddock – great, good to know – and basically she was put in the ‘for another day’ pile.

Well, that day has arrived!

While extending the Wheeley branches, Mary Wilcox popped up AGAIN in an unexpected place.

Hannah’s brother, Samuel Craddock, married Lydia Thomason (nee Walton) in 1853. Lydia was the widow of Charles Thomason. In the 1841 census Charles and Lydia Thomason were living with their two young children at Potters Lodge (near Full Brook), Walsall. Also there, was 20-year-old japanner Sarah Pearson and 12-year-old servant, MARY WILCOX.

part of 1841 census image
1841 census – Potters Lodge, Walsall: Mary Wilcox in home of Charles and Lydia Thomason

Does this mean Mary was actually related to Lydia? Or had Lydia met her next husband Samuel via Mary’s relationship to him? Or was this a completely different Mary Wilcox altogether?

Who was Mary Wilcox?

Next post: Mary Wilcox – A Minor Mystery Solved

Five Men Drowned – Connections

PLEASE NOTE: The charts shown on this post have an error. The father of Elisabeth Buchan (b1874) was not a granddaughter of John (Park’s Jockie) Buchan (b1792). Please see the post ‘Five Men Drowned – Connections and Corrections’ for an updated chart and explanation.

In the final post of the series, I mentioned that I had not been able to find any direct link to my family from any of the five men. However, I thought it would probably be a good idea to show the links that are there.

Family chart illustrating the connections between author's family and the victims
How the five men connect to my family (click to enlarge image)

Alexander Ritchie Buchan was my second great-grandfather.

  • Charles Bruce was the father-in-law of Alexander’s brother Peter.
  • Andrew Buchan was the cousin of Alexander’s brother-in-law (husband of sister Jessie).
  • Alexander Strachan and Andrew Strachan were the father-in-law and brother-in-law of Jessie’s husband’s cousin (Elisabeth).
  • Andrew Bruce does not currently have any known connection to my family.

Please note: these are the closest connections as they currently stand. The families of St Combs were so entwined, there are bound to be other ways they link and less distant connections may be discovered in time.

UPDATE: 

Less than a day after posting the above, I was able to connect Andrew Bruce. It turns out that Andrew was actually the nephew of Charles Bruce.

Family chart illustrating the connections between author's family and the victims with new addition
Connection chart updated (click to enlarge)

Apparently though, Andrew is more closely connected to my family via a different route:

Family chart illustrating the connections between author's family and the victims with new addition
Closest Connections to my family (click to enlarge)

 

This can be expressed in many different ways – none of those being straight forward.

We could say:

My second great grandfather’s uncle married the second cousin of Andrew Bruce.

OR

My third great grandfather’s brother married Andrew Bruce’s second cousin.

OR

Andrew Bruce was the second cousin of my third great grandfather’s sister-in-law.

OR

Andrew Bruce was the second cousin of the wife of Alexander Ritchie Buchan’s uncle.

OR…

… (It could go on and on.)

Whichever way, I’m glad a connection has been made and will be sure to update here when closer ones are found.

 

Posts in this series:
Five Men Drowned
Five Men Drowned – Two Recovered
Five Men Drowned – Three Buried at Sea
Five Men Drowned – One Survivor