My Ancestry Search

18/06/2022

Stow Union Workhouse - Jane PARKER AKA WILLIAMS (my 2 x Grt Nana) & the legacy of the Victorian Workhouse.

Photo of Stow Union Workhouse (below). Stow Union Workhouse, located in the parish of Onehouse, just west of the market town of Stowmarket. Originally under Old Poor Law legislation i.e. up until 1834 when the New Poor Law or The Poor Law Amendment Act legislation was introduced. The Workhouse was erected & completed in 1781 at a cost of £12,000 (1), for the relief of the poor of Stow Hundred. A Hundred was a group of adjoining parishes or sub-division of a county for administration purposes. Probably so named as originally having contained either a hundred families, a hundred fighting men or a hundred hides (2). In this instance, Stow Hundred consisted of 14 parishes i.e. Wetherden, Shelland, Buxhall, Onehouse, Great Finborough, Little Finborough, Combs, Creeting St. Peter, Stow-Upland, Stowmarket, Gipping, Harleston, Haughley & Old Newton.
Prior to the Workhouse in Onehouse being erected, Stow Hundred and its surrounding area maintained and operated several individual parish workhouses. For example, the 1776 National Survey of Parish Workhouses listed the following parishes as having a workhouse - Combs (SH* & SU**); Drinkstone (SU**); Felsham (SU**); Gedding (SU**); Hessett (SU**); Old Newton (SH* & SU**); Rattlesden (SU**); Stowlangtoft (SU**); Stowmarket (SH* & SU**); Stowupland (SH* & SU**); Thurston (SU**); Tostock (SU**); Walsham-le-Willow (SU**); Wattisfield (SU**) and Woolpit (SU**) (3). However, in 1778, relief for the poor in the 14 parishes of Stow Hundred was established under a local act of parliament. A document approving the building of a common workhouse, was signed and dated 8th February 1779 (4), records the following:
‘New poor house of industry ….on a piece of land being in the parish of Onehouse’ (5)
This Workhouse, unlike the previous parish workhouses, was much larger in size. It had a stated capacity for 350 paupers (6). Stowmarket parish workhouse, in comparison and probably the largest of the above parish workhouses, had a stated capacity of 85 (7).
Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, local administration for the relief of the poor provided a new national standardised system across England & Wales, by the introduction of Poor Law Unions. Thus the Workhouse at Onehouse, previously the workhouse for the 14 parishes of Stow Hundred, became the Workhouse for Stow Union, comprising 34 parishes (SU **), (including some parishes of Stow Hundred). Stow Union, was further divided into the three sub-districts of Walsham-Le-Willow (11 parishes), Rattlesden (13 parishes) & Stowmarket (10 parishes). In addition to the standardisation of local poor relief, the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, was also remarkable in that the Act also reflected a social & political shift in attitude towards the relief of the poor & causes of poverty itself. In particular, the Act's underlining philosophy is largely attributed to political theorist Jeremy Bentham. Bentham’s theory hinged on his view of human nature. In essence, human action or behaviour is motivated by pleasure or the avoidance of pain. This principle was applied to the Poor Law Amendment Act in practice, by the ‘workhouse principle’ of ‘less eligibility’ in the workhouse (8 eight). That is, to discourage the poor from seeking relief, after 1834, only in-door relief in the workhouse was to be made available for able-bodied paupers and their families. Conditions in the workhouse, were also to be made worse than the conditions endured by those in employment outside the workhouse, to aid this deterrence (9). Although workhouses prior to 1834 were managed to strict rules and regulations (10), after 1834, it was the degree to which rules and regulations were applied - both physically and psychologically, which made the fundamental difference. Added to this, as noted above, there was also an apparent shift in the ruling classes views on the causes of poverty. As Englander states:
‘…the assumption behind the redefined poor law principles was that poverty was a voluntary and therefore reversible condition..’ (11).
The new poor law and in particular the workhouse ‘less eligibility’ principle was therefore largely designed for the able-bodied who allegedly refused or chose not to work (12). Based on this assumption of the able-bodied, every aspect of an ‘inmate’s’ existence in the workhouse, was regulated and subject to the principle of less eligibility. This included a highly disciplined prison like regime i.e. silence was to be observed at all times; inmates were not allowed personal possessions, including not being able to wear their own clothes; hard labour was performed and regulated throughout the day, with only mealtimes and bedtime separating the working day; diets and food was deliberately made monotonous (mainly consisting of bread and cheese) and even the amount each pauper received was regulated (13 & 14 & 15). Even the architecture of the Workhouses built after 1834 were deliberately constructed to cause psychological distress (16) .
Although regarding some aspects of the regime of the Workhouse after 1834, even convicted criminals it seems, were more deserving than the poor in the workhouse. For example, in 1842 The Times printed an article which alleged that the weekly average food intake of the in-house pauper, was around half the intake of a prisoner in jail (17). Although some contemporaries and historians alike, have pointed out that paupers were free to leave the workhouse at will (18), other historians have stressed that this right to discharge themselves, was one of the few differences between the workhouse and prison (19).
For the poor however, one of the worse aspects of the workhouse was that on entering, the pauper’s family was required to enter as well. In addition, paupers were then separated from their family as a result of the imposed system of classification and placed in different wards, in separate parts in the workhouse. Initially paupers were separated into seven categories; men infirm; able-bodied men over fifteen; boys between seven and fifteen; women infirm; able-bodied females over fifteen; girls between seven and fifteen and children under seven (20 & 21). In essence, the Victorian workhouse, fundamentally served to strip the pauper of any individualism, self-respect and dignity.
It is within the above extreme/austere context/conditions of the Workhouse after 1834, that my maternal 2 x Great Nana Jane PARKER AKA WILLIAMS b. 1860, Stowmarket, Suffolk (via my Nana Maud Ellen EASLEA's line), found herself. The 1911 Census reveals that she, along with her husband Frederick MAYHEW were both 'in-mates' of Stow Union Workhouse.
SH* - one of the 14 parishes included in Stow Hundred before 1834. See above for individual parishes.
SU** - one of the 34 parishes included in Stow Union after 1834. That is,
Sub-district of Rattlesden:
Tostock, Thurston, Beyton, Hessett, Drinkstone, Woolpit, Wetherden, Shellans, Rattlesden, Gedding, Felsham, Buxhall & Onehouse;
Sub-disstrict of Walsham-Le-Willow::
Hinderclay, Rickinghall Inferior, Wattisfield, Walsham-Le-Willow, Badwelll Ash, Great Ashfield, Langham, Stowlangtoft, Norton & Elmswell;
Sub-district of Stowmarket:
Great Finborough, Little Finborough, Combs, Creeting St. Peter, Stow-Upland, Stowmarket, Gipping, Harleston, Haughley, & Old Newton.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES
1. White, William (1844) History, Gazetteer & Directory of Suffolk. Sheffield: Leader. p.265
2. Fitzhugh, Terrick V. H. (1991) The Dictionary of Genealogy. 3rd ed. London: A & C Black. p. 143
3. Whitehead, Ray (2007) At The overseers Door: The Story of Suffolk’s Parish Workhouses. Suffolk: The Historical Suffolk Publishing. pp.84-90
4. Abbott, Ken (1989) We are born, we live – we die: The Stow Lodge Story. Poole: Castle Publications. p.7
5. Ibid., p.7
6. Historical Suffolk Research Service. Available online: http://www.historicalsuffolk.com/. Last accessed 15 June 2011.
7.Whitehead, Ray (2007) At The overseers Door: The Story of Suffolk’s Parish Workhouses. Suffolk: The Historical Suffolk Publishing. p.89
8. May, Trevor (2009) The Victorian Workhouse. Oxford: Shire Publications Limited. p.8
9. Englander, David (1998) Poverty and Poor Law Reform in 19th Century Britain, 1834-1914. London: Longman. pp.11-12
10. Higginbotham, Peter (2008) The Workhouse Cookbook. Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press. p.26
11. Englander, David (1998) Poverty and Poor Law Reform in 19th Century Britain, 1834-1914. London: Longman. p.12
12. Fowler, Simon (2009) WORKHOUSE – The People, The Places, The Life Behind Doors. Richmond, Surrey: The National Archives. p.14
13. Rose, Michael E. (1971) The English Poor Law 1780-1930. Devon: David & Charles Limited. p.160
14. Englander, David (1998) Poverty and Poor Law Reform in 19th Century Britain, 1834-1914. London: Longman
15. Higginbotham, Peter (2008) The Workhouse Cookbook. Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press. pp.51-58
16. Fowler, Simon (2009) WORKHOUSE – The People, The Places, The Life Behind Doors. Richmond, Surrey: The National Archives. p.49
17. May, Trevor (2009) The Victorian Workhouse. Oxford: Shire Publications Limited. p.24
18. Roberts, David (1963) How Cruel was The Victorian Poor Law? The Historical Journal. 6 (1). pp. 97-107. Available online: http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.strath.ac.uk/ Last accessed 10 June 2011. p.104
19. Fowler, Simon (2009) WORKHOUSE – The People, The Places, The Life Behind Doors. Richmond, Surrey: The National Archives. p.130
20. Englander, David (1998) Poverty and Poor Law Reform in 19th Century Britain, 1834-1914. London: Longman. pp.13,32
21. Fowler, Simon (2009) WORKHOUSE – The People, The Places, The Life Behind Doors. Richmond, Surrey: The National Archives. pp.123-124
N.B. Most of the information above, has been taken from my short research piece, undertaken as part of my Postgraduate professional qualification in Genealogical Studies, titled - ‘INMATES’ OF STOW UNION WORKHOUSE : Relief or Punishment? Anyone interested in reading more about Stow Union Workhouse, can access this via this FB page – via the Notes tab.

20/06/2021

03/10/2016

A. Harry Oakley SHAW & The Sinking of HMHS Amsterdam II

The picture of the ship depicts SS Amsterdam (later known as HMHS Amsterdam II). A steam passenger liner, built in 1930 by John Brown & Co. Clydebank, for London & North Eastern Railway Co (1) & (2). In 1941, SS Amsterdam was requisitioned by the Ministry of War Transport (MOWT) for service during World War Two, converting to a hospital ship, thus becoming HMHS Amsterdam II (3). The ship was completely refitted as a hospital ship, including wards & operating theatres (4). Prior to 1941, SS Amsterdam was a regular passenger liner, sailing from Harwich to the Hook of Holland (5). On 7th August 1944, after having made several trips to France to pick-up the wounded from the field hospital & transport back to Southampton, HMHS Amsterdam II, hit a German mine & sunk off Juno Beach, Normandy (6) & (7). 106 are reported to have died/lost. The casualty list included 55 wounded soldiers, 10 medical staff, 30 crew & 11 prisoners of war (8).

My Great Uncle Arthur Harry Oakley SHAW b. 1907 (known as Harry), was a fireman in the Merchant Navy & was a member of the crew on HMHS Amsterdam II, when the ship hit the mine off the Normandy coast. He was just 37 years old when he died on 7 August 1944, leaving his wife Lillian (nee DAY) SHAW and 3 sons & a daughter. Harry is my Maternal Granddad Bernard John William SHAW's younger brother. Harry's sacrifice is remembered & commemorated at Tower Hill Memorial, London via panel 8. Details available online via the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) - link below (9). Photo of Harry with friend attached (Harry is to the left of the photo). Also attached, service record for Harry & photo of Tower Hill Memorial, London.

References:

1. WRECK Site. Available online: http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?11834. Last accessed 3 October 2016.
2. Roll of Honour. Available online: http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Ships/SSAmsterdam.html. Last accessed 3 October 2016.
3. WRECK Site. Available online: http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?11834. Last accessed 3 October 2016.
4. WW2 People's War. Available online: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/39/a4368639.shtml. Last accessed 3 October 2016.
5. Ibid.,
6. Roll of Honour. Available online: http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Ships/SSAmsterdam.html. Last accessed 3 October 2016.
7. WW2 People's War. Available online: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/39/a4368639.shtml. Last accessed 3 October 2016.
8. Roll of Honour. Available online: http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Ships/SSAmsterdam.html. Last accessed 3 October 2016.
9. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Available online: http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2796753/SHAW,%20HARRY%20OAKLEY. Last accessed 3 October 2016.

05/09/2016

The 1871 Gun-Cotton Factory Explosion, Stowmarket, Suffolk.

Image depicts the aftermath of the explosion at the Gun-Cotton Factory in Stowmarket, Suffolk on 11th August 1871. The factory was built in 1863 on land mainly owned by the Prentice family of Stowmarket (1). Gun-Cotton was invented by German chemist Christian Schonbein in 1845. It was cotton dipped in a mixture of nitric & sulphuric acids & then removed by washing cotton in water. However, it wasn't until the 1860's when British chemist Frederick Abel developed a way to prevent gun-cotton from exploding spontaneously, which made it possible to be used as a propellant for cartridges & canon (2).

On the afternoon of 11th August 1871, two explosions demolished the works, killing 28 and injuring 75. The explosion caused damage & devastation to Stowmarket & the surrounding areas. The explosion was said to be heard over 30 miles away, the shock was felt for a distance of 7 miles & windows were broken 4 miles away. For example, most of the remarkable 15th century glass blew out at St Mary's Church, Combs as a result of the explosion (3 & 4).

There followed an investigation after the explosion, into the cause. The conclusion deemed the explosion was likely caused by sabotage (although no-one was ever charged) & the very hot weather. However, this very investigation, led to the world's first Forensic Explosive Laboratory (FEL) & the introduction of the 1875 Explosives Act (5).

The works was rebuilt in 1873/74 & renamed the Stowmarket Guncotton Company. However, the Prentice family sold the factory in 1880, to a new explosives company. The site was later acquired by I.C.I. in 1926 (6).

23 killed in the explosion, were buried in Stowmarket's Old Cemetery, the other 5 victims were buried in nearby villages. Only 3 victims ever had their own headstones (7). In February 2014, more than 140 years after the explosion, a memorial plaque was unveiled in Stowmarket's Old Cemetery with names of the 23 victims buried there (8).

William PARKER (A.K.A. WILLIAMS) b. 1856 in Stowmarket, Suffolk, was one of the 28 victims killed in the Gun-Cotton Factory explosion. He worked as a labourer at the factory & was just 14 years old when he died. In the 1871 Census taken earlier in the year before the explosion, the Census reveals William lived at Cabbage Square, Church Lane, Stowmarket, with his Mother Louisa PARKER (b. 1822), his Sister Rebecca (b. 1853) & his Father John WILLIAMS (b. abt. 1814). The 1871 Census also reveals his younger Sister Jane (b. 1860) was staying/visiting her maternal Nana Ann PARKER (b. abt. 1800) whom lived in Church Lane, Stowmarket. William PARKER (A.K.A. WILLIAMS) is my maternal 3 x Grt Uncle via my Nana Maud Ellen EASLEA (b. 1910 Stowmarket, Suffolk). That is, William is the older brother of my 2 x Grt Nana Jane PARKER A.K.A WILLIAMS.

William is buried in Stowmarket' s Old Cemetery in an unmarked grave - plot E83 next to plot E84 i.e. the plot where his Mother & Father are buried.

REFERENCES:

1. Museum of East Anglian Life. Available online: http://eastanglianlife.org.uk/learn/online-resources/explosion.html. Last accessed 5 September 2016.
2. Ibid.,
3. Ibid.,
4. St Mary's Church, Combs, The Church of England. Available online: http://www.stmaryscombs.co.uk/history. Last accessed 5 September 2016.
5. Museum of East Anglian Life. Available online: http://eastanglianlife.org.uk/learn/online-resources/explosion.html. Last accessed 5 September 2016.
6. The National Archives. Available online: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/00bad737-b187-4f01-8c63-e540754af59c. Last accessed 5 September 2016.
7. Bury Free Press. Available online: http://www.buryfreepress.co.uk/news/plaque-unveiled-for-victims-of-1871-explosion-1-5903912. Last accessed 5 September 2016.
8. Ibid.,

29/08/2016

Image/engraving of Gerard van der Gucht by James Caldwall & engraving of William Shakespeare by Gerard van der Gucht.

(N.B. Images taken from National Portrait Gallery (NPG) website and as such NPG retain copyright).

Gerard van der Gucht was born about 1696 (probably in London) and was part of the van der Gucht artist family of Flemish descent. This artist family was headed by his father Flemish artist/engraver Michael van der Gucht (b. 1660).

Michael van der Gucht studied engraving in Antwerp, under Philibert Bouttats, the leading member of a large family of engravers and in 1673, Michael van der Gucht was admitted to the guild of St. Luke in the city of Antwerp (1). By 1690, Michael van der Gucht had moved to London and was chiefly involved in portrait engravings, book illustrations and architectural prints (2). As well as training his sons Gerard and Jan van der Gucht, he also trained George Vertue and James Smith (3). Michael van der Gucht died in 1725 and is buried in St. Giles Churchyard (4).

As well engraving training with his father Michael van der Gucht, Gerard van der Gucht, studied drawing under Louis Cheron. Gerard van der Gucht is credited with being the first English-born engraver to imitate successfully the French style of blending etching and tonal gradation (5).

In 1735, Gerard van der Gucht took a leading role in the lobbying/demands for artists' copyright protection. This led to an extension of the provisions of the Engraving Copyright Act 1734, which extended copyright to all copies/prints and not just original designs (6). Gerard van der Gucht married Mary Liney in 1725 and they are reported to have had between 30 and 40 children together. (7 & 8). Gerard van der Gucht died at his house in Lower Brook Street, Grosvenor Square, London in 1776.

There are many examples of Michael & Gerard van der Gucht's work in various museum/s galleries, including The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London.

Michael & Gerard van der Gucht are my maternal 7 x & 6 x Grt Grandfathers respectively. This direct ancestral line is via my Granddad Bernard John William SHAW (b. 1905). That is, my 4 x Grt Grandfather James SHAW (b. 1763) married Mary van der Gucht (b. 1764). She was the Granddaughter of Gerard van der Gucht & Grt Grandddaugher of Michael van der Gucht.

References:

1. Lee, Sidney (ed.) (1899) Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900. v. 58. London: Elder Smith & Co. Available online: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Van_der_Gucht,_Michael_(DNB00). Last accessed 29 August 2016.
2. The National Portrait Gallery. Available online: http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp07672/michael-vandergucht. Last accessed 29 August 2016.
3. Lee, Sidney (ed.) (1899) Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900. v. 58. London: Elder Smith & Co. Available online: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Van_der_Gucht,_Michael_(DNB00). Last accessed 29 August 2016.
4. Ibid.,
5. The National Portrait Gallery. Available online:http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp10800. Last accessed 29 August 2016.
6. Wikipedia. Available online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Vandergucht. Last accessed 29 August 2016.
7. Lee, Sidney (ed.) (1899) Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900. v. 58. London: Elder Smith & Co. Available online: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Van_der_Gucht,_Michael_(DNB00). Last accessed 29 August 2016.
8. Wikipedia. Available online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Vandergucht. Last accessed 29 August 2016.

13/08/2016

My maternal Granddad, Bernard John William SHAW (b. 1905 Alton, Hampshire) & my maternal Nana Maud Ellen EASLEA (b. 1910 Stowmarket, Suffolk). Photo taken with my Uncles - Bernard John William SHAW Jnr b. 1927, Stowmarket, Suffolk & Victor Edward SHAW b. 1930 Ipswich, Suffolk).