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Edward (1) Woodhurst was born to parents John (3) Woodhurst and his wife Mary Ferris. He was christened at St. Dunstan, Canterbury on August 1st 1802 [Parish Register Baptisms 1743-1812, CCA: Film U3/141/1/4]. The record spells his father's surname as Woodhouse.
He is presumed to have spent much of his youth in Eastling where his parents were being supported by Poor Relief payments at least as far back as 1821. The earliest explicit mention of him in the Eastling Parish Overseers' Accounts occurs on January 15th 1823 when he received 2s-0d, the first of many similar sums received by him during January and February. His next appearance is on June 16th 1828 when a payment of 4s-0d was made for him to make a journey to Milton (known variously as Milton-next-Sittingbourne or Milton Regis).
It may have been at Milton that he met his future wife Frances (nee Hobbs) Eagles. They were married by Banns in Murston (about two miles north-east of Sittingbourne) on October 11th 1829. The Murston Parish Register describes him as a bachelor and her as a widow, both of that parish. The witnesses were Isabella Wraight and Thomas Wraight: their connections are unknown, but they were probably the parents of another Thomas Wraight who, in the 1841 Census for Love Lane in nearby Milton, was occupied as a brick maker aged 22.
Frances was almost certainly born to parents Elisha Hobbs and his wife Sarah at Milton on October 2nd 1803 [IGI: Batch C024839]. She first married John Eagles, at Minster in the Isle of Sheppey, Kent on May 5th 1824 [IGI: Batch I005929]. John is presumed to have died within the following five years. Only one child of theirs is known - Jane Hannah born around 1826.
The first child of Frances and Edward (1) was the unusually-named daughter Effield, christened at Milton in early 1830 [Parish Register]. The register describes her father's occupation at that time as a miller.
It is marginally possible that they produced another child Mary (2) around 1830, but no associated christening record for a child of that name has been found. A child of theirs married in 1851 who called herself "Mary" but who was almost certainly Effield using an assumed name.
Between November 1831 and March 1832 several payments were made on Edward (1)'s behalf from the Eastling Overseers. Although he was now living in Milton, Eastling Parish remained responsible for his Poor Relief assistance.
Another child Edwin was christened at Milton in mid-1832, the parish record of which describes Edward (1) as a brick maker. Further relief payments were made for him by Eastling between October 1832 and February 1833.
It appears that his family then moved about ten miles eastward to Preston Brents in Faversham. Here they produced a daughter Sarah Ann (1) around September 1834.
In early 1835 there was illness in the family - between January 18th and March 1st three relief payments were made by Eastling for Edward (1) and his "wife and 3 children". This count of 3 would have excluded Jane Hannah for whom Eastling was not responsible, so supporting the hypothesis that Mary (2) was actually Effield. Further relief payments were made on April 2nd and 6th of 1835. A few days later Sarah Ann (1) died, being buried on the 11th. At the beginning of 1836 another child Mark (1) was born. During this period Edward (1) was still working in brick-making, a major industry of Faversham.
In early January 1837 Edward (1) fell foul of the law, as evidenced by this brief newspaper report of a trial concluded "on Tuesday last" at the East Kent Quarter Sessions [The Kentish Gazette, Tuesday January 10th 1837, Page 3, Column D]:
"Edward Woodhurst, charged with stealing, at Sittingbourne, a quantity of sail-cloth and rope, the property of Edward Oshendon. Two months' hard labour."
As soon as Edward (1) had been gaoled, Frances and her children Jane Hannah, Effield, Edwin and Mark (1) must have been compelled out of hardship to seek relief at the Union Workhouse in Faversham, where they were all admitted on January 3rd [Faversham Union Workhouse Register of Admissions and Discharges, 1835-42, Schedule C, Form 15]. In the workhouse register their birthyears were recorded as 1804, 1827, 1830, 1833 and 1836, respectively. They were all cited as belonging to Eastling Parish, to which their residence at the workhouse was duly charged. The cause of their seeking relief was given as "Husband in Gaol for Felony". On January 14th, however, Jane Hannah was discharged by reason of "Not Belonging" (that is, not chargeable to Eastling). The register records that Mark (1) died in the workhouse on January 29th. The entire remaining family were discharged on March 1st, and on the next day Edward (1) - presumably just released from prison - was admitted. He was described as a labourer belonging to Eastling Parish and born in "1803". He was discharged from the workhouse on March 7th. The register further notes that the whole family were of the "Established Church". Their surname is spelt as Woodhouse in the register's admission column, but as Woodhurst in the discharge column.
They seem subsequently to have moved back to Milton where they produced a child William (7) around 1837. However, no christening record for William (7) has yet been found.
The subsequent movements of the family are not known with precision. The next - and apparently last - child was James (3), who was born in May 1839 in the Old Ford part of Bow-and-Bromley, near Poplar. It may be that Edward (1), like most brick makers of that time, was following work opportunities in the new brick fields that were constantly arising to meet the demands of London's expansion. Another possibility is that Frances went to Old Ford simply in order to spend her confinement among relatives.
The 1841 Census finds Frances back in Kent and living in Water Lane at Milton with her surviving children, including Jane Hannah aged "15" from her former marriage. However, Edward (1) was not present in the household and has not yet been located at this time. In the census record James (3) is indicated as having been born in Kent rather than in London, but Frances and the census officer may not have been very assiduous in the recording of such details.
In 1842 James (3) died in Milton and was buried there.
The 1851 Census finds Edward (1) and Frances with their two sons living in Greenwood near Hadley Gate in Enfield. He was occupied as a brick maker. His birthplace is given as Canterbury and hers as Milton.
The 1861 Census finds them living in High Road, Ponders End in Enfield. Edward (1) was still occupied as a brick maker. In the same property was the family of John (1) Warren, the husband of Edward (1)'s daughter Effield.
Frances died in 1864. Her death certificate [Death Index: Edmonton 3a 114, 1864 (June)] names her as "Fanny" Woodhurst and states that she died on May 28th 1864 at the Union Workhouse in Edmonton. She is described as aged 57 (but was probably 60) and the wife of a brick maker Edward Woodhurst. The cause of death was "cancer, many years" and the informant was L. Candwell, present at the death.
Intensive and repeated efforts to locate Edward (1) in the 1871 Census have not succeeded.
Edward (1) died in 1873. The death certificate [Death Index: Islington 1b 195, 1873 (June)] states that he was found dead in a field in Highbury Hill Park, Islington on May 12th 1873 and describes him as a brick maker aged 69 (he was actually 70). The cause of death, determined by post mortem, was fatty degeneration of the heart. The informant was Edwin Lankester, the Coroner for Central Middlesex, following an inquest on May 13th. The circumstances of the death are documented in the Coroner's Notes. One of the four Depositions recorded in those notes was made by Edward (1)'s son Edwin.
The Coroner's Notes state that Edward (1) had been living at No. 36 in Woodland Street, whose northern end joined Dalston Lane in Hackney and which ran between (and parallel to) Holly Street and Beechwood Road. It existed until at least the 1960s but has since vanished entirely (with its name) in the course of local redevelopment. Neither Edward (1) nor any seemingly related person was living anywhere in Woodland Street at the time of the 1871 Census.
John Eagles and Frances evidently moved to London soon after marrying. Their daughter Jane Hannah was christened at St. Saviour, Southwark on November 19th 1826 [IGI: Batch C055183].
When Frances moved with Edward (1) to London in the 1840s it is probable that Jane Hannah went with them.
Jane Hannah's future husband was John "Thomas" Hill. He was probably the "John Hill" christened to parents Thomas Hill and Lucy at Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire in April 1814. The IGI has two christening records for him - one on April 3rd [Batch C026902] and the other specifically at St. Peter's Church on April 5th [Batch C025951]. He first married on May 29th 1838 at Gringley-on-the-Hill, Nottinghamshire to Elizabeth Spencer [IGI: Batch M015424 ; Marriage Index: East Retford 15 701, 1838 (June)]. The 1841 Census finds John living with Elizabeth and two sons Edward and Tom in Saxilby, Lincolnshire where he was occupied as a brick maker.
In 1845 John remarried to Jane Hannah. The marriage certificate [Marriage Index: Marylebone 1 212, 1845 (Dec)] names them fully and states that they married by Banns at St. Mary's in Marylebone on November 5th 1845. John is described as a labourer and - whether by mistake or by deliberation - as a bachelor, and Jane Hannah as a minor. Her father is named as "Thomas" Eagles, an error probably arising from her having no significant memory of him.
The 1851 Census finds them with three children living at Walkeringham, Nottinghamshire where John was occupied as a tile maker journeyman. Jane Hannah's birthplace is given as Borough (the ancient name for Southwark), London. The oldest child was Edward, now aged "12", from John's previous marriage. The youngest was Frances, born in Wisbeach (Wisbech), Cambridgeshire. Her birth reference is almost certainly [Birth Index: Wisbeach 14 173, 1849 (Dec)] and names her as Frances Effield Hill, evidently in memory of Jane Hannah's step-sister Effield Woodhurst. The 1861 Census finds the family living in Horkstow, Lincolnshire and John now occupied as a brick maker. The 1871 Census finds them living in Brickyard Cottage, Laneham in Nottinghamshire and John now occupied once more as a tile maker. The 1881 Census finds them living at Shaw Lock, Gringley-on-the-Hill in Nottinghamshire and John still occupied as a tile maker. The 1891 Census finds them living at 2, Park Street, Clee-with-Weelsby in Great Grimsby, Lincolnshire and John described as a retired tile maker aged "77". These census records consistently give his birthplace as Barton-upon-Humber.
John appears to have died in 1893 aged "79" [Death Index: Caistor 7a 394, 1893 (March)]. Clee-with-Weelsby lay within the Caistor registration district. Jane Hannah died in 1901 aged "73" [Death Index: Glanford Brigg 7a 435, 1901 (March)]. The Glanford Brigg registration district includes Horkstow where she had been living in 1861, and it may be that she had gone to live with one of her children after John died.