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Mabel Frances Woodhurst and Gertrude Mary Woodhurst have not been found under those names in any of the standard sources following the separation of their parents Richard William (3) and Mary Ann (nee Ames).
It is hypothesized here that in their early childhood they were "adopted" by a well-to-do Stevens family in Islington and grew up under the names Mabel Frances Stevens and Gertrude Mary Stevens.
On July 19th 1829 a daughter Sarah Standley was christened to parents Moses Standley and his wife Ann at the Old Meeting Chapel in Meeting House Lane, Wareham in Dorset [IGI: Batch C074381]. In 1849 she married Richard Stevens [Marriage Index: Portsea I. 7 215, 1849 (Sept) - indexed as "Standly"]. They married at St. Mary's in Portsea Island (today's Portsmouth in Hampshire) on September 16th 1849 [IGI: Batch M062613].
The 1851 Census finds them in London with their first child George:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1851 Census for Shoreditch No. 3, Church Row PRO Ref: HO107 Piece 1538 Folio 352 Page 15 Richard Stevens : head : mar : 24 : carpenter : Wareham, Dorset Sarah Stevens : wife : mar : 22 : --- : Wareham, Dorset George Stevens : son : unm : 3 months : --- : Shoreditch, Middlesex ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This child was registered at birth as George Scinnick Stevens [Birth Index: Shoreditch 2 411, 1851 (March)].
The 1861 Census finds the family living at 7, Blundell Street in Islington St. Mary together with Sarah's unmarried sister Jane (her surname mis-entered as "Stanley"), also born at Wareham [RG9 Piece 130 Folio 50 Page 31].
The 1871 Census finds George aged "20" still living with his parents:.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1871 Census for Islington St. Mary No. 19, Harvest Road PRO Ref: RG10 Piece 302 Folio 14 Page 22 Richard Stevens : head : mar : 44 : deputy landlord for Building Society : Wareham, Dorset Sarah Stevens : wife : mar : 42 : --- : Wareham, Dorset George Stevens : son : unm : 20 : joiner's apprentice : Hackney, Middlesex Walter Stevens : son : unm : 18 : joiner's apprentice : Hackney, Middlesex Arthur Stevens : son : unm : 15 : --- : Islington, Middlesex Jessie Stevens : dau : unm : 12 : scholar : Islington, Middlesex Rose Stevens : dau : unm : 10 : scholar : Islington, Middlesex Constance Stevens : dau : unm : 7 : scholar : Islington, Middlesex Minnie Stevens : dau : unm : 5 : scholar : Islington, Middlesex Lilley Stevens : dau : unm : 10 months : scholar : Islington, Middlesex ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 1872 George married Julia Hannah Townsend [Marriage Index: Westminster 1a 586, 1872 (March)]. They married at St. James, Westminster on February 25th 1872 [IGI: Batch M147513]. She was born in 1850 [Birth Index: Islington 3 293, 1850 (Sept)].
The 1881 Census finds them living in Islington:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1881 Census for Islington St. Mary No. 78, Moray Road PRO Ref: RG11 Piece 276 Folio 111 Page 22 1st household: George Stevens : head : mar : 30 : builder & decorator employing 8 men : Dalston, Middlesex Hannah Stevens : wife : mar : 29 : --- : Islington, Middlesex Beatrice Stevens : dau : unm : 8 : scholar : Islington, Middlesex George Stevens : son : unm : 6 : scholar : Islington, Middlesex Walter Stevens : son : unm : 5 : scholar : Islington, Middlesex Ada Stevens : dau : unm : 3 : --- : Islington, Middlesex Minnie Stevens : dau : unm : 1 : --- : Islington, Middlesex Albert Stevens : son : unm : 1 month : --- : Islington, Middlesex Caroline Sedges : servant : widow : 60 : general servant : Clerkenwell, Middlesex 2nd household: Sarah J. Dexter : W.[sic - widow?] : --- : 57 : income from interest on money : Mansfield, Nottinghamshire ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Their child Minnie Stevens died aged "1" in 1881 [Death Index: Islington 1b 207, 1881 (Sept)].
In 1889 Julia Hannah died aged "37" [Death Index: Islington 1b 159, 1889 (Dec) - indexed as "Hannah Julia"].
The following year George remarried to Catherine ("Kate") Brebnor [Marriage Index: Islington 1b 525, 1890 (June)].
The 1891 Census finds George still at the same address but now with Catherine:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1891 Census for Islington No. 78, Moray Road PRO Ref: RG12 Piece 147 Folio 148 Page 28 George Stevens : head : mar : 40 : builder & decorator : Dalston, London Catherine Stevens : wife : mar : 32 : --- : Leeds, Yorkshire Beatrice Stevens : dau : unm : 19 : milliner's apprentice : Islington, London George Stevens : son : unm : 16 : carpenter's apprentice : Islington, London Walter Stevens : son : unm : 15 : sign writer's apprentice : Islington, London Ada Stevens : dau : unm : 13 : scholar : Islington, London Gertrude Stevens : dau : unm : 11 : scholar : Leeds, Yorkshire [transcription error?] Albert Stevens : son : unm : 10 : scholar : Islington, London Alice Stevens : dau : unm : 9 : scholar : Islington, London Mabel Stevens : dau : unm : 8 : scholar : Islington, London Isabella[e] Stevens : dau : unm : 7 : scholar : Islington, London Anne Stevens : dau : unm : 6 : scholar : Islington, London Arthur Stevens : son : unm : 5 : scholar : Islington, London Grace Stevens : dau : unm : 4 : --- : Islington, London Jessie Stevens : dau : unm : under 1 month : scholar : Islington, London ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although Gertrude's birthplace is given above as Leeds - where Catherine was evidently born - it is suspected that this was a copying error by the enumerator. More significantly, there exist GRO birth references for all the above children under the Stevens surname except for Mabel and Gertrude. No evidence has been found that either of the girls had been born to Catherine by some prior partner.
One anomaly in the above 1891 record is that it presents Gertrude as being older than Mabel, yet the age gap between them is close to that between the two Woodhurst girls. It may be that their identities had become confused when they entered the Stevens family and remained so ever afterwards.
The 1901 Census finds the family again at the same address, but with Gertrude's birthplace now entered as London:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1901 Census for Islington No. 78, Moray Road PRO Ref: RG13 Piece 166 Folio 79 Page 26 George S. Stevens : head : mar : 50 : builder & decorator (employer) : London Fields, London Kate Stevens : wife : mar : 41 : --- : Leeds, Yorkshire Walter C. Stevens : son : unm : 24 : sign writer : Holloway, London Gertrude Stevens : dau : unm : 20 : dressmaker : Holloway, London [now correctly London!] Alice Stevens : dau : unm : 19 : mantle maker : Finsbury Park, London Mabel Stevens : dau : unm : 17 : dressmaker : Holloway, London Isabel Stevens : dau : unm : 17 : mantle maker : Finsbury Park, London Arthur Stevens : son : unm : 15 : scholar : Finsbury Park, London Annie Stevens : dau : unm : 15 : shorthand typewriter : Holloway, London Grace Stevens : dau : unm : 14 : scholar : Finsbury Park, London Jessie Stevens : dau : unm : 10 : scholar : Finsbury Park, London Gilbert Stevens : son : unm : 9 : scholar : Finsbury Park, London Norah Stevens : dau : unm : 5 : --- : Finsbury Park, London Percy Stevens : son : unm : 2 : --- : Finsbury Park, London ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is significant that George here gives his birthplace as London Fields, a quite compact locality within Hackney. Richard William (3) Woodhurst had been living there in both 1871 and 1881 and may well have known the Stevens family in those earlier periods.
The two girls married - as "Mabel Frances Stevens" and "Gertrude Mary Stevens" - at the same church (or register office) on the same day, having the joint GRO reference [Marriage Index: Islington 1b 826, 1907 (Sept)]. Their husbands were Herbert Silas Lacey [Birth Index: Islington 1b 370, 1883 (March)] and Harry Montague Uloth [Birth Index: Brentford 3a 96, 1888 (Dec)], but it is not yet known who paired with whom.