Family Detective

This week we found one of our clients' more elusive ancestors on board the Shaftesbury Training Ship, anchored near Grays in Essex. Scrawled across the 1891 census page were the words: "Under legal detention to the age of 16 years according to the Industrial Schools Act of 1866 and Safeguard Act".

Named after the founder of Training Ships, Lord Shaftebsury, the Shaftesbury was commissioned as a training school for "unmanageable boys" of 14 or younger, with the aim of getting them off the streets, where most were scratching an illegal living by begging or stealing, and giving them a useful skill. The British Medical Journal of 1903 says of the boys: "At first youths who have lived their lives running wild in the gutters and slums pine very much for their liberty, but once this feeling has worn off they lead comparatively happy lives and become contented."

The boys would be scrubbed and given a hair cut and a new suit of clothes as well as the opportunity to learn a skill (our boy became a Sailmaker), and participate in sports, music and lessons. The boys were given three meals a day, which included bread, butter, potatoes, cocoa and jam or marmalade with meat pie on a Wednesday and fish on Friday.

Sometimes we help to facilitate a very happy ending to the stories we uncover. This feedback was from one of our clients who now lives in the States and came back to the UK this Christmas to meet up with living relatives on her mother's side of the family:

  I can't begin to tell you how important these two family reunions were for all concerned. As you know, my grandfather was a complex character; the good, the bad and the plain ugly! Each person held different pieces of the puzzle but much was accomplished and of course, there was a wonderful healing component as they understood and could reconcile their relationship with grandad and to each other!

We should have filmed it all... It was very helpful and very therapeutic for my Mum. She now has a MUCH better perspective on her childhood years and the impact it has had on her as an adult. At 74 years old, it has truly been a blessing!

The cost was soooooo minimal for the incredible benefit that it was generated ... You are to be commended for all your hard work and I can't thank you enough for your dedicated efforts!

Over the past few weeks, one of our researchers has come across various people working in a paper mill. She thought that within a paper mill there would be limited job prospects, however she quickly found that she was mistaken! The machines were run using horse power, so young boys were employed to take care of the horses. They were given the rather fitting title “Horse Boys.” Someone, male or female, who had just finished school could be employed as an “Assistant Paper Maker.” From there, they could become a “General Labourer” and work all over the mill, or continue as an assistant until they were deemed good enough to become a “Paper Maker” in their own right. If they didn’t like the sound of this, they could become an “Apprentice” and specialise in a specific area of paper making. It seems to have been quite an honour to be an “Envelope Maker” or even a “Cardboard Box Maker”!

One of our own Researchers has this unusually-named individual in her family tree. Thinking, at first, that it might be mis-transcribed, she turned to the original birth index from 1840 to see if she could make out the correct name.  It can only be Raspberry Tufts, we think!

Some questions remain: was Raspberry a boy's or girl's name? And why is there seemingly no marriage or death date recorded for him/her? Was the name really Raspberry? Or perhaps it was copied out into the index by a Clerk who was making a point about someone else's bad handwriting? Perhaps he was hungry and allowed his mind to wander towards his afternoon tea?

The Riot Act (1713) was an Act of the Parliament that authorized local authorities to declare any group of twelve or more people to be unlawfully assembled, and thus have to disperse or face punitive action. The Act came into force on 1 August 1715, and remained on the statute books until 1973.

It had to be read out to the gathering concerned, and had to follow precise wording detailed in the act; several convictions were overturned because parts of the proclamation had been omitted, in particular "God save the King".

If a group of people failed to disperse within one hour of the proclamation, the act provided that the authorities could use force to disperse them. Anyone assisting with the dispersal was specifically indemnified against any legal consequences in the event of any of the crowd being injured or killed.

We received great feedback from one of our Platinum customers this week . . .

"What a great surprise! The tree and the family history are really very good. It's certainly been an exciting and worthwhile project for us. You give a quality product and service, it's been a pleasure to work with you. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN! CHRIS & SUE ROBINSON."

Bodgers were the 19th century workers who made the sticks, chair legs and stretchers in the woodlands of Britain. They set up a workshop often deep within the forest rather than fell the timber and take it home with them. So only finished components left the forest. Apparently they would take sacks of shavings so they could leave a trail to find their way back to their camp. They used the pole lathe (a foot operated lathe powered by a springy sapling), a shave horse plus a few simple tools and were expert craftsmen. Unfortunately the term has completely changed its meaning in the last 100 years and a "bodger" is now someone who is inept and ruins a job.

In response to numerous requests from our clients, Family Detective Researchers will be travelling to the Irish National Archive in Dublin this April to search through the pre-1880 Parish Records. If you would like to be a part of this exciting opportunity, please read our Irish Ancestors Newsletter.

To register an interest in having your Irish heritage researched, just complete the form by clicking the link below, and one of our researchers will be in touch to discuss the details.

Our most interesting find this week was on the 1881 census.

It reads:

Florian was staying with Charles James and his family who were Acrobats from the Bristol area.

Wouldn't you like to know who's hanging about in your tree?

In 1768, the church began to levy a fee for marriage ceremonies, which meant that many young couples were unable or unwilling to pay. Because of this, the ancient custom of handfesting became popular. A couple would become betrothed by making a pledge to each other before a village Elder or other recognised figure of authority. They would then remain together for a year and a day after which time they could decide to stay together for life or walk away and make another choice.