Even though he was born before civil registration of births in England from 1837, the early life of my 3xgreat grandfather James Stocking was relatively easy to trace. He married Mary Ann Collins in 1849, lived in and around Kent Street, Southwark for a further 30+ years, and died there. I used old maps and records to explore what ‘his’ London might have been like. Here’s what I have found out about James Stocking‘s London life.

When was he born?

On their marriage certificate, James’ father is shown as Thomas Stocking, a Rope Mat Maker like his son. Mary Ann’s father is recorded as Daniel Collins, a Plasterer. Bride and groom are both shown as ‘minor’, ie under 21 years of age, which suggests their latest birth years are likely to be between 1829-1833. This would mean that they were born before the establishment of the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales (July 1837), so a birth certificate will not exist for them. I therefore had to rely on finding parish baptism and earlier census records to try to identify when exactly they were born, and to whom.

At the time of the 1851 census, James and Mary Ann Stocking appear to be living with his parents, father Thomas Stocking and his wife, Susan. Was Susan James’ mother? I found a baptism record at Ancestry for three children of Thomas and Susan(nah) Stocking at St Mary Newington on 30 June 1837:

Helpfully, the register shows the children’s dates of birth: James Stocking was born on 3 March 1829; sister Susannah, on 16 December 1832 and brother Thomas on Christmas Eve 1836. Their father Thomas Stocking is shown at the time as a Labourer of Kent Street. The couple had previously baptised a daughter Susannah, at St Saviour, Southwark, born in 1827, who died in 1829. At the time of her baptism, her parents’ address is just given as ‘St George’s’.

James Stocking and his parents experienced the loss of several children in what were probably over-crowded and insanitary conditions. London at the turn of the 1800s was growing as industries new and old crammed the areas South of the Thames. It would be nearly 100 years before most of the narrow courts and alleys clustered around Kent Street were demolished, although much of the area changed dramatically with the coming of the railways in the first half of the century.

The Susannah born in 1832 and baptised on the same day as her siblings, died aged 7 early in 1839, when James was about ten years old. A brother, John, was born a few months later that year, but died in 1841, before the census was taken. James’ parents had another son, William Thomas, in 1846. The mother’s maiden name on the youngest children’s birth records in the GRO index is shown as Brown. Thomas Stocking married Susan Brown on Christmas Eve 1826 at St Peter’s Walworth; so it seems that Susan or Susannah Brown was James’ mother.

What was ‘their’ London like?

In the 1841 census, James Stocking is shown as aged 12 (b1828), with brother Thomas, aged 5, and their parents; father Thomas Stocking is a Labourer. Their neighbours in Castle Street, near Southwark Bridge Road, are all tradespeople of one kind or another, including wool cutters, spinners, patten, chair and shoe makers. According to Thrale.com, Castle Street has since been renamed Thrale Street (prior to that it was renamed Camelot St):

“From the south side of Blackfriars Bridge, London, walk south along Blackfriars Road for about 150m then turn left into Southwark Street. Pass under the railway bridge and turn left into Hopton Street. In about 150m follow the road round to the right, and turn into Holland Street. Castle Yard is then on the right”.

Thrale.com

Not much from that time remains. The buildings near the Ibis car park are Georgian (above), so may have been known to the Stocking family. There were breweries in the vicinity since the 1700s, at nearby Park Street, part of the Thrale Estate, including Anchor Brewery, later Barclay, Perkins & Co. Brewery (and later still, owned by Courage Brewery).

They lived their married life within a few miles at most of Kent Street (later named Old Kent Road) in Southwark, in Castle Street, John Street, Chatham Street and St Thomas Street and no doubt witnessed the reconfiguration of much of that part of London, as railways expanded and roads were relaid and renamed, and the wharves and docks along the Thames grew.

An early and painful death

James Stocking, General Labourer of 24 St Thomas Road, died on 30 September 1883. He was only 56 years old. It seems he had been unwell for some time, as the cause of death is “Chronic Brights Disease, Granular Kidneys, 5 years. Uraemia, 12 hours”. Brights Disease is now known as Chronic Nephritis, and is often accompanied by high blood pressure and heart disease.

“Those symptoms most commonly associated with Bright’s Disease were intense pain on either or both sides of the lower back. Fever might be present and intense edema or retention of fluids, might cause the extremities to appear extremely swollen. Breath could be labored and difficult, particularly if kidney failure caused fluid to accumulate in the lungs, or was caused by metastasized cancer . . . Those affected might also find eating difficult, or might have periods of nausea or vomiting. All of the symptoms meant a very serious disease, which was usually not treatable, particularly in the 19th century.”

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-brights-disease.htm

He was buried at Camberwell Old Cemetery on 6 October 1883.