My 2xgreat grand uncle Albert Stocking spent his life as a Leather Dresser until, perhaps, the labour became too hard, or he needed a more lucrative trade to support his growing family. In his late 30s/40s he became a Carman and Horse Keeper, roles still closely associated with the leather trades. Like his many siblings, he and his wife Florence had a large family – 12 children in all – contributing to the 127+ descendents of my 3xgreat grandparents James Stocking and Mary Ann Collins.

Early life, marriage and work

Albert Stocking was born on 28 December 1867. He lived at home with his parents and siblings until his marriage, on New Year’s Eve 1888, to Florence White at St Mary Magdalene, Southwark.

On the marriage record he is shown as a Leather Dresser. He was 22, his bride just 18. As seems common in the family, there was a need to get married (although not as hastily as some of his siblings); their daughter Esther Stocking was born just over three months later, on 12 April 1889.

The 1891 census shows them living with Florence’s parents and younger siblings at 262 Long Lane, Bermondsey; Albert is a Leather Dresser, and they have added another child to the family – baby Albert, aged six months. Florence’s father James White is working as a Postal Messenger. The London Picture Archive has an image from nearly 70 years later which shows no. 262 converted into a shop – Margie’s.

Over the following ten years, Albert and Florence had five more children. Their baptisms show that the family moved around Bermondsey, living in the same streets as other members of Albert’s family:

• 32 Alice Street (1892) – Baptism of Florence Stocking
• 8 John Street (1894) – Baptism of William James Stocking
• 16 Hargrave Square (1899) – Baptism of son Arthur Stocking
• 16 Hargrave Square (1901) – Baptism of son Henry Robert Stocking

(I haven’t found a baptism record for son Richard Daniel in 1896). In the first four of the above records, Albert is described as a Leather Dresser. However, in 1901 his fortunes seem to have changed as he is described as a Labourer on Henry’s baptism record and in the 1901 census. By the time his next child, Frederick James Stocking was baptised in July 1903, he is working as a Carman (a driver of a horse-drawn vehicle, probably transporting goods). Three years later, the family has moved from Hargrave Square to 12 Bermondsey Buildings. Daughter Rose Stocking was baptised in February 1906 from that address, her father now a Horse Keeper.

It seems that Albert worked around horse-drawn transport, sometimes driving as a Carman, sometimes looking after the horses. At the time of the 1911 census, the family is still at 12 Bermondsey Buildings, but Albert is now an out of work Horse Keeper. The loss of income may not have been unusual, but must have been a struggle with ten children at home, aged 5 months to 20 years. The older four are at least working: Albert, 20, is a Horse Keeper; Florence, 18, is a General Servant; William (16) is a General Labourer and Richard (14) is a Carrier’s Van Guard.

The mysteries of Albert and Esther

Rather oddly, on the 1911 census, eldest son Albert is shown as having been married for three months (crossed out). This often happened when completing the 1911 form: the information was only required for married women. However, apart from his occupation and birth place, all of Albert’s entry is crossed through, so was he not actually at home on census night? Regardless, Albert Stocking junior didn’t actually marry Mary Margaret Evans until Christmas Day 1912, both declaring that they were single at the time, so I’m not sure what was going on there!

There is another anomaly: Albert senior states that he and Florence have been married 22 years and have had ten children, all still alive. However, five month-old Henry (Harry), who is listed in the census, was their eleventh child. Their eldest daughter Esther is not at home on census night. Had they somehow forgotten or disowned her? There is a death index record for an Esther Stocking in the St Olave, Southwark district in the September quarter of 1908, aged 19, at the GRO. It seems likely that this is ‘their’ Esther, and that they misunderstood the question on the census form, perhaps counting only the children still alive.

Later life

Albert’s occupation varied between Leather Dresser, Carman and Labourer over the next few years, as attested by the marriage records of others of their children, the WW1 service record of their son Henry Robert Stocking and the 1921 census. In the latter, Albert is again shown as out of work, his last employment as a Labourer for Butcher, Hide & Skin Company, Weston Street, Leather Market, Bermondsey.

http://www.tannersofbermondsey.org/leathermarket.html

By the outbreak of WWII, when the 1939 Register was taken, Albert and Florence are both described as ‘OAP’ – Old Age Pensioners. They are living at Purbrook Street, home of offal merchants’ Johnson, Cole, Brier and Cordrey’s Cold Stores, where Albert’s older brother had once worked. Next door are their youngest daughter Violet Stocking (b.1913), her husband Frank E White, a Metal Worker, and their two young children, Frank and Violet.

Albert and Florence lived through much of the London Blitz, but Albert died in 1943, and Florence in 1945, just after the end of the Second World War.