While exploring the lives of my 2xgreat grand uncles Frederick James Stocking and George Thomas Stocking, I came across an interesting connection between their two brides, who they married at All Saints Walworth in the early 1880s. Both gave their home addresses as 6 Aylesbury Street, Walworth. When I looked closer at the parish registers, … Continue reading The brides of Aylesbury Street: A mystery
1800s
George Thomas Stocking: Prolific Witness
My 2xgreat grand uncle George Thomas Stocking (1862-1947) was the first of his ten siblings to be able to read and write, although his signature is invariably shaky. He and his wife Fanny are said to have had 17 children, but suffered the loss of seven of them as children, and two more to WW1. … Continue reading George Thomas Stocking: Prolific Witness
Frederick James Stocking: Naming the Roses?
My 2xgreat grand uncle started life with a slight identity crisis, being baptised Frederick William on 10 March 1861 (exactly a month after his birth), but named as Frederick James Stocking when his birth was registered. Nothing too mysterious there. But I struggled to fully identify the woman who was to be his wife, and … Continue reading Frederick James Stocking: Naming the Roses?
Robert Matthew Stocking: Life in the Land of Leather
There were many Leather Workers in my family in mid-late Victorian London, and my 2xgreat grand uncle Robert Matthew Stocking was one such. He lived in Bermondsey, 'the Land of Leather'. He and his wife Martha raised seven children, all of whom lived to maturity, unlike very many of his nieces and nephews. Why was … Continue reading Robert Matthew Stocking: Life in the Land of Leather
Richard Daniel Stocking: The loss of six children
My 2xgreat grand uncle Richard Daniel Stocking was born in 1857 and worked for a Tripe Dresser in Bermondsey. He married in 1880, but by 1895, he had been widowed. He lived until at least his 80s. Sadly, the same cannot be said of his children: of the eight born between 1880-1894, six had died … Continue reading Richard Daniel Stocking: The loss of six children
Aaron and Catherine Wales: A crime in the family
My 3xGreat grandparents Aaron Wales and his wife, Catherine Alice Stoney, lived their married life in and around Bermondsey and Southwark, South London, close to the Leather Market - convenient perhaps for Aaron's trade as Harness Maker and Saddler. He was originally from the Burnhams in Norfolk, but was in London by the time they … Continue reading Aaron and Catherine Wales: A crime in the family
Caroline Jane Stocking: How many children?
My great-great grand aunt Caroline Jane Stocking married Carman Charles Baker in 1878. By 1911, she has been widowed, but states that she had had 11 children, four of whom had died by the census date. I have not been able to find records for more than eight of them. She had a relatively short … Continue reading Caroline Jane Stocking: How many children?
Mary Stocking: Nine kids, or eleven?
My great great grand aunt Mary Ann Susan Stocking was born in 1851, the eldest of 11 children. In her early years, she worked as a Flagmaker. In 1911, she states she and her husband William James Ward had also had 11 children since their marriage in 1873, seven of whom had by then died. … Continue reading Mary Stocking: Nine kids, or eleven?
Penniston Topper: Footman who saved the life of George III
My research so far shows that the menfolk in my Topper line were all very much on the right side of the law and weren’t afraid of putting themselves in the way of danger to prevent or prosecute crime. Penniston Topper was to achieve fame for foiling an assassination attempt on George III in 1786, although … Continue reading Penniston Topper: Footman who saved the life of George III
Finding Victorian police records
My 3xgreat grandfather James Stocking is described as a policeman on the 1861 census, and his son Arthur's marriage certificate of 1891. On all other records, he is described as a Hawker, Carpet Stool Hawker, Rope Mat Maker or Labourer. How can I find out if he really was a policeman? What sources are available? … Continue reading Finding Victorian police records
My Stocking Roots 