Family History

7 Jul 2024

I’ve been trying to find out more about Mary Anne Chambers, daughter of James Chambers and Mary Ann Martin. She was born in 1830 and had three illegitimate daughters: Emma (1853), Alice Eliza (1858) and Anna (1861). After that she disappears from the records and I don’t even have any census entries for her.

I found her in the 1851 census working as a dairymaid in Wingfield.1

Then it becomes confusing.

I think in 1871 she is living with a man named George Scott, a Cordwainer in Syleham2

Name Relationship Age Born
George Scott Head 30 Kettering, Northants
Maryann Scott Wife 38 Fressingfield, Suffolk
Anna Scott Daughter 9 Fressingfield, Suffolk
Agnes Scott Daughter 1mo Syleham, Suffolk
I can’t find a marriage of George and Mary Ann. However Agnes was born in 1871 in the Hoxne registration district and the mother’s maiden name was Chambers3.

In 1881 she might be in the Workhouse in Newport Pagnell:4

Name Relationship Age Born
Mary Ann Scott Inmate Wife 48 Fressingfield, Suffolk
George is also in the workhouse:5
Name Relationship Age Born
George Scott Inmate 40 Kettering, Northants
I can’t see Agnes Scott there

Then, in 1891, Mary Ann and Agnes appear in Kettering with a man named David Ashton, a shoe finisher6:

Name Relationship Age Born
David Ashton Head 46 Kettering, Northants
Mary Ann Ashton Wife 55 Fressingfield, Suffolk
Agnes Ashton Daughter 20 Leyland, Suffolk
Flora Ashton Granddaughter 9mo Kettering, Northants
Flora was baptised as Ethel Florence Ashton in Kettering on 3 Apr 1891, the illegitimate daughter of Agnes.7

Agnes died in 1892 at age 21, buried 7 May 1892 in Kettering.8

In 1901, Mary Ann is still living with David Ashton in Burton Latimer, not far from Kettering:9

Name Relationship Age Born
David Ashton Head 56 Kettering, Northants
Mary Ann Ashton Wife 60 Fressingfield, Suffolk
Ethel Ashton Granddaughter 10 Kettering, Northants
By 1911 David is widowed and living in Desborough.10
He appears to have died in 1921.

I think David Ashton was born John David Ashton. There is a John D Ashton aged 9 living with his grandparents in Kettering in 185111 and a David Ashton living with his grandmother at the same address in 186112. He is a cordwainer, like George Scott.

Ethel Florence Ashton married Joseph Wilford in Corby in 191113 and died in the Apr Qtr 1964

This is all quite strange because:

  • I can’t find any deaths of a George Scott between 1881 and 1891
  • I can’t find any marriages between George Scott and Mary Ann Chambers or between John David Ashton and Mary Ann Scott
  • Mary Ann’s daughter Anna Chambers goes by the name Anna Scott in 1871
  • Agnes Scott goes by the name Agnes Ashton by 1881
  • Why were George Scott and Mary Ann in the workhouse in Newport Pagnell?
  • Where was Agnes Scott/Ashton in 1881?

It makes me wonder whether John David Ashton went by the name George Scott for a time, met and had a child with Mary Ann Chambers and then reverted his name to David Ashton and that of his family to Ashton.

I found a reference to Mary Ann Chambers in the Framlingham Weekly News dated 14 Dec 1861 but unfortunately findmypast was giving an error so I couldn’t take a good copy of the page. I will have to come back to it. This is the small mention:

George Whatling, of Wingfield, was charge by Mary Ann Chambers with non-payment of bastardy - paid arrears and costs14

I found him in the 1861 census lodging with Millicent Brown. He was aged 27, an Ag Lab, born in Wingfield15

I’m not sure which of Mary Ann’s children he was the father of. It could have been Anna who was born in August 1861.

Also Agnes death appears to be mentioned in Northants Mercury, 13 May 1892

  1. Class HO107, Piece 1796, Folio 124, Page 8, ancestry ↩︎

  2. Class RG10, Piece 1739, Folio 105, Page 4, ancestry ↩︎

  3. GRO Reference: 1871 M Quarter in HOXNE, Vol 4A, Page 587 ↩︎

  4. Class RG11, Piece 1481, Folio 23, Page 39, ancestry ↩︎

  5. Class RG11, Piece 1481, Folio 21, Page 36, ancestry ↩︎

  6. Class RG12, Piece 1216, Folio 12, Page 18, ancestry ↩︎

  7. ancestry ↩︎

  8. ancestry ↩︎

  9. Class RG13, Piece 1446, Folio 56, Page 38, ancestry ↩︎

  10. [ancestry](https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/18375334?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a224e7767376c2b354b655962784e643341374c4c566852676a7a52694f6c4d43535175505a674c5a6e4338343d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d)
     ↩︎

  11. Class HO107, Piece 1744, Folio 184, Page 4, ancestry ↩︎

  12. Class RG9, Piece 956, Folio 122, Page 28, ancestry ↩︎

  13. Parish Registers of Corby, 8 Aug 1911, ancestry ↩︎

  14. Framlingham Weekly News, No 120, 14 Dec 1861, Page 1, Col 6, Stradbroke, findmypast ↩︎

  15. Class RG9, Piece 1151, Folio 101, Page 22, ancestry ↩︎

Years
Tagged as