Update of the Past NEWS ........ 19th May 1900

 

Catch up on the full story of last weeks NEWS.............
 

*Archibald Sims –

Archibald was the young lad who was severely reprimanded after he was caught stealing eggs from Mr Woodhead at Clowne nr Chesterfield.

Archibald was the son of George and Hannah Sims and was born in Whittington a nearby village.  The family lived at Crown Yard, Whittington on the 1891 census and Archibald was one of a very large brood of children –

Francis aged 18 years

John aged 14 years

Edith aged 12 years

Charles aged 11 years

Miriam aged 9 years

George aged 7 years

Bertram aged 4 years

Archibald aged 2 years

Nelly aged 2 months

The house must have been full to the rafters with children.  Their father George was 45 years old and worked as a coal miner along with Francis his eldest son.  Another son John had begun his colliery career as a pony driver.  George was not from the area, he was born in Whinthorpe, Nottinghamshire. 

By 1901 the family have moved to Clowne, they are living at aptly named Pit Row where the miners of the area lived together in their row of terraced houses.  The family has shrunk though, so there would have been more room for the Sims family.  Only three of the sons are still living with their parents; George aged 18 years, Bertram aged 14 years and Archibald aged 12 years.  Notably the youngest daughter Nelly is not living with them.  There is a death for a 1 year old "Nellie" Sims in 1893 so it looks like this may well have been poor little Nellie.

In 1911 Archibald is still living at home with his parents and one brother; Bertram.  The boys are both working as coal miner hewers.  Their father George is documented as being 59 years old which doesn’t tally with previous census returns.  From this census we are also told that George and Hannah have been married 19 years, they have born a grand total of 19 children, but sadly only 9 are still living, they had lost 10 children.  Hannah must have had enough on her plate in May 1900 without young Archibald getting in to trouble, but I haven’t found any other mention of him on the wrong side of the law so hopefully he learnt his lesson. 

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ X ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

*Priscilla Thompson –

Priscilla was the mother who allegedly assaulted a girl who was in an argument with her daughter Lily. 

In 1891 Priscilla is married and living on Durrant Road in the centre of Chesterfield with her husband Albert Thompson and their children; Lillie aged 6 years, May aged 5 years, Oliver aged 3 years ad baby George A aged 3 months.

The family set up seems to have changed by 1901 because Priscilla is still recorded as married but is living along with all her children with 47 year old Tom Brassington.  She is employed or at least documented as a servant to Tom.  He is a coal miner below ground.    

Ten years further on and things are again changed; Priscilla is still recorded as married but now lives as a servant with a Robert Brassington and her youngest son George.  They live in Sheffield now at 284 Shirland Lane.  Robert is a coal miner hewer, is this the same man as she lived with 10 years earlier? Possibly, he was unmarried and it looks like Priscilla followed him, maybe as his “wife”.

So what happened to Albert Thompson?  There is a death registered for an Albert Thompson in 1902 but why would Priscilla still class herself as married? Had the pair parted before and thus she was unaware that he had died?  Or was the death for another Albert Thompson?

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ X ~ ~ ~ ~ ~