Author Topic: House Servant aged 11 - how come?  (Read 4636 times)

Offline Jomot

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House Servant aged 11 - how come?
« on: Thursday 17 April 14 02:58 BST (UK) »
I've been searching for the family of my 'missing' ancestor Ann Davies born c1848 for some time and am pretty sure I've finally found them living in Bedwellty, Monmouthshire in 1851. 

As well as Ann and her parents James & Margaret plus assorted other children are twins Ruth & Rhoda, born 1850.  I had hoped to find the family still together in 1861 but have instead found Rhoda aged 11 as a House Servant to the Marsh MORGAN family in Manmoel, Ebbw Vale and Ruth as a general servant to the Howells family in Hengoed, Gelligaer. (Marsh was a transcription error - have now viewed the original and its definitely Morgan).

I had already found Ann Davies, a house servant aged 13 in Moss Row, Aberdare, Glamorgan in 1861 (the same street her future husband was also living on) - but until I discovered Ruth & Rhoda I had nothing to confirm it was the 'right' Ann Davies or any clue as to where she came from other than her fathers name & occupation.

However, 11 & 13 seems extremely young to be split up and working as house servants.  I'm assuming that both parents must have died - or one died and the other couldn't look after all the children (next on the 'to do' list to check out) -  but I'm hoping that someone can give me some ideas as to what other records I might be able to find and where to look.   

I'm guessing they may have gone into the workhouse for a period so will contact the records office to see if they can do some searches for me, but I'm not sure about what specific records I'd need them to look at or whether there are likely to be any other records that might give some insight as to what happened & who placed them with the various families etc.

Can anyone help me out please? 
MORGAN: Glamorgan, Durham, Ohio. DAVIS/DAVIES/DAVID: Glamorgan, Ohio.  GIBSON: Leicestershire, Durham, North Yorkshire.  RAIN/RAINE: Cumberland.  TAYLOR: North Yorks. BOURDAS: North Yorks. JEFFREYS: Worcestershire & Northumberland. FORBES: Berwickshire, CHEESMOND: Durham/Northumberland. WINTER: Durham/Northumberland. SNOWBALL: Durham.

Offline Ruskie

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Re: House Servant aged 11 - how come?
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 17 April 14 03:19 BST (UK) »
I can't comment specifically on your family, but to be working as servants or in other jobs at ages 11 and 13 is not unusual.

If I were you I would be looking for the parents and other siblings on the 1861 and later censuses. Unless you know otherwise, you should not assume that they are orphaned or have been in the workhouse just because the family are not together. I would search for younger siblings in the censuses as they are more likely to be with parents or other relatives.

Offline majm

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Re: House Servant aged 11 - how come?
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 17 April 14 04:02 BST (UK) »
However, 11 & 13 seems extremely young to be split up and working as house servants. 

Hi there,

I have two ancestors who travelled from England to Australia in 1850s, brothers....  one was 13 and one was 10, brothers.  The voyage took four months, under sail...   Neither of the boys could read or write.  Their parents and their other siblings remained in England, until a yet younger brother came out to New South Wales (Australia) many years later.   

Yes, that's Half way around the world, 13 and 10, nearly 11 .... and two children by 21st century standards...  But they came in the 1850s, so in my family, we needed to open our 1850s eyes to start to understand the family structures, ties, obligations, responsibilities, duties.   

"My" 13 year old was noted in the 1851 census as a House Servant, when he was 10.  He was with a merchant and that merchant's family in a neighbouring village to his parents, and siblings.  An older brother was in a different village again (12 in 1851 census).   An older sister (15) was also no longer living at home with her parents either.

So I  can support Ruskie's  comments about it not being at all unusal to be working as servants at ages 11 and 13.

Cheers,  JM       
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Online youngtug

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.http://www.rootschat.com/links/05q2/   
  WILSON;-Wiltshire.
 SOUL;-Gloucestershire.
 SANSUM;-Berkshire-Wiltshire
 BASSON-BASTON;- Berkshire,- Oxfordshire.
 BRIDGES;- Wiltshire.
 DOWDESWELL;-Wiltshire,Gloucestershire
 JORDAN;- Berkshire.
 COX;- Berkshire.
 GOUDY;- Suffolk.
 CHATFIELD;-Sussex-- London
 MORGAN;-Blaenavon-Abersychan
 FISHER;- Berkshire.
 BLOMFIELD-BLOOMFIELD-BLUMFIELD;-Suffolk.
DOVE. Essex-London
YOUNG-Berkshire
ARDEN.
PINEGAR-COLLIER-HUGHES-JEFFERIES-HUNT-MOSS-FRY


Offline Ruskie

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Re: House Servant aged 11 - how come?
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 17 April 14 07:43 BST (UK) »
Just looking at the family in 1851, I see father James is a Collier (pauper). Living next door is an older Davies couple, Benjamin and Elizabeth who may be of an age to be parents of James. Do you know if this couple are related to your James?

Twins Rhoda and Ruth are the youngest in 1851, though Margaret is only 31 so likely to have had more children.

If the family dispersed the names are so common that you may have trouble finding them. Birth place as Bedwelty is probably your best chance, though if they were servants even this pob may not be noted.

With so many children as James as a Collier (pauper), the children were probably encouraged to leave home and work to bring some money home, and he would have fewer mouths to feed.

I will look again later when I have some more time, to see if I can find the family members in 1861.

Offline silaswall

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Re: House Servant aged 11 - how come?
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 17 April 14 08:56 BST (UK) »
I have records of young children whose father had died being apprenticed, one to become a housekeeper. It was arranged by the equivalent of the poor house. They had been returned to the village they were born in. Sounds like very cheap labour to me.
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Offline LizzieW

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Re: House Servant aged 11 - how come?
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 17 April 14 11:36 BST (UK) »
My half 4th g.g.uncle John had the misfortune to lose his mother when he was aged 1-2, his father re-married and produced another son.  Then his father died and his stepmother re-married, meaning that John aged 5 was living with two adults, neither of whom were his parents.  In 1853, John aged 8 was apprenticed in husbandry as a "poor child".  So there was nothing unusual in children working in those days.  It is only today that we've come to believe that children are incapable of doing anything for themselves or anybody else until they're at least 25.  ::)

Online youngtug

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Re: House Servant aged 11 - how come?
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 17 April 14 12:19 BST (UK) »
You can see from my link at #3 that there was nothing unusual about this.
 It could have been worse than domestic servant;  http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/rhagor/article/children_down_mines/
.http://www.rootschat.com/links/05q2/   
  WILSON;-Wiltshire.
 SOUL;-Gloucestershire.
 SANSUM;-Berkshire-Wiltshire
 BASSON-BASTON;- Berkshire,- Oxfordshire.
 BRIDGES;- Wiltshire.
 DOWDESWELL;-Wiltshire,Gloucestershire
 JORDAN;- Berkshire.
 COX;- Berkshire.
 GOUDY;- Suffolk.
 CHATFIELD;-Sussex-- London
 MORGAN;-Blaenavon-Abersychan
 FISHER;- Berkshire.
 BLOMFIELD-BLOOMFIELD-BLUMFIELD;-Suffolk.
DOVE. Essex-London
YOUNG-Berkshire
ARDEN.
PINEGAR-COLLIER-HUGHES-JEFFERIES-HUNT-MOSS-FRY

Offline LizzieW

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Re: House Servant aged 11 - how come?
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 17 April 14 14:08 BST (UK) »
youngtug, the experiences of children all those years ago was horrendous, but I think society has gone totally the other way now and children aren't streetwise and many seem incapable of thinking for themselves.