RootsChat.Com

No.  This isnt one of those "Have you been hurt in an accident" adverts!!  (I was tempted to entitulate this post thus, but thought I might get banned!).

In the late 1850s an ancestor of mine was working in the GNR Loco works in Peterborough as a labourer.  A very short newspaper report tells me his left arm was trapped in some belting and he was hoisted up to the ceiling.  He was released and taken to the surgeon but alas they were unable to save his arm and it was amputated.  (Ouch ouch ouch, I'll bet he wasnt very well anaesthetised either).

This must have been devastating for a young man with a wife and children.  However I have found in his obituary an interesting comment namely "The amount of the levy at the time meant he was able to invest in property".  Any ideas what this means?  Did employers pay compensation then?  Was there a fund for such injury?

It must have been a reasonable amount since by the time he died 50 years later he was the largest private ratepayer in the entire city.

From memory (dangerous) it was the 1901 that was done by prisoners, the 1911 outsourced to India. Problems with both, the prisoners weren't too co-operative and many of the India transcribers had English as second language.

I can't blame them.  Having spent the best part of Saturday looking at late 17th/early 18th century BTs, I am of the view that a lot of the authors had english as a second language then!!!!!!

My best ones are:  Shuelby for THurlby, Chelsworth for Halesworth and Blaut for Plant...........

Igor, thank you.  But I tried that.  There are no local Catherines born in Ireland.  There are lots much further away though.  Amazing how many Catherines born in Carlow there are!!!

Trish - Wow.  Thank you so much!  I didnt know she had died in the workhouse.  How bizarre.  Particularly since she had money left her.  I dont suppose £12 paid at 2 shillings a month was a huge amount but it might have at least kept her out of the WH.

LizzieL - thank you.  I'll have a look - although age does seem a lot wrong.  Still who knows with that family!!!!!!

I didnt know that Amelia had witnessed her wedding.  I think Amelia was her sister (rather irritatingly, every generation for about 4 of them have children called Joseph, Elizabeth, Amelia, Catherine, Mary/Mary Ann).  Amelia DID have an illegitimate daughter called Eliza before getting married.  She married in 1843 to John Williamson and then again in 1848 to John Reeves.

I find it really bizarre how some of this family were "well to do" (Eldest sister Elizabeth married a surgeon and lived in a very grand house with carriages and servants; only brother Joseph ran two hotels in the town, was well respected and married two daughters of a wealthy local farmer (OK, so he didnt actually marry the second one, but no one seems to have batted an eyelid when she produced 5 kids for him); half sister Mary marries a "Reverend" from London and her son ends up taking up with Tussy Marx, although the less said about him, the better).  Yet two daughters from a "very well to do and ancient family" (not my description, the description in a local newspaper following a death) fall on relatively hard times and in respect of both of them their children end up in the workhouse!

Both he and my Nan are still with us and 90 odd years young, but neither of them can remember a thing about these items.  We imagine that they probably came from Grandad's mother's (who died in 1965).  Unusually my mother knows nothing about them.  And my mum knows about EVERYTHING!!!  lol

This woman is one of my brick walls.

She was born Catherine Bishop in 1811 (or thereabouts) to Joseph Bishop and his wife, Mary in Ireland (possibly Carlow).  In 1828 she marries Marshall George Robbins in Wisbech (he was for sometime in partnership with her stepfather, Thomas Goodall, and brother, Joseph Bishop).

5 children are born to Marshall and Catherine.  Marshal G (1830); Amelia (1830ish); Joseph (1832); Catherine (1834) and Mary Ann (1836).  Catherine is not present in the family home on the 1841 Census and I cant find her on it at all but I think she must still be alive because I think she died in 1855 in Wisbech.  By 1851 it looks like the eldest son has joined the Merchant navy and three of the children (Joseph, Catherine and Mary Ann) are in the Workhouse.  I imagine there was some disharmony in the family because the partnership between Marshall and his stepfather in law was dissolved in 1836.

In 1851, when her aunt dies, she leaves Catherine the sum of 2 shillings a month until the sum of £12 has been paid.  The Aunt also leaves each of the children the sum of £19.  She is very descriptive stating that she leaves to "the children of Mrs Robbins whom she had by her husband Marshall George Robbins......" and then names them.  That is quite prescriptive and makes me wonder if there were other children by another man.

I am at a loss to know how these poor children ended up in the workhouse - particularly when their Uncle and Step Grandad were relatively successful in business and their maiden great aunts were very wealthy indeed.  I do hope that they received their £19 and it helped them to improve their sorry situation.  Where was their mother in 1841 and 1851?  Any suggestions, please?

Realistically, I guess I shall never know but it is one of those niggling things that has piqued my interest!