Saunderson

[whim]

Can anyone out there provide any information on michael saunderson who was master of the Alton poor house in Christchurch in 1881. he was married in 1874 to laura alice moss and had philip sydney saunderson c1876. michael was born in 1832 in surrey, father philip. cannot find any info after 1881 whim

[charlotteCH]

Hi and welcome to rootschat.

have you checked the freebmd site to see if he died after 1881?

Is Laura in 1881 census with son Philip?

charlotte

[whim]

hi charlotte,
thanks for welcome, very new at this but not at research. I have checked for death of Michael up to 1910.  In the 1881 census Laura Saunderson was a visitor at Alton and was stated as married.in 1891 census she is still listed as a wife and is  with her daughter Eva born 1881. the son Philip was by this time a boarder in London.

[charlotteCH]

Hi again,

the next  logical steps would be to check the 1891 then 1901 census to see if he is there. If he's nowwhere in 1891 then maybe it's reasonable to assume he's dead by  then. Likewise for 1901.

This is merely a way of defining the time frame with in which searching for his death is needed.
just a thought but maybe you could give this a go?

charlotte

[Tom Piper]

whim

No doubt you are aware that Michael and Laura Alice married at Stockbridge Church on 15th January 1874, she the daughter of Mr. Matthew Heath Moss,  of Alton Hants, the second daughter of the above man., and  he  of Stockbridge. Mr Moss continually appears in the local paper as an agent for an Insurance company in Alton.

The marriage was announced in the local newspaper, so somebody had some money to do that as newspaper adverts like now weren't cheap!

Michael Saunderson is shown to be master of the Christchurch Union, when  he appeared in a bastardy hearing on February 11th 1880, to prove that a James Read should maintain his wife in the union workhouse.

But, by 1890, according to an enquiry into the death of an inmate at the workhouse in Christchurch, the master is a Mr. Fay, his brother-in-law is a Mr. F. Wilton who was master of the Yeovil workhouse. Mr. and Mrs Fay received £100 per annum salary, but as a result of the death of inmate, were sacked.

Do you anything of his wife Laura Moss? There is a Miss Laura Moss who was superintendant of female labour at the Bethnal Green Workhouse in June 1866. She had held the post for six months when she alleged an assault on her by the master of the workhouse Mr. Theobald Meyrick.

On October 17, 1867 a Laura Moss wrote a letter to the West Derby board of guardians-she was then assistant matron of that workhouse.

She was in post of Bethnal Green Workhouse from December 12th, 1865 until September 26th, 1866. She was the  subject of slander and libel and received a very good reference by clerk to the guardians of the Bethnal Green Workhouse. (Evening Standard December 5th, 1867)

In 1872, on May 21st, she was the matron of the Stockbridge Workhouse, when she gave evidence in a case of damage at the above workhouse as reported in the Hampshire Advertiser on May 29th.

Which brings us to her marriage to Michael Saunderson.

All info from 48 British National Newspapers from Gale databases.

I can’t find any sign of a divorce in National Archives.  I can't find much about Michael Saunderson before his marriage to Laura, census etc either.

Tom

[whim]

Hi Tom,
Thanks for your reply. Laura Alice Moss was the daughter of Matthew Heath Moss, who married Jane Giles in 1828 at Westminster. In the 1841 census he is shown as Master of the Alton Workhouse, then when Michael Saunderson married Alice he became the Master, although she was not the Matron. It appears that perhaps Michael left them as Laura is never shown as connected with the workhouse from her marriage. I have michael saunderson  parents  listed as Philip & Margaret. There appears to have been two Philip Saundersons. One shows up as a family of farmers at Roe Green Herts. the other a owner of the Bell Inn Surrey in the 1861 census. Matthew Heath Moss by the way produced 10 children as shown on the 1861 Hampshire census. whim

[Tom Piper]

Thanks, 

Were you aware of Laura Alice Moss's problems at Bethnal Green workhouse? She stood up for rights and protested her innocence at a court of enquiry, and suffered a great deal, losing her job. She was a woman of some pluck it would appear.

Tom

[Daisypetal]

Hi,

I'm a bit confused by the Michael SAUNDERSON, in 1881 his age is shown as 49 and you say he was born in 1832 parent's Philip and Margaret. The only Michael like this I can find is born 20 years later.


MICHAEL SANDERSON
Birth:  30 AUG 1852   
Christening:  14 SEP 1852   Thames Ditton, Surrey
Father:  Philip SANDERSON
Mother:  Margaret 



1861  RG9/428  f.85  p.16  Guildford Holy Trinity, Surrey
Bell Passage, 'The Bell'

SAUNDERSON
Philip         Head    M   51    Victualler    Herts Baldock
Margaret     Wife    M   48                       "          "
Matilda       Daur         17                        "          "
Charlotte    Daur         13                       Cambs Gamblingay
Ellen          Daur         11    Scholar        Surrey Ditton
Michael       Son          8    Scholar              "          "
Rheuben SMITH  G??  U  35  Agric Lab        "    East Clandon
Sarah PINNOCK    "    M  63    N K            Hants Portsmouth




1871  RG10/1127  f.148  p.4  Portsea, Hampshire
231&233 Commercial Rd

Michael SANDERSON    Assistant    Unm    19    Drapers Assistant    Surrey Long Ditton

Living in the household of William STYLES with other Draper's assistants and apprentices.   



You have the 1881 census, I just wonder if his age is recorded wrongly. Do you have his marriage cert. to Laura if so does it have an age or just the dreaded 'of full age'?

In 1891 I can't find Michael's son Philip Sydney H. as a boarder in London, but this looks like Michael with his son as Sydney and a new family,



1891  RG12/63  f.81  p.25  Chelsea, London
45 Shawfield St

Michael SAUNDERSON    Head    38    Fruiterer         Surrey Long Ditton
Matilda          "             Wife    32                         Lancs Liverpool
Sydney         "              Son    14    Scholar            Hants Christchurch
Harrold          "              Son     3                          Australia
Hubert          "              Son     10m                       London Chelsea
May STARLIN              Serv    15  General Servant    Sitchan Norfolk
Eugenie BERTHOUD    Lodger    45    Dressmaker       Switzerland



There are these baptisms, with parents Michael and Matilda SAUNDERSON

Hubert SAUNDERSON
Date: 7 Aug 1890
Parish: Christ Church, Chelsea


Madeleine Helen Saunderson
Date: 1 May 1892
Parish: St Luke, Chelsea


Reginald Michael Saunderson
Date: 24 Jan 1894
Parish: St Luke, Chelsea


Margaret Matilda SAUNDERSON
Date: 18 Aug 1895
Parish: St Luke, Chelsea



I can't find the above family in 1901 (apart from Sydney,  in 1901 age 25, b. Christchurch Hampshire he is a boarder in Islington,  RG13/178  f.14  p.19) or 1911 I wonder if they emigrated.


Got to go .. tennis on


Regards,
Daisy

[Tom Piper]

This shows the connection between a Philip Sydney Saunderson and Laura Alice Moss I think, a strange advert, looks like something out of a spy story.

Multiple Advertisements and Notices .
The Standard  Wednesday, July 25, 1888; 19th Century British Library Newspapers: Part II.

 Philip Sydney Hale SAUNDERSON write? to Postman and schoolfellows-£1 postal Orders to first who sends CORRECT ADDRESS of above to Mr. MOSS, Alresford, Hants.
 I work it out that if this is Michael's son, then he would have been aged 12, but seems to be at a place that his grandfather had no knowledge. At least we now know what the H stands for in Sydney's name.

Tom