Please help me find my great great grandmother!

[AbbieRose]

I have been researching into my mothers side of the family for a long time. She was very close with her father and was interested in know more about the family name. My grandfather's grandmother, a lady named Martha Locke, was a mysterious person in ways and she had quite the story about her young life.

It was claimed she worked as a servant most of her young adult life. She told her daughter that she worked as a servant to a 'Lord Ashton' before she was sent to the workhouse to give birth to her unexpected child, Ellen, my grandfather's mother.

I discovered throughout my research that this story was in fact mostly true. In an 1891 census, she was recorded as a living-in servant to a Stoke family alongside two other servants. Then in a 1901 census, she was recorded as a 'pauper' living in a workhouse in her home county and her newborn daughter was also in the 1901 census record. This means, so far, her story is true.
We are curious as to who 'Lord Ashton' was and if she really did work for one, but we cannot find any record of it. The 1891 census seems to show her working for another family and the 1901 census just catches her in the workhousr to have her baby. So censuses are out of the question. Are there any records at all that would give me an answer? We really want to find proof that her story is true and find out who the Lord Ashton was.

Please Help!

[CaroleW]

Welcome to Rootschat

Can you tell us her birthyear and birthplace for tracing purposes?  The 1901 has a 26yr old Martha Lock b Birmingham in the Bromsgrove WH - but no child with her

[Ruskie]

Welcome to rootschat AbbieRose.

Is your Martha Locke, Martha M Locke in the 1891 census (age possibly 19?) born in Wick Worcestershire, a Domestic Nurse in the family of Charles Stoke and family?

Are you only looking to find out who "Lord Ashton" was or do you also want to find out more about Martha and her family?

[AbbieRose]

Thank you both! To give you a little more insight, I know who her parents and siblings are as well as her child, Ellen. In regards to her family and relatives, I have found enough to continue that journey myself. However, her story is well known amongst my family, but we never had proof it was true until I discovered the following recently:

Martha M Locke, born in 1874, Worcestershire. In 1891, she was recorded as a servant to a family of the name 'Stokes', approximately 17 years old? In 1901, she is recorded as a 'pauper' of the Bromsgrove Workhouse at approximately 26 years old. Her daughter, Ellen Locke, is recorded further down the census as 14 days old.

We want to find out more details about her life before the birth of Ellen as it has always fascinated us. I want to find out who Lord Ashton was and it would be great to have a record of her working for him. We found two potential candidates of the 'Lord Ashton'; Thomas Gair Ashton and James Williamson (who coined the title Lord Ashton). However, I simply cannot find records of them that would show the servants that worked for them between 1891 and 1901. To be fair, I just don't know where to look for such things as this is completely new for me.

I hope this gives a little more insight!

[CaroleW]

Hi

You will struggle trying to find those type of records and being realistic - they will not really give you any insight into her actual working life. 

It's extremely unlikely any records would exist after such a long time. 

https://www.lancaster.gov.uk/the-council-and-democracy/civic-and-ceremonial/lord-ashton-the-lino-king

[AbbieRose]

That's quite sad to hear    I think I knew that would be the outcome, but I thought I would try anyway. It seems a shame as we all love her story and it would have been great to, not only find proof to keep her story alive, but to finally figure out who her Lord Ashton was.

Thank you for taking the time to look into this, anyway!

[Ruskie]

Some of the huge estates have retained their servant records, but it is not likely that records survive for smaller households (if they were ever kept). It is also difficult to search for servant records as a lot travelled a long way from home for work, so they could be anywhere.

As Martha was a "domestic nurse" in 1891 she may have been employed in that capacity for "Lord Ashton" - perhaps even for a short period of time such as after childbirth or to care for an ill family member. She may or may not have "lived in".

You say you know Martha's parents and siblings. Do you have Martha and family in censuses prior to 1891?

[CaroleW]

Hi

It does seem as though it could be the Lord Ashton shown above but it's very unlikely any records of her employment are still in existence today

 

[carolineasb]

Would there be any further information in the Workhouse records, if they have been kept?