Please help me find Martha Locke!

[AbbieRose]

Yes it's on ancestry.  Just looking in newspapers but only have the free search facility.

Did you say she was in trouble in Manchester area for something that was reported?

Any dates are useful to pin down where she was.

Well, initially, with help on my previous thread, we found a few newspaper articles. One in 1892 of her suffering a broken leg in a carriage incident, and another in 1896 of her being arrested for stealing clothes from her employers. Both times she was a servant to families.
I was recently, in this thread, correct that the family she worked for in 1891 was not her, but another Martha Locke that had the middle name Maria. My Martha had the middle name Ellen, making the idea of her being a servant in 1891 null and void.
I cannot confirm whether the Martha mentioned in the 1892 and 1896 newspaper articles were Martha Ellen Locke or Martha Maria Locke.
Based on the idea this 'Martha E Darke' could be her, I would be inclined to believe the 1896 article of her stealing could be her...

[Milliepede]

I'm hopeful you know because there doesn't seem to be a Martha E Darke birth or other reference to that name. 

There's a Maria E Darke a little older but she is safely elsewhere in 1881/1891 so not mistaken for her.

[AbbieRose]

I'm hopeful you know because there doesn't seem to be a Martha E Darke birth or other reference to that name. 

There's a Maria E Darke a little older but she is safely elsewhere in 1881/1891 so not mistaken for her.

This is interesting. Based on the fact her siblings got jobs as servants, I would believe she held a job as a servant too. I'm no longer 100% convinced the 1892 carriage incident is Martha Ellen Locke, but I'm still convinced the Martha Locke sentenced for stealing clothes from the family she was a servant for could be her. Especially if it's possible she was a penitent.

I definitely think finding some employment records for her or employer records for Thomas Ashton might tell us once and for all where she was in 1899-1901!

[Milliepede]

Do you remember the name of the family she stole clothes from? 

I can see the carriage incident snippet but not that one yet - it's ok have found it.

[AbbieRose]

Do you remember the name of the family she stole clothes from? 

I can see the carriage incident snippet but not that one yet - it's ok have found it.

Her employer at that time was a Mr Frank Garrett

[isobelw]

The carriage incident is definitely Martha Maria as it mentions the family she was with in 1891. One of the papers I read also mentioned that Martha's brother was also on the coach, but was unhurt, and that he was a policeman.
I considered Martha E Darke as well, but don't know how you would ever prove for sure.
Isobel

[AbbieRose]

It's been a struggle! I've attempted this for months

[isobelw]

Information about Bussage House of Mercy. Apparently some of their records are in Gloucestershire Archive.

[AbbieRose]

Information about Bussage House of Mercy. Apparently some of their records are in Gloucestershire Archive.

I've just contacted them! Thank you so much for discovering this, it's truly interesting and I want to learn more on it!

I'm also going to try and look deeper into Thomas Gair Ashton and contact the right archives. I think the nail in the coffin for this theory of who Ellen's biological father is, is to see if she was under his employment before 1901.