Hi Sky
The Blairs in what i read as a name that may match to what you say are more down the South Leicestershire way, 1860s, the Meakings Makins seam to me to be mostley from more up this way, there is so many people with names like Meakin makin from around the Brampton arear, i just try and find certain things that may fit, this below is only a little bit of what i have found, the Woman in some of the storys from what i have found do not get treated well, i will never write all the full accounts up, i will write more later it may help you piese things together or just let you form the bigger picture of life around the times of the people you are looking for, this is all very interesting,
just to say i think the Meakins are more of a up this way family from maybe some kind of Hawker people, they could be mixed with Gipsies of other familys, i never have heared their name till you mentioned that the Joseph that you are looking for had a mother named Meakin, well the Meakins are around Brampton and the Wiltshires passed through there on accassions, the Wiltshires were always moving abouts, just check the census reports their all over several counties in a kind of big loop, you will see how others mostley stay around the same area like the partridge family around the Rodney Yard. I think there are many types of people who did the buying and selling life, some gave it a go and some would of given that life up, some would of mixed with longer Hawkers and people with Gipsy Ancestry, everyday i am learning more, Genealogy is great, the more i read though the more sad it is to, somtimes i read of how the Woman get a bad deal from the men, the story is always the same, i have read some rearly bad things, i dont think i will ever write about such things. But i will write back with a bit more that may help you. I dont think a person will ever find the full truth in any story, lots went on in the past and many lies, i was always told things, i will have to tell you a few things. It looks to me though that the Blairs if it is the same ones made it to the Chesterfield way, the Meakins Makins i think was already around there, the Woodwards and Wiltshires just pop up everywhere, when you put men and women together who knows what goes on, ships pass in the night they say, it is a very interesting story that you are doing. It is possibe that none of the storys i find link up with people you are looking for but at least then you can count them out and more onwards.
Saturday 21 July 1906
Derbyshire Courier
... BRAMPTON SEPARATION SUIT. the Chesterfield Borough Police Court on Thursday, application for a separation order was made by Florence Blair, the wife of Ernest Blair, a hawker, of Rodney yard, on the ground of his persistent cruelty. The wife stated that ...she had been married nine years and had three children, respectively aged seven, six, and one years, she was granted a separation order in 1902, he thrashed her and drank all the money, he never payed a penny to support her maintenance, although he was ordered to, he leathered her Blair had 12 previous convictions another separation order was granted and a alimony of 10s a week was ordered to be payed to the wife and children.
Leicester Chronicle
Saturday 24 September 1898
At the Melton Mowbray Police Courts, Uriah Makin Hawker of Chesterfield was charged with assaulting the landlord of the Noels Arms Inn, Melton, he and his mother said that it was his father who was fighting.
Monday 16 November 1914
Sheffield Daily Telegraph
Two Chesterfield Hawkers, Old Metal Dealers, Thomas Makin and Thomas Woodward, charged with assaulting and stealing from a farmer at Old Brampton
Saturday 2 February 1895
Derbyshire Courier
Ernest Blair and John Sampson Holland summoned for trespassing in search of conies in Walton Wood.
Friday 22 June 1883
Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal
James Meakin Hawker of Brampton
Charged with encouraging his wife in a fight with another woman.
1905 a Chesterfield Pedlar named Uriah Blair charged with assaulting a imbecile girl of weak
intellect, sentenced to seven years penal servitude.
1903 Uriah Blair, Hawker and van dweller of no fixed abode was charged by the R.S.P.C.A. with cruelly ill-treating a horse.
On Saturday in the Derbyshire Courier on the 15 May 1920, it is wrote Frederick Wiltshire of the Rodney Yard Brampton is up for allowing two horses to stray, also mentioned in the column about straying horses being a problem in the Chesterfield area, there is also a Thomas Meakin of Banks Street Brampton mentioned who was charged for having three straying horses.