Edward Hedley - Application for Relief - 1888

[elizabethh]

After many years of searching I have at last found Edward, who lived until the 1871 census in County Durham and then was lost to me.  He is stated as a widower and on the 1881 I eventually found him living at 18 Church Street Hamilton a border with head of the house one Alexander Morrison. he is recorded as applying for Relief at Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire on 23rd April, 1888.  His death certificate shows a date of 25th April 1888 at 3 Park Street Wishaw - is this a a workhouse does any one know.
The fate of Edward's wife is unknown to me as I cannot find her death or why Edward should end up in Scotland as his family are all situated in County Durham.
He was a coal miner.
Cound anyone point me in the right direction to do further research.
Thank you Elizabeth

[rosie17]

Who recorded the death ? according to the application for poor relief dated 23 April 1888 he was living
O'Neils Lodgings Park Street Wishaw ..says is pauper able to be removed to the combination poorhouse answer no so It looks as if he died in lodging house

Rosie

[elizabethh]

Thank you for replying Rosie.  Informant of death is Thomas Allan - Inspector of Poor Wishaw .
Elizabeth.

[Lodger]

I agree with Rosie, he probably died at his lodgings. I'm not too sure but I think perhaps the Combination Poorhouse was in Dalziel parish, (in Park Street Motherwell). Park Street Wishaw later became Dryburgh Road.
According to the poor relief claim, he had only been in Cambusnethan parish for 2 days when he made the application, prior to that he had been in Shotts for 6 months, "Came from England 8 years ago" and he was English by birth. So, he was a drifter, for whatever reason and he must have been REALLY ill to have been awarded money so quickly by the tight-fisted Parochial Board, that's for sure.

I checked the burial records for Cambusnethan but, unfortunately, the pauper burials for 1882 - 1906 have not survived. There is a recorded burial for a John Hedley in 1881, he was 52 years old and unmarried. (a pauper burial) His parents were John Hedley and Jane Ramage. So not a brother of Edward but perhaps a cousin? Hedley is not a common name in the Wishaw area.

[elizabethh]

Thank you for that - I am going to research the Hedley Northumberland collection and try to find a connection - it would seem that they may have been related a a distance.  He was a widower, but I cannot find what happened to his wife at all- but thats one of my brick-walls - you have been very helpful.
Elizabeth

[Lodger]

My guess is, his wife died and he then went "on the tramp" as they used to say. I doubt very much if he would have drifted from place to place with a wife in tow. The poor relief claim does mention his place of birth as being South Hilton, Durham, so that would be a good place to start.
There were endless opportunities for a coal miner in the Lanarkshire area in those days.