Help finding the parents of Sarah Hughes (partner of Silas Bland)

[Al16]

Hello all,

I am hoping someone may be able to help. I am currently researching my husband's family history but, I have hit a dead end looking for the parents of Sarah Hughes: Birth abt. 1849 Burley Hampshire. She had 12 children and was partnered with Silas Bland: Birth 1852 Dorset possibly never married). 5 of her son's signed up for WW1 on the same day in St Ives in 1915 only 2 of them survived. Sarah never witnessed this as she died in 1904 in Liskeard.

The earliest I can find her is on the 1871 census in Berkshire with her daughter Regenia Hughes: Birth 1870 Wiltshire. She is listed as the Head of the family.

In 1881 she was in Wiltshire with 5 of her Children again listed as Head of the family (the census stated they were encamped on the race course).

In 1891 they were in St Stephen, Cornwall. The census is mis-transcribed as Blom but the entire family were living as Bland.  Silas Bland is head of the family on this census and they are with 8 of their children. 

They don't appear on any census after this. Silas Bland died in 1925 in Par Moor, Bodmin. 

I think her parents would likely be from Hampshire but, there are many Sarah Hughes in that area at that time. I have ruled out the ones from Portsea but I am starting to think they may not appear on census or in records. I am hoping there is a way past this dead end as I would love to follow on the maternal line.

Thanks in advance for any help. Also, sorry if I have left too much information this is my first post here. If anyone has common ancestors I would be happy to share our tree with you on ancestry.

Best wishes

[Girl Guide]

Welcome to Rootschat Al16 

I think you will find this is going to be very difficult to track down.  I can't even find the family in the 1891 census, no matter what I tried nothing appeared on Find My Past.  I did find Sarah in the 1871 and 1881 census records.

It is helpful if you can provide the Registration District, Piece No., Folio and Page references so that others can find the census record.

1881 was:-

Registration district   Wilton
Piece number   2073
Folio   81
Page 21

1871 was:-

Registration district   Hungerford
Piece number   1253
Folio   78
Page   16

The difficulty is due to the fact that Sarah and Silas were hawkers and therefore moved around the country.  Quite often hawkers manage to avoid getting on to census records.

If Sarah is correct in saying she was born in Burley, then it may be worth finding baptism records for Burley and see if she is listed there. 

I did try finding Sarah on the 1851 and 1861 census but nothing likely appeared.  If her parents were also hawkers then finding anything is going to be very slim.

I'm afraid family history records don't always provide the information that you are looking for.  Either because the record in question is not online, or the event, e.g. baptism, was never recorded.

[hanes teulu]

I read the 1871 Census PoB as "Bindley" - which I take to be Binley? This came under the registration district of Stockbridge at that time but cannot find a birth registration for the period in question.

[hanes teulu]

Puzzled where I came up with "Stockbridge" as registration district for Binley - need to re-check. Pl discount previous post.

[Girl Guide]

It is quite likely that Sarah's birth was never registered.  It wasn't compulsory until 1875 but I wouldn't be surprised if some births still didn't get registered after that date.

[hanes teulu]

More than agree likely to be no birth registration/baptism - but nonetheless needs checking. Registration district either Andover or Whitchurch (Genuki registration does not include Binley Hants - only Binley Warw).

[hanes teulu]

There's an 1848 Andover registration - mother Barber - that I'm trying to find in '51.

[hanes teulu]

Sarah, birth registered Dec Qt 1848, died the same quarter (there's a Hughes death, no given name, that "fits").

[jonwarrn]

On the next page in the 1881 census on the racecourse at Wilton is a Hughes family, headed up by Martha, married gipsy hawker.
Another Sarah Hughes in the family, age 22

A story in the Wiltshire Times, 22 June 1881 (Death on the Downs) about the inquest into the death of an illegitimate child, John Hughes, son of Sarah, a gipsy (is he the John baptized at Southbroom, 15 May?)
"deceased was the illegitimate child of woman of a gipsy tribe travelling about the country with her relatives, who had been camping out in lanes and on the downs."

Brief mention of another Sarah Hughes, also a witness at the inquest, and the aunt of Sarah.
Could that one be the Sarah in question?

Another similar case in the Salisbury and Winchester Journal, 31 October 1885.
Hampshire Chronicle, 14 November 1885
Sarah Hughes, 30, gipsy, was indicted for feloniously killing John Hughes, her illegitimate child, aged (18?) months, at Burley, the 22nd of October

Can't say if that Sarah is, or is connected to either of the two in the 1881 report.