I can’t thank you enough for this information, especially the report of Ann Burrell’s death. It answers so many questions... & raises more! First, may I add a few scraps which may be of interest
INFORMATION
George Blow was baptised Willoughton 1st September 1854
‘Illegitimate son of Thomas Burrell Labourer and Mary Ann Blow Servant’
Do you think it is rare to have the father of an illegitimate child named in a parish register?
Clergyman: ‘J.F.Bassett Curate’ (? Spelling? – middle letter of surname may be archaic ‘f’ for double ‘s’) Cannot trace him.
Witness to circumstances of Ann Burrell’s death in 1854:
Mary Herrick is the wife of the ‘Cottager’ who lived nearby (in 1861 Census).
3 JULY 1856 William Blow buried at Grayingham aged 46 – right age for Mary Ann’s father, a shepherd.
Death Certificate ‘Accidentally killed by a Cart Wheel Passing over his Head’
George, Mary Ann's son died in 1856 – no cause on death certificate, as discussed. Place of death Willoughton.
Parish register shows George is buried – the day after death, Sept 21, at Grayingham, by John Bassett (?spelling) Curate of Willoughton
(Rector of Grayingham, John White, does not conduct several funerals during 1856– other neighbouring clergy officiate.)
Can only speculate if Mary Ann wanted her son buried near her father or if she was avoiding Willoughton...
I think Mary Ann’s daughter was born in 1859.
England & Wales Births 1837-2006
First name(s) Mary Ann Borrell Last name Blow
Volume 7A Birth quarter 2 Page 629 Birth year 1859 District Gainsborough
June 19 1859 Mary Ann Blow baptised in Willoughton ‘illegitimate daughter’ of Mary Ann Blow ‘Single Woman’
J.F.Bassett Curate baptised 2 illegitimate children on same day
HISTORICAL ISSUES
The story of Mary Ann and Thomas seems to run counter to most ideas about Victorian England, & both motives & details can be baffling. It seems unlikely if we will ever know if Mary Ann’s teenage pregnancy happened after violence or with any kind of consent.
How could Thomas, called in the 1851 Census an ‘Ag Lab’, afford to hire a servant – and to pay a lawyer? He seemed to have some spare money.
Mary Ann sued him for support – then returned to Willoughton to look after his wife, perhaps taking George, Thomas' son. Apart from the unguessable feelings of the 3 adults in that cottage in 1854, Mary Ann did not seem to be a social outcast. She went off to a village wedding...
Did she then co-habit with Thomas, unmarried, from his wife’s death in 1854 till they married in 1860? 19th century labourers were unlikely to have time/skills to look after themselves. The birth of her daughter in 1859 suggests Thomas and Mary Ann were together.
Was it rare for such a young woman to live with a much older man, who was not her husband – especially when it had been legally established that they had already had one child? I should mention that I don’t think there was a resident vicar in the village until about 1860. There was no single dominant landowner – & one important farmer was notably wild in his own habits. The Anglican church wasn’t in total control; many villagers were Methodists. Village men in the late 19th century could be violent & lawless during the Christmas ‘Plough Jags’ tours. Perhaps no one in authority challenged this couple. Even their cottage was on the edge of the village!
Thomas’ conduct seems unfathomable. Mary Ann registered her daughter with his surname. She must have hoped he would marry her, but he did so too late. The Census taker in 1871 who recorded her daughter’s surname as ‘Blow’ was Mr Downham, the schoolmaster. The child’s illegitimacy would have been proclaimed every time the school register was taken.
Something clearly made Thomas marry Mary Ann in 1860, but it is unclear if it was her persuasion or (at last) social pressure.
This is in many ways a very shocking, but fascinating story. If you have any expert insights into these social issues, I would be most interested. But thank you very much for your time and knowledge, which has illuminated so much in this story!
