I have newspaper reports of cases which came before the magistrates in Leicester in August 1836. In one case William Jarvis and his son Thomas were charged with assaulting policemen who had been called to an incident where William Jarvis was kicking in a neighbour’s fireplace. From other evidence I know that William Jarvis was a dealer in earthenware (presumably when he was sober enough to work). He had a daughter Mary. They lived in Bakehouse Lane, Leicester.
A few weeks before, an Edward Jarvis, with a daughter Mary Ann, living in Bakehouse Lane, had been fined for an assault on police during which they pelted the police with pottery items from a window (apparently useless, broken items).
Jarvis senior in both reports was in receipt of parish relief, was a terror to his neighbours, and well-known to the court. I cannot find an Edward Jarvis who seems to fit, in either census or parish records of the area. Is it safe to assume that the press has simply called Jarvis “Edward” in error. (One report simply refers to “Jarvis”, with no Christian name given.) OTOH, William’s daughter was baptised Mary, not Mary Ann. None of the press reports refers to two trouble-making Jarvis families in Bakehouse Lane. Does it seem safe to assume that the same Jarvis was involved in both cases?
Dave
