Elizabeth Roberts grew up in the scenic Kent countryside, born in Stalisfield to Charles Roberts and Elizabeth Mugway, in 1788, baptised on 16th November. At the age of 20, Elizabeth married George Maxted in Pluckley, the most haunted village of England, and she bore many children, either at Pluckley or villages nearby like Hothfield and Westwell. And then, in 1836, tragedy stuck, Elizabeth's husband, George, dying in a freak accident, he having fallen off a haystack whereon he was impaled by a stick through his entrails. All alone in life, with most of her grown up children moving to the big city for better work prospects, Elizabeth herself decided to give up on the countryside, to keep the family together, her new home being in Lambeth in London. A workhouse had by this time been built on the Hothfield common, to dump all the poor and struggling into, and I suspect Elizabeth also didn't want to end up stuck in there. She still had four young dependent children to take care of, and to support them, once in London, she took up cleaning work. Before too long she became blind and unable to support herself, but one married daughter, Ann, would luckily anyway be there to look after her.
THE MOVE TO LONDON
In my researches in Lambeth parish records I have found various marriages at St Mary's church for Elizabeth's grown-up children and other family events, including the always informative census's. There are two early records I have come across in this new London phase of Elizabeth's life, one being the birth of her first grandchild, Charles, who was an illegitimate baby of her oldest son, Edward; and the second record concerned the death of her 19 year old son, David. Edward had been born in Pluckley in 1812; David had been born in Pluckley in 1822. So it was that David died in Lambeth, aged 19, in 1839; and he was buried at St Mary's church on July 3rd.
Both the records concerning Elizabeth's sons give New Street, Vauxhall as their address at this time, and it can be assumed then that this is the house where the whole family originally lived on their move to London, Elizabeth Maxted being the head of the family, with also the care of her younger children, Sarah, Charles, Thomas and George. At that time Edward, as the oldest of the offspring, was aged about 29 and his mother, as a widow, would have much appreciated his support. He would have been the new man of the family, to replace his dead father. It is tragic that Elizabeth a lost one son, David, so soon after moving to London, and it is by ordering David's death certificate that I discovered this was due to smallpox and that the exact address for the family was 48 New Street. David had worked as a labourer, it says on his death certificate, and it was an older sister, Mary, who having been present at his death registered the details of this the next day to the authorities.
25th June 1839 at 48 New Street, Princes Road, David Maxted, age 19, labourer, cause of death: smallpox, informant: Mary Maxted, present at death, 48 New Street, Princes Street
This disease, smallpox, generally known as the pox, was highly contagious and others of the family would have suffered it too, none less than Elizabeth herself, and though she and the others survived she did not escape lightly, for as I have seen in later census details, she had a complication which was that she was going blind. Not only was there a 30% risk of death with smallpox, but one third of cases resulted in blindness. And so it was with Elizabeth, for which she would always need the support of her grown up children, and indeed they always stayed close to her. Her work in these days was that of a charwoman, doing cleaning, which she indicated to be her profession in the upcoming census, for which she would have needed help from her daughters, and ultimately would not continue. Rather, she became totally reliant on her family. There was already an understanding that vaccination would protect from smallpox, although it wasn't until 1853 that an act of parliament was passed to make the vaccination compulsory, and even then, with not much trust of this method, there was much refusal and avoidance to comply, and it wasn't till the end of the 1800's that vaccination truly became common practice.
Good events would follow, with the growing up children wedding their beloveds and then their own children being born, by which Elizabeth's family would greatly expand.
St Mary's church in London, place of burials marriages and baptisms for the Maxted fmily
I think that while living on New Street, Elizabeth was friends with another widow. She had the same name, Elizabeth, and lived on the small lane of 'New Street' as well. This other widow, Elizabeth Green, also had been left with young children in her care, for which, for survival, she took up laundry work. The reason I realised to connect these two ladies is because their respective children, Charles Maxted and Sarah Green, at some point became sweethearts, and one day would marry. Both widowed Elizabeth's of New Street are my ancestresses. Unlike Elizabeth Maxted, Elizabeth Green would find herself a new husband, a much younger man, John May. As both Elizabeth's remained in Lambeth, they likely kept a good acquaintance with one another over the years.
New Street, Lambeth, where the Maxted's lived when they moved to London
In the summer of 1839 Elizabeth's oldest daughter Elizabeth junior married her beloved David Russell, a bricklayer, who she had already been living with on the famed Lambeth Walk. Elizabeth would never have any children of her own. Soon after marrying, her husband, he inherited property from his father, at Barretts Green, in the Kent village of Hawkhurst, and so they moved there, away from the city. In time though they would return to Lambeth, and then to Camberwell.
In the spring of 1840, the second oldest daughter, Mary, married her lover Charles Smith, the two also already living together, at Mill Street in Lambeth. Elizabeth's oldest son, Edward, was a witness to the wedding. Maybe Mary and Charles moved away as I can't know what happened to them after they married.
The next year, in 1841, in the spring time, Elizabeth's son Edward married to Harriet Paine, who he had already had an illegitimate child with and with whom he was living in Vauxhall Street.
Map showing Elizabeth Maxteds places of residence, first New Street and then Wickham Street
At last, thanks to the first census of 1841, we get to see Elizabeth Maxted in her home environment, now living with her married daughter Ann Farrence, and son in law Anthony, at 32 Wickham Street. This showed that Elizabeth's work was that of a charwoman, that is doing cleaning work. Both children and grandchildren were living with her in the home, and Elizabeth's niece, Jane Roberts, had come to live with her as well, taking care of the children of the house. Jane came to Aunt Elizabeth's home after the death of her father James Roberts, who was Elizabeth's brother, he having died in 1840. Also, for extra money, the family had taken on some lodgers, two brothers Richard and James Beck.
Wickham Street, home of Elizabeth Maxted
1841 Winter - Elizabeth's daughter, Sarah, still a teenager, gave birth illegitimatly to a daughter, whom she named Elizabeth after her grandmother. The new baby, Elizabeth Maxted, was baptised on December 26th at the church of St Mary, Lambeth, the mother recorded as Sarah Maxted of Wickham Street. It would be 8 years before Sarah would marry, and what happened to her illegitimate daughter is not clear. She may have been adopted by another family, or some other fate may have befallen her. Sarah would rename one of her future legitimate daughters Elizabeth, a sign that the first one was no longer around.
1846 One lady living on the same street as Elizabeth, that is in Wickham Street, a Mrs Manual, was a nurse who had the care of several children, illegitimate babies whose mothers had to work, and it could be that young Sarah's baby was handed over to her care, not necessarily a wise move, as apparently she was in the habit of giving the little ones laudanum to keep them quiet. This was quite the way of calming the babies of the poor in those times, but it could be deadly. One of the babes in Mrs Manual's care did die, the two month old baby of Emma Kant. Mrs Manual admitted she had given the baby three drops of laudanum 'to compose it'. With the baby in a state of dying, a neighbour Mary Ann Lloyd was called round to help and the mother, Emma, was sent for. On seeing her baby like that Emma ran to get the surgeon Mr Smith, but he could not save the baby. There was no doubt the child had died from an overdose of laudanum. Mrs Manual had several times given the baby laudanum when it was unwell. A jury reprimanded her conduct, for but three drops of laudanum were sufficient to kill a baby, especially if it was not well, which she seemed oblivious to
Since Egyptian times opium had been used to calm crying babies and still was. One druggist admitted to selling between five and six gallons of 'quietness' every week, which equates to 25 pints. Lozenges or pastilles of opium were openly on display in pharmacy shop cabinets in those days, very much like a candy shop.
1949 April 30th there was a joint Marriage in Lambeth, not at St Mary's this time, but at Trinity Church on Carlisle Street, of Elizabeth's son Charles to Sarah Green (they both being my ancestors), and her daughter Sarah, who as we have seen already had a child when she was a teenager, to George Butler, an engineman. Both couples were living close to one another on Carlisle Street, this also being near to the church, Charles with his Sarah at number 6, and Sarah Maxted and her George at number 26.
Holy Trinity Church where some of the Maxted's married
Daughter Sarah went to live with her husband George Butler in his hometown of Guildford for some years, they making their home there at Park Terrace. But they would return to Lambeth eventually, there where Sarah could stay close once more with her mother, Elizabeth, who could enjoy being a granny to Sarah's many children.
It was in the next census of 1851, when Elizabeth was aged 62, that note was made of her being blind. Still the family was living on Wickham Street, now at number 93, rather than at 32. Married daughter Ann Farrance, had two little children now, grandsons for Elizabeth.
1851 Census Lambeth 93 Wickham Street Elizabeth Maxted, age 62, widow, blind, born in Westwell, Kent Ann Farrence, daughter, age 34, born Westwell, her husband Anthony, age 38, agricultural labourer, born Ashford, Kent, and their children Richard, 18 months, and William, 1 month, both born in Lambeth Richard Farrence, Anthonys brother, age 44, agricultural labourer, born Ashford
Map showing Wickham Street and other neighbouring streets - all locations for Elizabeth Maxted and her family
Elizabeths youngest boys, aged 18 and 21, Thomas and George Maxted, the only of her children left unmarried, were sharing their own place on the same road as their mother, on Wickham Street, at number 39, Elizabeth being at number 93 (same numbers twisted round); and Thomas's girlfriend was living with them, Harriett, aged 19, the two of them pretending to already be married. Oldest son Edward was also living nearby with his wife and children at 3 Albion Cottages. Another son, Charles (my ancestor), was at 114 Tyers Street, just close to Wickham Street, with his wife and little daughter.
In 1852 Elizabeth's second oldest son, John, who worked as a bricklayer, had a daughter, Emma, his first and maybe only child, his wife having given birth at the Lambeth lying-in Hospital, which was one of England's first ever maternity hospitals; they didn't live in Lambeth, but were in another part of London, in Chelsea, at Jones Court, Wellington Street.
Lambeth Lying-in Hospital
1852 on 8th November Elizabeth's son Thomas married Harriett, also at the Holy Trinity church, both having lastly been living at Thomas Street.
In 1853 there was a mass baptism on September 4th at St Mary the Less, Lambeth, of five of Elizabeth's grandchildren, the fathers being her two sons, Charles and Thomas, who were at this time living together, with their wives and children, at 33 Wickham Street. The baptised children were of Charles's children: 4 year old Sarah, 2 year old Charles Henry, and baby Edward Daniel; and of Thomas's children: 4 year old Elizabeth, and baby Mary. This is a hint that the family may have had gypsy origins, the habit for group baptisms.
St Mary the Less, Lambeth
By now, Elizabeth's oldest son, Edward, had moved away from Lambeth, up into north London, having got a job there as a wharf labourer, in Islington, making his family home at 14 Regent Terrace. There he had a place big enough for lodgers, as well as an open space for two unmarried aunts from Pluckley - Aunt Selina Maxted with her illegitimate New York born daughter Elizabeth, and an Aunt Ann Maxted. From the papers I have seen that next door to Edward at number 12 there lived a prostitute, Harriet Nye.
1857 on 4th October was the marriage at Trinity Church of Elizabeth's remaining and youngest child, George Maxted, to Caroline Elizabeth Brine, who was a widow, her maiden name being Arnold. What became of George and his bride Caroline after this I don't know, so maybe they moved elsewhere.
1858 baptism of two grandsons on 13th dec at St Barnabus, South Lambeth, three year old William, and one year old John, both children of Elizabeths son Charles, who now lives at 4 Spring Gardens
St Barnabus Church, Lambeth
1860 - baptism of two grandchildren at St Barnabus, Charles's son Henry and Ann's son Edward, a dual family baptism. Both Ann's husband Anthony Farrance and Charles Maxted were at this time working as railway labourers.
Elizabeth was living at 1 Portland Street, in south Lambeth, by the time of the 1861 census, still with her married daughter Ann's family, by which time there were three more grandchildren in the home. Daughter Sarah was living with her engine driver husband, George Butler, and their children, nearby at 5 New Wellington Terrace; and daughter Elizabeth was with her bricklayer husband at 17 Trafalgar Street. Sons Charles and Thomas were still sharing a home, with their much expanding families, now all living at 2 Spring Gardens.
Elizabeth's residence in her later years at Portand Street
Portland Street was in South Lambeth and was near to the Railway Works, this being where the various men of the family were now finding good employment. There was a shop also at number 1 Portland Street, called The Portland Stores, Elizabeth being at number 1A, maybe living behind the shop or upstairs. In march of 1870 an advert was placed saying there was a shop and two rooms to rent at number 1. At number 5 Portland Street was a corner beer house and shop. At number 6 was a tobacco and general shop, with seven rooms, in 1871 to let, a note informing that 300 men of the London and South West Railway Works pass here daily.
In the summer of 1864 Elizabeth's daughter Ann Farrance died. Ann's widower husband, Anthony, continued to keep his mother in law at home, she now being 81 and still very much blind.
In the summer of 1865 one of Elizabeth's neighbours, name and number unmentioned, was prosecuted for the 'disgusting and dangerous nuisance' of keeping pigs on Portland Street, which were fed on old poultices brought in the wash from a local hospital. Just to keep pigs in such a populous neighbourhood was in itself a nuisance, let alone the danger of pestilence from the diseased poultices. Orders were made that the pigs be removed and the hospitals stop such practices.
Elizabeth can be seen in the 1871 census to still be living at Portland Street. Married daughter Sarah had moved away to Brighton for some years, but now was back in the area, near to her mother, living at 124 Wandsworth Road. Son Charles was at 1 Spring Gardens; and son Thomas was a little along the road from his mother at 11 Portland Street.
In 1874, when Elizabeth Maxted was 83, she died on the 15th January, of old age, though it was added as a note that she had bronchitis. She was still on Portland Street, living at number one.
15th Janury 1874, 1 Portland Street, Elizabeth Maxted, age 83, widow of George Maxted, and agricultural labourer, died of old age, bronchitis certified, informant A S M Baker, present at the death, residing 1 Portland Street, Wandsworth Road, informed on 16th January