This post has been updated twice with new information. If you’ve been following along, you can use the links below to jump to the updates.
Update 1
Update 2
Elizabeth Saunders nee Gilbert, was an important part of my Family Ancestry because she marries George Saunders. Their Grandaughter, Annie Elizabeth Saunders marries my Great Grandfather, James George.
And that’s important because my daughter’s fiance is a Saunders. And she was keen to know if there was any family link.
So, are they related? Read on to find out… (TL:DR – Definitely maybe!)
Elizabeth Gilbert was born on 14 April 1816 in the village of Middle Woodford in Wiltshire, to Jane and John Gilbert. She was baptised on 28 April 1816 in the parish of Woodford, by the curator, Edward Duke.
Her parents were married on 15th February 1816, only four weeks before her birth. Clearly trying to prevent illegitimacy.
It wasn’t until the 15th December 1926, that the Legitimacy Act allowed parents to legitimise their child once they were married.
Elizabeth was obviously the eldest of nine children to be born in the following 14 years.
After Elizabeth, John was born in 1817, followed by James two years later.
In 1822, her brother Charles was born. Then something seems must have happened, because it’s another eight years before the birth of her next sibling, Jane in 1830.
Because this period is between the census years, it’s entirely possible that a child was both born and died. It’s difficult to find baptismal records when you’ve no idea who you’re looking for. A project for another day, maybe?
In 1835 we find her brother Edaris, then in 1839 a sister Doreas.
Her youngest sister, Mary Anne is born in 1844.
Before her two younger sisters are born, on Christmas eve, 1836, Elizabeth marries George Saunders in St. Andrew’s Church in Boscombe.
Although the image shown of the church was taken in Summer, the scene for the wedding was crisp, white and beautiful. Unfortunately, it was also one of the harshest winters on record.
The intense frosts had ruined the harvest and transportation was severely disrupted.
From early December, snow was a real problem. With very heavy snowfall and considerable accumulations becoming commonplace throughout the rest of the winter.
In fact, on Christmas morning 1836, roads were impassable. Snow depths reached a staggering 5-15 feet in many places, and most astonishingly, in some areas, drifts were 20-50 feet high!
So, a family wedding was just the thing to lift the spirits.
The year after their marriage, Elizabeth and George have their first child. A boy, Edmund in1837. Followed by a second son, George in 1840.
In the eight years that followed, they had three daughters. Jane in 1842, Eliza in 1844 and Emily in 1848.
In April 1850, they had another Boy, Abel, then their last child another girl, Harriet in 1854.
They were a typical working-class family, with George working long hours as an agricultural labourer. One of the toughest and lowest paid jobs around. But, with nine mouths to feed, there was little choice.
At the time, they were living in Down Barn Cottage, Boscombe. Life was tough, but they were together. George, his two eldest sons and Elizabeth when time allowed, were all working on the local farm. All helping to put food on the table.
From the 1851 census, we can see that Edmund was 14 and George 11, both listed as Agricultural Labourers.
In 1864, Elizabeth lost two of her brothers. Both John, aged 47 and James aged 45 died that same year.
Six years later in 1870, Elizabeth’s father, John passed away at the age of 78.
For the following 18 years, life continued as normal. Then in 1888, tragedy struck again.
In January 1888, her son Edmund passed away at the age of 51. The following month in February, her 73-year-old husband George was also laid to rest.
They say things happen in threes, and later that same year, her mother Jane passed away as well.
Three years later, in the 1891 census, we find she’s moved to Halse, in Somerset to be near her youngest son, Abel.
Abel was working as a gardener and living in Halse House with his wife Ellen, the manor’s housekeeper and cook, at the same time.
Elizabeth is living in a house in the village, on her own and is supported by her own means.
I need to do more research in this area. For a woman of 75, who’s worked in the low paying agricultural industry all her life, this seems strange. Also, looking at the photo at the top of this page, she certainly doesn’t look to be living a meagre life.
My assumption at this point is that maybe the house was rented by her son.
At the time, Abel was the resident head gardener at the home of retired Physician and working magistrate, Richard CA Prior. His wife Ellen was the live-in housekeeper and cook.
This huge stately home was inherited from Richard’s father, Lord of the Manor John Prior, who lived there from 1830.
Maybe, their joint incomes could afford the luxury of a small home in the village?
Abel, unfortunately, died in 1894 and I can find no other reference to Elizabeth until a burial record in October of 1907.
During the period between 1891, when I last found Elizabeth and 1910, there is only one burial listed in the area.
The burial was at All Saints church in Otterhampton on 4th November 1907. She was 90 years old.
Since we know that Elizabeth was born in April 1816, the age should have been 91?
Assuming, for now, that this is our Elizabeth, it seems likely that after Abel’s death, Elizabeth moved to Combwich, just outside Bridgwater, Somerset.
A few farms in the area set themselves up as rest/care homes between 1865 and 1910. Maybe this is how she ended up there?
More research is still to be done 🙂
So, as a final note, The Saunders line of my family tree didn’t arrive in Somerset until some time after 1881. Therefore, this move to the South-West didn’t result in a link of our families.
However…… Prior to 1930, the Saunders line from my Son-in-Law also comes from Wiltshire, so who knows where that story will end?
NEW INFO – Update 1:
Since this post was written, I have discovered an additional Elizabeth Saunders through MyHeratige. This Elizabeth is listed on the 1901 census as living in Otterhampton, Somerset.
The only death/burial record is still the one mentioned above.
As far as I can tell, this means one of two things…
- This is an entirely new Elizabeth and at present, no further record exists for our Elizabeth. Or…
- This is the same Elizabeth, and Sarah J is a daughter I haven’t come across before.
This second option seems unlikely because the census gives Elizabeth’s birthplace as West Bagborough, Somerset. It also gives Sarah’s birthplace as Lydeard St. Lawrence, Somerset.
So, I checked Parish and non-conformist records online for other burials, or deaths, nothing has been transcribed yet that can help.
I’ll update when I find any new or additional information 🙂
Well, it turns out that the Elizabeth Saunders buried in Otterhampton, is indeed a different person. The Sarah Jane Stockham nee Saunders she was living with, also has the same father’s name… George!
But she’s from a completely different line.
If you look at the attached record from MyHeratige, Sarah was born in Lydeard St. Lawrence and her Mother’s maiden name was Simons.
The names of her siblings don’t match either 🙁
The search goes on!