Updated 23 July 2022
William Pratt and Annie Hicks married in 1881 but, by 1891, they were no longer in the same household. It appears that William was left to raise their daughter Katie in his parent's household. What happened to cause Annie to separate from her husband and leave her young daughter behind? Where did she go? Did she move to Lancashire and live as a single woman as a family story suggests? And what of William and Katie? ... I still have lots of unanswered questions but first, some background …
William's Background
William Pratt was born in 1862 to Thomas and Hannah [Kirk] Pratt of Drayton Parslow in Buckinghamshire. His birth was registered in the 4th quarter of 1862[1]. He is listed in the 1871 and 1881 Census’ as living with his parents and, by 1881, he has a brother in the household as well[2][3]:
1871 - The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1871 England Census; Class: RG10; Piece: 1416; Folio: 6; Page: 4; GSU roll: 828770 via Ancestry.com |
1881 - The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1881 England Census; RG11; Piece: 1477; Folio: 29; Page: 11; GSU roll: 1341358 via Ancestry.com |
Thomas Pratt Head [Condition] mar [Age] 45 agri labourer [Where Born] Bucks, Drayton Parslow; Hannah Pratt Wife [Condition] mar [Age] 39 [Where Born] Bucks, Drayton Parslow; William Pratt; Son [Condition] unm [Age] 18 agri labourer [Where Born] Bucks, Drayton Parslow; Ernest T Pratt Son [Age] 2 [Where Born] Bucks, Drayton Parslow
It could be assumed, perhaps, that there would have been other children between William and Ernest. If there were, I have been unable to find birth and/or death records for them. William did have a much younger brother, Joseph Kenneth Pratt who was born on 3 August 1882[4][5] by which time, William was about 20 years old and married to Annie.
Annie's Background
Annie was born in 1862 to Edwin and Susanna ‘Susan’ [Taylor] Hicks of Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire. She was registered as Ann Hicks in the 4th quarter of 1862 and, according to her father, Edwin's, bible she was born on 19 October 1862[6]. She was baptised at Waddesdon on 22 Feb 1863[7]. Annie is listed on the 1871 census as living with her parents, Edwin and Susan and siblings Thomas, Sarah, Kate, Eden Henry and George at Waddesdon Hill in Buckinghamshire[8]:
1871 - The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1871 England Census; Class: RG10; Piece: 1414; Folio: 81; Page: 11; GSU roll: 828769 via Ancestry.com |
1881 The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1881 England Census Class: RG11; Piece: 1475; Folio: 88; Page: 10; GSU roll: 1341357 via Ancestry.com |
Edwin Hicks Head [Condition] Mar [Age] 44, Shepherd, [Where Born] Bicester, Oxon; Susanna Hicks Wife [Condition] Mar [Age] 43 [Where Born] Waddesdon, Bucks; Eden Henry Hicks Son [Age] 14, Agr Laborer [Where Born] Waddesdon, Bucks; George Hicks Son [Age] 11, Agr Laborer, [Where Born] Waddesdon, Bucks; Elizabeth Hicks Daur [Age] 6, Scholar, [Where Born] Waddesdon, Bucks; Christopher Hicks Son [Age] 4, Scholar, [Where Born] Waddesdon, Bucks
1881 - The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1881 England Census Class: RG11; Piece: 1477; Folio: 27; Page: 7; GSU roll: 1341358 via Ancestry.com |
Annie Hicks, servant [Age] 19, domestic servant, [Where Born] Bucks, Waddesdon
Also, in the household on census day, in addition to members of the Willison family are James Patten, Visitor and William Lines, lodger:
Drayton Parslow and Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire - Map created with Google MyMaps (modified) |
William and Annie Together
William and Annie married during 1881. The marriage was registered in the 4th quarter of 1881[11]. Annie is listed in the marriage index as Annie Frances. The slight shift from Ann to Annie by 1881 is understandable but why did she add the name Frances when she got married? Perhaps it was just a name she liked and decided to acquire? Notwithstanding the addition of the name Frances, the evidence does suggest that Ann Hicks, daughter of Edwin and Susanna, and Annie Frances Hicks are the same person.
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Birth and Death Registrations Arthur Pratt - General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes [Digital Index] London, England via General Register Office |
Birth Registration Annie Kate Pratt - General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes [Digital Index] London, England via General Register Office |
Birth and Death Registrations Eveline Polly Pratt - General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes [Digital Index] London, England via General Register Office |
William and Annie Apart
It appears that some time in, or after, 1887 something happened to separate William and Annie. In the census for 1891, William was living with their only surviving child, Annie Kate, in his father’s household. By this time, Annie Kate was being referred to as Katie. Her mother, Annie, was not living with them[18]:1891 - The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 1148; Folio: 137; Page: 2; GSU roll: 6096258 via Ancestry.com. |
Where Did Annie Go? Why Did She Leave?
So, where was Annie? My initial thought was that perhaps she had died sometime between 1887, when Eveline was born, and 1891, when the census was taken, but I was unable to find a death registration. Nor was I able to find an 1891 census record for Annie. Her parents were still living in Waddesdon in 1891 but she had not moved back there.
My initial search was mainly for records in the Buckinghamshire area. Subsequently, I was contacted by a distant relative (a third cousin once removed), Elizabeth. Correspondence with Elizabeth threw some light on where Annie went. Elizabeth descends from Annie’s parents (Edwin and Susanna), via Annie’s brother, Christopher. Christopher Hicks is Elizabeth’s grandfather. Elizabeth told me that, when Edwin Hicks died in Buckinghamshire in 1925, her grandparents went to Lancashire to tell Annie that her father had died. Ann was living at Lytham St Anne's . They stayed for several days. There is a family photo outside Annie’s house taken during this visit. Elizabeth's grandfather, Christopher (Annie’s brother), had always referred to Annie as Ann and led Elizabeth to believe that Annie had never married. Perhaps he could not remember that she was married? He was about 15 years younger than Annie. He would have been 4 years old when she married and about 10 in 1887. Or, perhaps, the fact that she had been married to William was something not talked about in the Hicks family for some reason? That, in itself, is intriguing[19].
A further search for Annie, this time with a focus on Lancashire, has also drawn a blank. I have looked under Ann, Annie, Frances and under both Pratt and Hicks. The names Annie Hicks and Annie Pratt seem to be common names in Lancashire but there is nothing to suggest that the ones I have found are the right ones. On the contrary, on census records where a birthpace is given, all of the records I found indicate a birthplace somewhere other than Buckinghamshire.
And What of William Post 1891?
1911 - The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 via Ancestry.com |
William Pratt Head [age] 48 Married [completed years in present marriage] 8 [children born within present marriage] None Bricklayer's Labourer [Birthplace] Fenny Stratford, Bucks; Ellen Pratt Wife [age] 41 Married [completed years in present marriage] 8 [children born within present marriage] None [Birthplace] Elstree, Herts; Albert Pratt Son [age] 22 Married [completed years in present marriage] Under one [children born within present marriage] 1 [still living] Greengrocer [Birthplace] Finchley, London; Fanny Pratt Daughter in Law [age] 22 Married Greengrocer [Birthplace] Northwood on Ramsgate; William Pratt Grandchild [age] 3 months [Birthplace] Northwood on Ramsgate
By 1921, William and Ellen are living at 128 Bayham Street, St Pancras. The 1921 census helps to confirm that the 1911 census most likely belongs to the William we are looking for. While on the 1911 census William’s place of birth is listed as Fenny Stratford in Buckinghamshire, the 1921 census lists it as Drayton Parslow. Ellen is listed as born in Elstree, Hertfordshire, consistent with the 1911 census record:
1921 Census entry via FindMyPast |
A Little About Annie Kate 'Katie'
By 1901, Katie had moved away from home and into service. She was 15, almost 16, years old at the time of the 1901 census where she is listed as a servant in the household of Henry Gilburd, licensed victualler, and living at the Public House at 1 Fishery, Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire[26]:
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives, 1901Class: RG13; Piece: 1326; Folio: 60; Page: 31 via Ancestry.com |
Kate Pratt servant [Condition] S [Age] 15, general servant (domestic), worker [Where Born] Bucks, Aylesbury
It was not long after this that Katie married Victor Alexander Farebrother at St Marylebone in London. The marriage was registered in the 2nd quarter of 1903[27]. How they met is uncertain. In 1901, both had been connected to the beer selling business. Victor was employed as a Barman at the Duke of Cambridge Hotel, Finchley, Middlesex where his father was the Publican[28] while Katie was a general servant at a Public House in Hemel Hempstead some 18 ½ miles/30km away. Did the Public House connection afford them an opportunity to meet at some point or did Katie move from her position of service at Hemel Hempstead to another position in Middlesex between 1901 and 1903? When they married, Katie would have been about 18 years old and Victor about 22. Victor’s birth was registered in the third quarter of 1881 at Kensington in London[29]. He was born on 17 June 1881[30].
I spoke with my uncle about Katie. She is his grandmother and he is the only living person I know who knew her at first hand. I was wondering whether Katie ever talked to her grandchildren about her parents and whether my uncle had any information about William and Annie.
Like Katie, my uncle grew up with uncles who were a similar age and more like siblings. This is because Katie and Victor had 13 children well spread out by age, 7 boys and 6 girls. My uncle told me that, for a while, as a child, he lived next door to his Gran. He said he was very fond of her and that she spoiled him. When he was about eight years old, she moved away:
“She moved when I was eight and although she had thirteen children, seven of them were boys, and I think she had a soft spot for boys, I was her eldest male grandchild and the only cousin older than me was a girl. My mum was the third eldest and my youngest aunt was only a year older than me, the next another girl was 3 years older than my 2 'elder brothers' 5 & 7 years who were literally like brothers helped me grow up. I missed my Gran but when the war took them away I saw a lot more of her and she continued spoiling me”[31][32]
Annie Kate 'Katie' Farebrother via Ancestry.com. [Photo originally shared to Ancestry by Hatters45 on 16 Feb 2012] |
As for William and Annie, my uncle couldn't recall his Gran ever talking to him about them. Nor could he recall any mention of siblings. He didn't know whether Katie had any brothers or sisters or not. None were ever mentioned within his hearing. Neither could he recall his mother ever talking about any of these relatives.
Postscript
William and Annie are my 2nd Great Grandparents. I would very much like to know what happened to them in their later lives and what it was that separated William and Annie and caused Annie to move away leaving their young daughter, Katie, behind. I descend via Katie. Katie is my Great Grandmother.
N.B. I have now moved by blogging efforts from this platform to We Are.xyz so that I can integrate building my family history archive with blogging. This post, or a similar version of it, has been split into 2 articles and can be found at:
Notes
[2] The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1871 England Census; Class: RG10; Piece: 1416; Folio: 6; Page: 4; GSU roll: 828770 Image via Ancestry.com. 1871 England Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Accessed 9 July 2022.
[3] The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1881 England Census Class: RG11; Piece: 1477; Folio: 29; Page: 11; GSU roll: 1341358 Image via Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1881 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Accessed 9 July 2022.
[9] The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1881 England Census Class: RG11; Piece: 1475; Folio: 88; Page: 10; GSU roll: 1341357 Image via Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1881 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. . Accessed 9 July 2022.
[12] Birth and Death Registrations William Kenneth Pratt - General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes [Digital Index] London, England via General Register Office [Website]. Accessed 9 July 2022.
[13] Birth Registrations – Joseph Kenneth Pratt - General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes [Digital Index] London, England via General Register Office [Website]. Accessed 9 July 2022.
[14] Birth and Death Registrations Arthur Pratt - General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes [Digital Index] London, England via General Register Office [Website]. Accessed 9 July 2022.
- The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: Rg 101/745d Image via Ancestry.com. 1939 England and Wales Register [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018. Accessed 9 July 2022
- Marriage Index – Q2 – 1903 – Volume 1a Page 1344 - General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office Images 1 and 2 via FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Accessed 9 July 2022
[23] 1921 Census via FindMyPast [Website]
[27] Marriage registration Kate Pratt and Victor Farebrother - Q2, 1903 RD St Marylebone, London Volume 1a Page 1344 General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office Images 1 and 2 via FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Accessed 11 July 2022.
[29] Birth Registration Victor Alexander Farebrother - Q3 1881 RD Kensington, London Volume 1a, Page 31 General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office Image via FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Accessed 11 July 2022.
[30] The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: Rg 101/745d Image via Ancestry.com. 1939 England and Wales Register [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018. Accessed 11 July 2022.
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