Friday 7 June 2013

Update of the past NEWS............ 2nd June 1900



Catch up on the full story of last weeks NEWS.............
 
*Liddell Family –

Mary Liddell was in trouble with the NCPCC after she was accused of ill-treating her own son Thomas aged 9 years old and her grandson John Thomas aged 2 years old.

Little John Thomas was removed from the family and he was placed in the Chesterfield Union Workhouse on Newbold Road.  He appears in both the 1901 and 1911 census as an inmate.  What became of John after that is unknown; he may well have joined up as he would have been of the age to serve during WW1.  If anyone knows his story please do let us know.

I can find only one Mary Ann “Liddle” living in Unstone in 1901, just a year after little John Thomas was taken into the workhouse.  She is 43 years old, was born in Durham and is married to William Liddle a coal miner.  They have two sons living with them at this time; Joseph aged 14 years and Thomas aged 12 years.

Ten years earlier in 1891 the family are living at Lanchester.  Mary and William have four children; Lizzie Ann aged 16 years, Ralph aged 10 years, Joseph aged 6 years and Thomas aged 1 year. 

Was Lizzie the mother of little John Thomas?  There are many John Liddle’s born in the Durham/Lanchester areas in the time period of 1897-99, one which may well be for out little John Thomas. 

What became of Lizzie?
There is one death which fits the story in the newspaper; 1898 in Gateshead, Durham born about 1877.  Just to confuse matters however, the birth in Gateshead for John Thomas Liddle was registered in 1899, was this the correct Lizzie and John Thomas?  Was the birth of John Thomas simply overlooked as a result of Lizzie’s death and registered later?  Without the birth and death certificates I cannot say. 

Mary Ann Liddle is recorded as dying in 1909 aged 47 years old.    In 1911 both brothers Joseph and Thomas are working as farm labourer servants in Unstone. 
 
The next time I visit the Derbyshire Record Office I will look at the Chesterfield Union Workhouse records and try and find out more about little John Thomas Liddle.
 
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