20C Diary Hale Line

Frederick Edwin Hale 8^th November 1845 – 19^th February 1900

Frederick Edwin Hale was born in Lambeth on 8^th November 1845.

According to his birth certificate his parents were Charles and Sarah Hale (nee Whitfield) and they lived at 13 James Street. The birth was registered by Sarah, who made her mark – showing that she was illiterate and could not sign her name. Charles’ occupation is given as Hatter. Coincidentally, the famous Hatters in London is in St James Street. James Street is a tiny street in the heart of Covent Garden. It is so small that the name is not printed on the London A-Z – just marked with a number. It is the street you walk down to get to Covent Garden from the underground station – usually very busy today, and probably also in 1845.

Family Search has a record of the marriage of Charles Joshua Hale to Sarah Whitfield at Christ Church, Southwark on 5 November 1827. This fits well with the age of the Sarah (17 in 1851 therefore born 1834) and there were probaly earlier births such as those of Charles John Hale b. 1829 or William b. 1832 (9also from family Search).

One might expect to have seen Charles & William with the family in 1841 (ages 12 and 9). I cannot find any obvious deaths but a Charles reappears in 1861 (aged 23) living with his married sister Sarah - see below. This age des not fit suggesting that the first Charles had died and a subsequent child had been given the same name. Family Search has a 1937 birth of Charles Joshua which fits although the record does not give parents names. This is presumably the child named Joshua on the 1841 census - see below,

I cannot find any reliable birth record for Charles Joshua Hale (senior) b. 1808 but Family Search has  a single Gloucestershire birth in 1808 could well be that of Sarah Whitfield b.1808.

And a corresponding marriage of her parents Jonah Whitfield and Elizabeth Knapp on 16 March 1807. Census records for Jonah Whitfield (1841-1861) show that he was a Miller.

As Sarah comes from Gloucestershire I looked for a Charles Hale birth in 1808 in Gloucestershire and found 2 possibles although neither give a second name of Joshua. However this does not fit with his stated birthplace on census records which is Lambeth (Newington).

I cannot trace either line any further back with any confidence.

1841 census data has Charles listed as Joshua. Here he is a 'Hat dyer' later a ‘Hatter’, which seems to be a good fit. His wife is Sara and both she and Joshua are aged 30, which is a reasonable fit with subsequent records.

 

 

I think this is the correct record as it is in James Street (like the 1851 record) and has a child Sarah the right age for the 17 year old listed in the 1851 census. There are two babes - Joshua (3) and Ann (1 month). Joshua seems to be Charles Joshua b. 1837. Ann is missing from later censuses and so presumably had died. Family Search has a death in 1841 that supports the story.

On the census form the address is shown with multiple occupancy – also at 25 James Street lived James Bryson (41), a dentist from Scotland with his mother Agnes (72). In addition, present on census day are a couple of visitors from Scotland, Donald Stewart (51) and William Gentle (42) who are both Jewellers. There is a strange 'Scotland' entry in the place of birth column for the elderly Charles in 1871 (se over). In all the other census data Charles’ place of birth is given as Newington, Lambeth. Perhaps there genuinely is a Scottish connection or perhaps by the age 63 Charles was 'mad as a hatter'. (There was some poison in the trade that did lead to dementia.)

The nearby Royal Opera House is not the same building as was there in 1845 as on 5^th March 1856 the existing theatre, The Theatre Royal Covent Garden, was completely destroyed by fire. This would have been a spectacular event, which may well have been witnessed by the Hales who were still living in James Street at least up to 1851.

1851 Census

1851 census data shows the Hale family, with Frederick Hale aged 5, to be still living at James St, Lambeth (now at number 25). The family consists of his father Chas (43), mother Sarah (41), older sister Sarah (17) and baby sister Elizabeth (1). Chas is still working as a Hatter.

 

 

1861 Census

In 1861 Frederick (aged 16) was working in the Print. The family were living at 38, Regent Street Lambeth in the household headed by the husband of Frederick’s sister Sarah, Henry Brown, who was a Mast Maker. The Browns had a 7-month old baby, Emily.

Also at this address is Charles junior, older brother to Frederick who was absent from the 1851 census. A search for him in 1851 has proved fruitless.

Missing is Frederick’s mother Sarah – presumably deceased. There is a death registration: –

Sarah Hale, 1857, Ap-May-June, Lambeth, Vol 1d page 177

 

 

Regent Street, Lambeth is THE Regent Street in the heart of London and number 38 is very close to Piccadilly Circus. It is also very close to St James Street the premises of the famous Hatters firm, James Lock and Co. At this time there were also 5 other firms of hatters in St James’ Street - perhaps this is where Charles Hale worked.

1871 Census

In 1871 despite the growth in the Brown family, Frederick and his father are still living with the Browns, although Charles junior and Elizabeth have moved away. Frederick is still unmarried and still working as a Printer.

The address is 19, Royal Terrace, Newington, Lambeth. I cannot find this address on the modern map of London. This is a pity as it was associated with the family from 1871 at least until 1901 when Will and Rose Hoare lived at number 32. Rose Hoare was a cousin to Isabel Hale and it was at a party at their house that Isabel Hale met Ernest Hamshar around 1905 (see Bella’s Story). However, I was told that their house was in Brixton so they may have moved away from Royal Terrace by the time of the party. 1910 census will be interesting.

 

 

The place of birth for Frederick’s father, Charles, is now given as Scotland! Perhaps he was becoming confused (mad as a hatter) or maybe there is a Scottish connection hinted at by the visitors in 1851.

 

Frederick Edwin Hale married Helena Hunt Low

on 24^th December 1871

at The Parish Church in the Parish of St Philip, Lambeth.

 

Details from the marriage certificate are as follows. The witnesses were Henry and Emily Brown. Emily was only 11 at the time – perhaps she was a bridesmaid?

 

1881 Census

In 1881 Frederick is married and head of his own household at 33, Royal Terrace. There are 3 children but not yet Isabel who was born in 1884. Frederick is now working as a warehouseman.

 

 

33 Royal Terrace has multiple occupancy – also living at this address is the Cross family – Richard (31), who is a Horsekeeper – originally from Yorkshire, his wife Elizabeth (32) from Lambeth, and their children Rosey (6), Frederick (3) and Martha (1) all London born. A third household of occupancy is marked ‘Away from Home’.

Charles senior, now aged 74, is still living with the Browns, now just up the road at 53, Royal Terrace. This family now includes Thomas Brown (married) but without his wife. Beatrice could be Thomas’ daughter from the position in the listing – perhaps his wife has died. But who is Thomas Brown and why is he listed in this position on the form – he is not listed as a Brown child in either of the previous two censuses. He would have been 8 years old in 1861 so why was he not at home.

 

 

1891 Census

In 1891 Frederick and his family were living in 4 rooms at number 46, Royal Terrace. This was pretty crowded! Frederick has gone back to the Print as a Labourer and his son Frederick RC (this enumerator kindly gives some middle name initials) has also started work in the Print. Isabel is now aged 6.

 

 

The property was in multiple occupancy with the Beard family also living at number 46, in a single room – Thomas Beard (39) his wife Ellen (33) and their children Caroline (3) and John (10 mths). Thomas was a General Labourer and they were all local people (born in Camberwell/Lambeth).

Charles Hale, Fredericks father, if still alive, would now be aged 84. However he cannot be found on the 1891 census nor can we find any record of his death prior to 1891. 

The adopted son, Harry Day, is a great mystery. Nobody in the family ever spoke of him and Day is not a name that figures anywhere in the family tree so he would not have been family. He was not with the Hales in 1881 so was presumably adopted after the age of 8. His place of birth Gloucester is also odd - the Hale family had no known connections with Gloucester and had lived in Lambeth as far back as I can trace. Formal adoption, as we now know it, did not exist in England and Wales until 1927. Before then, adoptions were usually informal. In a few cases there was some legal documentation, but no central register. This means it is not possible to discover anything further about Harry Day.

Frederick Edwin Hale died on Monday February 19^th 1900

For details see Bella's Story.