Lucy Luck, straw-plait worker
One of the pieces published in John Burnett's book is by Mrs Lucy LUCK. She was born "L.M." in Tring on May 25th, 1848, and when her father deserted her family she went to live in the workhouse, and later with a Mr and Mrs D--, of Tring, while Lucy worked in the silk mill. The husband was a tailor by trade and at the time they had a son of about 13 and a daughter of about 15. For some reason they threw Lucy out of the house and she went to live with a Widow H-- who had three sons and a daughter. At the age of 13 she was sent by the relieving officer Mr J-- (nicknamed "Black Garner") to St Albans where she worked for a Mr & Mrs H-- They were an elderly couple who had just moved to a shop and beerhouse near to the Abbey. However after a year they gave up the shop and she worked for two years in service in Kent, and later went to learn straw plait making in a public house in Luton ....
While no-one is mentioned by name in her account it is possible to identify her family in the 1851 census. They lived in the Harrow Yard, off Akeman Street, Tring. Her drunken father, who later deserted the family was William MARSHALL, who was then 47 and a journeyman bricklayer born at Englefield, Berks. Her mother, Harriet, was 36, and born in Tring (as were her children), and Lucy says her mother died on August 5th, 1863. Her sister Charlotte was an eight year old straw plaiter, her older brother Joseph was 5 and her younger brother was not yet born.
Lucy says Mr D-- was a tailor, and he may well be James DANCER, who is listed as a tailor at Brook End, Tring in the 1855 trade directory - but who is not mentioned in either the 1851 or 1861 census for the Brook End area..
Widow H-- is easy to identify from the 1861 census. Lucy MARSHALL was a boarder in a house at Brook End occupied by Fanny HAWES, a 39 year old widowed straw plaiter, who was born just north of Tring at Startops End. She had three sons William (16, grocer's porter), Frederick (14, 'nil' occupation) and George (12, silk factory worker) and a daughter Sophia (18, straw plaiter), all born in Tring. Lucy was working in the nearby silk mill.
Lucy's mother, Harriet MARSHALL, is harder to identify, as the inmates in the Union Workhouse in Berkhamsted High Street are only described by initials. However she is almost certainly the "H.M." - a 49 year old married pauper born in Tring, who is described as a straw plaiter.
In September & October 2004 Wendy Smith (wsmith999 @t aol.com) wrote: I have obtained a copy of Harriet Marshall's death certificate which tells us that she died on 5th August 1863, in Berkhamsted Workhouse (just as Lucy said). I have also found a marriage of a William Marshall to a Harriet Andrews, at Tring, on 12th February1838. This was at Tring Parish Church, both of full age William was a bricklayer. William's father was John Marshall also a bricklayer. Harriet's father was Joseph Andrews, a labourer.
I have checked the 1851 census and Harriet's parents were probably Joseph Andrews (66, agricultural labourer on parish relief, born Waddesdon, Bucks) and his wife Elizabeth (68, on parish relief, born Chearsley, Bucks). They were living at Tring Wharf (which is now part of New Mill, Tring)
I would be interested to know if anyone can identify the relieving officer Mr J-- or the couple who ran a pub in St Albans, Mr & Mrs H--.
In September 2004 I checked the 1851 Post Office Directory and discovered the relieving officer for Berkhamsted lived in West End, Tring, and was a Mr Garnett Jones. This was obviously Mr J--, who Lucy records was nick-named "Black Garner". The 1851 census lists him as being 48 years old and born in Tring. His family included Sarah A. Jones (18) who is described as a British Subject born in the USA.
[Added July 2008] It is possible that Mr & Mrs H-- were James and Mary Hitcham, who are listed in the 1851 census as beer and coal sellers of The Hope Beer Shop, Dagnall Lane, St Albans, but who are not listed in the 1851 Post Office Directory (where the information may have been collected in 1850). James was 50 years old, and Mary was 44, which would have seemed elderly to 13 year old Lucy. They are not listed in the 1861 census.
After the above was written the 1881 census was published and it was possible to carry out further investigations.
Page updated July 2008