Week 5 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

In the Census

Why was Ann Elizabeth Grant not with her husband and children in the 1871 Census? ¹ 

The headstone clearly shows that she did not die until 1896.

She is with her family in the 1861 census. ² 

By the time we get to the 1881 census, ³  she is listed as a widow and head of the household. 

Her husband Edward had died in 1879, 4 and her occupation was now listed as a nurse.

So where was she in 1871 if not at the family home.

A search of the census records revealed that there was an Ann Eliz. Grant born in Lyndhurst, Hants. whose occupation is listed as Carrier. She is enumerated at Hants County Prison in St Faith, Winchester, Hampshire and listed as an inmate. 5  

Why was she there what was her crime and sentence?

I found this before any criminal records had been made available online and I do not live near the Hampshire Archives. However, I managed to elicit some help from another descendant of Ann who has also been researching this family.

This is what has been posted on her tree at Ancestry.

I have subsequently been able to find digital images of criminal records and newspaper reports.

This is a transcript of a report from The Hampshire Advertiser, March 1, 1871, p. 3, col. 3, entitled "Larceny by a Bailee."

Ann Elizabeth Grant, carrier, aged53, was indicted for stealing a watch, at Lyndhurst, on November 15th.

Mr. Beetham prosecuted, and called prosecutrix, Ann Hedgerton, a single woman, who intrusted her with a silver watch to take to Mr. Pegler's, at Southampton, to be cleaned. She was to bring it back in a week, but failing this, prosecutrix went, after another week's delay, to prisoner to get it. She made a variety of excuses, and eventually went with prosecutrix to Mr. Pegler's shop, where she said she had left it there, but they denied it entirely. It was found at Mr. Cotten's shop, a pawnbroker in St. Michael's square, where, on December 19th, prisoner, he believed, pledged it, and came on February 6th to take it out again. It was pawned in the name of Ann Green, of French street.

Mr. Russell, for the defence, urged that Mr. Pegler and his shopman should have been called, and also that Mr. Cotten was not sure prisoner pledged it, but only went so far as to say she took it out of pawn. He suggested to the jury that it was pledged by some other woman, and traced out by prisoner.

The Judge, in summing up, put the ingenious defence on one side, and the jury found her guilty, recommending her to mercy on account of her age and former good conduct as a carrier. She was told her character was lost by this affair, which was most clear. The sentence on her would be six weeks imprisonment with hard labour.

It is interesting what a single census record can lead one to discover. 

I will share more about this in another post.

1. "1871 England Census," database with images, Ancestry.co.uk (https://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 11 January 2005), digital image, enumerators schedule, household of Edward Grant, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, England; citing The National Archives (TNA), RG10, Piece 1184, Folio 17, p. 2, New Forest Registration district, Lyndhurst subdistrict, ED 1d, household 10
2. "1861 England Census" database with images, Ancestry.co.uk (https://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 5 February 2007), digital image, enumerators schedule, household of Edward Grant, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, England; ; citing The National Archives (TNA), RG9, Piece 670, Folio 20, p. 33, New Forest Registration district, Lyndhurst subdistrict, ED 1d, household 169.
3. "1881 England Census" database with images, Ancestry.co.uk (https://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 ‎April ‎2005), digital image, enumerators schedule, household of Ann E. Grant, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, England; citing The National Archives (TNA), RG11, Piece 1202, Folio 42, p. 41, New Forest registration district, sub district Lyndhurst, ED 2, household 235.
4. General Register Office, England, certified copy of an entry in the certified copy of a Register of Deaths, New Forest Registration District, 18 January 1879, entry for Edward Grant, died 14 January 1879, Pike Hill, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, England; photocopy certificate, issued 14 April 2010, New Forest Registration district, Vol. 2b, P. 447, General Register Office, Southport, England.
5. "1871 England Census" database with images, Ancestry.co.uk (https://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 ‎April ‎2005), digital image, enumerators schedule, entry for Ann Eliz. Grant, Winchester, Hampshire, England; citing The National Archives (TNA), RG10, Piece 1212, Folio 99, p. 6, Winchester registration district, sub district Winchester, ED County Prison, Line 6.