Russell Family Part 2

On the 5^th September 1859, my Great Grandmother, Mary Hutching married Joseph Russell at St. Bartholomew’s church, Crewkerne.

Joseph was the grandson of William Russell. Nothing is known of William’s ancestry except that he was born in Somerset C 1771 and that he was married to a Sarah Jane.

They were living in Crewkerne when their eldest son was born in 1801

They first appear in official records in 1841. By now Williams was aged 71, but still working as a farm labourer. Their children had all left home and William and Sarah were living in the first house in Curriott Hill, Crewkerne.

Sarah passed away aged 67, 8^th November 1843. 8 years later, at the ripe old age of 80, on the10^th February 1851, William died in Chard Union Workhouse: a  home for an assortment of 100 “paupers”, “lunatics”, “imbeciles” and “idiots”.

William and Sarah were blessed with 5 children.  Harry was born in 1803 followed by Elizabeth and Mary in 1805. Their third daughter Ann was born in 1808. But it was their first son, Joseph, born 1801, who was to become my great, great grandfather.

Joseph was born 24^th January 1801 in Crewkerne, being baptised on the 24^th May that year at St. Bartholomew’s

On the 21^st July 1823 Joseph married the 28 year old Pricilla Down at the Parish church of East Chinnock. The occasion must have been celebrated with some sadness as Pricilla’s mother, Sarah, had died 3 months before on the 18^th April 1823, aged 59. This is no record of Pricilla nor her sister, Margaret’s father.

After their marriage Joseph and Pricilla lived in Crewkerne, making their home in South Street.. (The last house in South Street before Viney Bridge.)

Joseph continued his work as an agricultural worker. Pricilla continued her work of producing children.

Sarah was born on 07 Aug 1825. (She worked as a weaver)

Harriett was born on 2 Jun 1827. She worked as a weaver and in 1850 she married Matthias Miller,  moving into his family home in Barn Street Crewkerne, with his mother, brother and sister-in-law. The following year Harriet gave birth to a son, Thomas. The next year, 1852, disaster struck. On the 24 November her young husband died leaving her a widow with a young son. There was a nothing for it but for Harriett to move back to live with her parents. For the next 40+ years Harriett worked in local clothe factories as a warper, girth web weaver or a worsted weaver. After her mother died, Harriett moved, together with her sister, Ann, from Oxen Street to 26 South street, Crewkerne Aged 64 she working in the shirt factory. Young Thomas seemed to have prospered. By 1881 he was living in London, 40 Hurbutt Street, Newington, London. By 1911 he was living at 56 The Drive, Hove.

Ann was born in 1830 and, like her sisters she worked in the local clothe industry. In 1863, aged 33, Ann gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, Francis Emma Russell. Ann never married, but continued to live with her mother and sister Harriett.  Ann’s career mirrored that of her sister: caring for an elderly mother and working as a Girth Web Weaver, Worsted Weaver, a Warper, and finally working alongside Harriet at the shirt factory. After their mother’s death, both daughters moved to 26 South Street, (now the site of Christchurch Court.) Young Francis married John Gear 12 May 1883. They moved further along South Street, the 1 1/5 miles into the hamlet of Misterton to Sprakes Cottage, where she died in 1945

Jane was born in 1832 in Crewkerne.

Joseph, my great grandfather, was born on 19 Oct 1834

William was born in 1838 in Crewkerne. (He was married to Charlotte Lumbard and he died in 1890)

By 1851 Joseph and Pricilla had moved house and lived in Oxen Lane, Crewkerne.(the 4^th house from the Court Barton end of Oxen Lane). Joseph had changed jobs too, and was now working at Folly Farm alongside his brother, William.

In Oxen lane, another son was born:

James: b.  11 Oct 1840. (He later married Mary Ann Mieuford)

On 11^th April 1857 tragedy struck when Joseph, aged 52, was killed in a hay card accident at Folly Farm. He was buried a week later on 18^th April at St. Bartholomew’s parish church,

As a Widow, Pricilla continued to live at Oxen Lane for another 25 years until her death 8^th April 1882. She was the third member of my family to die in the Chard Workhouse surrounded by a 100 assorted “paupers”, “lunatics”, “imbeciles” and “idiots”. She was buried with her husband in St. Bartholomew’s parish church.