Thomas BRETT's death in 1882
Now for a bit of investigation on my side of the family!
Thomas BRETT was my gg-grandfather on my mother's side. I've found him on the 1841 census as a one year old, living with his parents, William and Maria BRETT in Great Parndon, Essex. This gives his approximate year of birth as 1839/40. In the same household are William, aged 5 (approx birth year 1835/36 so probably before civil registration) and Ralph, aged 3 (approx birth year 1837/38).
In 1842, his father William died and Maria remarried in 1843 to James WOOLARD. So, on the 1851 census, he's living with his mother and step-father in Nazing. Thomas is a ten year old agricultural labourer. Hence Thomas's approximate birth year is 1840/41.
In 1861, he is living with his mother Maria WOOLARD but Maria is listed both as head of the household and still married, which seems a little odd! I did a search for James WOOLARD and found him living with his brother, but that little oddity will have to wait for another day! Thomas himself is listed as a 20 year old ag lab, born in Great Parndon, Essex (again suggesting a birth year of 1840/41).
On 8th June 1862, Thomas BRETT marries Jane CASS in Great Parndon, Essex. On the 1871 and 1881 censuses, they are still living in Great Parndon, Essex. On the 1871 census, Thomas is 34 years old (would have expected 30) and on the 1881 census he is 44 (again, I would have expected 40).
In finding Thomas's birth details, I searched from 1837 through to 1842 and found an entry in 1840 in the Epping Union (which is the registration district for Great Parndon) where the mother's maiden name is HUTCHIN. I also found a birth entry for Ralph Henry BRETT where the maiden name is again HUTCHIN in 1838, so I'm pretty certain these must be the two brothers listed with father William BRETT in 1841 and hence Maria's maiden name must be HUTCHIN. This does, of course, give Thomas's birth year as 1840; why he put years on his age in 1871 and 1881 I'll never know but perhaps adults in those days didn't think too much about their age?
But back to what happens to Thomas as an adult! In the 1891 census, Jane is a 56 year old widow living in Enfield, so clearly Thomas died sometime between 1881 and 1891. So, I searched on the gro.gov website, searching for Thomas BRETT deaths between 1881 and 1891 where the age was 40 +/- 10 years to be on the safe side. I found the following:-
It was rather difficult to know which of these might be the right one as none are in the Epping District ie the Civil Registration District for Great Parndon. Obviously, the death has to be registered where it occurred, so even if Thomas was living in Great Parndon, if his death happened elsewhere, it could be registered anywhere!
However, on findmypast, I found a transcript from the National Burial Index for a burial for a Thomas BRETT, aged 44, in St Mary the Virgin, Great Parndon where the burial took place on 29 June 1882. Since my Thomas has had such a long association with Great Parndon, it surely must be him? The only gro death entry that could possibly fit with this burial date is the first one in West Ham, so I obtained the death certificate.
When the certificate came, what a surprise! Poor Thomas died in the most horrible way!
Although on previous censuses he'd been listed as an agricultural labourer, on this death certificate, he's listed as a plate layer in the employ of the Great Eastern Railway. He was accidentally killed by being run over by 'a certain engine on the Great Eastern line of railway' and in the Walthamstow area on the 23rd June 1882. Hence the informant is the Essex Coroner. Because of the change in occupation and the different area, I was still unsure as to whether it was the right person.
So, with the death being so horrific, it was very likely that it appeared in newspapers. I found two newspaper articles in the Hackney & Kingsland Gazette (28 June 1882) and in the Herts & Cambs Reporter & Royston Crow (30 June 1882); both articles exactly the same!
To my eyes, it seems so callous not to give his first name but clearly this must be for Thomas BRETT. It mentions that he has a family, including the youngest of only a few weeks old. With this clue, I searched for BRETT births in 1882 and found an entry for Albert Edward BRETT in the 2nd Quarter of 1882 in West Ham, Reference 04A 198. Also, with the maiden name of CASS this pretty much proves this is 'my' Thomas BRETT. The article also mentions that there were nine children in total. So far, I've only found eight but one has a maiden name of LASS rather than CASS; presumably a mistake so perhaps a worse mistake was made with another child! I need to re-check for this missing child of theirs (although the newspaper could have made a mistake!). Also, the article mentions that the family would be entitiled to benefit from the accident fund for railway employees; I wonder if I can find out more about that?
On another sad note, Albert Edward BRETT is not with his mother on the 1891 census and I believe I've found his death entry, registered in the Edmonton District in the 1st Quarter of 1886, aged just 3 years old, the reference is 03A 243.
I've also discovered that Thomas's older brother, William, was living in Enfield in 1881 and Thomas's eldest son, Ralph, was living with this uncle. This explains why the widowed Jane moved to Enfield.
As a foot note, I've re-looked at the 1871 census and the eldest child is Alice A BRETT aged 10 years old and with a birthplace of Herts, Stanstead. Her birth was before Thomas BRETT and Jane CASS were married. So, searching for Alice CASS born around 1860, I found Alice Amelia CASS whose birth was registered in the 4th Quarter of 1860 in Ware Union. The mother's maiden name is blank and the reference is 03A 163. She is clearly the ninth child, although Thomas BRETT may possibly not be her father.
Also, just to note that Joseph William BRETT (he appears just as William on the 1881 census), Thomas BRETT's son and also my g-grandfather, was only 10 when his father died.
Thomas BRETT was my gg-grandfather on my mother's side. I've found him on the 1841 census as a one year old, living with his parents, William and Maria BRETT in Great Parndon, Essex. This gives his approximate year of birth as 1839/40. In the same household are William, aged 5 (approx birth year 1835/36 so probably before civil registration) and Ralph, aged 3 (approx birth year 1837/38).
 |
| Reference HO107 P330 B8 ED8 F6 Pg7 |
In 1842, his father William died and Maria remarried in 1843 to James WOOLARD. So, on the 1851 census, he's living with his mother and step-father in Nazing. Thomas is a ten year old agricultural labourer. Hence Thomas's approximate birth year is 1840/41.
 |
| Ref HO107 1770 F334 Pg10 |
In 1861, he is living with his mother Maria WOOLARD but Maria is listed both as head of the household and still married, which seems a little odd! I did a search for James WOOLARD and found him living with his brother, but that little oddity will have to wait for another day! Thomas himself is listed as a 20 year old ag lab, born in Great Parndon, Essex (again suggesting a birth year of 1840/41).
 | |
| Ref RG9 1065 F103 Pg5 |
In finding Thomas's birth details, I searched from 1837 through to 1842 and found an entry in 1840 in the Epping Union (which is the registration district for Great Parndon) where the mother's maiden name is HUTCHIN. I also found a birth entry for Ralph Henry BRETT where the maiden name is again HUTCHIN in 1838, so I'm pretty certain these must be the two brothers listed with father William BRETT in 1841 and hence Maria's maiden name must be HUTCHIN. This does, of course, give Thomas's birth year as 1840; why he put years on his age in 1871 and 1881 I'll never know but perhaps adults in those days didn't think too much about their age?
But back to what happens to Thomas as an adult! In the 1891 census, Jane is a 56 year old widow living in Enfield, so clearly Thomas died sometime between 1881 and 1891. So, I searched on the gro.gov website, searching for Thomas BRETT deaths between 1881 and 1891 where the age was 40 +/- 10 years to be on the safe side. I found the following:-
| Age on Index | Year | Quarter | District | Reference | Approx Birth Year | Actual County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 1882 | 3Q | West Ham | 4a 94 | 1847 | Essex |
| 60 | 1882 | 4Q | Norwich | 04B 97 | 1847 | East Anglia |
| 41 | 1883 | 2Q | Congleton | 08A 208 | 1842 | Cheshire |
| 57 | 1887 | 1Q | Beaminster | 05A 259 | 1830 | Dorset |
| 49 | 1887 | 2Q | Bromsgrove | 06C 215 | 1838 | Worcestershire |
| 59 | 1888 | 1Q | St Saviour Surrey | 01D 45 | 1829 | Surrey |
| 52 | 1889 | 1Q | Auckland | 10A 93 | 1837 | Durham |
| 41 | 1890 | 2Q | Chorley | 08E 327 | 1849 | Lancashire |
| 53 | 1891 | 3Q | Hailsham | 02B 57 | 1849 | Sussex |
It was rather difficult to know which of these might be the right one as none are in the Epping District ie the Civil Registration District for Great Parndon. Obviously, the death has to be registered where it occurred, so even if Thomas was living in Great Parndon, if his death happened elsewhere, it could be registered anywhere!
However, on findmypast, I found a transcript from the National Burial Index for a burial for a Thomas BRETT, aged 44, in St Mary the Virgin, Great Parndon where the burial took place on 29 June 1882. Since my Thomas has had such a long association with Great Parndon, it surely must be him? The only gro death entry that could possibly fit with this burial date is the first one in West Ham, so I obtained the death certificate.
When the certificate came, what a surprise! Poor Thomas died in the most horrible way!
Although on previous censuses he'd been listed as an agricultural labourer, on this death certificate, he's listed as a plate layer in the employ of the Great Eastern Railway. He was accidentally killed by being run over by 'a certain engine on the Great Eastern line of railway' and in the Walthamstow area on the 23rd June 1882. Hence the informant is the Essex Coroner. Because of the change in occupation and the different area, I was still unsure as to whether it was the right person.
So, with the death being so horrific, it was very likely that it appeared in newspapers. I found two newspaper articles in the Hackney & Kingsland Gazette (28 June 1882) and in the Herts & Cambs Reporter & Royston Crow (30 June 1882); both articles exactly the same!
 |
| Herts & Cambs Reporter & Royston Crow 30 June 1882 |
On another sad note, Albert Edward BRETT is not with his mother on the 1891 census and I believe I've found his death entry, registered in the Edmonton District in the 1st Quarter of 1886, aged just 3 years old, the reference is 03A 243.
I've also discovered that Thomas's older brother, William, was living in Enfield in 1881 and Thomas's eldest son, Ralph, was living with this uncle. This explains why the widowed Jane moved to Enfield.
As a foot note, I've re-looked at the 1871 census and the eldest child is Alice A BRETT aged 10 years old and with a birthplace of Herts, Stanstead. Her birth was before Thomas BRETT and Jane CASS were married. So, searching for Alice CASS born around 1860, I found Alice Amelia CASS whose birth was registered in the 4th Quarter of 1860 in Ware Union. The mother's maiden name is blank and the reference is 03A 163. She is clearly the ninth child, although Thomas BRETT may possibly not be her father.
Also, just to note that Joseph William BRETT (he appears just as William on the 1881 census), Thomas BRETT's son and also my g-grandfather, was only 10 when his father died.
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