Samuel Fradd 1809

Samuel Fradd was christened on the 5th January 1809 in Padstow, Cornwall, England and was one of 9 siblings born to William and Elizabeth Fradd (nee Oliver).

The 1841 England Census shows Samuel, a 30 year old single man, employed as an Agricultural Labourer on St. Cadoc Farm about 2.5 miles from Padstow. Samuel remained employed on the farm up until at least 1871 and records show him as a Agricultural Labourer, Farm Servant and a Farm Servant Indoors across those years.

St. Cadoc Farm 1840 Tithe Map and Farm Apportionment.

Anne Bennett was also recorded on St. Cadoc Farm in the 1861 England Census as a 16 years old House Servant; it was here she met her future husband Samuel who was 36 years her senior. 

1861 England Census Record.

Anne was born on the 4th May 1846 in Treyarnon, Cornwall, England near St. Merryn which was just 1.4 miles from the farm and the nearest hamlet to Padstow.

 

Farm Workers near St Merryn, Cornwall 19th Century.

Samuel married Anne Bennett on the 7th October 1876 in St Merryn, Cornwall, England. 

Perhaps Samuel an older man, possibly with some savings, marries a spinster to gain a carer for his declining years. Anne loses the "spinster" tag and gains a home. They were much more pragmatic about age and relationships in the 19^th century Britain.

¹Women were expected to marry and have children. However, there was in fact a shortage of available men. Census figures for the period reveal there were far more women than men. There were three main reasons why women outnumbered men. The mortality rate for boys was far higher than for girls; a large number of males served in the armed forces abroad and men were more likely to emigrate than women. By 1861 there were 10,380,285 women living in England and Wales but only 9,825,246 men.

Marriage Record of Anne Bennett and Samuel Fradd 1876.

The laws in Britain were based on the idea that women would get married and that their husbands would take care of them. Before the passing of the 1882 Married Property Act, when a woman got married her wealth was passed to her husband. If a woman worked after marriage, her earnings also belonged to her husband.

The idea was that upper and middle class women had to stay dependent on a man: first as a daughter and later as a wife. Once married, it was extremely difficult for a woman to obtain a divorce. The Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 gave men the right to divorce their wives on the grounds of adultery. However, married women were not able to obtain a divorce if they discovered that their husbands had been unfaithful. Once divorced, the children became the man's property and the mother could be prevented from seeing her children.

St Merryn Cottage Circa 1880

There are 5 children recorded in Census records attributed to Anne and Samuel Fradd. A few interesting facts are that Elizabeth Jane Fradd, Mary Josephine Fradd and Samuel Fradd were all born out of wedlock prior to 1876. William James Fradd was born in 1876 (the year of Samuel's death) and Emily Fradd (the only child that can be found with a specific birth/baptismal record) was baptized on the 3rd of November 1893; after Samuel had died .The 'fathers' name was not listed on the certificate.

Emily Fradd Baptism Record.

Samuel died on in the last quarter of 1877 in St Columb, Cornwall, England aged 68. Ann went on living a further 52 years in St. Merryn until her death in March 1929 and was aged 82. 

Her occupation was listed as a Charwoman in the 1891Census…or Chore woman / Cleaning woman (Domestic service) who usually worked for hourly wages, often on a part-time basis. They usually had several different employers and unlike maids or farm servants, did not 'live-in'.

References:

¹http://spartacus-educational.com 

Albert Thorne Fradd 1887

Albert Thorne Fradd was one of nine siblings and was born on the 10th August 1887 on Portsea Island, Hampshire, England to Samuel Fradd and Mary Jane Thorne.

Albert’s father Samuel was born in Padstow, Cornwall, England and it is suspected that he moved to Portsmouth in his trade as a Shipwright to work in the docks and it was here that he met and married Mary Jane Thorne who was born in Hampshire.

Albert’s middle name was taken from his mother’s maiden name.

The UK, Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services, 1848-1939 records that Albert as a schoolboy, began work at the Portsmouth Dockyard as a Boy Shipwright aged 12.

He was 4' 9" with dark brown hair, grey eyes and fresh complexion when he joined.

His Official Number was P345594.

Career Postings.

He spent his first 5 years there from 16 July 1902 until 15 July 1907 where he learnt his trade and was then posted to various RN ships and shore establishments up until 09 Aug 1927 when he paid off after 40 years’ service as a Chief Shipwright.

HMS Bellerophon.

It appears Albert served on many ships in a maintenance capacity as the length of tenure on these vessels was quite short, except for three ships; HMS Princess Royal, HMS Bellerophon and HMS Argus.

HMS Argus.

Albert’s record states that his character was VG (very good) throughout his naval career. He was awarded three good conduct badges, which I believe is the maximum one rating can receive.

He married Gwendoline Fradd his first cousin in March1917 in Portsmouth, Southampton where they had 1 issue, a daughter called Lenora Gwendoline.

 

HMS Princess Royal.

Albert died on the 25th April 1955 in Cosham, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England.  His wife Gwendoline passed away in 1957.