Georgiana (Canham) Clarke (bef. 1864 - bef. 1917)

Born before 30 Sep 1864 in Murrow, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom

Wife of Walter Henry Clarke — married 1887 in Wisbeach, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died before 31 Dec 1917 at about age 53 in Chelmsford, Essex, England, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Shirley Blomfield [send private message], K Anonymous [send private message], and Gail James [send private message]

Biography

Georgiana (Canham) Clarke was born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, England.

1864 Birth

Georgiana Canham was born in the 3rd quarter of 1864 in the Fenland market town of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. Her mother's maiden name was recorded as Knowles. ^[1]

1871 Census

The earliest reference to her after birth is the 1871 census She was aged 6, listed as a scholar in the house of her parents Sarah and John Canham. Other siblings are Charles aged 16, James aged 12, Edith aged 11, Agnes aged 9, Kate aged 8, Seth aged 4, Naomi aged 2, John R aged 1 ^[2]

1880 Mother's Death

The absence of her mother in the 1881 census suggests that her mother has died at some point between 1871 and 1881. Searching on Freebmd between these dates returns a death record for Sarah Canham, died in the 3rd quarter of 1880 in Wisbech. She was 44 years of age. ^[3]

1881 Census

The 1881 census lists her as the daughter of John Canham at Murrow High Road, Wisbech St. Mary, Cambridgeshire RG11 1694/87. Her siblings were listed as James A 22, Agnes 19, Seth 16, Naomi 12, John 10, William 9 and Eliza 8. There was also a baby Thomas R Canham aged 0, grandson of John and a visitor Jane Willey, 21 from Holbech, Lincolnshire ^[4]

Thomas K Canham was born several years before Georgiana married Walter. The GRO entry for him shows that he was born in 1880 as Thomas Knowles Canham when Georgiana was only 16 so he would be the baby grandson of John in the 1881 census. His father is not known.. It is possible that his mother was Agnes rather than Georgiana but he appears in her household in the 1891 census so the probability is that he was Georgiana's son, born when she was only 16^[5]

1887 Marriage

Georgiana married Walter Henry Clarke in the 4th quarter of 1887 in Wisbech when she was 23. ^[6]

1891 Census

In the 1891 Census the Clarke family were living in Wisbech at 6 West Parade, Wisbech and Walter was listed as a Groom/Coachman. Georgiana was listed as aged 26 born Murrow and Walter as 27 born London. ^[7] There were three children at the time of the census:

• Thomas K Canham aged 10 Son born Murrow,
• Grace aged 2 Daughter born Thorney (Cambridgeshire),
• John Henry 1 Son born Walsoken (Walsoken is in Norfolk but is an adjoining parish to Wisbech)

There was also a visitor listed as being in the household on the night of the census. She was named Ann Allen aged 20, domestic servant

1901 Census

By the time of the 1901 census Walter and Georgiana had moved to Billericay in the parish of Brentwood, Essex. The family consisted of Walter, Georgiana and daughter Grace, now listed as 13. Walter was a solider, a Lance Corporal in the Royal Eastern Reserve Regiment. ^[8]

1911 Census

Ten years later in 1911 they were living in Chelmsford and Walter's occupation was listed as a cab driver. The family was now multi-generational. As well as Walter and Georgiana, the household included their daughter Grace, marital status married and married surname Darly and her son Albert Edward Darly born in 1911, the same year as the census, sons John Henry, born 1889, occupation groom, Albert Edward born 1893, occupation lamp fitter and Walter born 1894, occupation window cleaner. There was also a grandson Wilfred George Clarke, born 1907 and a 21 year old boarder from Lancaster called Albert Edward Hodgen. He was a butcher.^[9]

1917 Death

Georgiana died in the 4th quarter of 1917 at the age of 53 in Chelmsford, Essex ^[10]

Her husband outlived her and died in the 3rd quarter of 1927, also in Chelmsford^[11]

Research Notes

There are a few mysteries here.

• Who was Grace's husband and where was he on the night of the census?

Darly appears to be a transcription error for Davy There is a marriage registered for Grace Clarke and Alfred Davy in the 3rd quarter of 1909 in Chelmsford.^[12]

• Who were Wilfred George's parents? His birth was registered in Billericay in the 3rd quarter of 1906^[13]

However without ordering the certificate it is not possible to find out any more.

• Where were Albert Edward and Walter on the night of the 1901 census?

Cross-referencing with other sources for 1901 census such as Ancestry and Findmypast shows that this is an error on the part of family search.org and they were indeed in the household.

Acknowledgements

This profile has been improved by a member of the England Project's Orphan Trail

Sources

1. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Birth (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 13 Jun 2020), database entry for Georgiana(Canham) Clarke (Mother's maiden surname:Knowles), GRO Reference: 1864 S Quarter in Wisbeach Volume 3B Page 584
2. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1871", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KD8K-HQM : 25 April 2019), Georgiana Canham in entry for John Canham, 1871.
3. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Death (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 5 Jul 2020), database entry for Canham, Sarah, Age at death 44GRO Reference: 1880 S Quarter in WISBECH Volume 03B Page 371
4. ↑ England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27C-P25Q : 11 December 2017), Georgiana Canham in household of John Canham, Wisbech St Mary, Cambridgeshire, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 14, Piece/Folio 1694/87, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,506.
5. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Birth (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 5 Jul 2020), database entry for Canham, Thomas Knowles, no mother's maiden surname GRO Reference: 1880 D Quarter in OF WISBECH Volume 03B Page 562
6. ↑ https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=FtKJjMbWdX13uD4rxj%2B2kw&scan=1 FreeBMD.org; database online. Citing: Georgian Canham and Walter Henry Clarke, Marriages 1887 Dec Quarter District: Wisbech Vol: 3B Page:253. (accessed 13 June 2020)
7. ↑ "General Register Office: 1891 Census Returns database, FreeCEN (https://www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/59028c89e9379091b1654a06 : viewed 5 Jul 2020), Georgiana CLARKE in household of Walter Hy CLARKE, West Parade, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, England; from 1891 "England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images; citing The National Archives RG 12/1304, Folio 33, Page 27, Schedule 177, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey."
8. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9ND-4DH : 20 May 2019), Georgiana Clarke in household of Walter H Clarke, Brentwood, Essex, England, United Kingdom; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing Brentwood subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
9. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWNM-R1G : 24 June 2019), Georgina Clarke in household of Walter Henry Clarke, Chelmsford, Essex, England, United Kingdom; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
10. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Death (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 13 June 2020), database entry for Clarke, Georgiana Age at death: 53. GRO Reference: 1917 D Quarter in CHELMSFORD Volume 04A Page 589
11. ↑ https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=ZXvzOCEV1jOp%2FmNcFRfGcA&scan=1
12. ↑ https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=%2Fs%2FdxMdezO3fki2%2B9CS0zg&scan=1
13. ↑ https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=SZEGIhqVYcQRooQarD1SLw&scan=1