Monday 30 June 2008

Thomas Saddington the Bigamist (circa 1826 - ?)

This is a work in progress post about Thomas Saddington the bigamist, who featured in the Old Bailey post back in May.

Courtesy of the Times Archive, the Times newspaper, dated 14 February 1866 (most appropriate!), reported the matter as follows:

"At Lambeth, Mr. Thomas Saddington, an inspector on the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, was charged with feloniously intermarrying with Jessie Kempton, his former wife, Caroline, being then and still living. Mr. Inspector Henry Meath, of the L division of police, said he apprehended the prisoner on the evening before at his residence in the Old Kent-road. On telling him the charge, his reply was "Yes, that's quite right." The witness produced two certificates of marriage of the prisoner, the first with Caroline Talkington, at St. Pancras Church, on the 19th of April, 1849, and the second with Jessie Kempton, at St. Mary's, Newington, on the 9th of September, 1865. Both wives were present, and the last, who is very young, gave evidence of her marriage, and said that while paying attentions to her the prisoner had always represented himself as a widower. The prisoner was fully committed for trial."

Courtesy of the GOONS Marriage Challenge, I can bring you the contents of Thomas and Caroline's marriage certificate.

St Pancras Church
No. 121

19 April 1849

Thomas Saddington Full Bachelor Soldier Edward Street Thomas Saddington Tavern Keeper
Caroline Talkington Full Spinster - Edward Street John Talkington (decd) -

After banns.

Both bride and groom signed their names.

The witnesses were John Wilson and Sara Wilson.


As yet, I do not have further details of Thomas' marriage to Jessie Kempton, but it is still listed in the General Register Office indexes in the September quarter of 1865 in the Newington Registration District (Vol 1d, Page 271).

I will add to this post as I find out more about Thomas and his wives. If he belongs to you, I would, as usual, be delighted to hear from you.

Thursday 26 June 2008

Dennis Saddington (1854 - 1915)

Apologies for the lack of posts so far this month - I have been sitting exams and also awaiting the arrival of my beautiful new niece, who was a week overdue.

Anyway, the subject of this post is Dennis Saddington, a brother of Laura Saddington. I have chosen to post on Dennis, because I noticed that a number of people had arrived at this blog, having googled "dennis saddington". This is a work in progress post, and as I discover more about Dennis, I will edit it accordingly.

According to information provided by the late Jim Saddington of Philadelphia, USA, Dennis Saddington was born on 12 November 1854 at Little Stukeley, Huntingdonshire. His parents were Charles Saddington (born circa 1821 at Woodwalton, HUN) and Elizabeth Colbert (born circa 1827 at Little Stukeley, HUN). Dennis was the third son and fourth child of the seven children known to have been born to Charles and Elizabeth.

In the 1861 census, the family were living at Little Stukeley, HUN, and Charles was an agricultural labourer (RG9/975, Folio 130, Page 11, Sch. 57). In the 1871 census, the family were still living at Little Stukeley, HUN, and Charles was now a bricklayer's labourer, as was Dennis (RG10/1527, Folio 95, Page 6, Sch. 24).

Somehow Dennis made his way to Norfolk, where he married Annetta Elizabeth Howard on 6 June 1876 in her birthplace, Flitcham. From Norfolk, the happy couple soon moved to Nottingham, where their first child, Henry Charles was born in Bulwell in the September quarter of 1876.

Their second child, Dennis Howard, was born in Bulwell in the September quarter of 1878, whilst their third child and first daughter, Annetta Elizabeth, was born in Hyson Green in the September quarter of 1880. The family then moved to Radford, Nottingham in time for the 1881 census, living at 19 Gladstone Terrace, where Dennis was enumerated as a bricklayer (RG11/3345, Folio 144, Page 39).

The year 1882 brought both joy and sorrow. Florrie Agnes was born in the September quarter, whilst Dennis Howard died at the age of 4 in the December quarter. Dennis and Annetta's fifth child, Arthur Dennis, was born in Radford on 2 December 1885.

Sometime after Arthur Dennis' birth, the family moved to Humberstone, Leicester, where Frederick William was born in the March quarter of 1889, followed by Albert George in the September quarter of 1890. In the 1891 census, Dennis and Annetta, and their six surviving children were living at 10 Haslings(?) Road, Humberstone, Leicester, and Dennis was working as a bricklayer (RG12/2495, Folio 109, Page 22,& Folio 110, Page 23, Sch. 107).

Dennis and Annetta moved house not long after the census, because when little Albert George died at the age of 1 in the September quarter of 1892, he did so in the Leicester Registration District. The children born in Humberstone had been registered in the Billesdon Registration District.

The arrival of Percy Robert in the March quarter of 1894, followed by Ethel May, born in the December quarter of 1895, increased the number of mouths to feed once more.

Then tragedy struck the family again. Annetta Saddington died in the December quarter of 1898, aged 44, leaving her husband, Dennis, with seven children to look after, the youngest three being all under 10 years of age. The eldest child, Henry Charles, now 21, had been contributing for some years now, having been enumerated as a shoemaker in the 1891 census at the age of 14.

Unlike many men who had been left in that position at this period of history, Dennis did not marry again. The 1901 census shows him living at 37 Percival Street, Leicester, with six of his seven surviving children. He was working as a bricklayer, Henry (now 24) was working as a shoe rivetter, Florrie (18) was a tailoress and Arthur (15) was a printer compositer, while the three youngest had no given occupation (RG13/3000, Folio 77, Page 20, Sch. 117).

Dennis' eldest daughter, Annetta Elizabeth, had married John William Taylor in the December quarter of 1899, and was working as a tailoress machinist in Leicester in the 1901 census. Florrie Agnes married in the March quarter of 1902 to either James Manning or William Walter Smith. Henry Charles married in the June quarter of 1905 to either Maud Facer or Alice Merrick. Arthur Dennis emigrated to the United States in 1907, and married Marion E Hilton on 27 June 1908 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ethel May married John Jones in the March quarter of 1914. Frederick William married Lily A Platts in the December quarter of 1915, whilst Percy Robert married Gertrude M Lowe in the same quarter.

Dennis died in the September quarter of 1915, aged 60, in Leicester, so would have lived to know that all of his surviving children were or were about to be married. I hope that he died happy, despite the early loss of his wife and two small sons.

If you are one of Dennis' descendants or are descended from any of his six brothers and sisters, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Wednesday 11 June 2008

Some Saddington Bankrupts

As well as names, dates and places, I have always wanted to know more about the actual people that I research - what they did, what their beliefs were, what their interests were, what life altering events they experienced and so on.

Increasing debt and the possibility of bankruptcy are problems affecting many people today as a result of the current economic slowdown. However, they are not new problems. Our ancestors faced them too, and for them, debt and bankruptcy could lead to imprisonment.

In this post, you will find the names, addresses and occupations of some Saddingtons who found themselves experiencing bankruptcy over the past two centuries. The information is taken from the London Gazette, the archives of which are now online. The dates are those of the issue of the Gazette in which the information was found. Please note that the names of anyone who goes bankrupt today or went bankrupt in the past will be or has been published in the London Gazette, and in either a local or national newspaper, or in both.

10 October 1812

John Saddington, corn-dealer, dealer and chapman - living at Kennington Common in the Parish of St Mary, Lambeth in the County of Surrey

17 June 1815

Thomas Saddington, salesman, dealer and chapman - living at Sutton Bassett in the County of Northampton

5 April 1859

Daniel Saddington, blacksmith - living at Kings Cliffe in the County of Northampton

22 January 1864

William Saddington, innkeeper and horse dealer - formerly living at Wantage in the County of Berkshire, and now living at Wallingford in the County of Berkshire

27 September 1872


William Saddington, grocer - living at 39 Park Street in the town of Northampton

31 January 1873


Joseph Saddington, hair dresser, perfumer and agent for the sale of tea - living at 7 Snow Hill, Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford

14 January 1879

Rosina Saddington and Annie Saddington, hosiers, milliners and outfitters, trading as R. and A. Saddington - living at 135 Oldham Street, Manchester in the County of Lancaster

25 August 1908

Harry Saddington, horse dealer - living at Side Hollows, Appleby Magna in the County of Leicester

21 July 1939


Frederick Marshall Saddington, Director of a limited company - living at 5 Litherland Road, Sale in the County of Chester

30 September 1941


Mabel Bower Saddington and Gwendoline Jessie Brooks, infants' nursery and convalescent home proprietresses, trading as Redlees Infants Home - living at "Redlees Infants Home", South Road, Portishead in the County of Somerset


If any of these unfortunate people belong to you, I would be delighted to hear from you.