Mary Ann Cotton, she's deed and she's rotten

Mary Ann Cotton, she's deed and she's rotten

Lying in a' coffin with a' belly wide op'en

This was the rather ghastly rhyme my grandma while cradling her children and grandchildren. I have known this version of the rhyme probably my whole life, although it does differ from the official version.

I was amazed to discover, fairly recently, that I have a distant connection to Mary Ann Cotton. But who exactly was she? 

Mary Ann Robson was born on 31 October 1832 at Low Moorsley, Durham, and was baptised on 11 November at West Rainton. Her parents were Michael and Margaret Robson (née Lonsdale). Michael Robson was a pitman, later described as a pit sinker. 

Mary Ann's baptism at West Rainton
(then Rainton Chapel)

When Mary Ann was still a young girl, her family moved to East Murton, where her father got a job at the local colliery. They weren't there for long when her father Michael died after falling down the pit. After Mary Ann's infamy rose, there were stories that Mary Ann witnessed her father's mangled body be brought back to the family home in a wheelbarrow, owned by the colliery. Her mother remarried to a man named George Stott shortly after, whom Mary Ann was not very fond of.

Mary Ann became known as the first and most prolific serial killer in British history. Cotton was the name of her fourth and final husband, although it was a bigamous marriage. Hers was a truly sick and horrific Victorian tale. She is thought to have murdered 21 people, including husbands, step-children, her own mother and eleven of her thirteen children. Arsenic was her poison. 

Mary Ann Cotton

Mary Ann Cotton is still a rather grisly name in the north east of England, but I doubt very many people outside of the region have heard of her. 

So how is it that I am connected to Mary Ann Cotton?

Mary Ann moved to Seaham Harbour after the death of her first husband in 1865. She soon after struck up a relationship with a man named Joseph Nattrass, who was already engaged to be married. After Joseph married, Mary Ann left Seaham Harbour. 

Mary Ann and Joseph rekindled their relationship years later, sometime after 1871. Joseph had been widowed, and was now living in a village nearby. On discovering this, Mary Ann convinced Frederick Cotton, her new husband, to move to the same village. Frederick Cotton was killed a few mere months later, and Joe became the lodger of Mrs Cotton. 

Joseph Nattrass may have been Mary Ann's on-off lover for a few years now, but that didn't stop him following the same fate as his predecessors. Joseph became ill in 1871, suffering with gastric fever - like all those before him, and died soon after.  

Joseph was the son of Henderson and Mary Nattrass, who had an elder brother named Michael. In 1862, at the parish church of Gateshead Fell, Michael Nattrass married a lady named Margaret Errington - Margaret's sister Isabella was my great-great-grandmother. Isabella and her husband Matthew Taylor (my great-great-grandparents) were the witnesses to the union. 

Michael Nattrass and my aunt Margaret did not have any children, and separated only a few years into their marriage. They both met new partners, and married bigamously, but they both seemed rather happy with this arrangement.

After Mary Ann Cotton was found out, her details and those of her victims were written about extensively in the media of the time. The following was written about Joseph 'Joe' Nattrass in the Shields Daily Gazette, 8 October 1872;

"Strange to say, at this period, "Joe" Nattrass, one of the men she is accused of poisoning at West Auckland, was lodging with his brother, Michael Nattrass, at the back part of the property at which she lived. Mrs Wallerson, a neighbour, is not aware that she knew Nattrass then, although she might, and he able to conceal the knowledge of such acquaintanceship from her. Joe Nattrass was married about this time to a young woman, named Thubron, daughter of John and Mary Thubron, who were then living in Back Terrace, Seaham Harbour. After his marriage he went to live at Shildon, where his wife died. He must then have gone to West Auckland, and by a singular coincidence fallen in with the woman Cotton and gone there to lodge. Michael Nattrass and his wife have since died."

Mary Ann Cotton was sentenced to death, and she was hanged on 24 March 1873 at Durham County Gaol. 

It is entirely possible that my aunt Margaret Errington knew the ill-fated Joe, and perhaps she was even acquainted with Mary Ann Cotton herself. Margaret died many years later, so must have known about the Mary Ann Cotton murders, as just about everyone in the north east would have. 

My maternal grandmother would sing her version of the Mary Ann Cotton rhyme to her children and grandchildren, whilst she cradled, rocked, or bounced them on her knee. I can only assume her own mother, Sarah Jane Taylor, sang the rhyme to her - and she possibly learnt the rhyme from her own mother, Isabella Errington! 

ITV have filmed a period drama detailing the Mary Ann Cotton murders - It stars Joanne Froggatt of Downton Abbey fame as Mary Ann, and airs tonight at 9pm.

Writer's Block: Which of my Ancestors could write?

I decided an interesting idea would be to see who in my more recent ancestry could read and write. 

On civil registration documents in the UK, the informant of the event was required to either make their mark (a cross, X), or sign their name. A lot of information in the chart I prepared is taken from birth, marriage and death certificates from my own family 

The 1911 census returns were the first to be filled in by each head of the household, and so this is often be the first time someone will see their ancestor's full signature. If the head of the household was not able to write, then someone in the family, a friend or a neighbour was allowed to fill in the form on their behalf. 

First things first, obviously I can read and write. My parents can, my grandparents could, and so could all of my great-grandparents. 

Ticks denote they could read/write.
Crosses denote they could not.

Thanks to Crista Cowan from Ancestry, AKA the Barefoot Genealogist for sharing the chart, and giving me the initial idea.

I have somewhat neglected looking for my ancestors in school records, so I'm not sure if they will exist in places. A fairly recent record set published on Find My Past were the National School Admission Registers & Logbooks from 1870 - 1914. I found a lot of relatives in those records, but not many direct ancestors.

One I did find was my great-grandmother, Minnie Metcalf (written above as MM 1893 in the fourth column), who attended the Crofton Temporary Infants School in Blyth, along with her younger sister Nellie.

My great-great-grandfather, Adam Storey (written above as AS 1853), could read and write. He probably attended the Church of England school at Newbiggin, as did his siblings. I know Adam was a highly intelligent and educated man, who aspired to become a solicitor. He was an apprentice to a solicitor in Morpeth for a short while after leaving school. Adam's wife Jane Mavin (written above as JM 1853) could also read and write. 

As an added extra, I also coloured the boxes to show where my ancestors were born. Red for England, Dark Blue for Scotland, Green for Ireland etc. The Orange is for my paternal grandmother, born in Australia, and the Light Blue is for my great-great-grandfather, William James Rudd, who was born in Virginia, USA. 


Looking at my paternal grandfather's side of the family, it is clear that the previous few generations were all born in Scotland. Charles Leslie and Agnes Carroll, my great-great-grandparents (written above as CL 1858 and AC 1865, respectively), were not able to write. They were both children of Irish immigrants, so it is not a big surprise to me at all. 

My other great-great-grandfather, William McLean (written above as WM 1874) could not write. He signed with an X on numerous civil registrations, and so was obviously unable to even sign his own name. Interestingly though, his wife Marion Richmond (MR 1878 above) could sign her own name. In the early years of her marriage, Marion could be found signing her name as "Marion McClen."


My two great-great-grandparents born in Ireland could not read or write either. Martin Quinnin and Barbara Coyle (MQ c.1838 and BC c.1841 respectively) were both born in Co. Sligo, and came to England during the potato famine. It is no surprise to me that they were illiterate, as they were the children of impoverished labourers. They both signed their marriage certificate with an X. 

Similarly, my maternal grandmother's grandmother's were illiterate also. Matthew Taylor and Isabella Errington (MT 1838 and IE 1841 above) were both born long before education was made compulsory in England, and so I never expected them to be able to read and write. 

As for two of my great-great-grandmothers, I just don't know if they were literate. I can guess that Ann Jane Knox (written above as AK 1874) could write, as I have found school records for some of her siblings. As for Jane Barrass (JB 1853), I just don't have any evidence. I believe one of her brothers wrote and signed his own will, so I could maybe guess that she could, but I'm just not certain.

Annabella

My 2x great-grandfather, Matthew Taylor, was supposedly twenty-years-old when he married Isabella Errington on 5 December 1857 at St John's Church, Gateshead Fell. Isabella is my 2x great-grandmother.

Matthew and Isabella went on to have at least eleven children, who were all born in various colliery towns and villages across Durham and Northumberland. 

The couple's first daughter was named Hannah Bell Taylor, who was born on 2 November 1863, and baptised on 24 December at Monkwearmouth, Durham. I thought Hannah Bell a rather curious name, and a one not usually the norm for people in this locality.

On the marriage certificate, Matthew's father is stated to be John Taylor, a blacksmith. No other clue to Matthew's family is given, and a relative of his is not even an official witness to the marriage. On census returns, his place of birth is stated to be either at Monkwearmouth, Gateshead or Low Fell. 

Going back in time to the 1851 census, a Matthew Taylor can be found living in Sunderland, born around 1839 in Hylton, Durham - which could hardly be mistaken for Monkwearmouth, Gateshead or Low Fell! His parents are John, a joiner, and Jane, who ultimately turned out to be his stepmother. The reason I suspect this to be my 2x great-grandfather is because he has a younger sister named "Hannah B."

Ten years previously in 1841, this particular Taylor family are living in Hylton, headed by John the joiner. This specific enumerator was fond of abbreviations, so John's wife is listed as "Isab,", and their children are Dorothy, John, George, "Mattw," and Hannah. John's mother Dorothy is also living with the family.

Matthew was baptised at St Mary's, South Hylton, on 9 February 1840. His date of birth is written in the margin as being 1 April 1838. Matthew's parents are written as "John Taylor and M. A. Isabella (late) Dodds." Below his entry, is that of his sister Hannah, or rather "Anna Isabella," as on the record, and her parents are written the same as on Matthew's entry. I have no idea what the "M. A." could stand for. I am perhaps safe to assume that the A refers to Anna, and so her full name, or a variation of it, was M. Anna Isabella, as her daughter's baptismal name suggests.

The baptisms of Matthew and Anna Isabella Taylor at South Hylton.
From the Durham Bishop's Transcripts.

John Taylor and Isabella Dodds were married at Monkwearmouth on 3 September 1830. No extra names were given for Isabella. The only little clue about her family is that a possible relative was a witness to the marriage, an Elizabeth Dodds who made her mark. 

I knew that Isabella died sometime after the 1841 census, but before the 1851 census, as Matthew's father John had remarried to a woman named Jane by that time. I struggled for a long time on solving the mystery of Isabella until fairly recently, when I discovered the South Hylton Local History Society. The Society have transcribed numerous local records, and published them online. Their website can be found at http://www.shlhs.com/

The Society have the burials of St Mary's, South Hylton transcribed for the years 1821 - 1883, and there are some twenty Taylors recorded. Amongst them is an Annabella Taylor, who was buried on 13 February 1844, aged 36. I later learnt that the actual record states that Annabella died on 11 February, and was the wife of John Taylor, a joiner.

Further research shows that Annabella gave birth to a child named Frances Blake Taylor, sometime in early February 1844. That implies that Annabella died in childbirth. I already knew Blake to be the maiden name of John's mother, Dorothy. Baby Frances was baptised on the same day her poor mother was buried, but sadly she also died, just two months later.

So is she my ancestress? 

Annabella or Isabella Dodds was born in around 1808. Where, I can't be sure, but probably in Durham, around the Sunderland area. Who her parents were is currently unknown to me. I am certain that she is my 3x great-grandmother.

Matthew Taylor's younger sister Hannah Bell married a Welshman by the name of William Williams. In later life she too used the name Annabella. Also, Matthew's eldest brother, John had a daughter who was baptised as Anna Bell, but registered under the name Hannah Bell.

Please comment if you have any ideas. I'd love to know people's thoughts. Perhaps a fellow family historian out there has gotten to the bottom of this one.

The 1939 Register - Update

At the stoke of midnight on 16 February, Find My Past added the 1939 Register to their subscription. No doubt, this is due to the huge backlash when Find My Past reported that the Register would only be available through purchasing credits. I for one am thankful that Find My Past have changed their minds.

*

I've already solved one mystery! I knew that my great-grandmother's sister, Margaret Taylor had married Robert Gray in 1884. Together they had at least five children. Margaret and Robert are missing from the 1911, and in six years of researching I have never came close to finding them, until now. I assumed they must have died as their children could be found living around with family members. 

I knew Margaret's birthdate from her baptism record, which is great as the 1939 Register includes the nation's dates of birth - and so Margaret and Robert were easily found! The couple were living alone in Blyth, close to where they lived before they went missing. Margaret is described as "Incapacitated".

Now that the Register is included in the subscriptions, I can also attempt to find friends of the family, or even people named in family anecdotes. 

The first person I just had to find was a lady named Mrs Norah Smith. She is spoken of in my family quite a lot as she was a close friend of my maternal grandmother, who helped her deliver some of her children. Her husband was named Harry, and at one point they lived in the flat above my grandparents. 

To my surprise I found Henry and Norah Smith living at No. 2 Orange Street, Annitsford in 1939, only three doors from my great-grandparents who lived at No. 5. Harry was born in 1900, and Norah in 1908.

Another person I thought to look for was a local shop-owner known as Lancey Boward. One aunt of mine speaks quite fondly of the shop he owned and everything he sold inside. Lancey, or Lancelot Boward was living at 26 Jubilee Terrace, Annitsford with his wife, Annie. He is described as a "Sub Postmaster" and a general dealer. An annotation also tells me that he was a special constable. 

These are just a handful of the things I have found. I can't wait to see what more there is to discover from this wonderful resource. 

On This Day - Fenwick Morris

On 29 June 1895 Fenwick Morris was born at New Hartley, Northumberland to Matthew Morris and Hannah Bell Taylor. Fenwick was the youngest of six children, five of which were boys. He was baptised at the little parish church at Delaval on 24 July 1895. Fenwick was my grandmother's elder cousin. 

Fenwick Morris
From the Illustrated Chronicle.
Flickr

Fenwick's mother was utterly devoted to him, as after all he was the baby of the family. In August 1913, Fenwick only 18 years old was charged with "having rode his bicycle without a light." Fenwick did not appear at the Blyth Petty Sessions, but his mother Hannah did on his behalf. Hannah told the court that the reason Fenwick was not in attendance was due to him injuring himself that very same day at Hartley Pit. Under these circumstances, the court withdrew the case and he was awarded clemency.

On 24 August 1915 Fenwick enlisted in the Royal Naval Reserve at Blyth. The next day he left Blyth onboard HMS Crescent, but soon he was on HMS Natal.

HMS Natal was anchored in the Cromarty Firth during the festive period of 1915. In the afternoon of 30 December the captain of the ship, Captain Eric Back had arranged to have a film shown to the men onboard. He invited a group of civilians, namely his wife and children, and also a group of nurses from the nearby hospital ship, DRINA.

Just after 3:20pm on that day, violent explosions ripped through the ship. The ship was engulfed in flames and smoke, and within a few short minutes HMS Natal had sunk.

"As the complement of the Natal was 704 men it would appear that the loss of life was considerable, but as the ship was in harbour it is of course not certain that everyone was on board and until a definite statement is forthcoming it is safest not to assume any figures." 

The exact number of fatalities including the civilians and nurses is disputed, but the number is easily over 300, closer to 400 in fact. It was quite clear to witnesses and later divers that the calamity was caused by an unknown internal explosion. 

Stoker Fenwick Morris was lost on this fateful day, after only enlisting four months before. Hannah Bell Morris had lost her baby, aged 20 short years. 

Fenwick's name appears on the Chatham Naval Memorial, but he is also remembered on the family gravestone in Seghill churchyard. His name is there, along with his parents and two older brothers lost in the Great War.

The Morris family grave.

Harbertson Family Anecdotes *UPDATED*

My Great Grandfather, James Harbertson was born on 8 April 1880 at New Hartley, the son of John Harbertson and Margaret Ann Sharp. When James was only seven, his father died of cerebral disease. His mother Margaret soon remarried to Thomas Vickers, a neighbour from two doors away. 

When James was in his early twenties he began walking out with Sarah Jane Taylor, a local girl from the next village, Seaton Delaval. After marrying, the newly-weds moved to Newsham, a small mining village further north and close to Blyth. As a miner, it's likely James got a job in a colliery close to Newsham.

When James' mother Margaret was widowed the family moved back to New Hartley to live with her. I've already detailed this time period in Margaret's life in an earlier blog post. After staying in New Hartley for a few years, the Harbertson-Vickers family moved to the nearby village of Annitsford, and settled in No. 5 Orange Street. 

Margaret Vickers was a formidable lady, and it is said she wouldn't think twice about "marking your height" by throwing her cup of tea if you vexed her!

James in his allotment.

James Harbertson was an intelligent man, or rather as the family remember him "he had a good heed-piece on." He was quite good at fixing things, and would always lend a hand to help his neighbours out. James even worked for two doctors in nearby Burradon, with his family believing he was clever enough to be a doctor himself. As a working class man, and especially a miner, James just didn't have a good enough education. He always had his white silk scarf around his neck, contrasting with his boiler suit.

James' pride and joy was his allotment, a short walk from his house. There he grew flowers, fruit and vegetables. A trait he obviously inherited from his maternal grandfather, Joseph Sharp. James' beloved shovel was adorned with his initials, which he wrote in his own special way.

Sarah Jane was a "real grafter." She was always working, which included sweeping the street, polishing the front step and endless amounts of washing. Sarah Jane would hang the washing to dry in the wide and open Orangey's Field which the Harbertsons' house backed out onto. 

Sadly, Sarah Jane suffered from severe bronchitis and it took its toll on her over the years. She would often sit outside resting, and breathing in the fresh air. 

Sarah Jane.
Note her pinny, a sign of a real grafter.

Sarah Jane Harbertson died on 23 May 1951, and James on 5 May 1960.

James and Sarah Jane Harbertson's
headstone.

11 November 2015 - Armistice Day

On this Armistice Day I'm thinking about my maternal Grandma's cousin, Stoker Fenwick Morris. He was the son of Hannah Bell (Taylor) and Matthew Morris. 

In Flanders Fields

Fenwick died under tragic circumstances only a matter of weeks after enlisting in the Royal Naval Reserve, and the centenary of his death falls on 30 December 2015. I will publish a short biography on that day.

In total Hannah Bell and Matthew lost three sons to the war.

X

On This Day - Happy 133rd Birthday!

A very happy birthday to my Great Grandmother, Sarah Jane Harbertson (née Taylor), who was born on this day in 1882. Sarah Jane's parents were Matthew Taylor and Isabella Errington, and she was born while they were living in Seaton Terrace, near Seaton Delaval, Northumberland.

Sarah Jane Harbertson
-
A doting mother, and a canny soul

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A Mother's Love

Some Family Anecdotes

A Mother's Love

In 1902 my Great Grandmother, Sarah Jane Taylor gave birth out of wedlock. Even in these early Edwardian days there was still a huge stigma against illegitimate children and their mothers. 

It is said in my family that Sarah Jane's mother, Isabella was ashamed. Ashamed, not in her daughter, but in herself that she had not noticed her daughter's pregnancy early on. Isabella regretted that she was not able to help and advise her through that time, as she was with her other daughters. 

Isabella was already raising her daughter Mary's son, Robert Money and when Sarah Jane's baby son was born, Isabella offered to raise and take care of him also. She nurtured and cherished him to adulthood, and when Isabella died in 1928, her grandson carried on living in her house. 

In these years, Sarah Jane went on to marry and have eight more children. 

A rare photograph of
Sarah Jane

Decades later, one of Sarah Jane's daughters fell into the same trouble as she had in her younger days. Natured very much like her own mother, Sarah Jane said she would raise and take care of her grandchild.

This lineage is my direct female line, and all my life I have felt such strong maternal feelings from this side of my family.