Dead end City of London 1831

[gillessex]

Thanks very much for the information.

[LynO23]

I just found this and am very interested in James Oatway/Tarrant. James Oatway (1814 - 1879) was my 3rd great grandfather and I have reached a brick wall with James Tarrant's son Albert James Oatway who went to the USA. I have found his marriage to Harriet Northcross and the birth of their daughter, Margery. Do you know if they had any more children, and what happened to Margery, please?
Also, do you know for sure that these Oatways are related to the ones in Yarnscombe? I have searched for John, the weaver's father James's birth in Shirwell, but can't find it there or in in any of the nearby parishes. I've found his marriage on 4 Feb 1760 to Elizabeth Nott at St Peter's, Shirwell and their children's baptisms - Anne 1761; Thomas 1764; William 1767; Elizabeth 1770; Honour 1772; John 1776 and Mary 1778 but not his own baptism. I would appreciate any help that you could give.

[Oatway]

Hello Lyn023,
Albert was my grandmother Grace's brother. Margery was his only child. She lives in Huntington Beach, California and has two children - Gregory and Cynthia. We've corresponded.

James, John the weaver's father, who married Elizabeth Nott, was born in Yarnscombe in 1727. His father (yes you've guessed it) John was born in Yarnscombe in 1697, and his father was Anthony  Oatway born in Yarnscombe in 1655.

Have you discovered James Tarrant/Oatway's prison record? He was my GGgrandfather. Apparently Albert didn't speak about him very much, as he left the family when they were young children.

All the best with your searches.

[LynO23]

Hello 'Oatway'
Thank you so much for your message. I will make an effort to go the record office soonest to have another look for these records and photograph the 'fiche entries. I'm also going to check to see if the Devon Hearth Tax Returns have survived for Yarnscombe, although if the chest in the parish church is anything to go by any papers stored in there would have been badly affected by damp.

Is James the Ottway alias Oatway who was released from Wandsworth prison on 10 Nov 1890? If so, you have to feel a little sorry for him, it must have been almost impossible to be a basket maker if you're paralyzed on your left side. I wonder if he was disabled from birth?

Thank you for the information on Margery as well. It was a surprise to find that she was still alive. At the moment I'm trying to find out if any of the Australian descendants are still around, but it's not easy given what they do with census returns.

Best wishes
Lyn. 

[Oatway]

Hi Lyn,

Yes, he was released from Wandsworth in Nov 1890 (his fourth conviction that year, with three more over 1892-93). I didn't know about his disability, so thanks for the info.

Good luck with the Aus connection.

Best wishes,
Oatway

[LynO23]

Hi 'Oatway'

I've found the answer to my own question. James was not paralyzed from birth. FindMyPast has, in their Crime, Prison & Punishment set an Habitual Criminals Register for 1890. This is where I found the information about his paralysis. Then, Ancestry has 'London, England, selected Poor Law and Settlement Records, 1698 - 1930. There you will find an Examination and Orders of Removal for James Oatway alias Tarrant to be moved from the workhouse in Bethnal Green and transferred to St Leonards, Shoreditch. In the Examination it states that James enlisted in the army, Worcestershires, in 1874 and was discharged 12 years later in 1886. It also mentions the paralysis, as well as the fact that our man has spent 2 years in Liverpool.

Back to FindMyPast where in their Military, armed forces & conflict set, there are the attestation and discharge records for James Oatway who served 12 years in the 29th and 36th Foot, Worcestershire Regiment. He was not medically discharged. He came out because he had served his agreed term of 12 years.

I have just spent the last 2 hours trawling the British Newspaper archive, but I can't find any news item about him that would explain the paralyzed left side. Nor any further law breaking!

Best wishes

Lyn

[Oatway]

Hi Lyn,
Interesting. The military service is all new to me. My grandmother, his daughter Grace, was born in July 1885. He married Sophia Hefford in August 1883 and Albert was born in April 1884. So he was still in service during all that time. In the 1881 census he is down as a basket maker but he must have still been in the Army. The disability is intriguing. I shall attempt to find out more.

James (I bet people called him Jim) had quite a criminal record which I accessed through Ancestry.
1889 - 21 days for stealing boots; 3 months for stealing reeds; 2 summary convictions for assault and begging; 3 months for stealing basket; then 8 hampers - larceny & receiving led to 12 months in Wandsworth.
1892 - 1 month for stealing baskets: order of removal from Bethnal Green workhouse to St Leonards
1893 - 3 months for stealing bundles of rods - Wormwood Scrubs; 9 months for stealing/receiving 31 rug straps - Pentonville (he certainly did the rounds of jails!)
1901 - he was living at 175 City Road, New Hoxton
1918 - he died in Shoreditch aged 61 (my grandmother, his daughter, died 6 years later)

I know quite bit about the Devon roots if you are stuck anywhere. I suggest you trace Elizabeth Nott (1737-1820) if you haven't already - a very interesting branch going back a long way.

All the best,
Oatway

[LynO23]

Hi Oatway

Thanks for the information about Jim's (he has to be either Jim or Jimmy doesn't he?) convictions. I haven't found those yet, but I've been a bit sidetracked. The Habitual Criminals Register shows his destination on release from Wandsworth as 'The Beehive' Brick Lane. This rang bells and in the end I had to look it up.

The Beehive was owned by John Cooney, who also owned the lodging house at Flower and Dean Street. These properties featured in the Jack the Ripper story. The Beehive could hold over 200 people which resulted in it being a single enumeration district in census returns. In Charles Booth's 1898 map of London it's classed as 'black' (vicious, semi-criminal).

A propos of absolutely nothing, John Cooney was the music hall singer Marie Lloyd's cousin.

So, if our Jim was consorting with criminals and prostitutes it's no wonder he was always in trouble. All joking aside though, he must have been a callous individual to have abandoned his wife and children the way he did. Maybe his sister's death in 1883 had an effect on him, because that's a story in itself.

Happy hunting
Lyn

[Oatway]

Hi Lyn,

What a cliffhanger!!What's the story of his sister's death? I'm starting to warm to Jim now (incidentally, Grace named her third son Jim). Which sister? It wasn't either of his full sisters, as Elizabeth died in 1871, and Rachel married Frederick Matthews in 1892 and did not pass away until 1928. So, was it Rebecca, Eliza or Harriet? Caroline died in 1851 and little Alice died in 1855.

Then there is the mysterious gathering in April 1881 at Eliza Richard's house. Ten family members are present but not Elizabeth Oatway/Tarrant or little Rachel. Our Jim was there but he must have been in the Army then (although he is down as a basket maker).

Well, well, well The Beehive - I've heard of that too. Elizabeth Oatway/Tarrant and Rachel were also residents of Spitalfields: 1881 at 31 Quaker St, then in 1884 Elizabeth died at 16 Wilkes St of heart failure and chronic lung disease. She was a charwoman. The house is still there. It was my dead end with Elizabeth that started this posting. I would love to find out more about her but the relevant records are lost from St Mary Axe / St Andrew Undershaft, Lime St. City of London.

With curiosity,
Oatway