Alfred Bligh aka Fred Hart

[Lisa Skeels]

Hello everyone

Today I became distracted from the direct line of my family tree and started looking at children of children etc.  In some ways I wish I hadn't ......

Alfred Bligh/Bly was born in Ashill, Norfolk, England around 1859.  At some point he met and married an Elizabeth Turner from Lancashire and they made a home there and had three children, all daughters.  The UK 1881 Census finds the family in Lancashire where they have a very young daughter and Alfred is a Grocer, the 1891 Census (this is where the story gets grim) finds Alfred in Broadmoor Asylum.  Elizabeth died in 1884 and it seems that Albert (invited) his sister in law to live with him as a housekeeper, at that time Albert was a Police Constable.  It appears, one way and another, Albert fell into hard times, due to allegations made by his sister in law about the paternity of her son and demands for money to support that child, he was forced to resign from the police force. 
Annie Turner took her older son on a visit to the circus leaving the three girls in the care of their father.  On their return they found Albert with his throat cut and the three girls lying beside him on the bed with their skulls fractured and strangled with a sheet.  Alfred was not dead and was eventually tried and convicted of murder and sentenced to death which was later commuted to a sentence in Broadmoor.  He was discharged in 1897 to the care of his brother in law but later absconded and left the UK.
He took the name of Fred Hart (Hart was the maiden name of his mother) and the occupation of labourer and left Liverpool bound for Halifax, Canada on 4 March 1897 aboard the Laurentian.
I am just wondering if anyone has come across this sorry tale and can tell me what happened to Fred Hart, if he ever got found out, when did he die etc?

[dbree]

Hi Lisa,

     how horrible. I can see how you wish you hadn't.

There is an article in the Star Chronicle Newspaper, Wainwright, Alberta for Fred Hart dated
March 23, 1949.

"Fred Hart, Pioneer Laid to Rest, another old timer of Wainwright passed away March 17th,
born July 25, 1855 in Ashill, Norfolk, England came to Canada March 17, 1899. He lived in
Bandhead, Ontario for a time before coming to Walsey, Assinobold in 1902. On March 6,
1903 he married Miss Annie Curtiss of Hamilton, Ontario and in May 1917 took up residence
in Wainwright where they have made their home since. He leaves to mourn his wife, and
three daughters, Edith of Edmonton, Mrs. H.M. (Alice) Russell of Edmonton, Mrs. M (Kathleen)
Hornberger of Calgary, also four grandchildren. A large number of friends attended to pay
their respects to a friend of long standing.....

There are a number of other mentions of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hart in this newspaper. You can
see these article through the Wainwright Public Library.
http://www.wainwrightlibrary.ab.ca/Newspaper-Archives
Scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on newspaper archives, on the second page click
enter, and at the top of that page enter Fred Hart.

DB

[dbree]

Hi Lisa,

1911 Canadian Census Qu' Appelle, Saskatchewan
Hart, Fred, head, married, b. July 1857 England, age 53, immigration yr. 1897, farming
Hart, Annie C., wife, b. Feb. 1884 England, age 27, immigration yr. 1896
Hart, Edith E., daughter, b. January 1904 Saskatchewan, age 7
Hart, Alice E., daughter, b. March 1906 Saskatchewan, age 5
Hart, E. Kathleen, daughter, b. March 1910 Manitoba, age 1

You can see the census here,
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01f3k/

Cheers,
DB

[dbree]

Hi Lisa,

1921 Canadian Census, Wainwright, Alberta
Hart, Annie, head, age 36, married, b. Ireland, immigration 1897, occupation none
Hart, Edith, daughter, age 17, b. Saskatchewan, student
Hart, Alice, daughter, age 15, b. Saskatchewan, student
Hart, Kathleen, daughter, age 11, b. Manitoba, student

No sign of Fred.

Cheers,
DB

[whiteout7]

http://www.blackkalendar.nl/content.php?key=11246

Alfred Bligh (Jail)

Age: 30 (41 after sentence)

Sex: male

Crime: murder

Date Of Sentence: 12 Jul 1886 (for 11 years)

End Of Full Sentence: 22 Feb 1897

Place: unknown

Source:

Lancaster 12 July 1886 murder death commuted

Admitted to broadmoor 7 September 1886

Discharged 22 February 1897 conditionally to care of brother-in-law at Fitzroy Street, Ashton under Lyme.

see Berkshire Records Office D/H14/D2/2/1/1284

((He was sentenced to hang and then the sentence was changed to imprisonment. It looks like he served his whole sentence. It would be interesting to know what the conditions were of his release. As for the getting found out, he served his sentence so technically he could just leave and start a new life. Obviously someone knew he changed his name perhaps it came up in the Canadian papers at a later date?))

[whiteout7]

A newspaper article naming the house keeper as Mrs.Pickford
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP18860703.2.38

Very Sad:(

Article showing some sympathy in victorian culture to infanticide
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3991316/

[*Sandra*]

Edith Elizabeth Hart - born 1905 Wolseley SK passed away 27 Jan 1999 Edmonton Alberta - listed on the Daily Times Obituary Index. -

Edith Elizabeth Hart -  94 years - Wolseley SK>Edmonton AB; Edmonton J (AB); 1999-1-27; laurajt

http://obits.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/obit.cgi?Surname=HART%2C%20Edith%20Elizabeth&type=Keyword

http://albertagenealogy-research.ca/Data/Papers/1995-1999EJ/1995-1999EJIndexPage211.html

Perhaps Edmonton Public Library could help with an obituary

http://www.epl.ca/


Sandra

[*Sandra*]

According to anc tree - Alice Evelyn Hart married William Donald Stewart - She was bor March 27 1906 in  Wolsley, Saskatchewan passed away 9th January  1973 in  Calgary, Alberta. No sources given.
Etta Kathleen born 4 th March 1910 in  Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada passed away 1983 - could have married surname Wight. No sources or details given

Sandra

[Lisa Skeels]

Thank you all so much, this does enable me to finish his story.  I really wasn't expecting to find him remarried and with more children, I wonder what he felt every time he looked at them.

Once again, thank you all.

Lisa