Henry family missing from 1871 census in Toxteth

[ALAMO2008]

1869 Voters list for Ashwell Street Courts which is the Upper Parliament Street side of Stanhope Street Liverpool 8

[heywood]

There was a Mary Jane Henry as Godmother to Hugh in 1863.

This could be her in 1871  3783/118/18 although her birth is shown as Liverpool.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KD85-M4M

I presume you have Mary Jane’s marriages.

[isiwig]

Thanks for your posts

I have the baptismal record for Hugh Henry with Mary Jane as Godmother but she would only have been eleven years of age at the time. 

Were children of that age allowed to be god parents?

Yes,  it looks like this could be a possibility for her in 1871,  in the Penitentiary for Fallen Women in Liverpool.

Mary Jane’s first husband died at sea after only seven years of marriage and she was left with four young children.  She married again a few years later but had no further children.   

[isiwig]

The Voters list for 1869 and the death record you found both within the same area of Liverpool together with the burial record in Ford Cemetery are looking good and as you say worth a punt on getting the death certificate.   

What were the criteria for voting in 1869?  Did you have to be a house owner to be eligible to vote or did all males get a vote?  Where could I view the list for 1871 as he could be on that Voters list?

Thank you for your information.

[markheal]

Thanks for your posts

I have the baptismal record for Hugh Henry with Mary Jane as Godmother but she would only have been eleven years of age at the time. 

Were children of that age allowed to be god parents?

Yes,  it looks like this could be a possibility for her in 1871,  in the Penitentiary for Fallen Women in Liverpool.

Mary Jane’s first husband died at sea after only seven years of marriage and she was left with four young children.  She married again a few years later but had no further children.   

"Were children of that age allowed to be god parents?"

I had a similar query with my great uncles, baptitized at the RC Southwark Cathedral when the Godfather half brother is aged only 9 years.  So apparently not unusual.

I am following your post closely as my great grandmother is also from another Liverpool HENRY family who had returned from a decade in New York.

MARY HENRY
1838–1908
Birth ABT 1838 • Sligo, Ireland
Death 2 FEB 1908 • 25 Seymour St, Abercromby, LIVERPOOL, Lancashire, England

The family seemed to use their RC church of St Nicholas (RC)  LIVERPOOL and Oratory of St Philip Neri, Lancashire, England

[isiwig]

Thank you Mark.  It's good to know that somebody else has had the same experience with godparents being children.

My Henry family came from the Warrenpoint area of Ireland.

[Maiden Stone]

I have the baptismal record for Hugh Henry with Mary Jane as Godmother but she would only have been eleven years of age at the time. 

Were children of that age allowed to be god parents?

Yes,  it looks like this could be a possibility for her in 1871,  in the Penitentiary for Fallen Women in Liverpool.

"Were children of that age allowed to be god parents?"

I had a similar query with my great uncles, baptitized at the RC Southwark Cathedral when the Godfather half brother is aged only 9 years.  So apparently not unusual.

I am following your post closely as my great grandmother is also from another Liverpool HENRY family who had returned from a decade in New York.

I received my first invitation to be a godmother when I was 10. I declined the honour. I finally became a godmother aged 15. Godfather at my baptism was 13; his credentials were that he was available on the day. I think minimum age now is supposed to be 16.
Criteria for sponsors: they were practising Catholics; they understood the significance of the ceremony; they were likely to be around long enough to support the parents in the religious upbringing of the child. 
Does Mary Jane's age on 1871 census fit with records you've seen for your Mary Jane?

I have a Henry connection from Ireland. They went to U.S., came back and settled in England. Another Henry family in the town of my birth did the same thing 30 years later.

[ALAMO2008]

Right to Vote answer 1871 = over 21

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representation_of_the_People_Act_1918

[Maiden Stone]

What were the criteria for voting in 1869?  Did you have to be a house owner to be eligible to vote or did all males get a vote? 

Representation of the People Act 1867 aka Reform Act 1867 or Second Reform Act. This enfranchised many working-class males who were heads of households. There was still a property value or minimum rent qualification. The Act took effect in stages over 2 years and became fully enacted 1st January 1869.
After the Representation Act 1884 (Third Reform Act) 60% of male householders could vote.
It wasn't until 1918 that all men 21 and over could vote (+ 19 & 20 year-olds who had served abroad during WW1).
An exception was the borough of Preston in Lancashire where all men over 21 who had been resident for the previous 12 months were enfranchised in 17th century, unless they were paupers or convicted felons. Several of my ancestors lived in Preston from 1820's to end of the century and were on registers from 1830's.