henry batcock

Subject :             Henry Batcock   (b ca 1806 – d 1887)

Researcher :      Sue Driscoll

Tough family times for Shere sawyer

Henry Batcock may have been a successful sawyer, but his family life in Shere saw the early death of his wife and one of his sons, followed by three of his four other offspring disappearing from his life and the records.

Henry was born in Shere, Surrey in about 1806.  No baptism has been traced so it has not been possible to confirm who his parents were, although they were most likely to have been William and Esther Batcock 1.  William Batcock was a sawyer, a skilled job that involved preparing and cutting timber for use mostly in the construction industry.  His son Henry followed the same path and would remain a sawyer in Shere for probably all of his working life.

Henry was about 24 when he married local girl Harriet Hankins at Shere’s St James’ Church in August 1832 2.  Harriet was of a similar age, the daughter of James and Sarah Hankins 3.

Four children soon followed, with the 1841 Census showing Henry and Harriet in Lower Street, Shere with two daughters, 8-year-old Esther and Frances (3), plus sons Sidney (6) and Harry (1) 4, 5.  

A fifth child, Richard, was born the following year, but in July 1843, he died from consumption, otherwise known as tuberculosis 6, 7.  This highly infectious disease also struck down Henry’s wife Harriet who passed away a few weeks later in September, aged just 36 8.  Both were buried at St James’ Church.

This left Henry with four young children to care for while also trying to continue his work as a sawyer.  His eldest daughter Esther, although only 10, may well have left school to help him – compulsory school attendance was still nearly 40 years away 9.  Assistance could also have come from Harriet’s parents James and Sarah who were close by in Shere, as were Henry’s parents William and Esther 10, 11.

The 1851 Census showed the four parents, now in their 70s and 80s, as next-door neighbours in Shere, close to Henry and his children 12, 13.  By this time, Henry’s daughter Esther was 18 and would probably have been running domestic matters allowing her father to continue working.  16-year-old Sidney had also become a sawyer, while Frances (13) and Harry (11) were both scholars.

Henry becomes a grandfather

However, Esther was now pregnant, giving birth to son William later in 1851 in the Guildford Union Workhouse 14.  No father was named, similarly when she had a second child, Alice, born in the Workhouse in December 1855 15.  Alice only lived for 9 weeks, dying in the Workhouse and buried in Shere 16, 17.

Where Esther was ten years later at the time of the 1861 Census is not known, although her son William, aged 9, was living in Shere with his 53-year-old grandfather Henry who continued to work as a sawyer 18.

Living with Henry was his dressmaker daughter Fanny (Frances), 22, and her illegitimate son Frederick Henry, born in the Guildford Union Workhouse in February 1856 19.  Like her sister Esther, Fanny did not name the father of her son.  Fanny was also pregnant again, giving birth to a second son in May 1861 in the Workhouse, but he only survived for four months 20, 21. Fanny has not been traced since the death of her baby.

By 1863, Henry’s two grandchildren William and Frederick were living in the Guildford Union Workhouse, where they remained for the whole of their childhood 22. His eldest son Sidney was serving abroad with the Royal Artillery 23. No confirmed records for younger son Harry have been found since the 1851 Census, or for daughter Esther since the 1861 Census, so it would appear that Henry now had no immediate family with him in Shere.

Henry ends up in the Workhouse

In 1870, Henry received poor relief from the Guildford Union for ‘bad leg etc’ but he was not yet in the Workhouse – the 1871 Census showed 65-year-old Henry lodging at The Round House, Shere 24, 25.  His occupation was given as ‘sawyer’, however how much he was still able to work is not known.

There is no information available to show exactly when Henry became an inmate of the Guildford Union Workhouse, but he was there in 1881, listed as a widowed 75-year-old wood sawyer 26.  His son Sidney, unmarried and 46, was back in Shere after his time in the Army, working as a sawyer and living at Medlands Farm 27.

Henry almost certainly remained in the Workhouse until his death there on 25th September 1887, aged 82 28.  His funeral  was held four days later at Shere’s St James’ Church, where he had married Harriet 55 years earlier 29.

 

 

November 2022, updated August 2025
Edited by Mike Brock

Spike Lives is a Heritage project that chronicles the lives of inmates, staff and the Board of Guardians of the Guildford Union Workhouse at the time of the 1881 Census.  The Spike Heritage Museum in Guildford offers guided tours which present a unique opportunity to discover what life was like in the Casual/Vagrant ward of a Workhouse. More information can be found here 

References

Note: the source is Ancestry.co.uk unless otherwise specified, names are as spelled in original documents.

  1. William Batcock & Esther Bowler 10 Jul 1797 Marriage Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Shere, St James; ref SHER/2/1
  2. Henry Batcock & Harriett Hankins (transcribed as Hanley) 20 Aug 1832 Marriage Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Shere, St James; ref SHER/2/3
  3. Harriott Hankins 27 Apr 1806 Baptism Family Search, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; England, Select Births and Christenings; Shere, Surrey; ref 2:10GCJC1
  4. Hester Batcock 11 Aug 1833 Baptism
    Sidney Batcock 15 Nov 1835 Baptism
    Frances Batcock 7 Oct 1838 Baptism
    Harry Badcock 7 Jun 1840 Baptism
    Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Shere, St James; ref SHER/4/2
  5. Henry, Harriot, Esther, Sydney, Frances, Henry Batcock 1841 Census for Lower St, Shere, Guildford, Surrey; class HO107; piece 1045; enumeration district 8; folio 29; page 11
  6. Richard Batcock 20 Feb 1842 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Shere, St James; ref SHER/4/2
    Richard Batcock Jan-Feb-Mar 1842 England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index; Guildford, Surrey; volume 4; page 161 mother Hankins
  7. Richard Batcock Jul 1843 England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index; Guildford, Surrey; volume 4; page 105 Digital copy from Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
    Richard Batcock 18 Jul 1843 Burial London Metropolitan Archives; London Church of England Parish Registers; Parishes not in a Borough; Shere; ref DW/T/8081
  8. Harriet Batcock 26 Sep 1863 England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index; Guildford, Surrey; volume 4; page 121 Digital copy from Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
    Harriet Batcock 1 Oct 1843 Burial London Metropolitan Archives; London Church of England Parish Registers; Parishes not in a Borough; Shere; ref DW/T/8081
  9. 1880 – Education Act Going to School, Key Dates, UK Parliament parliament.uk
  10. James, George, Emma, Sarah, Ruth Hankins 1841 Census for Upper St, Shere, Guildford, Surrey; class HO107; piece 1045; enumeration district 8; folio 29; page 11
  11. William, Esther, William Batcock 1841 Census for Dark Lane, Shere, Guildford, Surrey; class HO107; piece 1045; enumeration district 8; folio 31; page 14
  12. William, Esther Batcock; James, Sarah Hankins 1851 Census for Shere, Guildford, Surrey; class HO107; piece 1594; folio 354; page 20
  13. Henry, Esther, Sidney, Frances, Harry Batcock; 1851 Census for Shere, Guildford, Surrey; class HO107; piece 1594; folio 353; page 18
  14. – Batcock Oct-Nov-Dec 1851 England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index; Guildford, Surrey; volume 4; page 212
    William Batcock 2 Nov 1851 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Stoke Next Guildford, St John the Evangelist; ref STK/1/5
  15. Alice Batcock 13 Jan 1856 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Stoke Next Guildford, St John the Evangelist; ref STK/1/5
  16. Alice Batcock 3 Feb 1856 England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index; Guildford, Surrey; volume 2A; page 36 Digital copy from Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  17. Alice Batcock 7 Feb 1856 Burial Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Shere, St James; ref SHER/5/2
  18. Henry, Fanny, William, Frederic Batcock 1861 Census for Shere Street, Shere, Guildford, Surrey; class RG9; piece 426; folio 42; page 16
  19. Fredrick Batcock 4 Feb 1856 England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index; Guildford, Surrey; volume 2A; page 51 Digital copy from Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
    Frederick Henry Batcock 4 May 1856 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Stoke Next Guildford, St John the Evangelist; ref STK/1/5
  20. Henry Batcock 8 May 1861 England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index; Guildford, Surrey; volume 2A; page 54 Digital copy from Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  21. Henry Batcock 14 Sep 1861 England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index; Guildford, Surrey; volume 2A; page 33 Digital copy from Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
    Henry Batcock 18 Sep 1861 Burial Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Shere, St James; ref SHER/5/2
  22. William Batcock 1864 Lady Day (half year ending 25 March 1864) to 1865 Lady Day (half year ending 25 March 1865)
    Frederick Batcock 1864 Lady Day (half year ending 25 March 1864) to 1871 Lady Day (half year ending 25 March 1871)
    Guildford Union Poor Law Half-Yearly Accounts; ref SHC BG6/33/1 Available at Surrey History Centre, Woking SurreyCC.gov.uk
  23. Sidney Batcock 1861 British Army, Worldwide Index, 12th Brigade RA; The National Archives, Kew; ref WO10/2635 FindMyPast.co.uk
  24. Henry Batcock 1870 Michaelmas (half year ending 29 September 1870)
    Guildford Union Poor Law Half-Yearly Accounts; ref SHC BG6/33/1 Available at Surrey History Centre, Woking SurreyCC.gov.uk
  25. Henry Batcock 1871 Census for The Round House, Shere, Guildford, Surrey; class RG10; piece 810; folio 50; page 31
  26. Henry Batcock 1881 Census for Guildford Union Workhouse, Stoke Next Guildford, Surrey; class RG11; piece 778; folio 93; page 7
  27. Sidney Batcock 1881 Census for Medlands Barn, Shere, Guildford, Surrey; class RG11; piece 775; folio 52; page 31
  28. Henry Batcock 25 Sep 1887 Guildford Workhouse Deaths 1887-1914; ref SHC BG6/38/1; page 1; record 9 Available at Surrey History Centre, Woking and SurreyCC.gov.uk
  29. Henry Batcock 18 Sep 1861 Burial Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Shere, St James; ref SHER/5/2