Alfred lovell

Subject Name :  Alfred Lovell (b 1845 – d ?)

Researchers : Pauline Sieler, Mike Brock, Carol Thompson

 Following the death in quick succession of two of his children, seemingly respectable mercantile clerk Alfred Lovell became an inmate at the Guildford Union Workhouse 100 miles away from his wife and remaining child, and then simply disappeared.

Alfred Charles Lovell was born on 23rd January 1845 in Stoke-next-Guildford, Surrey, the son of John and Hannah Lovell née Freakes 1, 2.  Baptised a few weeks later on 2nd March at Guildford’s St John the Evangelist Church, Alfred was John and Hannah’s fifth son, although two of them, James and William, had died, both age 3, in 1841 and 1844 respectively 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

The family were living at 6 Chertsey Street in the centre of Guildford where John worked as a shoemaker 8.  He came from a Dissenters’ or Non-Conformist religious background and was once described as a ‘man of solid sense and immovable honesty’ 9. 

Before long, Alfred’s mother Hannah was expecting her sixth child, but she died in premature labour on 18th March 1847 age 34 10.  This left John, also about 34, with two small boys to look after – two-year-old Alfred and Henry, 4 – while trying to maintain his job.  Hannah’s parents Thomas and Sarah Freakes were living very close by in North Street so they may well have helped with caring for them 11. 

Meanwhile, the boys’ 12-year-old brother John was already earning a wage as he had been at work since he was 10 – schooling was not yet compulsory in England.  Newspaper articles published over 40 years later which looked back on the life of John said that he had only spent six months at school before he started work as a grocer.  The reason for those reports, which were reproduced in newspapers all over England, was that Alfred’s brother John had gone on to become one of the most important and respected journalists of the 19th Century 12.

Four years after Alfred’s mother’s death, the 1851 Census showed Alfred, 6 and Henry, 8 with their 37-year-old father John, still working as a shoemaker at 6 Chertsey Street 13.  The boys’ 16-year-old brother John was a clothier’s assistant living in Guildford High Street 14.

The boys gained themselves a stepmother the following year when their father married 25-year-old general servant Harriet Hopkins on 24th August 1852 at Albury, near Guildford 15.  John and Harriet had two children, George in 1853 and Albert Edward in 1860 16, 17. 

By the time of the 1861 Census, Alfred was 16, working as a grocer 18.  Still in Chertsey Street, he was the only one of his family elders not working in his 47-year-old father shoe making business – brother Henry, 18, was now a shoemaker while stepmother Harriet, 34, was a shoe binder.  One-year-old Albert completed the household as sadly Alfred’s other half-brother George had died in 1855 age 2 19. 

Alfred’s eldest brother John had, as a teenager, taught himself shorthand in his ambition to become a journalist 12.  He began working for the Surrey Standard and then the West Surrey Times before moving to Sheffield.  By the time of the 1861 Census, he was a 25-year-old reporter for the Birmingham Post 20.

Both Alfred and Henry seemed to be influenced by the achievements of their elder brother.  At some stage during the 1860s, possibly after their father’s death in 1865 21, Alfred also moved to Birmingham where he settled and on 31st October 1868, age 23, married 24-year-old Mary Carruthers, a dressmaker, although her occupation was not mentioned on the marriage certificate 22.  Alfred was a ‘commercial traveller’. They were living in Branston Street, just a short walk from his brother John’s house at the time of the previous Census, although John had by now moved to London to work for a magazine.  The following year, John helped establish and become the first manager of the Press Association which he ran for about ten years.  He was then editor of the Liverpool Mercury before he died aged 54 in 1890 23.

Alfred and John’s brother Henry had also turned to journalism, rising through the ranks to become the editor of the Leighton Buzzard Observer by the time of his marriage to Sarah Ann Sloan in September 1870 in Dunstable, Bedfordshire 24.

Alfred, however, did not follow the same path as his brothers.  He left behind his career as a commercial traveller to become an ‘office clerk’, his occupation noted on the birth certificate of his first child, James Alfred Carruthers Lovell, born on 12th October 1869 at the latest family home of 60 Little King Street, Birmingham 25. 

The 1871 Census showed Alfred and Mary had moved again, living in High Street, Smethwick, just to the west of Birmingham’s centre.  Alfred, 26, was a ‘merchant’s clerk’ while 25-year-old Mary was a milliner and dress maker 26.  Strangely, their son James, who was just over a year old, was apparently not with them and has not been traced elsewhere, although it is of course possible that this was an enumerator’s error.

Alfred and Mary’s second child, John, was born in 1874, followed just over a year later by a daughter Janet 27, 28.  Sadly Janet died age just 3 months in January 1876 from bronchitis at their home at 69 Willis Street, Aston 29.  Eight months later, Alfred and Mary’s eldest child James also died, age 6, from scarlatina (scarlet fever) and cynache parotidea (mumps) 30. 

This clearly would have had a terrible impact on Alfred and Mary, but what caused them by the time of the 1881 Census to be living separate lives is not known.  That Census showed Alfred to be an ‘inmate’ in the Guildford Union Workhouse, age 35, married, a ‘clerk mercantile’, born in Stoke, Surrey 31.  100 miles (160km) north-west of Guildford, his wife Mary and their 7-year-old son John were living at 27 Scotland Place, Leamington, near Warwick 32.  Mary, 32, was noted as a married dressmaker.

Whatever the reason for Alfred being back in the town of his birth, the 1881 Census is the last confirmed record found for his life.  However, there is an article in the Surrey Times from July 1883 about an Alfred Lovell which may have been him 33.  This Alfred, a shoemaker, was found drunk and sleeping in an unoccupied building in Guildford by a policeman.  At the Guildford Bench, Alfred said that he was homeless and had gone into the building for shelter.  He was released with a caution but was not heard from again.

Alfred’s wife Mary, from at least 1886, was living and working as before in Leamington as a dressmaker, now at 19 Chandos Street 34.  From 1889 to 1895, Electoral Rolls show Mary Lovell at 19 Chandos Street with no mention of Alfred 35.  The 1891 Census confirmed her there with her 17-year-old son John, a fishmonger, and four lodgers 36.  Mary’s status was a widow, but with no death record found for Alfred, this may not necessarily have been true. 

Directories continued to show Mary as a dressmaker at 19 Chandos Street until 1895, when illness forced her into the nearby Warwick Union Workhouse. She passed away there on 23rd May from nephritis and dropsy age given as 45, although her actual age was 51 37, 38.  Mary’s death certificate showed that she had revealed nothing about Alfred during her time in the Workhouse.  The Warwick Union master, witness to her death, noted that Mary was the ‘widow of ___ Lovell, a ___ of Leamington’. 

Could this be a glimpse of what her feelings were towards Alfred and what happened back in Leamington?  The truth will probably never be known.

 

December 2019, updated February 2024

References

  1. Alfred Charles Lovell Birth 23 Feb 1845. England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index 1837-1915; Jan-Feb-Mar 1845; Guildford; vol 4; page 185
    Copy of original from Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  2. John Lovell & Hannah Freakes Marriage 4 Nov 1834. England Marriages, 1538-1973; org/ark:/61903/1:1:NJHS-58W : 12 March 2020, John Lovell, 1834. FamilySearch.org
  3. Alfred Charles Lovell Baptism 2 Mar 1845. England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975; Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Baptisms; Stoke Next Guildford, St John the Evangelist; STK 4/2; page 69. FindMyPast.co.uk
  4. John Lovell Baptism 27 Dec 1835, born 20 Nov 1835.  The National Archives; England & Wales Non-Conformist Births and Baptisms; Surrey Baptisms; Albury, The One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church; TNA/RG/4/3099. FindMyPast.co.uk
  5. James Lovell Birth Q4 1838. England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index 1837-1915; Oct-Nov-Dec 1838; Farnham; vol 4; page 83. Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
    James Lovell Burial 18 Nov 1841 National Burial Index for England & Wales; West Surrey Family History Society; Parish Burials; Stoke Next Guildford, St John the Evangelist. FindMyPast.co.uk
  6. William Marshell Lovell Birth Q2 1841. England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index 1837-1915; Apr-May-Jun 1841; Guildford; vol 4; page 163. Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
    William Lovell Burial 30 Nov 1844 National Burial Index for England & Wales; West Surrey Family History Society; Parish Burials; Stoke Next Guildford, St John the Evangelist. FindMyPast.co.uk
  7. Henry Lorell sic Birth Q4 1842. England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index 1837-1915; Oct-Nov-Dec 1842; Guildford; vol 4; page 164. Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  8. John, Hannah, John, James, Wm M Lovell 1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census for 6 Chertsey St, Stoke Next Guildford; ref HO107; piece no 1080; book 3; folio 30; page 12; schedule 471. FindMyPast.co.uk
  9. A Romantic Story of Modern Journalism The Career of Mr John Lovell 26 Oct 1889 The Rossendale Free Press, page 3. FindMyPast / British Newspaper Archive
  10. Hannah Lovell Death 18 Mar 1847. England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index 1837-1915; Jan-Feb-Mar 1847; Guildford; vol 4; page 165. FreeBMD.org.uk
    Copy of original from Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  11. Thomas, Sarah Freakes 1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census for North Place, Stoke Next Guildford; ref HO107; piece no 1594; folio 453; page 51; schedule 205. FindMyPast.co.uk
  12. Death of Mr John Lovell 22 Feb 1890 The Birkenhead News, page 5. FindMyPast / British Newspaper Archive
  13. John, Henry, Alfred Lovell 1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census for 6 Chertsey St, Stoke Next Guildford; ref HO107; piece no 1594; folio 428; page 1; schedule 1. FindMyPast.co.uk
  14. John Lovell 1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census for 55 High Street, Guildford St Mary; ref HO107; piece no 1594; folio 508; page 4; schedule 13. FindMyPast.co.uk
  15. John Lovell & Harriet Hopkins Marriage 24 Aug 1852. Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Marriages; Albury, Ss Peter & Paul; ALB 2/2/3; page 42. FindMyPast.co.uk
  16. George Lovell Birth Q3 1853. England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index 1837-1915; Jul-Aug-Sep 1853; Guildford; vol 2A; page 47. Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  17. Albert Edward Lovell Birth Q2 1860. England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index 1837-1915; Apr-May-Jun 1860; Guildford; vol 2A; page 52. Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  18. John, Harriet, Henry, Alfred Charles, Albert E Lovell 1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census for 6 Chertsey St, Stoke Next Guildford; ref RG09; piece no 427; folio 39; page 28 & 29; schedule 181. FindMyPast.co.uk
  19. George Lovell Death Q3 1855. England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index 1837-1915; Jul-Aug-Sep 1855; Guildford; vol 2A; page 29. Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  20. John, Catherine, Jno Norton Lovell 1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census for Nelson St South, Victoria Grove 35, Birmingham St Luke; ref RG09; piece no 2140; folio 115; page 38; schedule 213. FindMyPast.co.uk
  21. John Lovell Death Q1 1865. England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index 1837-1915; Jan-Feb-Mar 1865; Guildford; vol 2A; page 41. Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  22. Alfred Charles Lovell & Mary Carruthers Marriage 31 Oct 1868. England & Wales Marriages 1837-2005; Oct-Nov-Dec 1868; Birmingham; vol 6D; page 290A. FreeBMD.org.uk
    Copy of original from Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  23. John Lovell Death Q1 1890. England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index 1837-1915; Jan-Feb-Mar 1890; Liverpool; vol 8B; page 117. Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  24. Marriages Henry Lovell to Sarah Ann Sloan on September 15, Buckingham Advertiser, 24 Sep 1870, page 3. FindMyPast.co.uk / British Newspaper Archive
  25. James Alfred Carruthers Lovell Birth 12 Oct 1869. England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index 1837-1915; Oct-Nov-Dec 1869; Birmingham; vol 6D; page 154.
    Copy of original from Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  26. Alfred C, Mary Lovell 1871 England, Wales & Scotland Census for High St, Smethwick, Harborne, Kings Norton; ref RG10; piece no 3087; folio 98; page 6; schedule 33. FindMyPast.co.uk
  27. John Lovell Birth Apr-May-Jun 1874. England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index 1837-1915; Birmingham; vol 6D; page 171.  Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  28. Janet Lovell Birth Oct-Nov-Dec 1875. England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index 1837-1915; Aston; vol 6D; page 335.  Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  29. Janet Lovell Death January 1876. England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index 1837-1915; Jan-Feb-Mar 1876; Aston; vol 6D; page 224.  Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  30. James Alfred Carruthers Lovell Death 15 September 1876. England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index 1837-1915; Jul-Aug-Sep 1876; Birmingham; vol 6D; page 124.  Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  31. Alfred Lovell 1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census for Guildford Union Workhouse, Stoke Next Guildford, Surrey; ref RG11; piece no 778; folio 94; page 9; schedule 3. FindMyPast.co.uk
  32. Mary, John Lovell 1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census for 27 Scotland Place, Leamington, Warwickshire; ref RG11; piece no 3091; folio 27; page 47; schedule 264. FindMyPast.co.uk
  33. Guildford Borough Bench. Homeless Surrey Advertiser and County Times, 30 Jul 1883, page 3. FindMyPast.co.uk / British Newspaper Archive
  34. Mrs Lovell, dressmaker, 19 Chandos Street, Leamington Spennell’s Directory of Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth; 1886 page 147; 1887 pages 131 & 169; 1888 pages 124 & 165; 1889 pages 146 & 204; 1890 page 166; 1891 pages 163 & 226; 1892 pages 203 & 268; 1893 page 269; 1894 page 247; 1895 page 183. MidlandsHistoricalData.org
  35. Mary Lovell 1889, 1891, 1893, 1894, 1895 Electoral Roll for 19 Chandos Street, Leamington; Electoral Registers 1832-1932, Borough of Royal Leamington Spa, North West Division. FindMyPast.co.uk
  36. Mary, John Lovell 1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census for 19 Chandos Street, Leamington, Warwickshire; ref RG12; piece no 2472; folio 5; pages 4&5; schedule 28. FindMyPast.co.uk
  37. Mary Lovell Death 23 May 1895. England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index 1837-1915; Apr-May-Jun 1895; Warwick; vol 6D; page 346. 
    Copy of original from Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  38. Mary Carruthers Birth England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index 1837-1915; Oct-Nov-Dec 1843; Coventry; vol 16; page 355. Government Register Office GRO.gov.uk