Edward, Mary Ann, Edward anstiss

Subject Names :  Edward (b 1846 – d 1917);                ANSTISS
                              Mary Ann (b ca 1850 – d 1904)
                              Edward (b 1878 – d 1949)
                              Benjamin (b 1884 – d 1956) 

Researchers : Mike Brock and Carol Thompson

Edward Anstiss, a 35-year-old general labourer, his wife Mary Ann, 33, and their 3-year-old son Edward, were ‘vagrants’ spending a night in the casual ward of the Guildford Union Workhouse in April 1881.  None of the trio were from Surrey, so what brought them here, or were they just an itinerant family moving from one place to another?

Edward Richard Anstiss was born in Islington, London on 21st September 1846, the fourth and last son of labourer James and Eliza Anstiss née Butterworth, of Popham Place 1, 2.

By 1851, 4-year-old scholar Edward’s family was living in Elder Walk, Islington 3.  Father James was a 46-year-old ‘labourer on the roads’.  Edward’s mother Eliza was 45, and his three brothers were William, a 16-year-old ‘pupil teacher’ (trainee teacher), plus scholars James, 11, and John, 8.

The 1861 Census, a few months after the death of his mother Eliza, showed Edward, 14, employed as a ‘church society’s clerk’ 4, 5.  Living with his father James, a 55-year-old ‘scavenger’ (employed to clean the streets 6), and brother John, 18, a solicitor’s clerk, at 9 Adelaide Terrace, Islington, Edward was working for the Islington Churches Extension Society, whose aim was to provide more churches in the area for the expanding local population 7.  Edward’s brother William had become a full-time teacher, marrying in 1856 and moving to Suffolk to teach, and raise a family 8, 9.  Edward’s other brother James married on Christmas Day 1861 and was an engineer 10.

Edward’s wife-to-be was Mary Ann Evans, born in about 1850 almost 200 miles (320km) from Islington in Llanllwchaiarn, Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales.  She was the daughter of labourer Benjamin and Elizabeth Evans, whose maiden name was also Evans 11, 12. 

In 1851, one-year-old Mary Ann and her elder brothers Benjamin, 4, and Richard, 2, were living in Ruins, Llanllwchaiarn, with parents Benjamin, a 30-year-old labourer and Elizabeth, 27, a ‘smock frock maker’ 13.

Mary Ann was about 6 when her mother Elizabeth died aged 31 in November 1855 from ‘pulmonary consumption’ 14.  A younger brother, Edward, had passed away in 1853, and a younger sister, Elizabeth, has not been traced after her baptism 11, 15, 16.

Benjamin soon remarried, and by the time of the 1861 Census, 11-year-old scholar Mary Ann was one of six children in Canal Road, Newtown with father 40, a boatman, and his new wife Margaret, a 29-year-old seamstress 17, 18.

Mary Ann, 21, was back in Llanllwchaiarn 10 years later, unmarried and a live-in general servant at the Commercial Inn 19.  That 1871 Census, however, has not revealed the whereabouts of Edward Anstiss, who would now have been 24.  The only record found for Edward since the 1861 Census is for ‘Edwd R Anstiss’, age 15, indentured on 23rd June 1862 for a 4-year term as an apprentice for the Merchant Navy in South Shields to work on the collier ‘Thomas Gales’, owned by J Steel, transporting coal to London 20, 21.  The ‘Thomas Gales’ also journeyed across Europe to ports such as Le Havre, Rotterdam, Gothenburg, Cronstadt (now Kronstadt, near St Petersburg, Russia), and Hamburg 22. 


Edward and Mary Ann marry

It is not known if Edward completed his apprenticeship, or if he continued at sea, but 15 years after he signed up for the Merchant Navy, Edward was in Wales, marrying Mary Ann Evans at Newtown’s Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel on 2nd June 1877 23.  He was a 33-year-old bachelor, a mason, living at Stone Factory Street, Newtown.  Mary Ann was noted as 23, although she was actually some four years older than this, and was living in Ladywell Street, Newtown.

Ladywell Street was to be where Edward and Mary Ann started their family, with their first child Archibald Edward born there on May 1st, 1878 24.  Edward was noted as a labourer on both the birth certificate and on the baptism record a few weeks later, having been a mason the previous year 25.

The next record found shows the young family in London, admitted on November 26th 1880 to Islington’s St John’s Road Workhouse 26.  Edward’s 2½-year-old son Edward went into the Workhouse Infirmary with an undisclosed condition the following day with all three of them leaving ‘at own request’ on December 4th.  This Workhouse served the Parish where Edward senior was born, but what had brought him back to the area?   Edward’s father James had passed away in Islington in 1874 27, but his brother James was living with his family in nearby Hackney 28.

Just over four months later, the probable truth about Edward and his family’s lifestyle was revealed when they spent the night of the 3rd April 1881, the date of England’s Census, as ‘vagrants’ in the casual ward of the Guildford Union Workhouse 29.  Edward, 35, a ‘general labourer’, was with his wife Mary Ann, 33, and their son, Edward, 3.  Workhouse rules at that time would have meant Edward, and maybe Mary Ann, would have had to do a menial task the following day to ‘pay’ for their stay, involving breaking stones for Edward, with oakum picking (unravelling old rope), laundry or cleaning for Mary Ann *.

With only one night’s stay permitted in the casual ward for vagrants, Edward and family would have moved on after the required tasks had been completed.  Where they went next is not recorded, but seven months later, Edward appeared before the Bench at the Honiton Sessions in Devon 30. Described as ‘a tramp, of Islington’, Edward was ‘charged with making a false application for relief’ to stay in a lodging house after he had been found to be in possession of money.  He had with him a ‘musical instrument’, so perhaps he had been trying to make a living by wandering from place to place playing music in the streets.  Edward was sentenced to 14 days hard labour in gaol for his false claim.

Education above life on the road

This would not seem to be the best environment for Edward and Mary Ann to raise their child, but the next record traced for the Anstiss family showed that they had made significant changes.  On 10th October 1882, their four-year-old son Edward was admitted to King William Street School, Swindon, with the family living in Cricklade Street, just a short walk away 31.  Education had been important for Edward senior and his brothers long before education became compulsory in England for over-5s in 1880, so it seems that he wanted to ensure his own children had the same opportunity 32.

A second son, Benjamin, was born at 21 Carfax Street, New Swindon on 15th May 1884 33. They were at the same address eight months later when Benjamin was baptised 34.

Benjamin’s school records indicate that the Anstiss family moved across Swindon in August 1889 to Little London, where they still were at the time of the 1891 Census 35, 36.  Edward, 42, was a bricklayer’s labourer, 40-year-old Mary Ann was a charwoman, Archibald E (Edward) was an errand boy aged 12 and Benjamin, six.  The family also had two lodgers.

Edward Junior’s chequered Army career

When he was 17, Edward junior signed up in January 1895 for six years for the 3rd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment 37.  This did not work out, as he was ‘discharged by purchase’ just over a year later, meaning Edward paid an undisclosed sum of money to end his engagement early 38.

Edward didn’t appear to learn from his experience, as he signed up again for the same regiment, under the name Archibald Edwin Anstiss, for six years’ service in May 1898, only to be ‘discharged by purchase’ again ten months later 39.  Remarkably, in June 1900, he enlisted for a third time with the 3rd Battalion, this time for a four-year engagement 40.

It appeared initially that Army life was now a better prospect for him, as a year later, on 20th June 1901, Edward’s 3rd Battalion set off for the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic where they would be responsible for guarding Boer prisoners of war captured in South Africa 41.  Soon after arrival, though, Edward was court martialled and spent 12 weeks in prison.  Just days after being released, he was court martialled again, resulting in a further 16 weeks under lock and key.

The Boer War ended on 31st May 1902 with the British victorious, so Edward and the 3rd Battalion returned to Britain, arriving in Southampton on board HMS Dominion on 10th September.  The following day, the Battalion was given a hometown welcome in Devizes where crowds turned out to see the troops, including Edward, presented with medals 42, 43.

Edward’s Army career, though, did not last much longer, as on 23rd December, he was ‘discharged by purchase’ for the third and final time, paying the sum of £3.

Mary Ann and Edward Senior pass away

While Edward was in the Army, his parents and younger brother had moved to Marsh Gate, Stratton St Margaret, just outside Swindon.  In 1901, his father Edward, 58, was still a bricklayer’s labourer, and mother 52-year-old Mary Ann now a laundress.  Benjamin, 16, was a general labourer 44.

On 6th May 1904, Mary Ann was admitted as a ‘pauper’ to the Wiltshire County Asylum in Roundway, Devizes, about 20 miles (36km) south of their home 45.  She died there of breast cancer on 22nd November age 55 46.  The witness to Mary Ann’s death, the Workhouse acting medical superintendent, did not know the first name of her husband, who, by the time of the 1911 Census, was an inmate of the Swindon and Highworth Union Workhouse, close to the family home in Stratton St Margaret 47. 

Edward probably remained there for the rest of his life, passing away on 11th February 1917, aged 74, from ‘senile decay’ 48.

Archibald Edward emigrates to Canada, but not alone

Edward and Mary Ann’s son (Archibald) Edward, following his chequered Army career, had moved to Caerphilly, South Wales.  At the time of the 1911 Census, he was an unmarried 35-year-old with no occupation listed, boarding with a married couple, George and Bessie Bellows, aged 43 and 41 respectively, and their only son George (born Henry George), aged 10 49, 50, 51.

Edward did not remain with the Bellows for long, emigrating to Canada as ‘Archibald Antiss’, arriving in Quebec from Liverpool on 26th May 1913, bound for Toronto 52.  He was 35, unmarried and a miner, but intended to be a bricklayer in Canada.

However, this was not to be the last Archibald saw of the Bellows family – far from it!  On 31st October 1914, nearly three months after World War 1 had started, Bessie, 41, and her son Henry, 14, travelling under the respective names of ‘Bessie Antriss’ and ‘Harry Antriss’, left Liverpool on their way to Canada to live with Archibald 53. 

No record has been traced of a marriage between Archibald and Bessie, and neither of a divorce from her husband George, so it can only be imagined what drama had unfolded in Caerphilly.  George lived until 1935, passing away in Wakefield, Yorkshire 54. 

In the 1921 Canada Census, Archibald had reverted to calling himself Edward again and was a 44-year-old farmer and owner of their home at Argyle Park, London, Ontario 55.  His 51-year-old wife Bessie had no occupation, while his ‘Step Son’ Henry Bellows, was an unmarried 20-year-old ‘teamster’ (truck driver).   

Henry married in October 1923 but passed away just a few months later from pneumonia in March 1924 aged 23 at Argyle Park 56, 57.

By 1931, 54-year-old Edward was a gardener, while Bessie was 63 and a ‘housemaker’, in London, Ontario 58.

The couple remained in the London area for the rest of his life, with ‘Archibald Edward Antiss’ passing away at St Joseph’s Hospital in December 1949, age 72 59.  Bessie’s death has not been traced.

Benjamin

There is a desperately tragic postscript to the Anstiss family story regarding the youngest of the family, Benjamin, born in 1884, three years after his parents and brother had spent their night in the Guildford Union Workhouse.

Benjamin had become a chimney sweep and moved to Coventry, marrying spinster Amelia Bassnett in May 1914 60.  She had a one-year-old child Edward from a previous relationship 61.

The couple’s first child Benjamin was born in November 1914, followed by Leslie the following November 62, 63.  Their first daughter Ruth was born in April 1917 by which time Benjamin was serving with the 2nd Devonshire Regiment in World War 1 64.  Amelia and the children had already spent time in the Coventry Workhouse and were to do so again later in 1917, with Amelia noted as ‘destitute’ 65.

Benjamin returned from his military service in 1919, suffering from the effects of gas 66.  Despite him receiving an Army pension and still working as a chimney sweep, the family were living ‘in a caravan, Rood Lane’ in the centre of Coventry when their fourth child Bessie was born later that year 67. 

Amelia was in the Workhouse again on 6th January 1921 to give birth to their fifth child, Amelia 68.  All the other four children were with her, although husband Benjamin was not, and neither was her first child Edward Bassnett who was almost certainly with his maternal grandparents 69. 

Three months later, on 4th April, mother Amelia was sent to the Warwick County Asylum in Hatton, just outside Warwick 70.  The 1921 Census in June showed Amelia still there while her five children were in the Coventry Workhouse 71, 72.  The whereabouts of husband Benjamin has not been found though he most likely avoided the invigilator by being in the caravan.

Just over two months later in August 1921, daughter Amelia died aged 7 months of ‘malnutrition from birth’, and then Bessie passed away from ‘acute capillary bronchitis’ in February 1922 aged 2, both in the Coventry Workhouse 73, 74. 

Benjamin’s wife Amelia did not remain in the Warwick Asylum, as she gave birth to Betsy in the caravan in March 1923 75.   Horace followed a year later, Oliver in 1927 and Henry in January 1929, although by then the family was no longer in the caravan 76, 77, 78. 

Three weeks after his birth, Henry died in Coventry’s Gulson Park Hospital from a gangrenous sore on his chest caused by a scald or burn 79, 80.  At the inquest, Henry’s father Benjamin stated that he had applied water, which he had first tested with his hand, to a swelling on Henry’s chest.  However, this had turned the swelling into a sore, and the child was taken by the doctor to the hospital.  An NSPCC officer at the hearing said that he had visited the family at their two-room property in Cow Lane, Coventry, finding 2-year-old Oliver dead on the floor from measles and whooping cough 81.  The officer said the rooms were in a ‘filthy condition’, adding that the parents Benjamin and Amelia were both ‘mentally deficient’ and that four of their eleven children were in ‘mental homes’, two having died.  The inquest’s verdict was ‘death by misadventure’ as Benjamin and Amelia were not responsible for their actions.

Despite this awful chain of events, Benjamin and Amelia remained together and had two more children, Richard Norman in 1930 and Christopher in 1931 82, 83. 

Benjamin passed away at Gulson Hospital on 30th March 1956 while Amelia died aged 80 in 1971, also in Coventry 84, 85.

March 2021, updated April 2024

*  For more information on vagrants in the casual ward of the Guildford Union Workhouse, click here. 

References

All references are from FindMyPast.co.uk, unless otherwise noted

  1. Edward Richard Anstiss (Ansliss) 18 Oct 1846 Baptism London Metropolitan Archives; London Church of England Parish Registers; reference P83/Mry1/1178; St Mary Islington 1845-1853; page 148. Ancestry.co.uk
  2. James Anstiss & Eliza Butterworth 26 May 1834 Marriage London Metropolitan Archives; London Church of England Parish Registers; reference P91/JNB/022; St John the Baptist Hoxton 1830-1840; page 169.  Ancestry.co.uk
  3. James, Eliza, Willm, James, John, Edwd Anstiss 1851 Census for 22 Elder Walk, Islington, Middlesex; reference HO107; piece 1501; folio 686; page 50.
  4. Eliza Anstiss Oct-Nov-Dec 1860 England & Wales Deaths; Islington; volume 1B; page 174
  5. James, John O, Edward R Anstiss 1861 Census for 9 Adelaide Terrace, Islington, Middlesex; reference RG09; piece 144; folio 18; page 40.
  6. Scavenger in British English CollinsDictionary.com
    Muddy Roads 21 Jan 1866 British Newspaper Archive; The Islington Gazette; page 3.
  7. Islington Church Extension Society 22 Dec 1860 British Newspaper Archive; The Islington Gazette; page 3.
  8. William Robert Anstiss & Jane Hannah Aldhams 13 May 1856 Marriage London Metropolitan Archives; London Church of England Parish Registers; reference P83/PAU1/011; St Paul Canonbury 1837-1858; page 183. Ancestry.co.uk
  9. William R, Jane H, William H, Edward J Anstiss 1861 Census for Palgrave, Hartismere, Suffolk; reference RG09; piece 1149; folio 75; page 23.
  10. James George Anstiss & Louisa Dines 25 Dec 1861 Marriage London Metropolitan Archives; London Church of England Parish Registers; reference P83/STE1/003; St Stephen Canonbury 1847-1873; page 147. Ancestry.co.uk
  11. Mary Anne Evans, Edward Evans 23 Nov 1851 Baptism Archives Wales; Montgomeryshire Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Llanllwchaiarn 1847-1907; page 13. Ancestry.co.uk
  12. Benjamin Evans & Elizabeth Evans 2 Nov 1844 Marriage Archives Wales; Montgomeryshire Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Kerry 1837-1922; page 40. Ancestry.co.uk
  13. Benjamin, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Richard, Mary Ann Evans 1851 Census for Ruins, Llanllwchaiarn, Newtown, Montgomeryshire; Wales; reference HO107; piece 2497; folio 260; page 15.
  14. Elizabeth Evans 2 Nov 1855 Death General Register Office; England & Wales Deaths; Newtown, Montgomeryshire; volume 11B; page 147. GRO.gov.uk
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  16. Elizabeth Evans 13 Nov 1853 Baptism Archives Wales; Montgomeryshire Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Llanllwchaiarn 1847-1907; page 21. Ancestry.co.uk
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  19. Mary Ann Evans 1871 Census for Commercial Inn, Canal, Llanllwchaiarn, Newtown, Montgomeryshire; Wales; reference RG10; piece 5616; folio 52; page 26.
  20. Edwd R Anstiss (Austiss) 23 Jun 1862 The National Archives, Kew; Registry of Shipping and Seamen; Index of Apprentices; class BT 150; piece 9; surnames A-Z (1861-1864). co.uk
  21. Colliers arrived at Gravesend 11 Sep 1862, Thomas Gates, Steel. British Newspaper Archive; North & South Shields Gazette; page 7.
  22. Shields Shipping Intelligence 9 May 1864, Shields, Arrivals, Thomas Gales Havre. British Newspaper Archive; Shields Gazette and Daily Telegraph; page 3.
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  23. Edward Richard Anstiss & Mary Ann Evans 2 Jun 1877 Marriage General Register Office; England & Wales Marriages; Newtown, Montgomeryshire; volume 11B; page 370.
    Copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  24. Archibald Edward Anstiss 1 May 1877 Birth General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Newtown, Montgomeryshire; volume 11B; page 211.
    Digital copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  25. Archibald Edward Anstiss 9 Jun 1878 Baptism Archives Wales; Montgomeryshire Parish Baptisms; Llanllwchaiarn; page 126.
  26. Edward, Mary Ann, Edward Anstiss 26 Nov 1880 Admission
    Edward Anstiss 27 Nov 1880 Discharge to Infirmary
    Edward, Mary Ann, taking their child Edward dischgd from Infy Discharge 4 Dec 1880 London Metropolitan Archives; Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records; reference Isbg/283/009; Islington 1880-1881. Ancestry.co.uk
  27. James Anstiss Jan-Feb-Mar 1874 Death General Register Office; England & Wales Deaths; Islington, London; volume 1B; page 239.
  28. James, Sarah, Louisa, Alice, Arthur, Sarah Anstiss 1881 Census for 16 Percy Terrace, Hackney, London/Middlesex; reference RG11; piece 318; folio 40; page 24.
  29. Edward, Mary Ann, Edward Anstiss 1881 Census for Guildford Union Workhouse, Stoke Next Guildford, Surrey; reference RG11; piece 778; folio 95; page 11.
  30. Honiton, Petty Sessions 4 Nov 1881 British Newspaper Archive; Western Times Exeter; page 8.
  31. Edward Anstiss 10 Oct 1882 Admission Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre; National School Admission Registers and Log Books; Swindon, King William Street Church of England School; Admissions 1882; reference F8/600/263/8/6/2.
  32. Compulsory and free primary education : 1880s and 1890s History of education in England Wikipedia.org
  33. Benjamin Anstiss 15 May 1884 Birth General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Highworth, Wiltshire; volume 5A; page 33.
    Digital copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  34. Benjamin Anstiss 22 Jan 1885 Baptism Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre; Wiltshire Church of England Parish Registers; Swindon, St Mark 1881-1886; reference 1065/4; page 154. Ancestry.co.uk
  35. Benjamin Anstiss 19 Aug 1889 Admission, last school attended Queenstown Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre; National School Admission Registers and Log Books; Swindon, King William Street Church of England School; Admissions 1884; reference F8/600/263/8/6/2.
  36. Edward R, Mary A, Archibald E, Benjamin Anstis 1891 Census for 13 Little London, Swindon, Wiltshire; reference RG12; piece 1582; folio 39; page 22.
  37. Edwin sic Anstiss 2 Jan 1895 Attested, 20 Mar 1896 Discharged by Purchase The National Archives; Militia Service Records 1806-1915; reference WO 96; box 973; box record number 102; service number 4647.
  38. Discharge by Purchase Wikipedia.org
  39. Archibald Edwin Anstiss 3 May 1898 Attested, 21 Mar 1899 Discharged by Purchase The National Archives; Militia Service Records 1806-1915; reference WO 96; box 973; box record number 100; service number 5606.
  40. Edward Anstiss 12 Jun 1900 Attested, 23 Dec 1902 Discharged by Purchase The National Archives; Militia Service Records 1806-1915; reference WO 96; box 973; box record number 101; service number 6370.
  41. Return of the Wilts Militia, Speech by Major-General Lord Methuen 13 Sep 1902 British Newspaper Archive; Wiltshire (Trowbridge) Chronicle; page 8.
  42. The Wiltshire Regiment. Return of the Third Battalion 13 Sep 1902 British Newspaper Archive; Swindon Advertiser and North Wilts Chronicle; page 5.
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  44. Edward Richd, Mary Ann, Benjamin Anstiss 1901 Census for Marsh Gate, Stratton St Margaret, Swindon, Wiltshire; reference RG13; piece 1903; folio 200; page 16.
  45. Mary Ann Anstiss 6 May 1904 Admission Discharges died 22 Nov 1904 Wiltshire Family History Society; Wiltshire Asylum Registers 1789-1921; Roundway, Devizes; Admissions & Discharges 1851-1919; book 1; entry 6921.
  46. Mary Ann Anstiss 22 Nov 1904 Death General Register Office; England & Wales Deaths; Highworth, Wiltshire; volume 5A; page 67.
    Digital copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  47. Edward Anstiss 1911 Census for Swindon and Highworth Union Workhouse and Infirmary, Stratton St Margaret, Swindon, Wiltshire; reference RG14; piece 11766; schedule 1.
  48. Edward Austiss sic 11 Feb 1917 Death General Register Office; England & Wales Deaths; Swindon, Wiltshire; volume 5A; page 10.
    Digital copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  49. Edward Anstiss. George, Bessie, George Bellows 1911 Census for 27 Oakfield Terrace, Caerphilly, Glamorganshire, Wales; reference RG14; piece 32237; schedule 329.
  50. George Faben Bellows & Bessie Pounds 31 Oct 1896 Marriage Family Search International; Dorset Marriages; Heatherlands, Dorset.
  51. Henry George Bellows Oct-Nov-Dec 1900, mother maiden name Pounds Birth General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Poole, Dorset; volume 5A; page 223.
  52. Archibald Antiss arrival 26 May 1913 SS Tunisian Library and Archives Canada; Canada Incoming Passenger Lists 1865-1935; reference RG 76-C; roll T-4796.  Ancestry.com
  53. Bessie, Harry Antriss sic departure 31 Oct 1914 SS Orduna The National Archives, Kew; Outwards Passenger Lists 1890-1960; series BT 27.  Ancestry.co.uk
  54. George Fabian Bellows Apr-May-Jun 1935 General Register Office; England & Wales Deaths; Wakefield, Yorkshire; volume 9C; page 9.
  55. Edward, Bessie Antiss. Henry Bellows 1921 Canada Census for 144 Argyle Park, London Township, Middlesex East, Ontario; Library and Archives Canada; reference RG31; folder 71; page 14. Ancestry.com
  56. Henry George Bellows & Elsie May Dibsdall 15 Oct 1923 Marriage Archives of Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages 1869-1928; reel 654. Ancestry.com
  57. Henry George Bellows 6 Mar 1924 Death Archives of Ontario; Registrations of Deaths 1924; series 315; page 527; entry 135. Ancestry.com
  58. Edward, Bessie Antis sic 1931 Canada Census for 44 Argyle Park, London Township, Middlesex East, Ontario; Library and Archives Canada; folder T-27278; sub-district 0014; page 4. Ancestry.com
  59. Archibald Edward Antiss 18 Dec 1949 Death Archives of Ontario; Registrations of Deaths 1949; series Rg 2864; form 042496. Ancestry.com
  60. Benjamin Anstiss & Amelia Bassnett 4 May 1914 Marriage Warwickshire County Record Office; Warwickshire Marriages; Coventry, St Michael 1902-1915; page 224.
  61. Edward Bassnett 26 Nov 1913 Baptism, 17 Jan 1913 birth, father Edward Cashmore Warwickshire County Record Office; Warwickshire Baptisms; Coventry, Keresley, St Thomas 1913-1916; reference DR0599/6; page 29.
  62. Benjamin Anstiss 17 Nov 1914 General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Coventry; volume 6D; page 1444. Digital copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  63. Leslie Anstiss Oct-Nov-Dec 1915 General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Coventry; volume 6D; page 1297.
  64. Ruth Anstiss 18 Apr 1917 father Private in Devonshire Regt General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Coventry; volume 6D; page 1250. Digital copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  65. Amelia, Benjamin, Leslie Anstiss 3 Jan 1917 Admitted destitute; 16 Jan 1917 Discharged own request
    Amelia, Benjamin, Leslie, Ruth Anstiss 27 Aug 1917 Admitted destitute; 7 Sep 1917 Discharged own request
    Warwickshire, Coventry Union Workhouse, Admission and Discharge Registers 1853-1946; reference SLA_6_13_18 1916-1918
  66. Benjamin Anstiss 26 Sep 1919 Discharged Western Front Association, London; WW1 Pension Record Cards and Ledgers 382/06ma; Pension Record Ledger reference 6/Ma/No.17; service no 35381. Ancestry.co.uk/Fold3.com
  67. Bessie Antiss sic 26 Nov 1919 General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Coventry; volume 6D; page 1690. Digital copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  68. Amelia, Benjamin, Leslie, Ruth, Bessie, Amelia Anstiss 6 Jan 1921 Admitted;
    Warwickshire, Coventry Union Workhouse, Admission and Discharge Registers 1853-1946; reference SLA_6_13_19 1920-1922
  69. Isaac, Mary Jane, Mary Jane, Regginald, Dorothy Daisey, Edward Bassnett (grandson) 1921 Census for 11 Hope St, Coventry, Warwickshire; reference RG15; piece 14607; schedule 262.
  70. Amelia Anstiss 4 Apr 1921 Discharged to Asylum; Warwickshire, Coventry Union Workhouse, Admission and Discharge Registers 1853-1946; reference SLA_6_13_19 1920-1922
  71. Amelia Anstiss 1921 Census for Warwick County Asylum, Hatton, Warwick (Budbrooke), Warwickshire; reference RG15; piece 14689; page 5.
  72. Benjamin, Leslie, Ruth, Bessie, Amelia Anstiss 1921 Census for Coventry Poor Law Institution, 11 London Rd, Coventry, Warwickshire; reference RG15; piece 14620.
  73. Amelia Anstiss 19 Aug 1921 General Register Office; England & Wales Deaths; Coventry; volume 6D; page 592. Digital copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  74. Bessie Anstiss 2 Feb 1922 General Register Office; England & Wales Deaths; Coventry; volume 6D; page 977. Digital copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  75. Betsy Antiss sic 15 Mar 1923 General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Coventry; volume 6D; page 1221. Digital copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  76. Horace Antiss Apr-May-Jun 1924 General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Coventry; volume 6D; page 1182.
  77. Oliver Antiss Apr-May-Jun 1927 General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Coventry; volume 6D; page 1127.
  78. Henry Antiss Apr-May-Jun 1929 General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Coventry; volume 6D; page 1204.
  79. Henry Anstiss 24 Jan 1929 General Register Office; England & Wales Deaths; Coventry; volume 6D; page 1371. Digital copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  80. Appalling state of Coventry Home Mentally Deficient Parents of 11 Children 1 Feb 1929 British Newspaper Archive; Hinckley Echo, Midland Counties Tribune and Warwickshire County Graphic, Coventry Chronicle, Bedworth and Foleshill News; page 11.
  81. Oliver Anstiss Jan-Feb-Mar 1929 General Register Office; England & Wales Deaths; Coventry; volume 6D; page 1370.
  82. Richard Norman Antiss Jan-Feb-Mar 1930 General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Coventry; volume 6D; page 120.
  83. Christopher Antiss Jul-Aug-Sep 1931 General Register Office; England & Wales Births; Coventry; volume 6D; page 1122.
  84. Benjamin Antiss 30 Mar 1956 General Register Office; England & Wales Deaths; Coventry; volume 9C; page 972. Digital copy of original certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  85. Benjamin Antiss Apr-May-Jun 1836 General Register Office; England & Wales Deaths; Coventry; volume 9C; page 1836.