william jelly

Subject Name :  William Jelly (Jelley)
(b1816 – d 1901)

Researcher : Viv Bennett

Leather dresser William Jelly and his wife Harriett’s need to earn enough money to maintain their family inadvertently led to the death of their daughter in a fire.  Four of their other children had died very young prior to this, at a time when child mortality in England saw over one in four not reach their fifth birthday 1.

William was born around 1816 and baptised on 4th June that year at All Saints’ Parish Church, Witley, near Godalming, Surrey 2. He was the third of five children traced of John and Sarah Jelly 3. At the time of his birth, the family was living in the hamlet of Brook, just outside Witley, but soon moved to Godalming.  

William’s father John was a leather dresser, a skilled occupation in which the leather is coloured and polished after it has been tanned.  This was an important local industry 4, and a path that William would also follow.

John had passed away by the time of William’s marriage to Harriett Hubland on 31st March 1839 at the St John’s Parish Church, Croydon 5.  Harriett had been born in 1814 in nearby Carshalton.

William and Harriet’s first child Thomas William was born on 9th December 1840 6. The Census later that year showed the family living in Blue Houses, Croydon Road, Carshalton, very close to the leather mill on the River Wandle where 25-year-old William was working.  Harriet was 27 and their son Thomas six months old 7.

Four more children followed over the next nine years, but not all went well for William and Harriett 8.  John, born in 1842, only lived for seven months 9.

The family were still living in Carshalton in 1851 10.  William, 34, remained as a leather dresser while Harriett, 36, was at home caring for their four sons – Thomas (10), Walter (5), Charles (3) and Henry (11 months). 

William and Harriett’s first daughter Elizabeth Harriet was born in December that year 11.  Three further children followed, but they all died shortly after birth.  Mary Ann in 1853 and Arthur in 1855 were both just 2 months old when they died in Carshalton 12, 13.  A further son, also named Arthur, born in Shamley Green in 1856, only lived for one day  14. 

William was still a leather dresser and would have been working at Shamley Green’s Lostiford Mill. However, the family soon relocated back to William’s home town of Godalming, living at The Mint, with William working at the Westbrook leather mill in the town 15.

By early 1859, Harriett was working too, at a paper mill in Eashing, about 30 minutes’ walk from home, leaving 14-year-old son Walter to look after his siblings Charles, Henry and Elizabeth.  This was to have disastrous consequences, as on 7th January, screams were heard coming from the family home followed by 7-year-old Elizabeth running out into the street with her clothes on fire.  Passers-by extinguished the flames, but she died nine days later.

At the inquest, a woman who attended to Elizabeth’s burns immediately after the incident said Elizabeth was able to tell her that she had been sitting by the fire when her clothes had caught fire.  Walter had earlier left her alone with siblings 11-year-old Charles and Henry, 9, but both were said, in the forthright language of the time, to be ‘imbeciles’, and were unable to help their sister.  A verdict of ‘accidental death’ was reached although William and Harriett were strongly criticised for leaving their children so unprotected.

The family remained at The Mint, but the 1861 Census showed that Harriett, 46, was no longer working 16.  William, 45, was still at the leather mill, and their four sons were living with them.  Thomas, 20, and 16-year-old Walter were labourers, while Charles, 13, and Henry, 11, were recorded as scholars.  No mention was made of their condition.

In 1867, William suffered an unspecified accident for which the Guildford Poor Law Accounts noted that he received 15 shillings (£0.75) in money and 5s 8d (£0.28) in kind to help him through his recovery 17.  This was not the end of his troubles as he received more funding later on for ‘illness’.  His son Thomas, at the age of just 27, was suffering from phthisis, and he also received financial assistance from 1868 18.  Their address was given as Harts Lane, Godalming.

By 1871 54-year-old William was no longer a leather dresser, perhaps as a consequence of illness or his accident, and was now a ‘farmer’s man’ 19.  His wife Harriett, 56, was working again, now as a ‘sack mender’.  His 30-year-old son Thomas’s health, however, meant that he was unable to work ‘through debility’.  Despite being labelled as ‘imbecile’ when their sister died, William and Harriett’s two youngest sons were now employed.  Henry, 20, was living at home and working as a mill boy, while 23-year-old Charles had been taken under the wing of 58-year-old Guildford chimney sweep George Cooper as his ‘servant’ in the business 20.

Sometime after this, it appears that the family moved back to Carshalton as Harriett died there aged 62 in December 1875 from heart disease 21.  She had also suffered from asthma for 23 years. 

William was next traced in the 1881 Census which showed him to be an inmate of the Guildford Union Workhouse, age 65, a widowed leather dresser 22.  Even though he may well have been living in Carshalton beforehand, once he was unable to look after himself, Witley-born William would have been moved to the Guildford Workhouse as the parish of his birth was held responsible for his welfare.  However, there are no records to show when he was admitted to the Guildford Union Workhouse.

It would seem likely that he spent the rest of his life as an inmate 23.  William passed away there on 18th March 1901, aged 86, from ‘senile decay’ and ‘gangrene of left hand and foot’ 24.  He was given a pauper’s burial in unconsecrated ground four days later at Godalming’s Nightingale Cemetery 25.

What happened to William and Harriet’s sons?

William and Harriet’s oldest son Thomas died age 42 in December 1883 in Carshalton 26.  He was buried at All Saints Church, where his mother and siblings John, Mary Ann and Arthur had also been laid to rest 27.

Walter, a labourer, married in Manchester in 1875, and raised a family there 28, 29.

Charles continued to work as a chimney sweep, living with the Cooper family even after his mentor George had died in 1876 and the family had moved to Godalming 30, 31.   Charles died in an accident in August 1899, being “found drowned, Westbrook Stream, Godalming” 32.

Henry’s fate is unknown, as no further records have been found after the 1871 Census for him.

October 2023, updated July 2024


References

The source for references is Ancestry.co.uk unless otherwise stated

The spelling of the surname varies over the years between Jelly and Jelley. References give the spelling as documented.

  1. Child mortality rate (under five years old) in the United Kingdom from 1800 to 2020 statista.com
  2. William Jelley 4 Jun 1816 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey, England, Church of England Parish Registers; Witley, All Saints; 1815-1817; Wit/5/2
  3. Sarah Jelly 19 Jan 1812 Baptism London Metropolitan Archives; London Church of England Parish Registers; Parishes not in a Borough; Godalming, St Peter and St Paul; 1793-1812; DW/T/5132
    Maria Jelly 12 May 1815 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey, England, Church of England Parish Registers; Godalming, St Peter and St Paul; 1813-1833; God/4/1
    Thomas Jelley 13 May 1821 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey, England, Church of England Parish Registers; Godalming, St Peter and St Paul; 1813-1833; God/4/1
    Ann Jelly 20 Jul 1823 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey, England, Church of England Parish Registers; Godalming, St Peter and St Paul; 1813-1833; God/4/1
    Ann Jelly 6 Mar 1825 Burial Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey, England, Church of England Parish Registers; Godalming, St Peter and St Paul; 1813-1833; GOD/5/1
  4. Commerce and industry, Godalming Wikipedia.org
  5. William Jelley and Harriet Hubland 31 Mar 1839 Marriage Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey, England, Church of England Parish Registers; Croydon, St John; 1837-1843; 2888/1/32. FindMyPast.co.uk
  6. Thomas William Jelly 10 Jan 1841 Baptism, 9 Dec 1840 birth London Borough of Sutton; Surrey, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms; Carshalton, All Saints; 1839-1872; P/32/1/6
  7. William, Harriet, Thos Jelly 1841 England census for Blue Houses, Carshalton, Surrey; Class HO107; Piece 1079; Book 3; District 4; Folio 22
  8. John Jelley 23 Oct 1842 Baptism, 18 Aug 1842 birth
    Walter Jelley 6 Jul 1845 Baptism, 23 Apr 1845
    Charles Jelley 14 Nov 1847 Baptism, 7 Oct 1847 birth
    Henry Jelley 19 May 1850 Baptism, 20 Apr 1850 birth
    London Borough of Sutton; Surrey, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms; Carshalton, All Saints; 1839-1872; P/32/1/6
  9. John Jelly 18 Mar 1843 Burial London Borough of Sutton; Surrey, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials; Carshalton, All Saints; 1839-1872; P/32/1/12
  10. William, Harriet, Thomas, Walter, Charles, Henry Jelly 1851 England census for Brickfield, Carshalton, Surrey; Class HO107; Piece 1079; Book 3; District 4; Folio 22
  11. Elizabeth Harriet Jelley 18 Jan 1852 Baptism, 21 Dec 1851 birth London Borough of Sutton; Surrey, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms; Carshalton, All Saints; 1839-1872; P/32/1/6
  12. Mary Ann Jelley 1853 Oct-Nov-Dec Birth England & Wales Birth Index 1837-1915; Epsom, Surrey; volume 2A; page 7
    Mary Ann Jelly 17 Jan 1854 Burial age 2 months London Borough of Sutton; Surrey, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials; Carshalton, All Saints; 1850-1890; P/32/1/13
  13. Arthur Jelley 1855 Jan-Feb-Mar Birth England & Wales Birth Index 1837-1915; Epsom, Surrey; volume 2A; page 1
    Arthur Jelley 11 Feb 1855 Burial age 2 months London Borough of Sutton; Surrey, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials; Carshalton, All Saints; 1850-1890; P/32/1/13
  14. Arthur Jelley 1856 Apr-May-Jun Birth England & Wales Birth Index 1837-1915; Hambledon, Surrey; volume 2A; page 92
    Arthur Jelly 1856 Apr-May-Jun Death England & Wales Death Index 1837-1915; Hambledon, Surrey; volume 2A; page 55
    Digital copy of death certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  15. Godalming, Death of a Child by Burning 22 Jan 1859 West Surrey Times FindMyPast.co.uk/British Newspaper Archive
  16. William, Harriett, Thomas, Walter, Charles, Henry Jelly 1861 England census for Mint, Godalming, Surrey; Class RG9; Piece 429; Folio 81; Page 38
  17. William Jelly, Godalming Harts Lane Michaelmas 1867 (Mar 1867-Sep 1867) to Michaelmas 1871 (Mar 1871-Sep 1871) Outdoor Relief; Guildford Poor Law Union Half Yearly Accounts 1864–1871; ref BG6/33/1. Surrey History Centre, Woking
  18. Thomas Jelly, Godalming Harts Lane Michaelmas 1868 (Mar 1868-Sep 1868) to Michaelmas 1871 (Mar 1871-Sep 1871) Outdoor Relief; Guildford Poor Law Union Half Yearly Accounts 1864–1871; ref BG6/33/1. Surrey History Centre, Woking
  19. William, Harriett, Thomas, Henry Jelley 1871 England census for Harts Lane, Godalming, Surrey; Class RG10; Piece 814; Folio 98; Page 47
  20. George Cooper, Charles Jelly 1871 England census for Chapel Street, Guildford, Surrey; Class RG10; Piece 812; Folio 20; Page 32
  21. Harriet Jelley 18 Dec 1875 Oct-Nov-Dec Death England & Wales Death Index 1837-1915; Epsom, Surrey; volume 2A; page 6
    Digital copy of death certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
    Harriet Jelley 24 Dec 1875 Burial London Borough of Sutton; Surrey, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials; Carshalton, All Saints; 1850-1890; P/32/1/13
  22. William Jelly 1881 England census for Guildford Union Workhouse, Stoke Next Guildford, Surrey; Class RG11; Piece 778; Folio 91; Page 4
  23. William Jelly 1891 England census for Guildford Union Workhouse, Stoke Next Guildford, Surrey; Class RG12; Piece 560; Folio 202; Page 7
  24. William Jelly 18 Mar 1901 Jan-Feb-Mar Death England & Wales Death Index 1837-1915; Guildford, Surrey; volume 2A; page 67
    Digital copy of death certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  25. William Jelley 22 Mar 1901 Burial Nightingale and Eashing Cemetery Records 1857-2022; Book N4; Entry 4135; Page 50 Godalming-tc.gov.uk
  26. Thomas Jelly 24 Dec 1883 Oct-Nov-Dec Death England & Wales Death Index 1837-1915; Epsom, Surrey; volume 2A; page 12
    Digital copy of death certificate from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  27. Thomas Jelly 28 Dec 1883 Burial London Borough of Sutton; Surrey, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials; Carshalton, All Saints; 1850-1890; P/32/1/13
  28. Walter Jelley and Hannah Maria Lee 7 Nov 1875 Marriage Manchester, England; Marriages and Banns; Manchester, Cathedral; 1875; Page 236; Entry 472.
  29. Walter, Anna M, Florence, James H Jelly 1881 England census for 64 Gomm Street, Gorton, Lancashire; Class RG11; Piece 3907; Folio 33; Page 16
    Walter, Maria, James H, Elizabeth Jelly 1891 England census for 22 St Clements Place, Gorton, Manchester, Lancashire; Class RG12; Piece 3174; Folio 86; Page 16
  30. George Cooper 17 Jul 1876 Burial Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey, England, Church of England Parish Registers; Guildford, St Mary; 1865-1892; GUM/5/2
  31. Charles Jelly, Martha Cooper & 6 children 1881 England census for Bridge Street, Godalming, Surrey; Class RG11; Piece 779; Folio 109; Page 14
    Charles Jelly, Martha Cooper & 3 children 1891 England census for Bridge Street, Godalming, Surrey; Class RG12; Piece 561; Folio 98; Page 5
  32. A Sweep Found Drowned 25 Aug 1899 West Surrey Times, page 5 FindMyPast / British Newspaper Archive
    Points 26 Aug 1899 West Surrey Times, page 5 FindMyPast / British Newspaper Archive