GEAR family - Potterspury & Yardley Gobion

[Colin Rowledge]

My 2nd Cousin 2X removed [Edith Albertha Rowledge] married into this family when she married Bartholomew Gear in 1902.

Bartholemew's uncle was William Gear and he [William] married Charlotte Green in Potterspury in 1863.

Between 1863 and the census of 1891, numerous situations have come to light that are - shall we say - interesting.

One daughter died shortly after birth [Beatrice Alice] in 1871. Another daughter [Caroline] became unenamoured with her family, moved away [as far as possible], married Charles Peter Franlin in Bethnal Green on August 1, 1881, had 5 children children and died in 1947.

There were 2 sons born - William jr in 1868 and Joseph Henry in 1874 - to William and Charlotte.

According to various census records, the father [William] was in the Invalid Convict Prison in Knaphill, nr. Woking, Surrey in 1871. Joseph Henry was a Boy Inmate in the Tiffield Reformatory in Tiffield in 1891.

Before I go into other detail on this family is anyone aware of the institutions that these fellows were in?

Colin

[terrysfamily]

The Invalid Convict Prison in Knaphill, nr. Woking, Surrey
Colin

http://
wokingprison.blogspot.com/

[Colin Rowledge]

http://
wokingprison.blogspot.com/

Thanks for this information.

He was from the area in the title of this thread and was for all his working life an Ag. Labourer. I am trying to find out what crime he had perpetrated in order for him to be incarcerated so far from his home area and in what manner was he deemed an invalid to warrant being there.

The time would be mid-late 1870 as his wife was pregnant then with a future daughter who was born and died [both events jjust prior to the 1871 census]

Colin

[Colin Rowledge]

I have now found 2 instances of criminal convictions for Larceny for a William Gear in Northamptonshire.

If this is my William he didn't wait long after his marriage as his 1st conviction was on October 21, 1863 when he got 6 months. At the time of his marriage, Charlotte was already pregnant and she gave birth while he was in jail. After his release he seems to have kept his 'nose clean' for a while, worked as an Ag. Labourer and he and Charlotte had a son in 1868 - William Jun.

In 1870 Charlotte was again pregnant so it would appear that William sr. went back to crime but I can't find out what he was convicted of that required him to go to the Invalid Convict prison in Woking. At the time of his incarceration Charlotte was in the Work House in Potterspury pregnant and with 2 children, Caroline aged 7 and William jun. age 2. Just prior to the 1871 census, Charlotte gave birth to a daughter - Beatrice Alice - who died shortly thereafter.

By 1873 William sr. was back on the scene. He and Charlotte had another baby in 1874.

During the period 1874-1880, it would appear that Charlotte left him. Caroline had left home by 1880 and was living in Bethnal Green.

The 1881 census shows William sr. with the 2 boys - but no Charlotte in residence - in Yardley Gobion where he is an Ag. Labourer and living near his brother Charles.

On April 8 1885 he is sentenced to 4 months in prison for Larceny.

Then I can't find anything else on him

Colin

[lesleys]

There is a conviction in Buckinghamshire of a William Gear and a Frederick Blunt in 1869 both sentenced to 5 years for "wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm"
Pottersbury is not far from Buckingham so this could be your chap if he was let out early.

[Coromandel]

There is a conviction in Buckinghamshire of a William Gear and a Frederick Blunt in 1869 both sentenced to 5 years for "wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm"

According to the Buckinghamshire Assizes report in Jackson's Oxford Journal, 20 March 1869, this William was 23 years old and a labourer. He and 16 year old Frederick Blunt were charged with 'wounding Thomas Geary, at Hanslope, with intent to do him some grievous bodily harm'.

[Coromandel]

Colin, this doesn't answer your question, but I came across a great website about Yardley Gobion when googling:

http://www.
mkheritage.co.uk/yghg/

There's much more than first meets the eye. For example, there are transcipts from the school admission register. You can search these and some of the other data on the site via the Master Name Index:

http://www.
mkheritage.co.uk/yghg/census/MasterSearch.asp

[Coromandel]

According to the National Register of Archives, Northamptonshire Record Office hold 'admision registers, log books and punishment book' for Tiffield Reformatory School. The covering dates given in the NRA entry are too vague to be of much use ('c19th-20th cent'). The Record Office should be able to tell you whether they have records covering the time when Joseph was there.

[Colin Rowledge]

According to the Buckinghamshire Assizes report in Jackson's Oxford Journal, 20 March 1869, this William was 23 years old and a labourer. He and 16 year old Frederick Blunt were charged with 'wounding Thomas Geary, at Hanslope, with intent to do him some grievous bodily harm'.

I had never heard of "Jackson's Oxford Journal" prior to your post. Upon 'googling' I found that a 1-day pass costs a penny shy of 7 quid, so if you spent that amount on my behalf to find the details, then my simple "THANK YOU" seems hardly enough!!!

This event combined with his age - he was born Apr.-Jun.1844 - is a little out, but the trial was prior to the issue date of March 20, 1869 - he would have been 24. If his sentence started in January 1869, he would have been released about January 1974. Returning to Charlotte after 5 years away, one possibility is that she immediately became pregnant and gave birth to Joseph Henry in the Oct.-Dec. q. 1874.

What is interesting is that the person they were convicted of assaulting - Thomas Geary - has a surname very similar to William's and he lived in Hanslope, Buckinghamshire, which presumably is where the incident took place. Hanslope is about 4 miles from Newport Pagnall which is where his brother - Charles - lived fgrom 1894 after his 2nd marriage until his death in 1915.

I am still struggling with what had disabled William to warrant being in the Invalid prison as well as what happened to Charlotte between 1875 and 1881 when she seemingly disappears without trace

Colin

[Coromandel]

I had never heard of "Jackson's Oxford Journal" prior to your post. Upon 'googling' I found that a 1-day pass costs a penny shy of 7 quid, so if you spent that amount on my behalf to find the details, then my simple "THANK YOU" seems hardly enough!!!

I get a much better deal . . . a 365-day pass for zero pounds . . . courtesy of my local library service. It gives me access not only to JOJ but also to another 75 or so nineteenth century newspapers. It's an amazing resource to have, and I don't even have to be in the library: I can log in from home using my library ticket number.

So my generosity is not as impressive as it seemed!