A Moral Man - William Dowler - HELP!

[Debra Bozkurt]

Hi

Thought I finally had broken down a brick wall but no it built it self up again. I wonder if anyone has an ideas out there my brain has gone round and round. This maybe a wee bit long winded but an interesting story.

I have William Dowler (3rd Great Grandfather) born London 1820 - Tailor/Cap Maker - he appears on the 1841 census with brother John then on the 1861 and 1881 census with "wife" Elizabeth from either Sodbury or Bristol, Gloucestershire (depending on census) there is no marriage I can find for them on GRO index. He has various children born between 1846 - 1858, one born Ormskirk (William), one born Northampton (James), 2 born Bristol (Alice Jane, Rose Ann) and the final child born Southwark (Elizabeth) - none of these children appear on the GRO index under Dowler and as far as I can see no other name connects the five. I was going round and round in circles for days/weeks trying to work out who was Elizabeth and was all the children hers, when I found a newspaper article:

1844 London Standard

A Moral Man, William Dowler a sanctified looking man states the paper, was charged with creating a disturbance at the shop of Mrs Mary Ann Duce in Pitfield Street London. Mrs Mary Ann Duce says her sister had been unfortunately seduced by William Dowler. William Dowler said he loved his "wife" but the judge corrected him and said she was his concubine and he only created a disturbance as his wife's friends from Bristol (William's wife on census gave her birth place as Bristol/Sodbury) gave his "wife's" brother 1 sovereign for her and he (William Dowler) needed it to keep her otherwise she would have to go in the poor house or permbulate the streets - I can only assume the paper was being sarcastic when they described him as Moral as they went to great lengths to describe the trial which sounded a bit of a farce and high drama affair.

No where in the article does it state the name of the seduced sister or the brother who was given the sovereign or the husband of Mrs Mary Ann Duce - if she was actually married!

There is only 1 William Dowler in London in about 1844 my William Dowler and I thought it would fit neatly into the no marriage records, no GRO Index for the children. I set about find Mrs Mary Ann's husband, then I thought I would find their marriage and her maiden name and then try and prove that Mrs Mary Ann Duce sister was actually the "wife" of my William Dowler and there by the mother of my 2nd Great Grandfather.

No - I was wrong I can not find any Mrs Mary Ann Duce in London/Pitfield Street or any relevant marriage, anyone owning a shop nothing!!!

Can anyone else help me, sometimes a fresh pair of eyes helps.

Sorry for the long winded story

Kind Regards

Debra

[Coromandel]

Hello Debra and welcome to the forum

Newspapers don't always get their facts completely straight, so I wonder if Mrs Duce might have been Mrs Druce instead? An 1843 Post Office directory for London has a Joseph Druce, butcher, at 6 Pitfield Street, Hoxton, and a Thomas Druce junior, also a butcher, at 33 Pitfield Street, according to post #6 of this thread:

https://www.
genealogistsforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=16179

(Incidentally, this thread discusses an infamous Mr Druce who was supposed to have come from my home town of Witney.)

Having said that, I'm not sure if identifying Mrs Duce/Druce is going to help, for I have just checked that article in the 'Standard' (18 September 1844) and see that it wasn't Mary Anne Duce's sister who had been seduced by William Dowler, but the sister of 'a young man connected with her establishment'.

[KathNZ]

I think this is the family in 1871 going under the name of Short. RG10; Piece: 382; Folio: 16; Page: 25

Census care of TNA

[Lizzy9]

I think this is the family in 1871 going under the name of Short. RG10; Piece: 382; Folio: 16; Page: 25

Census care of TNA

Yes KathNZ, they look most probable.

[Lizzy9]

1841, Pitfield Street, all born out of county. HO107, P/708, B/5, F/10; Page 12.

Thomas Druce 50, Butcher
Mary Druce 40
Jane Drury 25
Mary Arnold 15
William Hockney 25, Butcher
Thomas Hancock 15, Butcher's Apprentice

[Lizzy9]

I can see marriages for Alice Jane and Rose Ann, both married on the same date of Mar 10th 1873 at Bethnal Green St James the Great. Their middle names may help in trying to track down their birth registrations/baptisms.

If you don't have a record of these marriages please say and I can post details.

[Debra Bozkurt]

1841, Pitfield Street, all born out of county. HO107, P/708, B/5, F/10; Page 12.

Thomas Druce 50, Butcher
Mary Druce 40
Jane Drury 25
Mary Arnold 15
William Hockney 25, Butcher
Thomas Hancock 15, Butcher's Apprentice

I told you a fresh pair of eyes - I made the mistake of looking at my smart phone after the wind (gales outside!) work me up and saw the replies. Which got my brain thinking - yes the article does say a man connected with her establishment and yes I think the newspaper got the spelling wrong. So I gave up sleep at 6.30am have made my tea and I am off to look at the Butchers apprentices and see if any off them came from Gloucestershire as the brother appeared to be in the shop. I will also look at the census for short - and let you know Thanks for all your help

Debs

[Debra Bozkurt]

I tell you what my families ancestors must have been brick-layers! I have found William Hockney/Hackney who was still a butcher but according to census was born in Stepney - he appears to have taken over the butchers at 3 Pitfield Street. This leaves me with Thomas Hancock assuming he was still apprenticed to the Druce in 1844 as a butcher. I can not find any Thomas Hancock of that age who is a butcher - he may have changed trades or died.

The interesting think is that there are quite a few Hancocks in Sodbury - probably one of lives similarities.

I did check by putting in the names for the children specially the girls in the GRO for Bristol to see if Hancock came up but nothing also tried Short - yes that must have been them in 1871 but why the name Short. Looked up alias etc. on the Old Bailey web site but nothing.

The Dowler's appear to be an inmoral family as William's father James Thomas Dowler married his mother about 5 years after 3 of their children's birth. James Thomas Dowler was a cordwainer but died before the census but it is an unusual name and the only James Thomas Dowler I could find was born Portsea in Hampshire who was a cordwainer on the births of his children their but seem to disappear off the face of the planet until a James Thomas Dowler appears in London. I am going to get the will of Richard Dowler Sexton in Portsea (father of the Hampshire James Thomas Dowler) to try and prove the James Thomas Dowlers are both the same person.

Ah well one day the bricks may start to crack - hopefully before I do.

Again Thanks

Debs