Mary (Phillips) Mudd

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Biography

Mary Ann Phillips 14 January 1910 – 29 November 1978

Mary Ann Phillips(1) was born on the 14th of January 1910 at 42 Magpie Hall Road, Chatham, Kent. On her birth certificate her father is listed as Alfred Wells(?) Phillips, a Lighterman, of 16 Whittaker Street, Chatham and her mother was MA Phillips(2) of 42 Magpie Hall Road, Chatham.

I discovered that 42 Magpie Hall Road was a hospital and I also found a reference to TB. I then thought the mother could have had TB which would explain why she was in hospital with a new baby. I then searched the 1911 census but, when searching for Alfred, was unable to discover any census entry for the family. When I searched for Mary Phillips I discovered that she was still at Magpie Hall Road as was Mary Ann, aged 29 and 1 respectively. That census entry also revealed that Mary was married and had been for 12 years. She had given birth to 7 children of whom 6 were still living. She was born in London.

It turned out that 42 Magpie Hall Road was actually a Workhouse and this raised a number of questions.

Going back to the 1901 census I found an entry for Alfred Phillips aged 22, a Bricklayer's Labourer, born in Chatham. Mary AL Phillips, his wife, aged 19 was also there – she was listed as being born in Shoreditch, London. There were 2 children, Alfred aged 1 and Nellie aged 8 months (The 1901 census took place on the 31st March.) both were born in Chatham. The family's address at that time was 16 Jenkins Dale, Chatham. Of future interest, living at number 15 was Benjamin Mitchell aged 62, a General Dealer – from a shop – a Widower born in Whitechapel.

With this info from the 1901 census I was able to put Mary's birth year at, around, 1883 so I took a punt and ordered a copy her birth certificate. Mary Ann Louisa Mitchell was born on the second of April 1883 at 23 Temple Street, Southwark, London. The father was Benjamin Mitchell, a General Dealer, of the same address, and the mother was Mary Ann Mitchell, formerly Stewart.

A search of the 1891 census found an entry for Halcomb Street, Shoreditch where Mary Ann Mitchell was listed as the Head of the house and said to be a Widow. She was a laundress born in London and had 5 children – Thomas A, 20; Jane, 17; Elizabeth E, 15; Mary Ann 8 and Alice F, 8. Remember, in the 1901 census Mary was said to have been born in Shoreditch and the age of 8 here fits. The only query I have with this entry is that the mother is described as a Widow but Benjamin was still alive in the 1901 census and at the wedding in 1899. In fact in the 1901 census he'd described himself as a Widower.

Now knowing when Mary was born and who her father was I felt confident enough to order a copy of her marriage certificate which tells us: on 11th January 1899 Alfred William Phillips married Mary Ann Louisa Mitchell at the Medway, Kent, Registry Office. Both said that they were aged 21. Alfred put his occupation as Lighterman, the same as his father Charles John Phillips. Mary's father was listed as Benjamin Charles Mitchell, a general Dealer. At the time Alfred was living at 21 Nag's Head Lane, Rochester and Mary at number 26. At this point it's worth noting that as Mary was born in 1883 she was only 16. It's also worth noting that the first son, Alfred, was born in 1899 so it appears that Mary was pregnant at the time of her marriage, which probably explains why the false age was given.

I did wonder if it were possible to get married when under age or whether proof would have to be produced. Apparently it was possible quite simply, if they looked 21 and said they were 21 and the vicar didn't know them personally..... parental permission was not required.

I received the final (??? It's never final) piece of the jigsaw this week from a researcher in Chatham who had done some checking as to why Mary was at Magpie Hall Road. The researcher went through a variety of records for the Medway Union and found references to only one Mary Phillips. She was referred to variously as Mary Phillips, Mary Ann Phillips and Mary AE Phillips.

The creed Register (used to record the religion of all inmates) shows that, on the 1st April 1909 the following were admitted to the Union. Mary Phillips 28, Alfred 10, Ellen(Nellie) 9, Benjamin 7, Louisa 7, Charles 3, Henry 2, and also Alfred Phillips aged 31 years. Their address was given as Harrison Square, Chatham and Alfred is shown as a Rag and Bone Collector. They were all discharged again that same day but on the 4th August they were readmitted although there was no sign of Alfred senior or junior. The dates of birth are shown as Mary Ellen (widow crossed out and wife of Alfred inserted) 1881, Ellen 1890 (error, s/be 1900), Benjamin 1902, Louisa 1904, Charles 1906, Henry 1907. Mary is not included of course as she was not born at this stage. The son Alfred is not listed. Again, a note, remember that Mary had lost 1 child? Perhaps Alfred junior was the one who was lost.

The minute book of the Guardians (G/ME/AM 33) shows that on the 10th August 1909 a warrant was issued against Alfred Phillips for desertion. The Guardians also tried to remove Mary AE Phillips on the same date in 1909 and again in July 1910 to Blackfriars, London without success. That ties in with the family having originally come from London. Attached to the workhouse were some cottages for children and I did find a 1911 census entry for Charles Phillips aged 5. The other children could have been farmed out to other Unions or found work elsewhere.

Anne Margaret Phillips(Annie) was born in 1912, I haven't sighted her birth certificate so don't know whether Alfred had reappeared nor where the family was living at that time. I do know that I've been unable to discover any definitive documentation for Alfred senior.

Sources

1911 census: "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWDJ-PMP : 2 August 2017), Mary Ann Phillips, Chatham, Chatham, Kent, England; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.

Copy of Birth certificate held.

Copy of Marriage certificate held.