William Robinson Roberts (1820 - 1855)

Born 2 Apr 1820 in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England.

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Anne Read — married 27 Jun 1841 in Maulden, Bedfordshire, England.

Died 14 Sep 1855 at age 35 in London, England.

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Biography

William was born on 2 Apr 1820, in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England. His baptism record indicates that his family were Baptists. His parents were John James Roberts and Elizabeth Robinson, of Olney. His father died in 1822 when William would have been only around 2 years old. He had a sister Ann, who was two years older than himself. They also had a younger sister, Elizabeth, who seems to have died as a baby around the same time their father died.

When he was 10 years old, in 1830, William's mother was remarried, to a stonemason from Olney, named Robert Clifton. In 1831, William's half-sister, Elisabeth Clifton, was born in Olney.

William seems to have migrated from Buckinghamshire to Bedfordshire as a young man. He was employed for a time as a hairdresser, and later as a newsagent and stationer.

In 1832, William's grandfather, Samuel Roberts, died at Weston Underwood, in Buckinghamshire, leaving what appears to have been a fairly substantial estate. William received an inheritance from the will, which was to be accessible when he reached the age of 21. He would have reached this milestone in April, 1841, but he probably would have had to await the death of his aunt, Ann Roberts, in 1853, before the inheritance was released.

On 27 Jun 1841, William was married to Mary Ann Read, in Maulden, Bedfordshire. Mary Ann was originally from Mauldon in Bedfordshire. William was about 21 years old at that time and Mary Ann was about 22 years of age. Mary Ann's father John Read was a prosperous market gardener. William and Mary Ann had 5 known children who were all born at Ampthill between 1842 and 1856.

In the 1851 census, William (aged 30) and Mary Ann (aged 31) were living on Dunstable Street in the Shitlington sub-district of Ampthill. William was described as a hair dresser and newsagent. Their children at that time were: Marianne (aged 8) and Alfred (aged 5) who were attending school, and Emma (aged 3) and Eliza (aged 1). They also had a servant, Elizabeth Capon (aged 25).

William died from cholera on 14 Sep 1855, when he was 35 years of age. He died about 36 hours after contracting the disease, in the University College Hospital in London. The witness on his death certificate was Thomas Hillier, who was probably the same man who was executor of his grandfather's will, and likely related to his grandmother. Like his own father before him, William left a young family behind. His family then consisted of his wife Mary Ann (aged 35), and children; Marianne (13), Alfred (9), Emma (7), Eliza (5), and baby Wilhelmina Louisa, who may not even have been born when he died. The four youngest children were all baptized together on 14 May 1856. The oldest daughter, Marianne, was baptized just a few months later on 11 Jul 1856. It would be interesting to know whether this flurry of baptisms may have been inspired in some way by their father's untimely death.

Mary Ann appears to have remarried a few years after William died. Her second husband was Charles Riddle, a stationer who originated from Northampton. Mary Ann and Charles had two further known children; Harriet, who was born in 1859, and Charles, who was born in 1864. It is also likely that they were the parents of Louisa Roberts Riddle, who was born in Ampthill in 1862. Nothing more is known of Louisa, so perhaps she died very young.

In the 1861 census, Mary Ann (aged 38) and Charles (aged 32) were recorded living in the first establishment on Bedford Street, in Ampthill. Charles was employed as a schoolmaster and Mary Ann was a stationer and newsagent. Their children who were living with them at that time were; Marianne (aged 17) who was working as a bonnet sewer, Emma (aged 13), Eliza (aged 11), and Wilhelmina (aged 6), who were all attending school, and baby Harriet (aged 1).

In the 1881 Census, Mary Ann (aged 61) and Charles (aged 52) were recorded living in a stationer's shop in Bedford Street, Amptill, possibly next door to the town's marketplace. Also present at the address was their daughter Harriet (aged 21) and their son Charles (aged 17), who were both unmarried at that time. Mary Ann Riddle was also recorded in the 1881 census at her daughter Eliza's home in London. She gave her age as 53 on that occasion. She claimed to have been employed at a "Fancy Repository", which may be a fancy name for a stationer's shop.

In the 1901 census, Charles Riddle (aged 72) and Mary Ann (aged 81) were still living in Ampthill. Charles was still working as a stationer and newsagent.

Mary Ann Riddle died in Ampthill in 1908 at the age of 89.

Charles Riddle died in 1916, when he would have been around 87 years of age.

Sources

• England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936, Ancestry.com, (https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/2972/images/40612_B0147548-00009?pId=18116), William Robinson Roberts, 1820.

• Brannan, James, Unpublished Family History Notes, 2000.

• Death Certificate, Q Jun 1856 Ampthill BEDS [vol. 3b, pg 243], William Robinson Roberts, 1855.