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Hi Sylvia

I am also very interested by Garratt. With that in mind I am going back on the Mulcaster side as it could well be a maiden name somewhere along the line.

I will look for any possible Garratts tomorrow. At the moment I need to get some sleep!!


Gerry :-)

did any other of her children have more than one name??

Could "Robert Garratt" be the hint?

I'm tempted by that name Garratt ......... it's usually an indication of the father's surname, unless the name occurs somewhere in the family.

I wonder if he was baptised, and if there might be a mention of the putative father in the margin of the Parish Register?? Some vicars did that

Thanks Malyon.

Just checked census for Scotland but no such luck

Gerry:-)

could be that rebecca went away to ayr in 1901 census not found in england

Brilliant
As you say, cannot prove anything but its very tempting!!

Btw you didn't browbeat me. You just helped me see the light!! :-)

?????

No provable link, and no sign of Rebecca, but I did wonder about this chap because of the relative propinquity, whether his birthplace of Burgh was Burgh by Sands, and the fact that he is a farm servant.

Might he have worked for the Hodgsons, or lodged at their inn, and that's how Rebecca met him?

Pure speculation though.


1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census

Fish Inn, Glasson, Bowness, Wigton, Cumberland, England

Fanny Percival Head Widow Female 49 1852 Farmer Beaumont, Cumberland, England
Rebecca J Percival Daughter Single Female 19 1882 - Burgh, Cumberland, England
Thomas Percival Son - Male 6 1895 - Burgh, Cumberland, England
David Routledge Servant Single Male 48 1853 Farm Servant (General) Burgh, Cumberland, England<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Well, it was Potty who spotted her in the first place, and several of us then saw the unfortunate marital history all at the same time.

I don't want to feel I've browbeaten you into accepting her :-(

but I do feel that her name is not that common, and with the location, the fact she is a farmer's daughter , and also Potty found Rebecca's sister Hannah had lived in Scotland, so there were potential links with the country. The evidence is not definitive, but I feel that if you put it all together it does stack up quite well.

I did wonder whether David Routledge were the father, or whether that union had run its course and the forename 'Garratt'might have been a hint as to the father's name...

I wishe we could find Rebecca in census 1901, whether as Hodgson, Mulcaster or even passing as Routledge, but I can't spot her as yet.

Rebecca is accused of commiting the adultery with David Routledge at her marital home, The Lowther Arms.

Yes Kucinta I have bitten the bullet and have decided that she is my girl!! The more I went through all the info you all provided the more I was convinced. And to be honest I bet David Routledge is the father of John

Gerry :-D

I do think the timing of Rebecca Hodgson being caught out by her husband, and the subsequent divorce, fits in quite well with the birth of John Robert Garratt Mulcaster in 1902.

We can see from the 1911 censuses safc posted that Wilson held onto the children of the marriage, and Rebecca seems to be making a living as a monthly nurse, which were usually short term contracts to live in and help a new mother with her infant(s). Possibily not the securest of occupations, constantly moving from house to house for each job.

We don't know how long the relationship between Rebecca and David Routledge (correspondent in her divorce) lasted, whether he was the father or whether Rebecca formed a liaison with another man. It wasn't always easy for a woman to find her way in life alone after that sort of break up, especially with the stigma of divorce attached (possibly why she is a 'widow' in 1911). Perhaps Rebecca found herself in one or more short-lived relationships following the break up with Wilson, and, birth control not being that readily available at the time, the inevitable happened. She's had 6 children in 10 years with Wilson, so seems to have been reasonably fertile.

Maybe you need a DNA comparison with a descendant of Rebecca and Wilson's children ;-)

I agree you can't be 100% certain, but I think Rebecca does fit the bill really well.

Kucinta

I know, you are right, not every situation conforms to the expected or majority and I AM very inclined to her. You give a strong argument. At the end of the day I suppose she is really the only candidate

Chris, that is a very interesting find and is the icing on the cake i reckon!

Thank you :-D

Seems like butter wouldn't melt....

Before or after her marriage ;-)

Nice find Chris!

Agree, Kucinta; she is the most likely candidate.

08 August 1890 - Carlisle Patriot - Carlisle, Cumbria, England

Local Shows
Butter. A piece of plate was given for the best display of butter in design. 1, Rebecca Mulcaster

(no idea if her or not, below, again)


31 July 1891 - Carlisle Patriot - Carlisle, Cumbria, England

AGRICULTURAL SHOWS
Mrs Rebecca Hodgson's ornamental design in butter was very greatly admired.


09 August 1895 - Carlisle Patriot - Carlisle, Cumbria, England

Butter. Mrs Wilson Hodgson, Burgh.

Chris :)


edits (also below if him)

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=hodgson&yearOfDeath=1891&page=3#calendar


08 May 1891 - Carlisle Patriot - Carlisle, Cumbria, England

LOCAL AND DISTRICT NEWS.
Mrs F. Hodgson, Burgh-by-Sands.—The will of the late Mrs Frances Hodgson (born Blaylock), formerly of the Faulds Farm, Burgh, and latterly of Burgh, who was the widow of Mr Thomas Hodgson, has been proved by her grandson, Mr Wilson Hodgson, the sole ex ...”


1891 (Find My Past)
Wilson Hadgson Head Single Male 23 1868 Living On His Own Means Cumberland, Flanders
Parish Burgh by Sands
County Cumberland
Registration district Carlisle
Archive reference RG12
Piece number 4293
Folio 31
Page 8


1881 (Find My Past)
Frances Hodgson Head Widow Female 68 1813 Annuitant Cumberland, England
John Hodgson Son Single Male 44 1837 Farmer Burgh, Cumberland, England
Wilson Hodgson Grand Son Single Scholar Male 15 1866 Scholar Cumberland, Flanders, England
Parish Burgh by Sands
County Cumberland
Registration district Carlisle
Archive reference RG11
Piece number 5162
Folio 41
Page 12


01 May 1891 - Carlisle Patriot - Carlisle, Cumbria, England

Marriage
At St. Michael's Church, Burgh By Sands, on the 29th ult., by the Rev. E.H. Fitch, Wilson only son of J. Hodgson to Rebecca, youngest daughter of G. Mulcaster.

Given that Rebecca Mulcaster, farmer's daughter, reverted to her maiden name after being divorced by husband Wilson Hodgson, she may well have also reverted to describing herself in relation to her father, not her ex husband; at that time women still sadly seemed to be described in relation to one or the other.

Rebecca would still have been young enough to birth a child in 1902, but may not have been in a position to rear one on her own, if she had been deserted by the father of the child. She also left behind her one year old daughter Sarah when she left, or was sent packing, by Wilson, so she seems able to give up a child, though in both sets of circumstances she may have felt she did not have much choice.

Just because something is not 'the usual case' does not mean it didn't happen. Rebecca Mulcaster Hodgson may not fit your assumptions of what age the mother of an illegimate child should be, but I still feel she is a strong candidate, I don't know what others on the thread think?

Hi All

Thanks for you help.

It looks like I will never be able to be sure which Rebecca is the right one. My immediate thought, and the usual case, was that Rebecca would be relatively young if she had an illegitimate child, but there does not seem to be a likely candidate born anywhere.

It would also seem likely that "farmer's daughter" would indicate someone not previously married.

Hmmmmmmm? As I cannot be very sure I think I am going to have to stop the branch of the tree at Rebecca

Gerry :-)

The divorce petition said that six children had been born of the marriage, but that only 5 were still living:

George Wilson born 4th April 1892
Thomas born 27th August 1893
Francis (sic) Hannah born 13th May 1896
William Mulcaster born 23rd Dec 1897
Sarah born 1st February 1900.

Rebecca would have been single in census 1891, as that took place on the night of 5/6th April 1891, and Rebecca and Wilson Hodgson were married on 29th April1891

Mistranscribed on the 1891 census and she is down as single

1891 England Census

Name: Rebecca Muncaster
Age: 26
Estimated birth year: abt 1865
Relation: Daughter
Father's name: George Muncaster
Mother's name: Hannah Muncaster
Gender: Female
Where born: Longrigg, Cumberland, England
Civil Parish: Burgh
Ecclesiastical parish: Burgh
Town: Burgh
County/Island: Cumberland
Country: England
Street address:

Occupation: FATHERS OCC FARMER AND INN KEEPER

Registration district: Carlisle
ED, institution, or vessel: 4
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 4293
Folio: 32
Page Number: 10
Household Members:
Name Age
George Muncaster 65
Hannah Muncaster 66
William Henderson Muncaster 20
Rebecca Muncaster 26
Andrew Graham 41
William Mitchusson 71
James Brickland 78
Richard Crulman 21
Thomas Beckett 19
Thomas Hair 17
Catherine Sharp 22

1911 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
St Johns Vicarage Bedlington Station, Bedlington, Northumberland, England

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Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Occupation Age Birth year Birth place
Blanche Emily Shorthose Aunt By Married Single Female - 60 1851 Staffs Burtonj on Trent
Transcription
Walter Alexander Dark Visitor Married Male Clergyman Established Church / Vicar Designate Of St Bartholmews Sheffield 38 1873 Australia New South Wale Resident
Transcription
Edith Winifred Rudd Daughter - Female - 0 1911 Northd Sleekburn St John Greenhill
Transcription
Rebecca Mulcaster Servant Widow Female Monthly Nurse 40 1871 Cumberland Laugrigg Busck
Transcription
Daisy Caroline Mathesan Servant Single Female General Servant Domestic 21 1890 Northd Hebburn on Tyne