A Stevens, Tomes, and Nash Family History
The Phipps Family Story
The Phipps family of England is tied to our family through the Tomes branch. The Gloucestershire, England residents were not wealthy or terribly prosperous, but their stories and letters live on.
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The Eighteenth Century in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire
Well before the days of indoor plumbing or railroads, our Phipps ancestors of Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, England lived fairly simple lives. We don't know very much about Thomas Phipps, the eldest ancestor we can trace, other than his marriage to 19 year-old Elizabeth Sharp on July 6, 1785 in his hometown. Elizabeth, who was also a native of Moreton-in-Marsh (daughter of John and Hannah Sharp), delivered at least four children to her husband:
1. Mary Phipps (b.1789)
2. William Phipps (b.1791)
3. Thomas Phipps (b.1793)
4. Rachael Phipps (b.1795).
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The family was certainly not of the uppercrust of society, and the Phipps children were likely not very well educated, if at all. Young William (my great x4 grandfather) grew to be a butcher, which very well may have been a trade he learned from his father, though we are not certain. In an age where most lower-end families dined primarily on potatoes and bread, it was likely a rare luxury that the family had regular access to meats for their dining table.
William Phipps and Family
Eldest son, William Phipps, was fortunately a bit too young to take an active engagement in the Napoleonic Wars, but he was almost certainly aware of the Battle of Trafalgar being waged when he was only 14 years old. By the time he was 25, he had found a bride in 15 year-old Mary Clarke from his hometown of Moreton-in-Marsh. The two wed on October 10, 1816. If our records are correct, then the ceremony was none too soon, as their first child was recorded as born on December 9, 1816 in their hometown. At least ten additional children would follow afterward. William and Mary's children were:
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1. Charlotte Phipps (b. 09 Dec, 1816)
2. Charles Phipps (b.1818)
3. John Phipps (b. Jun, 1821)
4. Eliza Phipps (b.1824)
5. Henry Phipps (b. 07 Oct, 1827)
6. Thomas Phipps (b.1830)
7. Rachel Phipps (b. Jul, 1831)
8. Emma Phipps (b.1834)
9. Ann Clarke Phipps (b.1836)
10. Caroline Phipps (b.1838)
11. Ellen Clarke Phipps (b.1841).
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As is not surprising for the time, not all of the children lived for very long. Poor little Ann Clarke Phipps lived to be barely a year old.The large brood, supported entirely on a butcher's wages, primarily remained in Moreton-in-Marsh, even as they, in turn, married and raised children of their own.
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The Phipps Siblings
Charles
Charles Phipps lived a life of servitude. By age 23, in 1841, he worked as a young servant in the Kings Charlton household of Mary and Hannah Westen. Four years later, Charles wed Mary Ann Frisby in Ashtead, Surrey (just southwest of London). Almost straight away the couple moved north to Cambridgeshire, where they lived with Mary Ann's parents on Silver Street while Charles found work at nearby Cambridge College and Queens College as a "college gyp"--a servant who attends undergraduate students, performing chores such as brushing clothes and carrying parcels. The gyp would typically wait in a small kitchen area in the college to be called by students requiring assistance. Charles would spend the rest of his life employed as such, working for the University of Cambridge for over twenty years.
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On the homefront, he and Mary Ann secured their own home, and began a large family, including children: Henry Charles Phipps (1845-1921), William James Phipps (1848-1882), John Phipps (1850), Robert Phipps (1852-1882), Frederick Phipps (1854-1889), andMary Ann "Fanny" Phipps (1858-1883).
Charles also took in his 17 year-old sister, Emma, by 1851, who probably was quite helpful with the little babies in the household.
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It seems that the couple may have had their hands quite full, as we know that by 1861, Charles's mother, Mary Phipps had moved in with them, living apart from her husband William for an unknown amount of time. Knowing that Cambridge is a fair distance from the family home in Gloucestershire, we can only wonder what prompted Mary to join her son's household for however brief a time.
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At least three of his sons grew to follow in Charles's steps, each working as college servants at Cambridge, and passing the tradition down to future generations.
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Charles and family never left Cambridge once settled. On May 30, 1874, at the age of 56, Charles passed away. His and his wife's burial site can be visited at Mill Road Cemetery.
John
John Phipps was 27 and working as a butcher, (presumably alongside his father and brother Thomas), when he married Elizabeth Clack on May 28, 1848. Elizabeth worked as a laundress, and the hard-working couple never had any children, as far as we are aware. John lived to the age of 58, passing on June 7, 1879.
Eliza
24 year-old Eliza Phipps wed local shoemaker Charles Simms on November 19, 1848 (just six months after her brother John was married). It appears that Eliza may have had a daughter out of wedlock about one year prior to her marriage, in 1847, a little girl named Mary A. Phipps (later renamed Mary A. Simms). Then, in 1851, the couple welcomed their only (marital) child, Edwin Simms, in 1851.
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Charles worked as a master shoemaker in Moreton-in-Marsh for years, often training apprentices, who sometimes resided in the family household. Eliza even worked as a shoe binder, presumably alongside her husband, in 1861. By 1871, their luck seems to have soured, and Charles was relegated to working as a "cord winder", and Eliza was working as a wash woman. By 1881, Eliza had hung up her washing apron (for pay, anyway), and Charles was back to making shoes. After 1881, we do not know what became of Charles and Eliza, though we can be pretty certain that their stories ended within their hometown of Moreton-in-Marsh.
Henry
Henry Phipps married Ann Hall on February 14, 1859. Much like Thomas and Martha, Henry and Ann are only recorded to have one child, a girl named Rachel Maria Phipps (b.1860), who, sadly, only lived to the age of 8. Father Henry did not live long enough to see his daughter pass. Henry died at the age of 38 in April of 1866, about two years before daughter Rachel perished. What became of widow and grieving widow and mother, Ann, is not currently known.
Thomas
Firmly rooted in Moreton-in-Marsh, middle child Thomas Phipps took up his father's trade as a butcher, and married Martha Pullam on November 21, 1855. Very shortly after their marriage, the couple welcomed the only child whom we are aware of--a son named Charles William Phipps (b.1857). The household was hardly empty, though, as we know that Thomas took in his wife's 12 year-old brother, John Pullam by 1861. Sadly, Thomas only lived until the age of 44, passing away in 1874.
Rachel
Rachel Phipps may not have had a traditional family life, but by the time she was a young adult, she had experienced a good deal of finery. Based off of her earlier work experience as a general servant in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire from 1851, by age 30, in 1861, Rachel found herself a servant position far away from her home in Kent. She worked as the "Still Room Maid" at Burling Hall, serving William Nevill, 4th Earl of Abergavenny and his wife, Caroline. As part of her job, the Still Room Maid for the estate was a bit of a chemist and wizard all in one. She was in charge of preserves and distilling, possibly brewing drinks. She also may have also concocted cleaners, soaps, candles, and even cosmetics. The pantry was her domain, and she answered to the Cook and the Housekeeper. She was very likely still in service at the Manor when the Earl died at home in August, 1868. We do not know for sure, however, for we have lost track of Rachel after 1861. By the next census in 1871, she may have easily moved to serve in a different town, or even country. Or she may have married. The search continues.
Burling Hall, Kent
The great house was demolished in 1917 after a fire
Emma
Emma Phipps was 17 when she packed a bag and moved to live with her older brother Charles and his family in Cambridgeshire. Given that their mother had to move into the household at some point after that, it is easy to presume that Charles and/or his wife Mary Ann needed assistance tending the household or family. But we do know that Emma was living back in her hometown of Moreton-in-Marsh by the time she was 23, as that was when she wed a local man named William Smeeton, a 36 year-old widower, on December 25, 1857.
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Emma and William Smeeton moved to Kings Norton, Worcestershire, were William worked as a "Canal Agent". The couple settled into the official Loch House (pictured below). Together they had at least seven children: William Smeeton, Jr., Ellen M. Smeeton, Emma Smeeton, Robert Smeeton, Lilly M. Smeeton, Harry Smeeton, and Arthur Smeeton.
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Then within approximately one year of Arthur's birth, in 1874, William died at age 53. Emma and her kids relocated out of the Loch House, but remained in Kings Norton. She raised her kids alone, and took in boarders.
The Loch House, Kings Norton, Worcestershire
Caroline
Little sister Caroline Phipps followed the example of her older sisters Eliza and Rachel, taking on a profession from a young age. By age 23, Caroline had moved to Paddington to live with her aunt Rachael (Phipps) Morgan, (her father William's sister) and worked as a house servant. When we caught up with her again in 1871 she was still occupied as a servant, this time living in Turnbridge Wells, Kent. A couple years later, in 1873, she married a poor and illiterate laborer named Ben Bridger. The couple was able to have at least three little boys:
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1. William Bridger (b.1874)
2. Henry Bridger (b.1876)
3. Benny Bridger (b.1878).
Plus, they adopted a young girl named Florence Whills later in life.
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With three little ones at home, in 1881, Ben was working as a gardener in Turnbridge Wells, and Caroline was a charwoman (a servant who performs the jobs of a "chore woman"). Both would continue these jobs in the same town through 1901.
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Benjamin Bridger passed away some time between 1901 and 1911, and by 1911, Caroline had moved in with her adopted daughter, then-married, Florence (Whills) Scott, in Turnbridge Wells, and brought her youngest son, 30 year-old Benny with her. Caroline passed away in Tunbridge Wells in September, 1919.
Ellen
Ellen, the youngest, is the Phipps sibling we know the least about. We have lost track of her after she was living with her father at age 20 in 1861 in Moreton-in-Marsh.
The Passing of Mary and William
William Phipps, the patriarch passed away in February, 1872 in Moreton-in-Marsh, at the surprisingly ripe old age of 79. His wife of many decades, Mary Phipps, passed away in May, 1877 at the age of 76.
The Legacy of Charlotte Phipps
If you have been keeping track, the only Phipps sibling we did not discuss in detail was the eldest child, Charlotte Phipps, born December 9, 1816. Charlotte is my great x3 grandmother. She was married before her youngest sibling was born, when she wed stone mason James Tomes (read the Tomes Family Story) in Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire on her birthday, December 9, 1839. After that, the couple had at least seven children, and moved the large family to Ontario, Canada by 1855.
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When her husband, James, died in 1863 in Hamilton, Ontario, Charlotte married again to a man named John Buck, who moved her to Quebec, where she spent the last days of her life.