Eleanor SUTTON

Eleanor SUTTON

Eleanor was the fifth person to be buried in Horton Cemetery after it was opened on 31 July 1899. She was the last person to be buried there that year in an unmarked grave, but she certainly was not the last to be buried in the cemetery. Five decades later she became one of the thousands of people laid to rest in what would become an unforgotten cemetery.

Death certificate produced courtesy of Crown Copyright. General Records Office.

Eleanor’s death certificate tells us very little about her other than she died at the Manor Asylum of pneumonia (hypostasis). This is where a person stays or lies in bed for a long time. Gravity causes blood and fluid to collect in the lower part of the lungs. She was 71 years old and a widow. Her late husband’s name is unknown.

How did Eleanor come to be in Manor Asylum?

To answer this question, I had to look at what records I could find in the workhouse books and the UK Lunacy Register. A discharge record for Newington Workhouse in Westmorland Road reveals Eleanor was sent to the Manor on 4 August 1899 which is supported by the UK Lunacy Register.

A Reception Order shows an examination that was made on the same day. Eleanor had been sent from the Infirmary as there were concerns that she was a “Lunatic”.

She was confused “as to where she is, where she came from or where she came. Absent in mind at times and requires supervision and attention”. She was judged to be a “person of unsound mind” and would be sent to Manor Asylum.

In the event of her death there was no relative to be notified, only the Newington Relief Office.

The workhouse records show suggested that Eleanor had been a widow for at least 10 years. She had been in and out of the workhouse since 1887 at least 10 times. Sometimes moving from the Infirmary to the workhouse and back again. In 1888 she was described as a Tailoress and a Needlewoman. Later she was described as having no work.

From 29 March 1894 Eleanor seems to have spent long periods of time in the workhouse. She was admitted on that date and discharged from Westmorland Street to St Lukes in Holborn on 14 December 1895 on the order of St Saviours Workhouse. She was discharged on 4 February 1896.

There then appears to be a gap, and the Mitcham Workhouse Religious Creed Register suggests she was in an institution from 6 June 1896 to 14 April 1899. From there she was transferred to Newington Workhouse and then back into the Infirmary and back again when the Reception Order was made. I think Eleanor was suffering for a long time.

So, who was Eleanor Sutton?

A couple of entries in the workhouse register assisted with this search. The Mitcham register dated 4 February 1896 named her nearest relative as “Eleanor” her mother “In Newington”. And another dated 6 June 1896 to 14 April 1899 names “Niece Maria Chandler 16 Garibaldi Street, Newington”.

Finding out she had a niece called Maria Chandler was helpful. I was a bit skeptical about the entry regarding her mother considering Eleanor was 68 at the time. However, it was a lead.

Eleanor’s maiden name turned out to be Chandler. Her niece Maria was the wife of her nephew Henry Chandler, the son of her brother John Henry.

From there I was able to find a marriage for Eleanor.

Marriage

On 17 April 1843 at Holy Trinity church in Newington, Eleanor Chandler married Thomas Joseph Sutton, a tailor. He was the son of Thomas Sutton, a Silversmith and Eleanor was the daughter of John Chandler who was a Carman. Thomas gave his address as 47 King Street and Eleanor’s was 47 Belvedere Place. The witnesses were William Chandler and Charlotte Stoneham. William was Eleanor’s brother.

A map from the mid 1800’s showing the position of Belvedere St and Place including King Street which was just around the corner.

The couple had 4 children this has been verified by a search of the General Record Office births.

Sadly, all 4 children tragically died before they reached 4 years of age. In less than 7 years the couple had their hopes and dreams destroyed.

Baby Eleanor Charlotte died of Bronchitis and Measles. Ann Chandler was present at death. Ann was the wife of Eleanor’s brother John Henry Chandler. She was baby Eleanor’s aunt, presumably she was there to help with the poorly child.

Mary Ann Eleanor died of Whooping Cough and pneumonia. Eleanor was present at the death.

Thomas Joseph died of water on the brain. Unfortunately, the copy is not clear. Eleanor his mother was present at the death.

Elizabeth Charlotte survived only 9 weeks and was buried on 28 December 1851 in the very church she was baptised in. She died of pneumonia and cerebral congestion. Again, poor Eleanor witnessed the death of a child.

All 4 children died from complications of chest conditions and both Thomas and Elizabeth had water on the brain.

The living conditions on Southwark Bridge Road at this time were poor. Extreme overcrowding, industrial pollution, and awful sanitary conditions. The road sat on the edge of the notorious Mint and Borough Road slums. The houses lacked indoor plumbing. Occupants shared outdoor toilets and there were overflowing cesspools. There would have been heavy carriage traffic, filling the air with noise and the aroma of horse manure mingling with the smells of cesspools. Not a pleasant place to live, but Eleanor and Thomas would have had no choice.

It must have been so hard for the couple to lose all 4 children at such a young age. This was even more difficult for Eleanor as her father John died in February 1850 aged 59.

1851 census

The 1851 census shows Thomas and Eleanor living at 134 Southwark Bridge Road. Thomas aged 31, a tailor (journeyman) from Maidstone in Kent. Eleanor, his wife was aged 28. In the same house there also lived a widowed Eleanor Chandler aged 52 who was a Greengrocer from Ireland. Alongside Eleanor Chandler was her daughter Mary aged 19, sons Frederick (17) and Adolphus (14), both Errand Boys and a visitor named George Denkin aged 23 who was a printer from Southampton. This was Eleanor’s family of course.

Eleanor’s early years

Eleanor has been difficult to find and by tracking Eleanor Chandler senior and her family I hoped to find more. My starting point was that I assumed her mother Eleanor was the “Eleanor – mother” mentioned in the workhouse records in 1896. By tracking her from 1841 census through the fifty years to 1891 I found it was correct. Surprisingly her mother, Eleanor was still alive and lived until she was 96 years of age. She died just after her daughter entered the workhouse in February 1896. That was an amazing achievement for a woman who lived and worked in such difficult times.

Eleanor’s birth and baptism

This gave me clues about Eleanor’s family. From this I was able to discover Eleanor’s baptism which showed she was born in 1823 and not 1828. This meant she was 5 years older than I thought.

So, on 27 April 1823 Eleanor was baptised at Christchurch, Blackfriars Road in Southwark. Her father John was a Greengrocer, and they were living at Pearl Row in Southwark. John came from London. As far as I can ascertain, Pearl Row was off Borough Road in Southwark.

The 1841 census reveals that Eleanor was one of a large family. She is absent from the family group at this point but at 47 Belvedere Place the following siblings are recorded. We know from later census returns that her mother Eleanor came from Ireland. I have been unable to pinpoint a marriage for Eleanor’s parents.

The address of 47 Belvedere Place agrees with the address given on Eleanor’s marriage certificate.

Children born to Eleanor and John Chandler

It is interesting to note that Eleanor Chandler outlived 7 of her children. If she was aware of that, it might have been difficult for her to cope with.

There is an entry in the 1841 for a 26-year-old Eleanor Chandler working as a servant in the Black Horse in Lambeth, the age is wrong, but the 1841 census is not very accurate when it comes to ages. It may be her.

After 1851 and the sadness Eleanor goes missing

Eleanor is conspicuous in her absence in all census returns from 1861 up to her death but her husband can be found. It seems as if the couple went their separate ways. I feel that she may have remained in the area but try as I might I cannot locate her. What happened to her from 1851 to 1887?

Whilst I was following the lives of her mother and siblings, I checked that she was not living with them but there was no trace. One thing is certain Eleanor was not living with her husband or family.

Thomas Sutton

1861

In 1861 Thomas Joseph Sutton aged 43 stated he was widowed. A tailor from Maidstone. He was living with 7 other people at 2 Old Artillery Street in Tower Hamlets.

1871

Ten years later Thomas was living at 20, Brushfield Street on Tower Hamlets described as a widower aged 53. Also living at the same address was a lady, a visitor Margaret R Tait aged 43 a Housekeeper from London.

1881

Thomas was living at 32 Chestnut Road in Twickenham Green. He was aged 63 still declaring he was a widower and working as a Master Tailor. He was living with a lady described as Margaret Sutton aged 57 a Housekeeper. I suspect this was the Margaret R Tait mentioned in the previous census and she was possibly in a relationship with Thomas.

Thomas died on 5 March 1884 aged 66. His death certificate below shows he died of cirrhosis of the liver which he had had for 2 years and dropsy which had manifested itself 5 months prior to death. Dropsy is fluid retention and swelling now known as Edema, probably because Thomas’s liver was failing. Margaret was present at the death.

Eleanor’s siblings and mother

As we can see, Eleanor came from a large family and I will not focus too much on them, so I do not want to detract from Eleanor’s story. Most of her family remained local except for her sister Mary Ann who moved to Southampton with her husband who was a barge builder. Evidence suggests she remained close to her brother John Henry as his son’s wife is named as Eleanor’s relative in the Workhouse register. Maria Chandler lived at 16 Gabriel Street, not Garibaldi Street as stated in the records. How close they were is unclear.

Eleanor Chandler

Eleanor’s mother Eleanor senior must have been a tenacious woman, and as mentioned earlier she can be found in all the census returns from 1861 to 1891. In 1861 she was living at 7 Belverdere Place, described as a widow living on “Independent means”. After this point she moved into the Drapers Alms Houses in Hill Street and remained there for the rest of her life.

To become entitled to live there she would have had to fit a rigid profile as set out by the 17th century founder. Admission was granted as a “right to reside”. From what I can understand, she would have to have a “good character” and be “deserving” and have a long geographic connection to the parish. Alongside this, the fact that she was an elderly widow approaching retirement would have added to her eligibility. You also had to show financial distress, but you still needed a minor income to buy food. You also had to be capable of looking after yourself. She would have been nominated by the parish officials and then wait to be given a place.

In return, the Drapers Company provided a roof, a small weekly allowance, and a coal ration. Eleanor senior was extremely fortunate to be housed in such a way.

She died in the workhouse after living a very long life in contrast to her daughter’s offspring who were unable to reach the age of 4.

Authors Thoughts

Eleanor’s life was hard and full of tragedy, but it is also full of mystery. She is missing from the census returns which leaves great gaps in our knowledge of what happened to her after the death of her 4 children. It seems as if she and her husband went their separate ways for reasons unknown. If Eleanor stayed in the local area did she use another name? She is lost to us for 25 years.

From the workhouse records it seems she carried on working with skills she may have learnt during her marriage as she is described as a tailoress or needlewoman.

What we do know is by 1887 she is unwell and continues to struggle for a number of years confused and unable to function well until eventually she could no longer cope, and she was admitted to the Manor on 4 August 1899. At that point she could have been quite frail and she only lived for a few months.

Eleanor was buried in an unmarked grave. A woman who lived a very difficult and tragic life who became unforgotten for many years. There are so many things we do not know about her but we can now remember her and honour her life.