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b.1868-d.1902
Thomas Moss was born in 1868 in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. His father Isaac Moss (1836 –1899) had married Martha Butler (1837-1912) in 1861 in the Wantage registration district in Berkshire. The couple had six known children: Enoch born in 1862, John born in 1865, Thomas in 1868, Elizabeth in 1870, Sarah Ann in 1873, and William James in 1875.
The Moss family was living next door to Hodcot Farm in West Ilsley, Berkshire, when the 1871 Census was taken. Thomas’s father was working as an agricultural labourer to support his family.
Thomas was not living at home with his family when the next two censuses were taken and has not been found on either the 1881 or 1891 censuses.
Thomas Marries Frances
At some point Thomas must have moved to London as he married Frances Sarah Sansum in 1894 in the Kensington registration district. Frances. She was the daughter of violinist, George Sansum and his wife Mary Ann, who had been born in Stratton on Fosse, Somerset in 1870.
Thomas and Frances had three children: Thomas junior born in 1897 and Rose Frances born in 1898, both in the Bradfield registration district, and George Herbert Anthony born in the Kensington registration district just after the 1901 Census was taken.
By 1901, Thomas, his pregnant wife Frances, and their two older children were living at 82 Campden Houses, Peel Street, Kensington. However, the 1901 Census enumerator recorded that Thomas junior was a boarder aged 45 from Straton on Fosse, Somerset, and daughter Rose was aged 24 from Bradfield, Berks. Whether this was a mistake on the enumerators part, or the start of Thomas’ confusion is unknown.
The family later moved to 23 Glenrosa Street, Fulham, where they lived for about 5 months.
Thomas Before Becoming Ill
Thomas had worked as a labourer for Foster & Dixey, a firm that operated primarily as high-level commercial builders and contractors handling municipal, structural, and infrastructure modifications across London including Fulham Workhouse.
Thomas was earning 26 shillings a week, and out of that he paid 7 shillings a week for rent. The remaining money was used to support his wife Frances, aged 34, and their three children Thomas (Tommie) aged 5, Rose aged 3, and George aged 18 months.
By the time Thomas was admitted on 25th August 1902 to Fulham Workhouse, they had been living at 50 Bagley’s Lane, Fulham, for 5 months. Documentation states that Thomas’ first ‘attack’ had happened in January 1902; it was deemed not to be an epileptic episode or a suicidal attempt.
In a statement from his wife Frances, she wrote:
“….. my husband worries very much without any evident cause. Recently he has become depressed and seems unable to express himself. He has been gradually getting very strange in his manner & has become a danger to himself as he is inclined to wander away.”
The Fulham Workhouse medical officer stated that
“….. He is very dull and stupid. He is incoherent in conversation & returns irrelevant answers to questions. He has delusions about his bowels. He first told me his bowels had not been opened for 6 months and afterwards his motions came away in his urine. At times he is very depressed & complains that poison is being placed in his food.”
After being confirmed by the workhouse medical officer that Thomas Moss was a person of unsound mind, Thomas was admitted into the Horton Hospital in Epsom on 2nd September 1902. On admission, physically, he was described as ‘clean’ and in a ‘fair’ bodily condition.
Thomas died on 30th October and was buried on 5th November 1902 in grave 69 in the Horton Estate Cemetery.
Thomas’ death certificate states that he was 30 years old when he died, but he was actually 34 years old. It also confirms that he was a labourer from 50 Bagley’s Lane, Fulham. Following a postmortem, Thomas’ cause of death was confirmed as “General Paralysis”.
Frances After Thomas’s Death
By 1905, Frances had moved to 92 Campden Houses, Kensington. Whether her children were with her is unknown.
In the early part of 1906, Frances was pregnant when she married Harry William Redfern. Their daughter Lily Adelaide Redfern was born on 27th March 1906.
Sadly, Frances died soon afterwards on 25th July from “Carcinoma mammae metastasis in lungs and syncope”. Syncope (fainting) is an uncommon but potentially serious symptom in patients with carcinoma mammae (breast cancer) that has metastasized to the lungs. Her death certificate states she had died at 92 Campden Houses, Kensington.
Frances’ second husband Harry remarried and had more children. Lily was with him and his new family when the 1911 Census was taken, but there is no sign of Thomas Moss junior, Rose Moss or George Moss. What happened to them is unknown.
