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b.c1846-d.1915
Mary died at Manor Asylum and, so far, her case notes have not yet been located. However, we do have evidence from the Visitors’ Book which was hugely valuable in my search.
Birth and Early Years
Mary LEONARD was born circa 1846 in Sri Lanka (probably Trincomalee) to James and Margaret Leonard. At the time of her birth, her father James was serving with the British Army. Her father came from Killukin, West Meath, Ireland and her mother from Portsmouth.
In 1851, we find the family are back in England and living at the Royal Artillery Barracks, Hougham (Dover), Kent where her father is serving as a ‘gunner, Royal Artillery Regiment’. Mary aged 5 has an older sister Ann (aged 7) and a younger brother James (11 months). Mary’s sister was also born in Sri Lanka. I have not been able to locate the family in the 1861 Census; they were possibly overseas again with the Army but in 1871 Mary and her parents are living in Rush Grove, Woolwich with siblings Thomas (born 1858), Margaret (born 1865) and William (born 1868). Her father is now a ‘labourer’.
Marriage and a family
On 7th December 1873, Mary married David AIRD, a Private in the Army Service Corps at St. Paul, Charlton, Kent. David signed his name, but Mary could only sign with an ‘X’. As was the norm for most couples at this time, children soon followed:
- James Matthew born 1874, died 1882 aged 8
- William Thomas born 1876
- Mary born 21 August 1877, married Cyril OXTOBLY
- Margaret born 1880, married. David PLATT
- Edward born 1883 (according to GRO – but RN record says 5 March 1880)
- Jessie born 1884
- John born 6 March 1888, died 24 June 1917 whilst serving with Royal Naval Reserve when HM Trawler Taipo struck a mine
In the 1881 Census, the family are living at 65, Ann Street, Plumstead with children James, William, Mary and Margaret. David is working as a ‘general labourer’ and gives his place of birth as Canada (David had also been born to a military family).
Plumstead, together with its neighbour Woolwich, was a bustling industrial and military area that had grown rapidly in the middle of the 19th century, leading to overcrowded housing. Poor sanitation added to these difficulties and contributed to the spread of diseases such as TB, typhoid and diphtheria. Employment was often irregular as well, leaving many families struggling to make ends meet
Mary & David’s eldest child, James, died in 1882 – he was just 8 years old.
In 1883, the three eldest children: Mary, William and Margaret were admitted to the Conway Road School in Plumstead.
On 3rd May 1889, Mary’s husband who was working as a labourer at the Royal Arsenal was charged with stealing 11lb of copper.
The Evening Telegraph And Star – 8 May 1889
The Workhouse
Around this period, Mary’s husband left her and their children. Could this have been as a result of his being caught stealing and losing his job? Whatever the reason, without a husband to support her, Mary would have had little choice but to enter the workhouse with her children.
Whilst I cannot locate the exact date the family entered the workhouse, on 12 November 1889, three of Mary’s children (Mary 12, Margaret 8 and Edward 5) were admitted to Brighton Road School, Sutton, Surrey. The school was a residential school housing almost 900 children from the poor law unions of the South Metropolitan School district which included Woolwich. The admission record says that their mother is in the Workhouse and that they’ve been deserted by their father.
1891 Census
On the 1891 Census, we find Mary and her youngest child, John aged 3, in the Woolwich workhouse in Tewson Road, Plumstead. Mary’s feelings and emotions are difficult for us to imagine but it must have been heart-wrenching for her to be apart from her children. Her other children had been dispersed as follows:
Eldest daughter, Mary, aged 14 was living at 75 Henry Street (East), Woolwich with her widowed grandmother, Margaret Leonard. Mary was working as a ‘domestic general servant’.
The eldest surviving son, William, aged 14, was aboard the Training Ship “Exmouth” at Grays in Essex. The Exmouth had been established as a training ship for boys chargeable to the Metropolitan poor law unions. Boys usually joined at the age of 12, where they learned practical skills such as mending and washing their own clothes, as well as sailing, rowing, gunnery and signalling. Alongside this training, they continued their ordinary schoolwork.
Daughters Margaret aged 13 and Jessie aged 5 and son Edward aged 7 were all at the South Metropolitan District (SMD) School for Boys & Girls in Sutton, Surrey.
The 1891 Scottish Census has a potential match for Mary’s husband: there is a David Aird aged 40 (born c1851), who gives his place of birth as Canada. He is described as a visitor to the MONAHAN family who are living at 6 Muirpark Street, Partick, Govan. This man is working as a ‘railway porter’. Interestingly, the 1851 Census confirms that David’s parents were born in Scotland.
1901 Census
Somehow, Mary managed to get back on her feet and by 1901 she’s no longer in the workhouse and listed as a ‘boarder’ at Millward Street, Woolwich with the AUSTIN family. She’s working as a charwoman and described as a widow – the record also says she’s deaf. I found her children living separately (see below). It’s sad to see that none of them are living with her but two of her daughters were at least living nearby:
- William – serving as an Able Seaman with the Royal Navy, aboard HMS Warspite
- Mary – unable to locate; married Cyril Oxtoby in 1906
- Margaret – living 13 Ann Street, Woolwich with husband Henry (Harry) Platt; their marriage took place Q1 1901
- Edward – unable to locate; possibly married Q2 1900
- Jessie – living 18 Gloucester Place, Greenwich; working as a domestic servant
- John – an inmate at South Metropolitan District (SMD) School for Boys & Girls in Sutton, Surrey
1911 Census
In 1911 we find a widowed Mary living at 247 Roman Terrace, Wath Road, Mexborough, Yorkshire with married daughter Maggie (Margaret) PLATT, her husband and children. Mary was now aged 65, perhaps her health had started to fail, and she had therefore gone to live with one of her daughters.
The Asylum
On 5 December 1911, Mary was admitted to Newington Workhouse, Westmoreland Road (Southwark) – perhaps Mary’s daughter could no longer cope with her. Mary’s stay in the workhouse is a short one and on the 16th of December she was discharged to Manor Asylum. As her case notes from her stay at Manor are not yet available, it’s impossible to say what led to her admittance. Mary’s life, though, had been one of hardship and poverty; her husband left her to fend for herself and their young children and losing them to the workhouse must have caused immense pain and anguish. Did these factors contribute to her health problems?
The Visitors’ Book lists two visitors: a Mrs Brooks, described as a friend, probably a neighbour, as her address is Chapel Street, Woolwich Dockyard and Mary’s son John of Alice Street, Tidal Basin (Canning Town).
Mary died on 28 June 1915 aged 69 from heart disease and was buried in plot 1803a.
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