Charles’ story is unusual in the fact that his admittance to Horton Asylum did not come by-way of a London Workhouse, and that he only spent four days there before he died.His story is based around where I was brought up and so I while I was researching, I was able to visualise the streets and churches that were part of Charles’ life before he ended his days in Epsom.
Charles James was the second son and third child of Thomas (1816 – 1887) and Hannah (1817 – 1872) Bush. Thomas had been only 19 when he married 18-year-old Hannah Silk on 10th February 1835 in St James’ Church in Weybridge, Surrey. Hannah was pregnant and 75 days later gave birth to their first child.
Thomas and Hannah had nine known children during their 37-year marriage:
William Thomas 1835 – 1890? Baptised 26th April 1835 St James’ Church Weybridge.
Charlotte Caroline 1836 – 1844. Baptised 17th July 1836 St James’ Church Weybridge.
Charles James 1837 – 1902. Baptised 1st October 1837St James’ Church Weybridge.
Henry 1839 – 1881. Baptised 7th July 1839 St John’s Church Croydon.
Ellen 1841 – 1846. No baptism found.
Esther 1844 – 1855. Baptised 2nd March 1845 St James’ Church Weybridge.
Mary Ann 1851 – 1855. Baptised 24th August 1851 St John’s Church Croydon.
Sarah Elizabeth 1854 – 1897. Baptised 28th May 1854 St. Peter’s Church Croydon. Died in Cooktown, Queensland, Australia.
Frances Eleanor 1858 – 1929. Baptised 7th October 1858 St John’s Church Croydon.
The General Register Office (GRO) for England and Wales officially started recording births on 1 July 1837, and Charles, who was born on 24th August 1837, would have been amongst one of the first babies recorded.
On 1st October the same year, his parents had him baptised in their local parish church, St James’ in Weybridge.
By 1841 the Bush family had moved to Croydon, Surrey. The 1841 Census was taken on the evening of the 6th of June, and the enumerator recorded the Bush family as living in South End, Croydon. Thomas, recorded as being aged 25*, was working as a labourer to support his wife Hannah, aged 24, and their expanding family – William aged 6, Charlotte aged 5, Charles aged 4, and Henry aged 2. Ellen was born later that year after the census was taken.
*Normally, the ages of people over 15 years old were usually rounded down to the nearest 5 years. For example, someone who was actually 24 years would have their age listed as 20, and someone who was actually 27 years old would have their age listed as 25.
Charles’ sister Charlotte was aged only 8 when she died soon after their sister Esther’s birth. Her body was buried in St James’ Church, Croydon, on 11th April 1844. Two years later, Charles’ sister Ellen also died and was buried in St James, Croydon on 6th March 1846.
The 1851 Census, taken on the night of 30th March, recorded the Bush family as still living in South End, and that Thomas was aged 35, Hannah aged 33, William aged 16, Charles aged 13, Henry aged 11, and Esther aged 7. Their new local church St Peters was consecrated on 18th September 1851, just after Charles’ sister, Mary Ann, was born. His next sister Sarah Elizabeth was baptised there on 28th May 1854.
The beginning of 1855 was a sad time for the Bush family as Mary Ann was aged only 4 when she died; she was buried on 20th January 1855 in St Peter’s Church, Croydon. Her sister Esther was aged only 11 when she died; she was buried in the same churchyard as Mary Ann on 27th April 1855.
Charles Marries Emma Jane
Charles was aged 20 when he married Emma Jane Grant on 1st August 1858 in St John’s Church, Croydon. Both signed their names on the marriage entry. Emma had been born in 1839 in the Tetbury Union Workhouse, Gloucestershire, to a single mother, Jane Grant, and was baptised on 18th August that year.
Charles and Emma had nine known children during their 16-year marriage:
Frederick John 1861 – 1861.
Mary Ann 1861 – 1861.
Sarah Ann 1863 – 1863.
Francis Edward (Frank)1864 – Died after 1921. Married/Cohabited Alice ?
Frances Louisa (Fanny)1866 – Died after 1881.
Lucy 1867 – 1950. Married Allen Foster 1890.
Charlotte 1868 – Died after 1881.
Charles junior 1871 – 1948. Married Susan Heustice, nee Woodland, 1900.
William Thomas 1873 – Died after 1921. Married Lily Elizabeth Lilley, nee Heron, 1913.
Also in 1858, Charles’ mother Hannah gave birth to her last child, Frances Eleanor, who was baptised on 7th October in St John’s Church, Croydon.
The 1861 Census recorded that on the night of 7th April Thomas and Hannah were living at number 40 South End with only two of their children Sarah aged 6, and Frances aged 2. Charles’ brother Henry was aged 22 and away serving in the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards in the Wellington Barracks in London. Brother William’s whereabouts has not been found in this census but later, he too was serving in the same regiment. Both Henry and William married; Henry to Ann Sartin in 1866, and William to Jane Elizabeth Clarke date unknown but their first of three children was born in 1865.
Meanwhile, the 1861 Census recorded that Charles, and his now pregnant wife Emma, were living in South End at 1 Hayward Cottage. Their neighbours were Ebenezer and Martha Hayward and their four children. Charles would later marry Ebenezer Hayward junior’s ‘wife’ Harriet Gammon, but more of that later.
On 3rd July 1861, Emma gave birth to twins, and on 19th July the babies were baptised as Frederick John and Mary Ann in St Peter’s Church, Croydon. Sadly, both twins died when they were three weeks old; they were buried together on 28th July that year.
Both the baptism and burial registers record that the family was living in “Back of The Blue Anchor”, a public house at the junction of South End and Southbridge Road, and that Charles was working as a coal porter.
Emma gave birth to their third child Sarah Ann in February 1863, but again this baby failed to thrive and died when she was five months old. She was buried in St Peter’s Church on 31st July 1863. The couple moved from their home behind The Blue Anchor after her death.
When Emma gave birth to their son Francis Edward, later known as Frank, on 9th April 1864, and had him baptised exactly a year later, on 9th April 1865, they were living in Uplands Road, South End. Charles was described then as a general labourer on his son’s baptismal entry.
Over the next three years Charles and Emma’s family grew rapidly with the birth of Frances Louisa, known later as Fanny, in 1866, Lucy in 1867, and Charlotte in 1868. None of these daughters appear to have been baptised but with four children under the age of four, their mother Emma must have had her hands full.
Emma was once again pregnant when the 1871 Census was taken on the night of 2nd April. The family address was recorded on the census as just Napier Road, South End, Croydon, and Charles occupation as a labourer. Nine days later, on 11th April, Emma gave birth to their son Charles junior at home, 13 Napier Road, Croydon.
Charles’ parents Thomas and Hannah were still living in South End when this census was taken. His mother Hannah was aged 55 when she died; she was buried in St Peter’s Church on 15th February 1872.
Charles and Emma’s last child, William Thomas was born on 5th January 1873 in their small 2-bed-roomed terrace house, 4 Cliff Road, Croydon. Neither he nor his older brother Charles junior were baptised.
Christmas 1874 must have been such a sad and devastating time for the family as on Christmas eve, Charles was with his 36-year-old wife Emma when she died in their home from “Over exertion of body. Injury to the uterus causing inflammation“. I do wonder at this point if Emma had once again been pregnant.
Charles clearly struggled after his wife’s death and left to care for his six children, Frank aged 10, Fanny aged 8, Lucy aged 7, Charlotte aged 5, Charles junior aged 3, and William not quite 2-years-old, his dilemma was reported on 4th September 1875 in The Croydon Advertiser newspaper as follows:
A SAD CASE
At the Croydon Police Court on Monday, Charles Bush, labourer, a middle-aged man, was summoned at the instance of the Croydon Board of Guardians for neglecting to maintain his six children, whereby they had become chargeable to the common fund of the Croydon Union. Mr Spofford, Chairman of the Board of Guardians, was in attendance while the case was being heard.
It appeared that some time since the defendant lost his wife, and being left with six children almost in the state of destitution, the Guardians were asked to take care of his children for a short time, he contributed 6s. per week until some definite arrangement could be made with respect to their future maintenance.
The children have been about seven months at the Anerley school where their cost to the parish is upwards of £2 per week, but the prisoner had not made any arrangements for taking them away and providing for their support.
Mr Edridge pointed out to Bush that the six shillings per week which he had paid would only go a small way towards the maintenance of his children, and that the original arrangement with the Guardians, who had acted with great kindness, was that they were to be at the Union only a month.
Mr Spofford said the Guardians gave the prisoner ample time to make arrangement. Last week they gave him from Tuesday till the following Friday to take charge of the children, but he had not done so. Mr Edridge said it was not to be supposed that in every case in which a man was left with a number of children that Guardians would take care of them for him. – Mr Spofford said it must come to an end.
Mr Edridge said all he could do was to send the man to prison, and that when he came out, he did not see how much better off he would be. He, however, did not look upon the case as one like that of an absolute desertion of children, as the defendant knew that the children were in the hands of the Guardians, and that they would be well taken care of while the Guardians continued to keep them.
Defendant said he had lost the use of one of his shoulders and could not do much work. He did not know where to take the children to, and he must therefore ask for further time to find a place for them. Mr Edridge said it appeared that further time would be of but little use for him, as he could not find any one to take in the children. He was sure if Mr Spofford saw any chance of his making an arrangement in the course of a few days, he would accede to his request; but from what the prisoner himself had said, it did not appear that he would be in a better position at the end of a few days than at present. He asked if the defendant had any friends. The defendant said his father would not allow him. His wife’s mother was not in a position to help him, as she was nearly blind, and travelled about with a basket getting only a precarious living.
Mr Edridge adjourned the case till Saturday, stating that he would see the defendant’s father, and the defendant must see him himself, and that if they could not make some arrangements with reference to the future maintenance of the children, he should be obliged to send the defendant to prison for a number of days.
On 11th September the same newspaper reported the following:
A DIFFICULT PROBLEM
Charles Bush, of 1 Southbridge-place, Croydon, was brought up on remand charged with neglecting to maintain his children, whereby they had become chargeable to the common fund of the Croydon Union. The defendant said he had seen his father, who declined to take his children.
Mr Hobbs, a Guardian, was present, and said the children had been sent to Ashford at at a cost of 7s. each per week.
Mr Broomhall remarked that he did not know how the man could be expected to keep six children upon 18s. per week, while it was admitted by Mr Hobbs the Guardians, paid 7s. a-week for each.
The Chairman said the case of defendant had had a great deal of consideration. The Bench had no alternative but to do what the law required, and that was to send him to prison. They, however, looked upon the case in a very different light to one of desertion, because defendant had left his children in the hands of the Guardians.
The least punishment the Board could inflict was to send him to prison for three days and when he came out of prison, he had better see the Guardians. He (Mr Edridge) was perfectly sure of one thing, that the Guardians would do all they could for him; but he must bear one thing in mind, that there were many, many persons who earnt less than 18s. a-week, and yet had to keep a large as family as he did.
Consequently, after Charles had served his 3 days imprisonment in Wandsworth Prison for ‘neglecting‘ his 6 children, he arranged to quickly marry 25-year-old Harriett Gammon. The marriage took place in the last three months of 1875, as did the marriage of his widowed father Thomas to Susan Pink on 10th October 1875 in All Saints Church, Upper Norwood. Susan gave birth to their son Joseph Thomas on 2nd September 1876.
Charles’ wife Harriett, as mentioned before, was the common-law-wife of shoemaker Ebenezer Hayward junior. The couple had been living together since at least 1869 as Harriett had given birth to daughter Ellen in the early part of 1870, followed by the birth of a son Ebenezer Spencer in 1871, and another daughter Emma in 1873. (Harriett’s father was named Spencer Gammon and he and the rest of Harriett’s family had by 1881 emigrated to Ontario, Canada).
Quite how Ebenezer senior felt about Harriett leaving him and taking their two daughters with her, can only be imagined, but she left her son Ebenezer Spencer with him in their home in Southbridge Road. When the 1881 census was taken on the night of 3rd April, Ebenezer declared himself to be a widower.
Harriett and Charles found their names again in the local newspaper following an altercation with one Frederick Musgrove:
INSULTING LANGUAGE
Frederick Musgrove was summoned by Harriett Bush for using insulting language to her in a public thoroughfare, and Charles Bush was summoned by Musgrove for assaulting him.
It appeared that on the previous Monday evening Musgrove and the husband of Harriett Bush were having words. The latter went out to ask her husband in, when Musgrove insulted her, and hinted that she was not the wife of Bush, but the wife of another man, adding coarse and insulting observations. A witness, named Emma Jones, deposed to hearing the foul language complained of.
It further appeared that Musgrove met Bush at the Bedford tavern, where Bush wanted to fight. Musgrove refused to do so and went home. Subsequently Bush came to his house, rushed into his kitchen, and kicked Musgrove several times.
Bush’s story was that Musgrove went into the Bedford tavern and abused an old man. He (Bush) interfered, whereupon Musgrove was ejected from the public-house. When outside, Musgrove put his hat on the pillar-box and wished to fight him.
Musgrove threw him down, knelt upon his stomach, and struck him in the face. With regard to going to Musgrove’s house, he (Bush) stated that he went there to see if some arrangement could not be come to. Musgrove called him in, and, when inside, threatened to strike him, following him out with something in his hand, which he (Bush) believed to be a knife.
Musgrove stated that he had a doctor’s certificate, which would prove that he would not be able to work for some time, as he had received serious injuries to his leg.
Mr Edridge said the costs in the case were 13s. He ordered the defendant to pay 6s.6d. each with regard to the assault. Musgrove, for using abusive language to Mrs Bush, was ordered to pay a further fine of 5s., and 13s. costs, the alternative being 14 days imprisonment.
The Family in 1881
Charles and Harriett were recorded in 1881 as living with Charles’ children Frank aged 17, Charles junior aged 10, and William aged 8, along with Harriett’s children Ellen aged 11, and Emma aged 8, at 41 Addington Road, West Croydon. This was a 2 bedroomed end-of-terrace house, so accommodation was tight to say the least. Charles and his son Frank were working as general labourers to support them all.
Charles’ daughter Charlotte was aged 13 and was working away from home as a mother’s help. Her sisters,16-year-old Fanny and 15-year-old Lucy, were also both away working as servants for two separate families living in Croydon. I have not found any more records for Ellen, Fanny or Charlotte, but Lucy married Allen Foster in 1890 and had three children.
Charles’ 65-year-old father Thomas, 46-year-old stepmother Susan, and 4-year-old stepbrother Joseph were living in 1881 at 40 South End, Croydon. Thomas was still working as a coal yard foreman to support his new family; he died aged 71 in 1887.
Charles’ son Frank appears to have had a relationship with a lady called Alice in as in 1886 their son James was born, and although I have not found a UK marriage for them, they were living as man-and-wife in the 1891,1901, and 1911 censuses.
In the News Again
The name ‘Charles Bush’ appeared twice more in the local newspapers. Whether this was Charles senior or Charles junior is unclear, but my hunch is that they were concerning Charles junior.
The first was on 29th December 1888 when a Charles Bush interfered with the arrest of a drunk man and was fined either 5s., with 9s. costs, or 14 days imprisonment.
The second time was on 26th July 1890 when a Charles Bush’s allotment won 3rd prize in the St John’s Cottagers’ and Allotment Holders’ Society’s first show in the Welcome Hall.
By 1891 Charles, Harriett, William aged 18, and Emma aged 19 had moved along the road to number 18 Addington Road, Croydon. This was a 2-bedroomed mid-terrace house but with only two grown children remaining it must have been a bit more comfortable than before. I have not found the whereabouts of Charles junior in this census, but he later was recorded as being a greengrocer living in Whyteleafe, Surrey.
Charles junior and Susan Heustice, nee Woodland, had a son Charles Henry in 1898 but did not marry until 18th July 1900 in the Croydon Register office.
“Furiously driving a horse in Godstone Road, Coulsdon”
On 21st January 1899 it was Charles junior who attracted the attention of the police when he was spotted “furiously driving a horse in Godstone Road, Coulsdon”. The policeman said that he saw the defendant driving a horse and cart at a rate of 15 miles per hour, and when told to stop, he continued to whip up the horse to gallop even faster until it reached the Purley Hotel. There, the policeman obtained Charles junior’s name and his address 7, Napier Road, Croydon.
Charles junior begged his pardon and asked the policeman to overlook the incident, which he did not. Instead of Charles junior appearing in court, his ‘wife’ Susan appeared for him saying that he was ill but wanted to plead guilty. She went on to say that Charles had said “he could not stop the horse as it got the bit in its teeth”. He was fined 5s. and 9s. costs.
Charles was aged 63 and working for himself as a greengrocer from their home 18, Addington Road, Croydon, when the census was taken on 31st March 1901. Harriett was aged 51 and her daughter Emma, who was also working from home as a dressmaker, was aged 28.
Charles’ son William was living with his brother Charles junior and his family in Napier Road, Croydon.
Charles enters Horton Asylum
None of the censuses that Charles was enumerated in gave any indication that he was ill, and so the circumstances that led up to him being admitted into the Horton Asylum in Epsom on 5th September 1902 are unknown. Charles had only been there for four days when he died on 9th September.
His death certificate states that he was a ‘Costermonger of 18 Addington Road, West Croydon’, and that following a postmortem, that he had died from “epilepsy (status epilepticus*) after about fourdays”. His newly married stepdaughter Emma Lane, nee Gammon/Hayward/Bush, of 11 Bedford Villas, Pemdevon Road, West Croydon, was the informer of his death.
Charles’ body was buried in grave 48 in Horton Estate Cemetery on 15th September 1902.
Family After Charles’s Death
Following her husband’s death, Harriett lived with her daughter Emma, son-in-law Harry Lane, and granddaughter Daisy, and worked as an assistant in their confectionary shop at 218 Mitcham Road, West Croydon, before dying in 1914.
Charles’ son William Thomas married widow Lily Elizabeth Lilley, nee Heron, on 10th May 1913 in Croydon. He attested into the Army Service Corps in 1915, aged 43, but was discharged on 14th January 1916 as not likely to become an effective soldier. He died after 1921.
*Status epilepticus is a seizure that lasts for longer than 5 minutes, or by having one seizure without returning to a normal level of consciousness. Problems that can cause a seizure could be a high fever, or a brain infection, or abnormal sodium or blood sugar levels, or a head injury, or a stroke, or drinking too much alcohol. Some of the symptoms can include muscle spasms, falling over, confusion, speech difficulties, or being a dreamy state.
Information from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/status-epilepticus
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