Caroline TODD
CAROLINE’S EARLY LIFE
Caroline was born Caroline VICCARS in 1840 in Winslow, Buckinghamshire, to Thomas and Ann (nee King). Thomas was a plumber and was born in 1812. Ann was born in 1810 in Watford.
Thomas and Ann had four other children: George, born c1835, Sarah Ann, born 1836, Josiah, born c1838 and Thomas, born c1848, so Caroline was the second youngest.
Thomas VICCARS was born in 1812 and died aged 35 in 1847 in Great Harwood, Buckinghamshire, so lived there all his life. In 1842 he was named in a tithe appointment in Great Horwood and listed as a land owner along with several other members of the Viccars family. He was listed as gentry in the 1847 Post Office Directory of the local area.
Caroline’s mother Ann KING was born in 1810 in Watford, Hertfordshire and died in 1895 in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. In the 1854 Kelly’s UK City & County Directory she was listed as running a day school and in the 1864 version of the Directory she was listed as running a prep school for boys and girls in High Street, Winslow. Caroline was also listed in the 1864 version as a milliner and dressmaker of High Street, Winslow.
In the 1851 Census Caroline’s mother Ann was shown as the Head of the family and was a schoolmistress living with Sarah, George, Josiah, Caroline and Thomas. Sarah, Caroline and Thomas were schooled at home and George was a scholar. Josiah was shown as an apprentice.
In the 1861 Census Ann was shown as Head of the family, living with Thomas VICCARS age 17, Josiah KING age 77 (Ann’s brother?) and Sarah E VICCARS age one, granddaughter (born 1860, died 1861).
It would seem that Caroline had a good upbringing in Winslow, where there were a number of families by the name of Viccars, so I assume she had many relatives nearby.
Caroline and Sarah both had the same occupation, milliner and dressmaker and their brother Thomas was a tailor so this skill was something they all shared.
CAROLINE’S SIBLINGS
Her brother George was listed as a bricklayer in the 1881 Census and had married Jane in 1858. They had four children at the time of the Census.
Her sister Sarah Ann was a milliner and dressmaker and married John KING on 2 November 1867. They had a son Harry born 1869. Was John a relative as he had the same surname as Sarah Ann’s mother? First cousin marriages were permitted at the time.
Her brother Josiah married Maria in 1858 and they had six children. I assume that Maria died because the 1911 Census stated he had married Harriet in 1887 and they had four children. His son Sydney joined the Australian Imperial Force in 1915, aged 22. Josiah died in 1918 in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, aged 80.
Her brother Thomas was a tailor and married Charlotte DINGWALL in 1868 in Islington, London. They had six children.
CAROLINE’S FIRST MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN
WILLIAM LAMBERT MOORE
William Lambert MOORE was born in Salford, Lincolnshire in 1839. He had previously married Sarah Jane RIDGWAY in 1857 and they lived in Yorkshire. He qualified as an Attorney at Law and Solicitor in Kingston upon Hull in 1860 and was then declared bankrupt in 1862 at age 23. He and Sarah sailed from Liverpool to New York in August 1864 on the ship City of London. This is shown on the passenger and crew list at the time.
It is not clear what happened between William and Sarah after this or whether they divorced.
Caroline married William Lambert MOORE in 1866 in Islington, London and he was a financial clerk at the time of their marriage.
He was sentenced to 5 years penal servitude in 1870 for robbing his employer. He appeared to have been doing so for nearly four years and appropriated about £1,200. I can only imagine the effect this would have had on Caroline.
After his release from prison, Caroline and William had two children – William Lambert MOORE Junior (baptised 16 May 1875 in Shoreditch, Hackney) and Laura Lambert MOORE (born 1868 in St Pancras).
William Junior was a furniture dealer and married Mary Ann SIMMONDS in 1897. In the 1901 Census they were shown living at 8 Weirs Passage, St Pancras with many other people, including their daughter Elizabeth, 3, son William, 1, and James Todd (brother in law, age 16) – this is probably the son of Caroline and her second husband, James William TODD as this is the year that Caroline died and she would have been in the Manor Asylum since September 1899. William Junior was awarded a WW1 service medal in 1918-1920.
Laura Lambert MOORE has been difficult to trace. Her married name was SIMMONS, as per the visitor’s book, but I have been unable to find a definitive marriage for her.
In the 1871 Census Caroline was shown living with husband William, daughter Laura and Ann Vickers, age 62, widow, shown as a Governess, so it looks as if Caroline’s mother went to live with them at some point.
Caroline’s marriage to William Lambert MOORE would not last as he died in 1874 aged 35. I wonder if she ever knew about his time in prison.
CAROLINE’S SECOND MARRIAGE AND CHILD
Caroline married James William TODD on 9 June 1879 at St Thomas, Bethnal Green. They had a son James Augustus TODD born September 1882 in St Olave, Southwark. In the 1891 Census Caroline was living with her husband and son at 22 London Street, St George The Martyr, London. Sadly, James Augustus died in July 1902 in Hampstead, aged just 18.
I have been unable to find when James William TODD died.
CAROLINE’S LATER LIFE
Caroline was admitted to Manor Asylum on 7 September 1899 and was diagnosed with dementia. Her status was Widow. She was there until her death in February 1901 from ‘chronic brain disease’. The comments of the medical professional at the time were: ‘She does not know her age nor how long she has been here. She wanders aimlessly about the place. She is dull and vacant, and is not able to take care of herself.’ Her previous place of abode was recorded as St Saviours Union.
Ancestry records show she was admitted to St George’s Workhouse, Mint Street, Southwark on 6 December 1898 for 6 days and discharged to City of London. She was then admitted to Newington Workhouse, Westmoreland Road on 11 December, transferred from St George’s. This was nine months before her admission to Manor Asylum.
So sadly Caroline had gone from a comfortable life in Winslow, where her family were land owners and her mother a teacher, to relying on Workhouses for survival.
Her occupation was shown as Mantle Maker, which in 1890s London most commonly referred to a skilled dressmaker or tailor who sewed ladies’ mantles, a popular outer-garment, cape, cloak, or loose coat of specialised design worn during the Victorian era. They cut, stitched, and trimmed elaborate women’s capes and heavy outer cloaks, which could be hand-sewn or produced using early power-driven sewing machines. During the late Victorian era, the mantle was a staple of London’s wholesale clothing factories and high-end boutiques alike.
London was a massive hub for the production of these garments. Wholesale “mantle manufacturers” operated out of multi-storey brick factories and city commercial districts, mass-producing the loose-fitting outer wraps for department stores to sell. The trade relied heavily on the “sweated labour” system of local home-workers. It’s likely that Caroline was one of the latter.
A visitor’s book at Manor Asylum showed she had the following visitors:
- son William MOORE (living at 33 Ossulston Street, NW London)
- daughter Mrs SIMMONS (living in Baldwin Crescent)
- sister Mrs KING (living at 14 Luard Street, Caledonian Road)
- brother Josiah VICCARS (living at 48 Vandyke Road, Leighton Buzzard)
Sadly, according to the visitor’s book, a letter sent to her son (presumably telling him of her death) was returned in February 1901 marked ‘not known’. A letter sent to her daughter at the same time was also returned marked ‘gone away’.