John Richards   c.1797 –1871

Born c1797 in Lambeth, parents unconfirmed at present. Possibilities for Earlier Richards.

Children: all baptisms below at St. Marys Lambeth

1821  Elizabeth Richards bapt. 30/12/1821 Kennington., to John & Elizabeth, he carpenter

1823  Sarah Richards bapt. 14/12/1823 High Street, to John & Elizabeth, he carpenter

1826  Mary Richards - probably the 1829 baptism below is her.. But as she is given as 15 in 1841C, probably born ~1826.

1829. John & Mary Ann Richards bapt. 15/03/1829. Leyland St., to John & Elizabeth, he carpenter. John died.and was buried 24/1/1830.

1830. Jane Richards bapt. 12/12/1830 Tyers St, to John & Elizabeth, he carpenter.

1833  Ann Richards bapt. 28/08/1833 High Street, to John & Elizabeth, he carpenter.

1835  John Richards bapt. 27/09/1835 High Street to John & Elizabeth, he carpenter

1838.  Joseph Richards born, 1/01/1838, at 168 Lambeth Walk. Birth registered by his mother, who could seemingly write. Seems to be the only one not baptised - have looked up to 1841. B.c. on Children of John Richards page.

1840. Daughter, Elizabeth Richards,1821, marries Charles Andrews at St. Johns,Waterloo, Lambeth. Her father, John Richards is given as Carpenter.

1841 Census.  Living in Regent Street, Lambeth. All born Surrey.

1848. Lambeth suffered a severe Cholera Outbreak 1848-1849 . Of 3039 cases, 2284 died, due to drinking Thames water. A General Thanksgiving Day was held, 16/11/1849 to remember the dead. There was another epidemic in 1854. The Vicar of St Marys Dalton declared: Sin had been the primary cause of Lambeth's great suffering, a secondary cause being the lack of sanitation & cleansing facilities

1850.   Daughter, Jane Richards, marries David Sullivan in the Parish Church of St. George, Camberwell on 7/10/1850. Her father, John Richards, is given as a carpenter.  A witness is Elizabeth Andrews, the eldest child who married in 1840.

1851 Census.  Living in Doris Street, Lambeth. This is the same street as daughter, Jane, with husband, David Sullivan, is living in this Census [she on p.12, John Richards on p.7 of 48]. Both he & wife born Lambeth.

Has Mary married, died or is she a servant?1851C..Ann Richards, living, aged 19, artificial flowermaker, at 2 Garden Row Southwark with her sister Elizabeth, now Andrews and her husband & children.

From Survey of London Vol 23 LCC 1951 ; Doris St. This street, maybe renamed Hotspur Street, running between Lambeth Butts [Black Prince Road] & Tracey St., was laid out about 1812 across part of an open piece of ground previously in lease from the A. of C. Part of the terrace of houses erected at the E. end of the south side c.1815 still survive. Nos. 1 & 3 are both stucco-fronted houses with an ornamental band under the 1st floor cills.

1854. Thought he died, 15/05/1854, carpenter, age 67 [this would be wrong, should be ~57], at 17, White Hart Street, Kennington, carpenter, of Phthisis, the old name for TB. Informant was Frances Gribble of 2 Clapham Rise. It seems odd that his wife is not the informant, and who is Frances Gribble?: not a daughter. White Hart Street is about 200m east of Doris / Hotspur St. Death Certificate DR1 . Does not appear in Burials on London Parish Records. In 1871C, - Ancestry - Frances Gribble, widow, 37, born Lambeth, is living 12 White Hart Street, and is the daughter of a Frances Richards, 72, widow, born Lambeth : both needlewomen. But cannot find either in 1861C. And no Richards - Gribble marriage 1853-1871. I suspected that Frances Richards had been married to a brother of John's. But found a Frances ,51, born Lambeth, married to another John Richards , 60, carpenter, born Bloomsbury, in 1851 C.: no children with them. Could not find more traces of Frances 1799 or Frances 1834, inspite of valiant efforts, especially in 1861C!!! This John Richards is buried in St. Marys Lambeth, 22/5/1854 - IGI. & Ancestry Parish Records.

Am convinced that this death cert. is not of my John, but that of John, ~1791, born Bloomsbury. But there is also a John Richards, 64, carpenter, b.East??, Somerset,, living in South View, Kennington, Lambeth , in the 1851C. I cannot find him in 1861C : only other Lambeth Death registered 1851-1861 is that of a John Francis Richards, June 1853, BMD ref. illegible, and this not even recorded on Ancestry deaths!.

Wife, Elizabeth does not die 'Sep' 1859 Lambeth  1d.202 = 9yr old and earlier death in 1852 is not her either but that of a 2yr.old - have these wrong d.cs. Does not appear in Burials on London Parish Records, nor in IGI with their seemingly blanket coverage of St Mary's Burials..

1861C. No trace of him, nor of his wife. Some of his children also disappear from the radar. No burial on IGI or London Parish Records for either of them 1851-1881 in Lambeth. BUT, Numbers 49-61 Union Street, Lambeth, are missing from the 1861C - 53 Union Street was his address in 1871C.

1871C. John Richards, 74, carpenter, b. Lambeth Surrey, is living 53 Union Street with wife Mary, 70, b. Yorkshire ?!!-wrong name, birthplace &, 2yrs out on age

Then there is John Richards, aged 73, dies Dec 1871 Lambeth , also an Elizabeth Richards dies Dec 1871 Lambeth, aged 72- ages correct

1871. John Richards, 73, carpenter, dies 1/11/1871, at 53 Union Street from Chronic Bronchitis and Rheumatism. Informant was Elizabeth Richards, present at the death, of the same address, thus presumably his wife. Here it says her mark, yet she could seemingly write in 1820 & in 1838!. How come 6 months earlier he seemingly had a Mary living with him as wife!

Having obtained this certificate in Dec 2012, I then looked up 53 Union Street in the April 1871 C on Findmypast, only to find John Richards, 74, carpenter, born Surrey, with wife Mary 70 born Yorkshire - can this be true??. Numbers 49-61 Union Street are missing from the 1861C

Because of the 1871C entry with wife Mary, born Yorkshire, I am not 100% certain that I have the correct man dying in 1871!. Do not feel that purchasing the 1871 death for Elizabeth would prove anything, one way or the other: only slight chance would be if the informant was one of their known children!

Places he lived:

1821 Kennington, 1823 High St. Lambeth, 1829 Leyland St. Lambeth, 1830 Tyers St. Lambeth, 1833-35 High St. Lambeth, 1841 Regent Street. 1851 Doris Street, Lambeth. 1871 53 Union Street [ & likely also there in 1861] .

Children of John Richards.

 

Family fan chart