Sarah Evans
An 81 year old lace worker Sarah, a widow, lived at the Almshouses in Oxford Road Marlow at the time of the 1871 census. Elizabeth Dempster who was a 62 year old retired lace worker was visiting her at the time.
Sarah had been living in Oxford Road since at least 1840, before she became a widow and thus qualified for an Almshouse. Her husband was David Evans, a chimney sweep originally from Wales. He employed at least two men as well as sweeping himself so was doing well for himself.
Sarah was born Sarah Howard and married David in Marlow in 1811. In 1840 their Oxford Road cottage was a thatched one. There was at least a couple of thatched cottages in Oxford Road then as well as at least one in Chapel Street, sadly all lost now.
Sarah's daughter "Mrs Bowles" [Sarah, wife of James Bowles] sadly seems to have been a problem drinker, the police often having been called to the Evans home because Mrs Bowles was there drunk and causing disruption. On one occasion when she broke plates belonging to David and Sarah she was taken to court by them but Sarah had a change of heart and asked for her daughter not to be prosecuted [some details from Berkshire Chronicle 20th June 1846].
Sarah herself was in trouble in 1857 for allegedly spitting at and hitting in the face her tenant Rebecca Blake. Sarah had gone to remind her about some nearly due rent. Mrs Blake did not take kindly to this and a verbal confrontation followed. It was said that Sarah then launched her attack. The judge said that if she paid all the costs of the case for both sides the charge could be withdrawn (presumably with Mrs Blake's agreement). This decision isn't explained in any surviving record I have found but Sarah went with it. It implies that she was the guilty party as she had to pay both side's costs but that she was not thought likely to repeat the offence and thus need any further deterrent to be applied to her.
The tenant in question was Rebecca Blake the photographer who lived in West Street with her husband. A biographical post on her is on the blog here. In that post you will see that Rebecca herself was also an Almshouse resident as a widow.
So for a chimney sweep David Evans wasn't doing too badly if he owned or leased a property he could rent out. He had at least two adult employees so perhaps he was more the business owner than anything else.
He died in 1864, Sarah in 1878 [GRO Death Index].
Researched and written by Charlotte Day.
Census information is my own transcription from microfilm readers. The original censuses remain Crown Copyright.
Related posts
Other occupants of Oxford Road Almshouses see this post, this one and here
For all mentions of someone on this blog try the Person Index.
©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use my research for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog and link here.
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