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1861
census:
Mary
Ann was seventeen years old at the time
of the 1861 census. She was living as a servant
in the household of her uncle and aunt,
Stephen and Mary Hudson, at Pleasant
Row, Chatham, Kent.
Her
uncle was 73 years old, and is described
as a gardener. His wife Mary was 77.
Mary
Ann was the only other person in the
house. She is shown as being born at Faversham
in Kent. Stephen Hudson was born
at Cliffe in Kent, and Mary Hudson at
Chilham in Kent. The transcript for their
entry is here.
Mary
Ann's mother Caroline is forty-four years
old at the time of the 1861 census. The
family were living at Tanner
Street, Faversham, Kent.
Caroline
describes herself as married, but her
husband is not listed. Caroline has four
children. Frances is 22 (could she be a
twin of Angelina on the 1851 census?),
Susannah is 15, Deborah is 13 (confirming
that she was 2 in 1851, not 12) and
Charles is 8. Also living in the
household is Thomas Bowles, aged 40,
described as the brother-in-law of
Caroline Bowles (could he actually be the
father of the three younger children?).
Caroline
and Frances were born at Stoke Damerel in
Devon (this is the correct parish name
for Devonport, recorded in 1851). The
other children, and the adult Thomas,
were all born in Faversham. The
transcript for their entry is here.
Also
worth noting in 1861 is the 18 year old
Henry Welch, whom Mary Ann will marry the
following year. He is with his parents
and siblings at New Brompton, and the
entry is here.
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1862: On the 17th August, Mary
Ann married Henry Welch at Faversham.
She was pregnant. Mary Ann's father was named as
Thomas Bowles, and her mother Caroline was a
witness. The marriage was reported in the Kentish
Gazette for Tuesday 26th August 1862:
At the time of
the 1911 census, Mary Ann and George Knott would
declare that they had been married for 49 years -
that is to say, their marriage would have taken
place about 1862. However, this may have been
intended to refer to Mary Ann's marriage to Henry
Welch, as a way of making all their own children
appear legitimate.
1863: Mary
Ann's son Charles Henry Welch was born in the
first quarter at Faversham.
1862-66:
It is not clear what happened in this
period. At some point, between the marriage of
Mary Ann to Henry Welch and the birth of George
Knott Jr in 1866, Mary Ann is no longer with
Henry Welch, but is with George Knott.
1866: Mary
Ann's son George Knott Jr was born at Gillingham.
By this point, she must have been in a
relationship with George Knott, who is probably
George Knott Jr's father.
1869: Mary
Ann's son, my great-grandfather William
Knott, was born on the 3rd of December
at Upchurch, Kent. His father's
name is given as George Knott, and his
mother's as Mary Ann Knott, formerly Bowles.
Mary Ann was the informant, and her address shows
that he was born at home. His father's occupation
is given as a brickfield labourer.
Mary Ann signed the register with a cross,
suggesting she was illiterate, and could not
write her own name. The birth was registered on
the 10th of January 1870.
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1871
census:
Mary Ann was
twenty-seven years old at the
time of the 1871 census. She was
apparently married to George
Knott. The Knott family were
living at Halstow Road,
Upchurch, Kent.
Her husband George
is shown as a labourer.
He was 28 years old.
Mary Ann had three
children. George was 5, Joseph
was 3 and my great-grandfather
William was 1.
Mary Ann is shown as
being born at Faversham in
Kent, her husband at Gillingham
in Kent. Her son George was born
at Gillingham and the other two
children at Upchurch. The
transcript for their entry is here.
Mary Ann's first
(and still legal) husband Henry
Welch is living as a lodger in
Folkestone Road, Hougham, Dover
on the 1871 census. He gave his
age as 26. You can see the entry here. Her son Charles
Welch is living with his
grandmother in New Brompton. You
can see the entry here.
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1871: The 27 year old Henry Welch died
in the Medway registration district in the 4th
quarter.
 
1872: Mary Ann married George Knott on the 17th
March at
All Saints church, Frindsbury, Kent. He
gave his status as bachelor, she as widow. Both
of them gave their place of residence as
Frindsbury. Mary Ann gave her father's name as
Thomas Edward Bowles. The witnesses were Joseph
Cox and Jane Cox - Jane was George's sister.
Interestingly, both George and Mary Ann were able
to sign the register. It is not clear why they
married in Frindsbury. They were living in
Upchurch in 1871 and would be later the same year
for the birth of their son Fredrick. Perhaps it
was the home parish of the Coxes. However, by
1886 the Knotts would also be living in
Strood/Frindsbury.
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1881
census:
Mary Ann was
thirty-seven years old at the
time of the 1881 census. The
Knott family were living at 8,
Reeves Cottages, Gillingham,
Kent.
Her husband George
is shown as a brickfield
labourer, aged 38.
Mary Ann had five
children. George was 15, Joseph
was 13, William was 11, Frederick
was 8 and Caroline was 4.
Mary Ann is shown as
being born at Faversham
in Kent, her husband at
Gillingham in Kent. William,
Joseph and Frederick were born at
Upchurch in Kent, and Caroline
was born at Halstow. The
transcript for their entry is here.
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1886: The baptismal record for Mary Ann's youngest son Thomas
records that the family were living at Medway
Cottages, Strood, Rochester.
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