LIFE GOES ON: AN INTRODUCTION

MY GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

THE SIXTEEN FAMILIES

KNOTT - I - BOWLES - I - WATERS - I - HARRALL - I - PAGE - I - WISEMAN - I - CROSS - I - CARTER

CORNWELL - I - HUCKLE - I - MORTLOCK - I - MANSFIELD - I - REYNOLDS - I - CARTER - I - ANABLE - I - STEARN

CHRONOLOGY - I - DRAMATIS PERSONAE - I - WHERE PEOPLE CAME FROM - I - CALENDAR

MAP OF ELY - I - MAP OF MEDWAY
MAP OF CAMBRIDGE AND DISTRICT

THE WORKHOUSE

WORLD WAR I - I - WORLD WAR II

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LIFE GOES ON

Alice Wiseman
born Ely, Cambridgeshire, 1853
died Ely, Cambridgeshire, 1912

on the Page family tree
part of the
Wiseman family story

married to Henry Page

mother of Arthur Page, Henry Page, Herbert Page, Robert Page and Thomas Page

daughter of
William Wiseman
and
Elizabeth Appleyard

Alice Wiseman (1853-1912). My Father's Mother's Father's Mother. My Great-Great-Grandmother.

Alice had at least thirteen children. Two of her sons were killed in World War One. She died on Back Hill in Ely on 4th March 1912.

 

1841: Alice's parents William Wiseman and Alice Appleyard married on 4th February in the the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral. They both gave their address as Ship Lane.


1853:
Alice's birth is recorded in Ely in the fourth quarter.


1854: Alice was baptised in the Lady Chapel of Ely cathedral on 22nd October. Her address was given as Common Muck Hill, Ely.


1861 census: the 1861 census for Ely is lost. Alice would have been eight years old.


1871 census:

Victoria Street

Alice was seventeen at the time of the 1871 census. The Wiseman family were living in Victoria Street, Ely, Cambridgeshire.

Alice's father William is shown as a labourer (unemployed). He was 55. Her mother Elizabeth was 48.

Alice was the second of four children living at home. Abraham was 29 and is shown as a labourer, Benjamin was 12 and James was 4.

All the family were born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, except for her father who was born in Mildenhall, Suffolk. You can see the transcript for the entry here, and the original entry here.




1873:
Henry married Alice Wiseman in the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral on the 5th July. They both gave their ages as 19 years old. Henry gave his occupation as labourer. Henry's given address was Broad Street, Ely, and Alice's was New Street, Ely. The witnesses were Joseph Bird and Mary Ann Appleyard - Mary Ann was probably an aunt or cousin of Alice.


1874: Henry and Alice were living in Broad Street, Ely, at the time of the baptism of their first son Henry in the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral on 4th February.


1875: Henry and Alice were living in Annesdale, Ely, at the time of the baptism of their son William Robert in the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral on 20th June.


1879:
Arthur Page
Henry and Alice's son Arthur, my great-grandfather, was born on 31st March. His birth certificate shows he was born in Annesdale, Ely.


1881 census:

Annesdale

Alice was twenty-six years old at the time of the 1881 census. The Page family were living in Annesdale, Ely, Cambridgeshire.

Her husband Henry is shown as an agricultural labourer. He was also 26 years old.

Alice had five children at home at the time of the 1881 census. Henry was 7, William 5, Emma 3, Arthur was 2 and John less than 1.

Alice was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, as were all the children. Her husband Henry was born in Great Chesterford, Cambridgeshire. This appears to be a census-taker's error - in fact, Henry was born in Great Shelford. Great Chesterford is actually in Essex, just over the border. The transcript for their entry is here.

 
 


1891 census:

Broad Street

Alice was thirty-six years old at the time of the 1891 census. The Page family were living in Broad Street, Ely, Cambridgeshire.

Her husband Henry is shown as a labourer. He was 38 years old.

Alice had seven children at home at the time of the 1891 census. Henry was 16, Arthur was 12, John was 9, Herbert was 7, Robert was 5, Susan was 3 and Thomas was 10 months. However, William, now 15, and Emma, now 13, who were recorded on the 1881 census, are no longer recorded at home.

Alice was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, as were all the children. Her husband Henry was born in Shelford, Cambridgeshire. The transcript for their entry is here.

 
 



1895:
When Alice's daughter Sarah was baptised at St Peter's on 5th October, the family's address was given as Newnham Street.

1899: When Alice's daughter Ellen was baptised at St Peter's on 19th July, the family's address was given as Willow Walk.



1901: On 29th March, the Cambridge Independent Press reported that Alice's husband Henry Page, a labourer of of Willow Walk in Ely, was charged at Ely Petty Sessions at the instance of Inspector Dixon of the NSPCC with cruelly ill-treating his children - Susan (aged 11), Thomas (aged 9), Charles (aged 7), Sarah (aged 6) and Nellie (aged 1) by wilfully and unlawfully neglecting them. Henry pleaded not guilty. The charge was brought because he had failed to provide money for the family despite his £7 payoff for six months with the Suffolk Militia. Alice had been able to look after the family while he had been away, but on his return she had been forced to live apart from him because he ill-treated her from time to time and was unkind to the children. He demanded from her the money she earned as a charwoman, leaving her with only a few coppers, and she was unable to provide enough food for the children. Henry was given an exemplary sentence of six months with hard labour.

1901 census:

Alice was forty-four years old at the time of the 1901 census. The Page family were living in Broad Street, Ely, Cambridgeshire.

Alice is shown as a charwoman. Her husband Henry was in prison at the time of the 1901 census. She is described as married, and her relationship to the head of household is noted as wife.

Alice had seven children at home at the time of the 1901 census. John, an agricultural labourer, was 20, Herbert, an errand boy, was 18, Susan was 14, Thomas was 10 (suggesting that the Thomas who appeared on the 1891 census was ten months old, not ten years), Charles was 8, Sarah 6 and Helen 1 (a significant five year gap?).

Alice was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, as were all the children. The transcript for their entry is here.

 
 
1911 census:

Alice was fifty-six years old at the time of the 1911 census (actually fifty-eight). She was a patient at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. Alice was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire. The transcript for the entry is here and the original image is here.

I haven't yet worked out where Alice's home address was, but three of her five youngest children are living in a house on Back Hill, Ely, Cambridgeshire. Susannah (Susan in 1901) is 24 years old and married to Robert Easey, a market gardener aged 21. With the Easeys are living Charles Page, a boat cleaner aged 18, and Ellen Page (Helen in 1901) who is 11. The transcript for this page is here.

Alice's husband Henry was sixty-seven years old at the time of the 1911 census. He is living in the Workhouse, Ely, Cambridgeshire. Henry is shown as formerly road labourer. No other members of the Page family are in the workhouse. The original census form is here.

 




Alice Page Back Hill
1912:
Alice died on the 4th March at Back Hill, Ely, Cambridgeshire. This is presumably the house of the Elseys, but may well have been the house of her son Arthur and his wife Sophia, my great-grandparents. She was 57 years old. Alice died of Malignant Disease of Stomach (that is to say, stomach cancer) and the death was notified by her son Henry of Annesdale, Ely, who was present at the death. The death was notified that same day. Alice is described as the Wife of Henry Page, general labourer.
She was buried in Ely cemetery on 7th March, in plot F1138.


1913: On 26th April, Alice's granddaughter Phyllis Alice Page, my grandmother, was born at Back Hill, Ely, to her son Arthur and his wife Sophia. My grandmother was given the middle name Alice in memory of her recently dead grandmother. And then, Alice's husband Henry died on the 21st October at The Workhouse, Ely, Cambridgeshire. The death was notified by the Workhouse matron the same day, and his age was given as 69 - in fact, he was 62. The cause of death was arterial sclerosis and synapse. His occupation is given as General Labourer of Back Hill.



1916:
Herbert Page Arthur Page
On 2nd March, Alice's son Herbert was killed at St Eloi on the Ypres Salient. On 20th July, her son Arthur, my great-grandfather, was killed at Delville Wood in the Battle of the Somme.

   

 

LIFE GOES ON: AN INTRODUCTION

MY GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

THE SIXTEEN FAMILIES

KNOTT - I - BOWLES - I - WATERS - I - HARRALL - I - PAGE - I - WISEMAN - I - CROSS - I - CARTER

CORNWELL - I - HUCKLE - I - MORTLOCK - I - MANSFIELD - I - REYNOLDS - I - CARTER - I - ANABLE - I - STEARN

CHRONOLOGY - I - DRAMATIS PERSONAE - I - WHERE PEOPLE CAME FROM - I - CALENDAR

MAP OF ELY - I - MAP OF MEDWAY
MAP OF CAMBRIDGE AND DISTRICT

THE WORKHOUSE

WORLD WAR I - I - WORLD WAR II

simonknott.co.uk I home I e-mail

LIFE GOES ON