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She gave me Elizabeth Jane’s year of birth, name, father’s name, name of her 3 husbands and children, and their offspring, some of whom I knew. She told me Elizabeth Jane was illiterate. Elizabeth Jane’s mother was also illiterate - as were many of the population in those days. This, along with the family swopping around their first and middle names, and putting inaccurate years and place of birth on census records, has led me a merry dance.
With extensive help from FTF over a number of years, I've proved my tree as far as is possible. The weak link is my grandmother’s parents - neither she nor her brother appears on census records with them. Her parents cannot be accurately tracked after 1868.
In case anyone else attempts to research this part of my tree, I have put all the details of my findings here to assist them. Who knows - perhaps a living descendant will find this and help me with my weakest link
.See separate blog for the early tree of her mother, Elizabeth Butcher.
Elizabeth Jane Hickman
At wedding of her son, Percy, 1942
Birth cert: 22/12/1865 Elizabeth Jane Hickman.
Fa: William Hickman, timber merchant porter.
Mo: Elizabeth Butcher.
32 Wilsted St, Somers Town.
Ancestry.co.uk parish christening:
Elizabeth Jane Hickman birth: 22/12/1865
christened: 23/10/1867 St Pancras Old Church, Camden, Middx.
Mother: Elizabeth Sarah Hickman
Father: William Hickman, timber porter.
Abode: Workhouse.
Death: Ancestry BMD: Jane E Saville, b1866, death reg: 12/1948 Edmonton Vol 5e p296.
Marriage 1: Cert: 28/09/1884 Edmonton. Jane Hickman, 21 yrs (b1863)
Edward Clarke, 22 yrs (b1862), labourer.
Both single/lived at Green Lane.
Her father: William Hickman, traveller (this would be a travelling salesman).
Marriage 2 to Henry Cranwell: Cannot find in online records. On marriage cert to her third husband, Thomas Saville, her surname is Cranwell, a widow. In 2011 census, her daughter declares her mother only married twice - and gave her the surname Cranwell when it should have been Saville. I searched BMD again in 08/2023 for marriage to Cranwell - nil.
Marriage 3: Cert: 22/5/1897 Reg. Office, Edmonton.
Thomas Saville, bachelor, 29 yrs, (b 1868), labourer.
His address: 3 White Horse Lane, Edmonton.
Jane Elizabeth Cranwell, widow, 28 yrs, (b1869).
Her address: 4 White Horse La, Edmonton
Her father: William Hickman.
Elizabeth Jane’s children:
By her first husband, Edward Clarke:
1. Alfred Clarke.? Free BMD birth: 9/1888 Alfred William Clark Edmonton Vol 3a p383 or BMD: 3/1889 Alfred William Clark Edmonton Vol 3a p359.
By her second husband, Henry Cranwell:
2. Henry Cranwell (k/a Richard, Dick). 1911 census: born 1891 Edmonton. Single. Hawker in water cress, etc (own account). 1921 census: not with family.
Ancestry.co.uk parish christening: St James, Upper Edmonton 30/5/1893. No d.o.b. Father’s occupation: labourer.
BMD death: Oct q 1957 Edmonton in his 2 names of Henry and Richard.
3. Annie Jane Cranwell Ancestry parish christening: born 1/12/1893, christened: 29/5/1894 St James, Upper Edmonton.
BMD: Death: reg 09/1894 Edmonton in name of Jane Ann. Not in later census.
4. Elizabeth Cranwell. 1911 census: born 1895. Ancestry parish christening: 2/8/1895 St James, Edmonton. Not with family in 1921 census.
By her third husband, Thomas Saville:
5. Thomas Saville. 1921 census: born 1899 Tottenham.
6. William Saville. 1921 census: born 1901 Tottenham.
7. Arthur Saville. 1921 census: born 1904 but Ancestry parish christening :12/11/1903 St James, Edmonton.
Father: Thomas, a labourer. Mother: Elizabeth. Address: 5 Union Row. (in 1901 family lived at 4 Union Row.)
NB: Next door to where Henry Cranwell lived in 1914 (army records).
8. Daisy Saville. Ancestry parish christening: 30/11/1897 St James, Upper Edmonton
Father: Thomas Saville, labourer. Mother: Jane Saville. Address: 66 Union Rd.
BMD birth - nil. Death: Daisy Saville born 1898 Age: 0. July q 1898 Edmonton Vol 3a p302. Free BMD death: 9/1898.
9. Ellen Saville Ancestry parish christening: 30/11/1897 rest of details same as Daisy. Cannot find in BMD death. She was not with family in 1901 census so must have died before then.
10. William Saville born 4/1901.
1 week old in 1901 census.
BMD: William Savill birth reg 4/1901 Edmonton Vol 3a p513. Can’t find Christening on Ancestry. Married Violet.
9. Percy Samuel Saville BMD all reg in Edmonton. Living descendants gave details:
Birth: 16/04/1908. Died: 16/06/1971. Marriage: to Julia Kathleen Bryant 10/10/1942.
Elizabeth Jane’s family of origin:
Her brother: William James Hickman. Birth: 6/7/1864 Christened: 24/7/1864 Old Church, St Pancras.
Parents: William & Elizabeth Sarah Hickman.
BMD Birth?: James William Hickman 1864 Jul q Pancras Vol 1b p95.
1881 William J. Hickman born 1865 Somers Town. Lodger. Bricklayer’s labourer.
living with George Hiom and family (no relation).
7 Milton Road, West Green Rd, Tottenham.
Can’t find him in later census records.
Her sister: Frances Eleanor Hickman Ancestry.co.uk parish christening at St Pancras Old Church: Birth:13/12/1867
Christened: 1/1/1868 Parents: William & Elizabeth Sarah Hickman
Fa’s occupation: Timber porter. Abode: Workhouse.
BMD Birth: Frances Eleanor Hickman Oct q 1867 Pancras Vol 1b p130.
Death: BMD: Frances Ellen Hickman b1868 reg: 3/1868, aged 0. Pancras Vol 1b p 75.
GRO confirmed this is Frances Eleanor:
Death cert: Died 28/03/1868 at home, 146 Ossulston St, aged 3 months. Daughter of William Hickman, timber porter. Died from bronchitis.
Informant: Mother: Elizabeth Hickman, signed with a mark.
St Pancras Workhouse (Porter’s) Admissions records (Ancestry co.uk):
8/10/1867 Elizabeth Hickman aged 24, Elizabeth aged 4½, William aged 3, were admitted to the Workhouse at 5.02.
Assume it is a.m. as porter (not full) admission.
NB: No husband with them. As Frances was born 13 December (unless she was premature), Elizabeth (the mother) would have been about 7 months pregnant on admission. The age given for Elizabeth (Jane) was incorrect: she was nearly 2 yrs old.
St Pancras Workhouse Master’s Discharge Book:
9/1/1868 Lying In Cases: Elizabeth Hickman, 23; James, 3; Frances, 4 wks. Decision: pending.
NB: Son, William, using middle name of James
16/1/1868: Adjourned cases: Same names as above. To be discharged Fri. 17/1/1868.
NB: Elizabeth Jane isn’t with them but the discharge records online do not go back to 1867. She was in the workhouse on 23/10/1867 as this is her address when baptised. Perhaps her grandmother took over her care.
This was around the time a lot of working class families were displaced from the Somers Town area, to make way for the railways (St Pancras, Euston, Kings Cross). The Pancras workhouse had poor conditions. It had lying-in rooms for pregnant mothers, with awful conditions as 'likely to kill you as help you'. Google for more historical details.
As William Hickman’s occupation was given as porter on the parish records of the 2 children baptised whilst in the workhouse, it looks as though he was still in work and, from the discharge records, that Elizabeth was admitted to have the baby. From Frances’s death cert, it looks like her father was still with the family after the discharge from the workhouse.
Why they were in the workhouse when there were well-off members of the extended family in Islington, we will never know. It is clear that mother and children were admitted as an emergency by the porter and the mother was discharged with 2 of her 3 children from the lying-in ward after 3 months there.
It is likely she needed medical treatment/care during the end stage of her pregnancy and the father had to continue working to support the family. By the 1871 census, the two living children are with their maternal grandmother, either residing there permanently or temporarily being cared for by her.
Elizabeth Jane’s parents’ marriage cert: 25/12/1863 at Parish Church, St Pancras:
William Hickman. Full age ( ie 21yrs at least, making his year of birth no later than c 1842). Porter.
His address: Phoenix St.
Sarah Elizabeth Butcher. Minor (under 21 yrs, making her year of birth no earlier than c 1842).
Her address: Wilstead St.
Her deceased father: John Butcher (no profession given).
Witnesses: John Hickman, Lucretia Butcher. (Lucretia was her sister - confirmation to the link to the rest of the Butcher family.)
Census:
1871 Head: Jane Butcher b1811 London Coleman St. Laundress
Son: James b1841 Bricklayer’s labourer
Son: Robert b1849 Painter
Grandson: William Hickman b1864
Granddaughter: Jane Hickman b1868
All Jane’s children and grandchildren born St Pancras.
Elder Cottage, Willow Walk, West Green Rd, Tottenham.
? 1881 Jane E. Hickman b1863 London. Domestic Servant
in the household of Frederick W. Beckhuson, an independent gardener.
2 Weedon Villas, Sunnyside Rd, Islington E. Ecc Parish: St Mary the Less, Upper Holloway.
? 1891 Jane E Clarke b1870 Middx. Dom. Servant in the household of Edmund L Johnson, a metal merchant.
Lawn Bank, John St., Hampstead.
1901 Elizabeth Sarile (Saville) b1868 Green Lanes, Middx
Thos W Saville b1867 W. Hythe, Kent. Lab.
Alf Cranvill b1889. Surname is actually Clarke (son by 1st marriage).
Richard Cranvill b1891
Lizzie Cranvill b1895
Thos Savill b1899
Wm Savill b1901 ( 1 week old)
4 Union Rd, Tottenham (4 rooms).
How eagerly I awaited the 1911 census only for Granny Saville to lead me once more on the final round of our merry dance!
1911 Form completed and signed by Elizabeth Cranwell, probably Elizabeth Jane Saville’s 16 yrs old daughter.
Thomas Saville, Elizabeth Jane's third husband, died c 1910.
On the census form, Elizabeth Jane’s previous married surname of Cranwell is given - instead of Saville - and that she was married twice not three times.
Head: Elizabeth Cranwell, married twice, b 1862 Holloway, London. Occupation: Char(r)ing [cleaning] (worker)
Present marriage lasted 15 years (makes date of marriage about 1896 which was to Thomas Saville).
Children of present marriage: 10, 4 of whom died. This is inaccurate and refers to the children of all 3 marriages. As will be seen below, she had
7 living children.
Children – all born Edmonton and single:
Elizabeth Cranwell b1895. Occupation: Pencil worker for pencil manufacturer.
Henry Cranwell b1891 hawker in water cress, etc (own account).
Thomas Savile b1898 School.
William Savile b1900 School
Arthur Savile b1905 School
Percy Savile b1909 Tottenham.
Lodger: Alfred Clerke, single, b1889 Wood Green. Occupation: Printer (compositor) Worker.
Alfred (correct spelling Clarke) was Elizabeth’s son by first marriage.
Living with another family - no relation. 5 rooms, including kitchen. 15 people there.
41 Brettenham Rd East, Edmonton, Middlesex.
1921 Head: Elizabeth Saville b1865 Tottenham. General Domestic Servant, private employer.
Son: Alfred Clark b1888 Wood Green. General Labourer, government department.
Son: Thomas Saville b1899 Tottenham. " " Ward Florist.
Son: William " b1901 " " " Out of work, Coston Contractor.
Son: Arthur " b1904 " " " Cartage Contractor, Coston.
Son: Percy " b1908 " Father dead. Whole time school.
96 Langhedge Lane, N.18. Parish & reg district: Edmonton, no 132.
1939 She is still giving me trouble! Her d.o.b. is different to the one I have, although the year is correct. She's living with her daughter, Elizabeth, now married and running a boarding house:
Milestone Household (8 People) at 10 Yorkshire Gardens, Edmonton, Middx:
Jane E Saville dob 29/8/1865. Unpaid Domestic Duties. Widowed.
Elizabeth (Jane) Milestone dob 16/7/1895. Domestic Boarding Housekeeper. Married
1 closed entry and rest are boarders.
Have done a brief search on BMD for her with that dob and nothing coming up. Pretty sure I have her tree as correct now but that different dob is a concern.
I gave up with researching Wm Hickman in the end as there were so many in London. Also I seem to remember quite a few who married Elizabeth Sarah or Sarah Elizabeth too...
From my gran's marriage cert, he was possibly still alive in 1884 when he was a travelling salesman.
So, sorry, looks like this one isn't yours.