william lovett
William was born in Bethnal Green on 8 March 1838 to William Lovett and Charlotte Jackson and baptised at St Leonard in Shoreditch on 15 April, Easter Sunday, along with 40 other children. At the time, his family was living in New Inn Yard and his father working as a Beer Dealer. His father died later that year and his mother struggled financially for several years befre she was forced to enter the Bethnal Green Workhouse in 1841 with William and his younger half-brother James.
In 1851, William was living with his mother and her new partner James Daltry in Dodds Place in Three Colts Lane in Bethnal Green. They appear as husband and wife in the census but there is no record of them ever marrying. Thirteen year old William had left school and was working as an Errand Boy.
He was living at 5 Sclater Stree and working as a Cabinet Maker when he married Elizabeth Mallindine at St Philip in Bethnal Green on 5 April 1860. The following year they were living at 5 Carlton Place with their two year old son William and new born son Charles while his sister Sarah and step-brothers James and Frederick Daltry were living in rooms in the same house.
William and Elizabeth had six children but only four survived to adulthood. They lived in Carlton Place for over thirty years and William worked primarily as a Chair Maker until his death on 13 January 1919.
william lovett + charlotte jackson
William was born in Bethnal Green in 1814 but his birth has not been confirmed as there were two William Lovetts born in the area within six months of each other. The first was born on 2 February to William and Ann Lovett and baptised at St Matthew and the second was born on 10 August to James and Elizabeth Lovett and baptised at St Leonard in Shoreditch.
There is no record of William between his birth and his marriage to Charlotte Jackson at St John in Hackney on 2 April 1834 and nothing to confirm the identity of his parents. Charlotte was born in Bristol, then part of Gloucestershire, in 1814 to William Jackson, a Cabinet Maker, and Sarah Earle.
Their daughter Sarah Anne was born on 18 April 1835 and baptised at St Leonard, Shoreditch on 17 May. The family was living on Holywell Lane just off the Shoreditch High Street with William was working as a Labourer but they had moved to New Inn Yard by the time William was born on 8 March 1838. Later that year, 25 year old William died and was buried at St Mary’s Church in Bromley St Leonard near Bow on 23 December.
Without William’s wages, Charlotte would have been unable to support herself and her two young children and her father was also struggling financially and unable to offer much help. Later Poor Law records note that Charlotte was examined in 1838 and 1839 but the records of the examination are not currently available online so it is not known what happened to the family or if they were granted parish relief. In January 1840, Charlotte’s widowed father also applied for relief and his examination record notes that she was living with him on Cheshire Street at the time although there is no mention of her children.
Their situation worsened and by 1841, Charlotte was in the Bethnal Green Workhouse with three year old son William and a 4 month old son named James. A possible baptism record has been found for James Lovett who was born in the workhouse to Charlotte, a Weaveress, and baptised at St Matthew in Bethnal Green on 16 May 1841. A corresponding burial record has also been found for 7 month old James buried at St Matthew on 7 October.
There was a moral compenent to receiving parish relief and women in particular were expected to maintain high moral standards, especially chastity and sobriety, and failure to meet these standards meant the end of any assistance from the parish guardians. When the guardians found out about Charlotte’s pregnancy or the birth of her illegitimate son, her relief would have withdrawn and the workhouse would have been her only option. Although her two young sons were with her in the workhouse, there is no sign of six year old Sarah but older children were often separated from their parents in the workhouse system so she may have been admitted as well.
james daltry
After leaving the workhouse, Charlotte began a relationship with James Daltry and although they later appear as husband and wife in the cenus returns, no marriage record has been located. Their first child, Eliza Sarah was born on 14 June 1844 and baptised at St Leonard Shoreditch on 7 July 1844 and the register notes that the family was back on Holywell Lane and James was working as a Weaver. Charlotte was born in the fall of 1846, and also registered under the name Daltry, followed by son James on 8 July 1849 but he was registered under the name Lovett and baptised as James Dealtry Lovett at St Leonard, Shoreditch on 29 July. His parents are listed as William and Charlotte at New Inn Yard — the same address where Charlotte and her first husband lived in 1838 — but the father’s occupation is listed as Weaver which coincides with James’ details.
In 1851, they were living on Dodds Place in Three Colts Lane and both James and Charlotte were working as Weavers; Charlotte’s two children were also in the home with Sarah working as a Jobber, a general term for someone doing piece work, and thirteen year old William working as an Errand Boy. Later that year, they had another son, Frederick, and he too was registered under the surname Lovett. He was baptised at St Leonard’s on 31 August and as with his brother James, his father was listed as William, a Weaver in New Inn Yard. Charlotte may have given this misleading information to hide the fact that her son was illegitimate but it is strange considering their first two daughters were registered or baptised under Daltry.
They had one more daughter, Margaret, in 1854 but no birth registration or baptism record has been found. James died just after the new year in 1856 and was buried at Victoria Park Cemetery on 7 January leaving Charlotte and her children without support once more. In 1861, her eldest daughter Sarah was living at 5 Carlton Place and working as a Tailoress and although she was in the same house as her brother William, she was noted as a separate household along with her half-brothers: 10 year old James, who was out of school and working as a Messenger, and 8 year old Frederick. But Charlotte and daughters Eliza, Charlotte and Margaret have not been found in the census records.
Eliza Sarah married James Robert Hunter at St Philip in Bethnal Green on 23 May 1864 but she was married under the name Lovett rather than Daltry and her father was listed as James Lovett, a Weaver. Her mother and siblings were still using the name Daltry so it is not known why she changed names. James was a 21 year old Butcher living on Nelson Street when he married, the son of Richard Hunter, a Labourer. They had ten children.
Sarah married John Jackson at St Philip in Bethnal Green on 7 May 1865 and although the register lists their addresses as 5 Cotton Place, this may be a case of the registrar misinterpreting the East End accent and entering his best interpretation of Carlton Place. John was a 23 year old labourer and later census records confirm his place of birth as Cambridgeshire. They moved in to the Lovett/Daltry family home on Carlton Place and were still there when the census was taken 6 years later.
In 1871, Charlotte was back in the family home on Carlton Place along with daughters Charlotte and Margaret, sons James and Frederick and a lodger James Vale. Every family member was working — both Charlottes as Charwomen, hired by the day to do odd jobs such as cleaning or laundry, James and Frederick were both Chair Makers, and Margaret was a Coat Hand which could have been a job similar to a Tailor’s Hand or assistant. Their lodger, James Vale, was working as a Carver and on 22 May 1871, he married daughter Charlotte at St Matthew in Bethnal Green with her mother and half-brother William standing as witnesses. Charlotte also married under the name Lovett rather than Daltry and listed her father as William, a Weaver — a hybrid of William Lovett and James Daltry. Charlotte and James had seven children but only five survived to adulthood.
Frederick married Mary Quelch at 19 March 1871 St Philip Bethnal Green also under the name Lovett. His address was listed as 5 Carting Place, which was probably Carlton Place, and he was working as a Cabinet Maker. His father was listed as James Lovett, a Weaver, and his mother appeared as one of the witnesses. Frederick and Mary had six children and all of them were registered and baptised under the name Lovett.
Unlike his siblings, James used the name Daltry when he married Elizabeth Jane Harris at St Andrew Bethnal Green on 27 February 1872. He was living at 5 Upper Norfolk Street when he married and listed his father as James Daltry, a Weaver, while his mother Charlotte stood as one of the witnesses. James and Elizabeth remained in Bethnal Green where he continued to work as a Chair Maker but they did not have any children. James died in 1892 and his wife never remarried; she died in Bethnal Green in 1925.
In 1881, Charlotte was living with her daughter Charlotte, her husband James Vail and their four children at 4 Southampton Terrace but she was listed under Mrs Daultry and her relationship to the head of household was lodger. She has not been located in the 1891 census but died shortly after it was taken.