On the far side of a brick Wall #4 ~ Death of Thomas and Mary Slattery

Mary Leonard, potentially my third great-grandmother, was living with the Slattery family, in Liverpool, England, in 1841, probably with her mother Mary (Riley) Slattery, but the Slattery family were not found in the 1851 census.

The question this week remains the same - was Mary the same Mary Leonard who married John Radcliffe in Liverpool in 1848?

I do believe she was, as examined last week here. She was certainly the only woman found with that name who married in Liverpool in the decade prior to 1851, though further evidence supporting my theory could only be welcome.

So, this week I set out to ascertain what became of the Slattery family (Thomas, Mary and daughters Rosanna and Ellen) after 1846, when the infant Francis Slattery was buried. In particular, I hoped to discover what happened to my would-be fourth great-grandmother, Mary (Riley) Slattery.

And, death records in Liverpool support the possible deaths of both Thomas and Mary in 1847. There was no mention of Rosanna or Ellen, at least not during the decade in question.

Excerpts from deaths index, GRO for England & Wales online ordering service

Thomas Slattery
The death of Thomas Slattery, aged forty-nine years, was registered in the second quarter of 1847 in Liverpool. Given 'our' Thomas was thirty five years old in 1841, and based on the age rounding rules of that year's census, he would have been between forty-one and forty-five years old in 1847 - not forty-nine. But, the ages quoted by my Irish ancestors in census returns were often completely unreliable, though they were more usually understated.

A man named Thomas Slattery, aged forty-five years, was buried in St Anthony's parish on 19 March 1847. He may have been the same man that died aged forty-nine above, as only one potential death was reported in Liverpool in the year. In any case, this one was probably the Thomas we are seeking. His home address was in Sawney Pope Street, Liverpool, the same address 'our' Slattery family lived. And notably, it was where Mary Leonard lived when she married John Radcliffe ten months later. St Anthony's was also the parish where the Slatterys had buried their infant sons, Thomas and Francis.

The copy death register for Thomas Slattery likely does not contain any further family information - not unless the informant was a known or stated relative. And, at £7 a pop, a somewhat selective approach to purchasing English 'certificates' is required. So moving on...

Mary Slattery
Two women named Mary Slattery died in Liverpool in 1847, both deaths were recorded in the second quarter, and both women were forty years old. Our Mary would have been between about thirty-six and forty years of age in 1847, based on being thirty years old in the 1841 census, though probably at the upper age. So, either one of these death records, or both, may have been for Mary (Riley) Slattery. Which one should I check first?  Neither deaths were found in the records of St Anthony's parish, Liverpool, surprising perhaps, given her would-be husband was buried there around the same time. But a line by line search of its burial register revealed nothing.

The only thing I can think to do now is to pick one, order the copy death register and see what gives. It may have to wait until the Covid 19 restrictions are lifted, but I can follow up on Rosanna and Ellen Slattery, in the meantime.

Continued, here.

Sources:

1. Slattery household, Ellen Place, Liverpool city, Lancashire, Enumerators' Book, 1841 England Census, accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
2. Church of England marriage register, Radcliffe-Leonard marriage, 1848, St Nicholas Church, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
3. Death of Thomas Slattery, 1847, J Quarter, Liverpool, GRO Online Index, accessed HM Passport Office. 
4. Burial of Thomas Slattery, 19 March 1847, St Anthony's, 'Liverpool, England, Catholic Burials, 1813-1985', accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
5. Death of Mary Slattery, 1847, J Quarter, Liverpool, GRO Online Index, accessed HM Passport Office.

On the far side of a brick Wall #3 ~ but is it the right Mary Leonard?

Mary Leonard, potentially my third great-grandmother, was found living with the Slattery family, in Liverpool, England, in 1841, probably with her mother, Mary (Riley) Slattery. So, Mary (Riley) Slattery was potentially my fourth great-grandmother.

This week, I set out to further investigate the Slattery family, hoping to link this Mary Leonard to the Mary Leonard that married John Radcliffe in 1848.

And, some progress was made in this regard, perhaps : -

Thomas Slattery, son of Thomas and Mary Slattery, was born on 13 September 1841 and baptised the following day in St Peter's Priory, Liverpool. This poor little mite only lived a few days and died at home in Sawney Pope Street, on 16 September 1841. He was buried in St Anthony's graveyard in Liverpool that same day. While his birth was seemingly not registered with the authorities, his name does appear in the death index during the third quarter of 1841.

Francis Slattery, son of Francis (not Thomas) Slattery and Mary Reily, was baptised in St Anthony's Roman Catholic Church, Liverpool, on 25 September 1842, with his date of birth given as 14 September 1842. Chances are his father's name was actually Thomas, but recorded incorrectly. His birth was registered in the third quarter of 1842 with the surname Slatry, and mother's maiden name Riley. The original copy birth register would confirm his father's name. Little Francis died at home in Liverpool in March 1846, aged three years and six months. His home address was listed as Addison Street. He was buried in the graveyard for St Anthony's parish on 18 March 1846.

Francis Slattery's burial register is the last record so far found for this family.

So, what if anything ties this family to the Mary Leonard that married John Radcliffe?

Marriage of John Radcliffe & Mary Leonard, 1848, St Nicholas Church

• When Mary Leonard and John Radcliffe married in 1848, they lived in Sawney Pope Street, and when their baby Anne was born in 1849, they lived in Addison Street. These are the same streets, in the same tiny corner of Liverpool city (shown on a historical map of Liverpool,here), where the Slattery family had lived with babies Thomas and probably Francis.
• A witness to John Radcliffe and Mary Leonard's marriage in 1848, as seen above, was Charles Riley, i.e. Mary Slattery's maiden name. He signed the marriage register, with his mark.
• If the rest of the Slattery family had died, and no longer lived in Liverpool city in 1851, explaining why they did not appear in the English census that year, it might also explain why the child Ellen Slanety (an invalid surname, which may in fact have been Slattery) was living with the Radcliffes, at that time. i.e. with her half-sister Mary (Leonard) Radcliffe.

How many coincidences does it take before they become 'evidence'? I'm now nearly sure the Mary Leonard living with the Slattery family in 1841 was the same girl that married John Radcliffe in 1848. Definitely worth pursuing further!

What happened to the Slatterys after 1846? Did they emigrate? Did they perish? Or, have I just not located them yet?  Tune in next week and hopefully we'll find out.

Continued, here.

Sources:

1. Slattery household, Ellen Place, Liverpool, Lancashire, Enumerators' Book, 1841 England Census, accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
2. Baptism of Thomas Slattery, St Peter's Priory, 'Liverpool, England, Catholic Baptisms, 1741-1916', accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
3. Death of Thomas Slattry, 1841 S Quarter, Liverpool, GRO Online Index, accessed HM Passport Office.
4. Burial of Thomas Slattery, 16 September 1841, St Anthony's 1840-46, 'Liverpool, England, Catholic Burials, 1813-1985', accessed Ancestry.co.uk.
5. Birth of Francis Slatry, 1842 S Quarter, Liverpool, GRO Online Index, accessed HM Passport Office.
6. Baptism of Francis Slattery, St Anthony's, 'Liverpool, England, Catholic Baptisms, 1741-1916', accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
7. Death of Francis Slattery, 1846, M Quarter, Liverpool, GRO Online Index, accessed HM Passport Office. 
8. Burial of Francis Slattery, 18 March 1846, St Anthony's 1840-46, 'Liverpool, England, Catholic Burials, 1813-1985', accessed Ancestry.co.uk.
9. Church of England marriage register, Radcliffe-Leonard marriage, 1848, St Nicholas Church, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
10. Baptism register, Ann Radcliffe, 28 October 1849, St Anthony's RC Church, Liverpool, 'Liverpool, England, Catholic Baptisms, 1802-1906', accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
11. Ratcliffe household, Rainhill, Prescot, Lancashire, Enumerators' Book, 1851 England Census, accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.

On the far side of a brick Wall #2 ~ Mary Leonard and the Slatterys

On Saturday, I mentioned a girl named Mary Leonard, aged fifteen years, living in Liverpool, on the night of the English census, 6 June 1841. She was living with the Slattery family, at Emma Place, Liverpool city. Mary may have been my third-great-grandmother. That's my current ancestral hypothesis anyway.

The 1841 census didn't specify relationships between household members. So, it's not confirmed where exactly Mary fit in. The household head, Thomas Slattery, was thirty-five years old, born in Ireland, and worked as a labourer. Next listed was Mary Slattery, aged thirty years, also born in Ireland. Then came Mary Leonard, aged fifteen and born in Ireland. She was followed by Rosanna Slattery, aged five and Ellen Slattery, aged two, both born in Lancashire, and then John Slafferra, aged fifty and born in Ireland. He may have been a Slattery too, with his name either misheard, or mangled in the transcription to the census enumerators' book.

Slattery household, 1841 Census, Liverpool, Lancashire, England

It's easy to imagine that Thomas and Mary Slattery were husband and wife, that Mary Leonard was Thomas Slattery's stepdaughter and Mary's daughter from a previous marriage, and that Rosanna and Ellen were Thomas and Mary's children. It looks like Mary Slattery was only fifteen years old when Mary Leonard was born, except in this census, adults' ages were normally rounded down at five year intervals, e.g. 34 became 30, 38 became 35, etc. So, she was probably a few years older.

Rosanna Slattery was born about 1836, just too late for her birth to have been registered. Recording civil births, marriages and deaths commenced in 1837 in England. But, if she was born in Liverpool, a record of her baptism might have reasonably been expected, except no Rosanna Slattery was found.

Ellen Slattery's birth, in the first quarter of 1839, was registered in Liverpool, with her mother's maiden name recorded as Riley. She was baptised shortly thereafter, on 17 February 1839, in St Anthony's Roman Catholic Church, Liverpool. The baptism register confirms she was the daughter of Thomas Slattery and Mary Rielly, born on 12 February 1839.

Have I really just discovered the name of my fourth great-grandmother ~ Mary Riley (a variant of Reilly) 💛.  That would be so cool, even if she was another Mary!!!

But, will I ever be able to prove, or even disprove, it? Tune in next week to see how I get on.

Continued, here.

Sources:

1. Slattery household, Ellen Place, Liverpool, Lancashire, Enumerators' Book, 1841 England Census, accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
2. Birth of Ellen, 1839 M Quarter, Liverpool, GRO Online Index, accessed HM Passport Office.
3. Baptism of Ellen Slattery, St Anthony's Church, 'Liverpool, England, Catholic Baptisms, 1802-1906', accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.

Just Mary

We know very little for sure about my third great-grandmother, Mary.

It's true, her husband was John Radcliffe, the eldest surviving son of Peter Radcliffe, born in 1827. John started out work as a plasterer, while his father worked as a painter and plasterer at Malahide Castle, in Co. Dublin. The couple probably married about 1848, and their first daughter, Anne Radcliffe, my great-great-grandmother, was born about 1849.

Mary's christian name was recorded in the church marriage register when Anne married Maurice Carroll, in 1869. She supposedly died shortly after Anne was born, in April 1853 (where, we don't know). Anne was raised in Malahide, presumably by her grandparents and uncle(s), after her father emigrated to Australia in 1858. And that's it - everything we 'know' about Mary's life and death - not much to go on, you'll agree. Just the name, Mary, by far the most common christian name in all Ireland.

A couple found living in Liverpool, England between 1847 and 1851 match nearly all the criteria known about my ancestors and, despite an odd reservation or two, there's a good chance they were my Radcliffe family.

John Radcliffe married Mary Leonard in St Nicholas Church Liverpool on 25 January 1848. This was an Anglican church, when my John Radcliffe was most certainly Catholic. However, their daughter Anne was baptised in St Anthony's Roman Catholic Church, Liverpool on 28 October 1849. So, maybe there's a reasonable explanation for the protestant marriage.

The family had moved to Rainhill, ten miles from Liverpool city, by 30 March 1851, when the English census was enumerated. They lived at Kendrick's Cross, in the Village. The census shows Mary Ratcliffe* was a little older than John, born about 1825. Additionally, John’s sister-in-law, Ellen Slanety, aged ten years, lived with them - another clue maybe - if this was our family.

Ratcliffe household, 1851 Census, Rainhill, Lancashire, England

So what else would we now 'know' about Mary? In the marriage register, Mary Leonard's father was named as John Leonard, a labourer. John Leonard was probably dead before about 1840, as Mary's mother had presumably remarried, and had a ten year old child, Ellen Slanety, by 1851.

Except, Slanety was most likely not Ellen's actual surname. It may sound fairly Irish, but I've never heard of the name. And there was not one single person named 'Slanety' listed in the birth, marriage and death indexes for all England, nor indeed in the indexes for all Ireland. It's times like these when it would be handy to have the original census schedules, i.e. the ones completed by each household, rather than these copy enumerators' books. Maybe Ellen's surname was somewhat illegible and merely mistranscribed.

Perhaps her name was actually Ellen Slattery, for example, a valid Irish surname originating in the east Co. Clare area.

I say that based on this record found in the English census taken in Liverpool on the night of 6 June 1841:-

Slattery household, 1841 Census, Liverpool, Lancashire, England

Here, Mary Leonard, aged fifteen years, so born about 1826, lived in the same household as an Ellen Slattery, aged two years, which would have made her twelve in 1851, not ten as stated, but who's counting! Reported ages are notoriously unreliable in census returns anyway. They lived at Emma Place, in Liverpool city.

Maybe it's a long shot! But, as it's the only shot currently available, it's worth investigating this Slattery family a little further. Sure what else would I be doing anyway, in lockdown!

Continued here.

* The surnames Ratcliff(e) and Radcliff(e) were used by my family nearly interchangeably in the early nineteenth century. John seemingly favoured the name Radcliffe, given the opportunity, though his daughter finally settled on Ratcliffe.

Sources:

1. Baptism register for Swords Parish, John Ratcliff, 15 June 1827, Catholic Parish Registers, accessed National Library of Ireland.
2. Copy marriage register, Maurice Carroll and Anne Ratcliffe, 22 August 1869, General Register Office (stated age of Anne Ratcliffe '20 years', so born c. 1849).
3. Marriage register for Swords Parish, Maurice Carroll and Anne Radcliffe, 22 August 1869, Catholic Parish Registers, accessed National Library of Ireland.
4. Marriage certificate, John Radcliffle and Bridget Flanagan, no. 486, 1861, ordered at $ Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria (John Radcliffe, a 'widower from April 1853').
5. Passenger list, John Radcliffe, Liverpool to Melbourne, 2 November 1858, 'Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839–1923', accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
6. Church of England marriage register, Radcliffe-Leonard marriage, 1848, St Nicholas Church, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
7. Baptism register, Ann Radcliffe, 28 October 1849, St Anthony's RC Church, Liverpool, 'Liverpool, England, Catholic Baptisms, 1802-1906', accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
8. Ratcliffe household, Rainhill, Prescot, Lancashire, Enumerators' Book, 1851 England Census, accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.
9. BMD register indexes, accessed at Free BMD and IrishGenealogy.ie.
10. Slattery household, Howard Street, Liverpool city, Lancashire, Enumerators' Book, 1841 England Census, accessed $ Ancestry.co.uk.

Historic Liverpool ~ Mapping John Radcliffe

John Radcliffe has always been an enigma to me, ever since I commenced this genealogy journey. I’m especially drawn to his ‘missing years’ now – that decade between about 1848 when he married Mary  (maiden name not confirmed), and 1858 when he emigrated to Melbourne, Australia. I suspect he was in Liverpool, England, for at least part of this time. His probable marriage to Mary Leonard in St Nicholas Church, in 1848, has been noted, as well as the birth of their daughter Ann(e), my would-be great-great-grandmother, in October 1849.

'John Ratcliffe, plasterer' was listed in Gore's Directory of Liverpool in 1848 and 1849, when he lived at 66 Bispham Street, Marybone. I'd say these records both refer to my third great-grandfather. His name was not mentioned in the 1847 directory, the directory for 1850 is unavailable, and he was not listed in 1851.

John Radcliffe's residences in Liverpool
John Radcliffe resided at Sawney Pope Street on 25 January 1848 when he got married, then at 66 Bispham Street in 1848 and 1849, and at Addison Street by the time Anne’s birth was registered on 2 November 1849. It turns out, these three little streets all ran parallel to each other, off Marybone, in the same small area in Liverpool city.

MA Gage’s Trigonometrical plan of Liverpool, 1836

During this period, Liverpool city saw a massive influx of impoverished immigrants, mostly destitute Irish fleeing the potato famine back home. The whole neighbourhood was densely overcrowded. Sadly, people lived in squalid, disease-ridden conditions. The following map, with the relevant street names added, provides a better indication of the buildings involved. The family probably rented just one room of the house.

Ackermann’s Panoramic view of Liverpool, 1847

What would bring John Radcliffe here, from the relative comfort of his birthplace, at Malahide, Co. Dublin? Malahide is situated on the east coast of Ireland, and certainly did not experience the worst effects of the potato famine.

It now makes a little more sense why John would move the family to Rainhill, a smaller village, more like Malahide, less than ten miles from Liverpool city. This is where my Radcliffe family were found in the 1851 (30 March) Census of England, explaining why John Radcliffe was not listed in the Liverpool city directory from 1851 onward.

Sources:

1. Church of England marriage register, Radcliffe-Leonard marriage, 1848, St Nicholas Church, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, accessed ($) Ancestry.com.
2. Copy birth register, Ann Radcliffe, 1849, General Register Office, England & Wales.
3. Gore's Directory of Liverpool and its environs, 1848 and 1849, accessed FamilySearch.
4. MA Gage, Trigonometrical plan of the town and port of Liverpool, 1836; Ackermann’s panoramic view of Liverpool, 1847, accessed Old maps of Liverpool, Historic Liverpool.
5. Ratcliffe household, Rainhill, Prescot, Lancashire, 1851 Census of England and Wales, accessed ($) Ancestry.com.