Ann CHURCH [age in 1881 census 24: Location CAERWENT] RG11/5217 f77 p2: : County Monmouthshire Post Mistress Birth place: Gloucestershire Occupation of her father: Information from each census about Ann Church and the household she lived in: YEAR 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 1911 HO 107 HO107 RG9 RG10 745 2443 3974 5292 2 65 51 61 4 6 1 1 CENSUS PIECE FOLIO PAGE REG DIS SUB DIS PARISH ADDRESS TOWN RELATIONS HIP TO HEAD Village of Village of Caerwe nt Caldicot Rd, RG11 5217 77 2 Post Office, RG12 4335 82 1 Post Office, RG13 4915 77 18 Entire Post Office, COUNTY Mon Mon Mon Mon Mon Mon Mon Not stated Wife Wife Head Head Head (widow) (widow) (widow) AGE 10 20 29 1 39 47 56 69 OCCUPATI - houseke Wife Wife Post Mistress Post Mistress Post Mistress ON eper HUSBAND - - John John - Widow S NAME HUSBAND S OCCUPATI ON NO OF CHILDREN OTHER POST OFFICE WORKERS IS SHE LIVING AT THE POST OFFICE - - Carpenter & Blacksmit h - - 2 (not her children, too old) Carpente r - N/A - - None - - - - - None SERVANTS - - - - None Two lodgers Not stated Not Not Not Yes Yes stated stated stated OTHER INFORMATI ON Is Ann GABB Is Ann GABB - Longney, Dies 1906 see additional information - 1 FindmyPast has her age as 49, the image is faint but definitely 29 1
Does she move to different locations? No Do you think her social status changed over the period of her life? Yes, from child to housekeeper to wife to widow Family Connections If married, does her husband work for the Post Office? Yes see the reference to 1871 Post Office directory. John Church authorised to sell postage stamps 23 rd July 1855, instead of John Arnold whose house is inconveniently situated. 2 Are other members of her family involved with the work of the Post Office? If so please give details. Not apparent after 1871 Employment Did she have any other employment before becoming a Post Mistress? Yes, housekeeper first then she became Postmistress when widowed The Community Is she working in a village or a town? Village, near to Caldicot and 5 ½ miles west of : was a substantial town at this time, Caldicot also a small hamlet with a population in 1841 of 229, but had increased to 800 by the time that the Post Office directory of South Wales was published in 1871. 3 What is the size of the community she would have been serving? Small, population in 1861: 445 What type of community the Post Office is in: A small village, but historic due to its Roman past. The Post Office Is it just a Post Office or part of a shop? Not apparent, but perhaps when father in law and husband alive was part of the carpenters business Do you think it was a large or small Post Office: i.e. just a small counter within a shop or small premises or a larger premise with a number of counters? Small, possibly only a counter within John CHURCH s carpentry premises, he is named in 1871 directory. Ann CHURCH died 18 th December 1906, and probate granted to William CHURCH gentleman on 10 th January 1907, 261.12s.7d. 4 2 British Postal Museum and Archive; Series: POST 58; Reference Number: 79 (Ancestry.co.uk, accessed 15 th February 2016) 3 See trade directory information 4 Probate calendar 1907 (accessed Ancestry.co.uk - 6 th February 2016) 2
Trade Directory or other sources YEAR 1847 1856 1871 1880 1901 TRADE DIRECTORY (OR OTHER SOURCE) Polling District Post directory of S Wales Slaters Directory of N&S Wales Scammell & Co City of Bristol & South Wales PAGE NUMBER 19 17 41 INFORMATION Entry no 815 John Church John Church, Carpenter, John Church 5 receiver. Letters arrive from 8.30 am, dispatched 5.30pm. Nearest money order office is at, pillar box in hamlet of Crick Post Office, Ann Church, Post mistress. Letters from all parts arrive (from ) at thirty minutes past eight morning and are despatched at fifteen minutes past six evening. Caldicott[sic] is the nearest money order office Monmouthshire Directory Mrs Ann Church, sub-postmistress. Letters arrive from at 8.40am; dispatched at 5.40pm. Postal orders are issued here, but not paid. The nearest money order and telegraph office is at Caldicot, 2 miles distant. Pillar Letter box in hamlet of Crick cleared at 5.50pm, Sundays 9.50pm. 5 John Church: appointed 1855: British Postal Museum and Archive; Series: POST 58; Reference Number: 79 (Ancestry.co.uk, accessed 15 th February 2016) 3
Additional Optional Project Information This has been confusing research: GABB seems to be favourite name in the Church family and hence the following research into the GABB and CHURCH surnames. This may help to clarify who the three women who carried this name were, and where they fitted in: Monmouthshire - Parish Registers: Marriages 9 th August 1802 John CHURCH Barbara GABB St Thomas a Becket Shirenewton Monmouthshire 31 st October 1839 John CHURCH - Sarah GABB at Shirenewton. His father John (Carpenter) and hers George (Blacksmith). 25 th May 1856 John CHURCH (widower) (Carpenter) Ann GABB at St Mary de lode, Gloucester. Both of full age, his father John (carpenter), her father George, (blacksmith) 6, 20 th March 1866 John CHURCH - Mary JONES at Parish Church of Nash, Monmouthshire. His father John (Carpenter) and hers John, (dec d) Baptisms Mary 12 th May 1805 d/o John & Barbara Anne 14 th December 1806 d/o John & Barbara William 20 th May 1810 s/o John & Barbara John 16 th March 1842 s/o John & Sarah Burials Barbara CHURCH 50 (1770) 7 th November 1829 Sarah CHURCH - 38 years 28 th April 1842 John CHURCH 82 (1777) 15 th October 1859 John CHURCH 71 (1803) 9 th December 1874 6 So was George baptised 1769 son of a blacksmith, the father of both Sarah and Ann GABB? Their marriage certificates seem to support this, and perhaps this explains why Ann GABB and John CHURCH married away from their parish church as they were flouting the church rules, that a man/woman should not married his/her deceased wife/husband s brother/sister. 4
Gloucestershire, Parish Registers Baptism John Church son of William & Ann 18 th June 1777 - Minsterworth Marriage: 5 th April 1766 Longney: Thomas GABB widower (occupation blacksmith) Mary CARTER (licence) Baptisms: Barbara daughter of Thomas & Mary 4 th January 1771 - Longney George 20 th March 1769 7 Sophia 4 th December 1774 Dianah 25 th November 1775 (father: Blacksmith) Matthew 3 rd September 1778 Marriage: Longney George GABB Eleanor DAVIS 25 th May 1791 (both of the parish banns) (witness Barbara GABB) Baptisms: Mary 9 th June 1793 d/o George & Eleanor George 21 st June 1795 s/o George & Eleanor Hannah: 3 rd Dec 1797 d/o George & Eleanor Sara: 3 rd July 1803 d/o George & Eleanor Aroda 30 th April 1815 d/o George & Eleanor Marriage: St Peter, Bristol - George GABB Ann WILKINS 9 th June 1829 (both of the parish banns) Baptisms: Eliza: 25 th Jan 1830: d/o George & Anne Anne: 26 th June 1831: Longney d/o George & Anne 8 George Wilkins: 16 March 1834 Longney s/o George & Anne Eleanor: 3 rd June 1838 Ebley, Stroud d/o George & Anne 7 George GABB (1769) appears in two censuses in his wife Ann Frocester,. He is enumerated as Blacksmith. 8 Married John Church 1856, Gloucester 5
Thomas GABB m 1766 Mary CARTER George 1769 m 1791 Eleanor DAVIS Barbara b 1771 John CHURCH b 1777 Minsterworth m 1802 Sophia 1774 Dianah 1775 Mathew 1778 Mary 1793 Hannah 1797 Sarah 1803 George 1795 m 1829 Bristol Anne Wilkins John (no baptism found) m Sarah 1839 m Ann 1856 Mary 1805 Anne 1806 William 1810 William 1840 John 1842 Anne 1831 George Wilkins 1834 Eleanor 1838 6