Our Family History
In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Stoke Newington like this:
STOKE-NEWINGTON, a metropolitan suburb and a parish in Middlesex. The suburb lies adjacent to the New River and the North London railway, 3¼ miles N by E of St. Paul's, London; grew around a village, anciently called Neweton; extends now, beyond its own proper parish, into the parishes of West Hackney, Hornsey, and Islington; and has post-offices7dd. under London S, and a police station.
The parish is a sub-district of Hackney district, and comprises 639 acres. Real property, £40,528. ...
Pop. in 1851, 4,840; in 1861, 6,608. Houses, 1,040.
The manor belonged, before the Norman conquest, to St. Paul's cathedral; was vested, at an early period, in a prebend of that cathedra1. The living is a rectory in the diocese of London. Value, £820.* Patron, the Bishop of L. The old church was rebuilt in 1563; and is a brick edifice, with tower and spire.
The new church was opened in 1858, but not completed till 1863; and is a spacious and noble edifice, in a style between early English and decorated. St. Matthias' chapelry, constituted in 1848, and partly in Hornsey parish, is a separate charge, a p. curacy, £265,* in the patronage of alternately the Crown and the Bishop. There are several dissenting chapels, several public schools, a lunatic asylum, an invalid asylum for females, and charities.
David Morris Thomas & Sarah Errington
David Morris Thomas was born in Wales in March 1838. He was the eldest son of Rachel Bowen Thomas and Thomas Thomas. He grew up on the family farm, Ty Newydd in Wales where he may have gained early experience of handling horses. Sometime after 1851, he came to London.
In 1861, aged 23, he was living and working as a domestic groom at 5 Church Row, Stoke Newington, London. He was employed by 63 year old surgeon, Edward Thomely Bond and his wife Susannah who had 3 unmarried daughters -Helen, Harriet and Savannah – still living at home. Susannah’s sister, Mary Sykes, and Surgeon’s Assistant, James Walbridge Snook also lived at the family home. As well as a groom, the Bond family employed a cook and a housemaid.
Sarah Anne Errington was born on 30th Oct 1833 in Enfield, Middlesex. She was the eldest daughter of Ironmonger Samuel Errington and his wife Emilia or Amelia (nee Ellison).
Sarah Ann’s father died in July 1838 when she was just 5 years old. Her mother died a few months later, on October 1938 after giving birth to a fourth child, called Henry. Sarah's 4 year old sister Amelia Errington died in November 1838 and newborn baby Henry only lived for a few months and died on 6th January 1839. Sarah Ann and her 6 year old brother Joseph Samuel Errington were left as orphans. Whether these 4 deaths were all linked and due to a fatal illness or accident, we do not know. Joseph was sent to an Orphanage and Sarah Ann went to stay with her Grandparents - Joseph & Sarah Ellison in Hackney. She was registered as living there in the 1841 Census
In 1851, aged 17, she was working as a domestic servant in Church Street, Stoke Newington for Mr Charles Sparshat and his wife Mariana, who was a private School Mistress. There were 3 pupils and a teacher’s assistant living at the property. Sarah Anne may have met her future husband whilst they were both living and working as servants in Stoke Newington.
10 Years later in 1861 Sarah Ann was working as a domestic servant in the Hampstead household of wealthy manufacturer, Mr. G. Simms and his wife Louisa. Mr and Mrs Simms who were in their early thirties, had two sons and four daughters, as well as Mrs Simms’ father living at the property. They employed two cooks and 3 housemaids, including Sarah Anne.
David Morris Thomas, who was aged 25, married Sarah Ann Errington, who was aged 30, on 27th Dec 1862 at St Mary’s Parish Church in Hornsey, London. As Sarah was an orphan, her only survivng brother, Joseph Samuel Errington and his wife Elizabeth signed the marriage certificate.
In 1871 David and Sarah Ann were living in George Mews, Islington with their 5 children and David was working as a Coachman.
In 1881 David and Sarah Ann were living at 5, Mitford Road, Islington. They now had 6 children and David was still working as a domestic coachman. His eldest son William was employed as a stable boy - perhaps working alongside his father. All the other children were attending school, apart from eldest daughter Emelia, who was 17 at the time.
David Thomas died in September 1893. Sarah Ann ended up living in Tottenham with her eldest daughter Emelia, who had also been recently widowed. Sarah Ann died aged 77, on 6th November 1924.
Children and descendants of David Morris Thomas and Sarah Ann Errington Thomas
William Henry Thomas (1865 – )
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Herbert Richard Thomas – (1870 – 1943)
John Thomas
DUTIES OF THE COACHMAN, GROOM, AND STABLE-BOY.
"The Establishment will consist of coachman, groom, and stable-boy, who are capable of keeping in perfect order four horses, and perhaps the pony. Of this establishment the coachman is chief. Besides skill in driving, he should possess a good general knowledge of horses; he has usually to purchase provender, to see that the horses are regularly fed and properly groomed, watch over their condition, apply simple remedies to trifling ailments in the animals under his charge, and report where he observes symptoms of more serious ones which he does not understand. He has either to clean the carriage himself, or see that the stable-boy does it properly."
A coachman's job was a hard one. Depending on the family he worked for, he might have assistants, but often he and a "lad," would do all the work alone. Some of his duties would include:
1. Driving a variety of coaches down to little "traps" depending on the weather, the passengers, the season, and the purpose of the excursion.
2. Fed, bedding down, and caring for the horses. This meant repairing bruises and cuts and even midwifing when the local vet wasn't available or was too expensive.
3. Helping purchase horses. Advising his employer on good stock (and often getting a piece of the sales price as a commission from the first owner.)
4. Buying, repairing, painting and taking care of the coaches, buggies, traps, and carts that made up the family's moving stock.
5. Traveling, often great distances, with family members -- to seaside resorts, second homes, gala affairs.
6. Working at odd times and long hours -- waiting hours in bad weather while his employer and family shopped and lunched and danced in town or at other homes, delivering parcels, invitations, etc. picking up unexpected guests at railway depots, racing for doctors, etc.
7. Farrier-work. If need be, he might have to act as a blacksmith, shoeing horses if there was no local blacksmith.