Great Great Great Great Grandmother of Rosina, Georgina, and Edward Brooker.
Known children - William Bennett Baxter born 08/01/1846 Gressenhall, Norfolk.
Almost nothing is known about Eliza except that on the 8th January 1846, she gave birth to William Bennett Baxter in the Union Workhouse at Gressenhall in Norfolk. There is no entry under Name of Father on William's birth certificate. Eliza must have suffered the degradation of being one of the unmarried mothers in the workhouse, forced to wear jackets to distinguish them from others, and known as Jacket Women.
Great Great Great Grandparents of Rosina, Georgina, and Edward Brooker.
William born - 8th January 1846 at Mitford & Launditch Union Workhouse, Gressenhall, Norfolk.
Harriet born - c.1847.
Known children - Jemima bap 11/04/1865 at Gressenhall Union, William born 24/08/1867 at Swanton Mrley, Norfolk, James born 21/10/1869 at Dunton, Norfolk bap 04/02/1872 at Swanton Morley, Maryanne born c.1872 at Swanton Morley, Robert born c.1874 at Swanton Morley, George born 06/04/1876 at Swanton Morley, Ernest born 03/04/1878 at Swanton Morley, Henry born 02/01/1881 at Swanton Morley, Faith Eliza Baxter born 04/03/1885 at East Dereham, Norfolk.
Williams occupation - AGRICULTURAL LABOURER.
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| William Baxter, Born Gressenhall Workhouse, 1846 |
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William Baxter was the illegitimate son of Eliza Baxter, born at the Union Workhouse, Gressenhall, Norfolk on the 8th January 1846. I have not found any record of William or his mother on the 1841 - 1861 Census records. As for the workhouse records, many have been lost or destroyed. The minutes of the Board of Guardians still exists at the CRO, but although they do contain some details of the lives of the workhouse inmates, they are very large, and will need some considerable time to study.
William may have remained in the workhouse, and may have been let out to work as a farm boy. He was illiterate, so it appears that he did not enjoy a good workhouse education.
As for Harriet, according to their grand-daughter Gladys Rackham, she was a Parish charity child, and was left on the doorsteps of a church as a baby. I assumed from this that she also went into the workhouse as a child. This was confirmed by the 1891 Census which lists Gressenhall Union as her place of birth. Gladys also told me that Harriet's maiden name was Barber. I have found no reference to Harriet in the Workhouse as a child, but I did find a later reference to Harriet in the workhouse: 11th April 1865 baptised the infant of Harriet Barber. This appears to be our Harriet, following the birth of her first daughter Jemima. Later censuses record Jemima as having been born at Gressenhall circa 1865. So both William and Harriet had strong connections with Union House. The workhouse building now houses Norfolk Rural-Life Museum and the Norfolk Archaeological Unit.
William and Harriet were married at Swanton Morley on the 31st July 1866, their witnesses were Elijah Reeves and Anne Allcock. They first appear as a couple at Swanton Morley, with the baptism of some of their children in the parish registers. Sometime between 1881 and 1885, the Baxters moved a few miles south, to Northall Green, on the edge of East Dereham. William was employed as a farm-worker. The couple's last child was born at Northall Green on the 4th March 1885. The child was named Faith.
Towards the end of the 19th century, their eldest daughters, Jemima and Polly (Maryanne) went down to London to work in domestic service. When she was old enough, Faith followed them down to London.
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