Family of William Coles Attfield and Harriett Swaine
Name: |
William Coles Attfield |
Sex: |
Male |
Father: |
William Coles (c. 1819- ) |
Mother: |
Harriet Attfield (1825- ) |
Birth |
1844 |
Farnham, Surrey |
Baptism |
17 Apr 1844 (age 0) |
Farnham, Surrey (William Attfield, base born) |
Birth fact |
1844 (age 0) |
1844 Mar Qtr, Farnham, 4/139 (as William Coles Attfield, and as William Coles Coles) |
Census |
1851 (age 6-7) |
Living with parents (William Coles) |
Census |
1861 (age 16-17) |
Labourer, living with parents (aged 17, William Coles) |
Occupation |
16 Jul 1864 (age 19-20) |
Labourer, Hammersmith (on marriage cert.) |
Occupation |
22 May 1870 (age 25-26) |
"Scaffler" (scaffolder), 2 White Court, Bethnal Green (son George's baptism) |
Census |
1871 (age 26-27) |
Builder's labourer, 16 James St, Tower Hamlets (William Attfield, aged 28) |
Occupation |
25 Sep 1872 (age 27-28) |
Scaffold builder, 11 Samuel Street, Cannon Street Road (daughter Harriett's baptism) |
Census |
1881 (age 36-37) |
Mason, 34 James St, Cardiff St Mary, Glamorgan (William Coles) |
Census |
1891 (age 46-47) |
Mason, 18 Salisbury Row, Newington, Surrey (William Coles) |
Wife: Harriett Swaine
Name: |
Harriett Swaine |
Sex: |
Female |
Father: |
Walter Swaine (c. 1813- ) |
Mother: |
- |
Birth |
c. 1838 |
Wisbech, Cambridgeshire |
Census |
1841 (age 2-3) |
Living with parents |
Census |
1851 (age 12-13) |
Living with parents |
Census |
1871 (age 32-33) |
Wife in household |
Census |
1881 (age 42-43) |
Mason's wife, 11 Samuel Street, St George East (husband absent) |
Census |
1891 (age 52-53) |
Charwoman, 11 Samuel Street, St George East (widow, Hatfield) |
Census |
1901 (age 62-63) |
Widow, no occupation, 11 Samuel Street, St George East (Atfield, birthplace = Bow, London) |
Census |
1911 (age 72-73) |
Charwoman, 13 Planet Street, Commercial Road, St George East (widow, 9 children, 2 living, 7 dead) |
Death fact |
1919 (age 80-81) |
1919 Jun Qtr, St George East, 1c/261 (aged 82) |
Death |
1919 (age 80-81) |
13 Planet Street, St George in the East, Middlesex |
Burial |
26 Jun 1919 |
City of London & Tower Hamlets Cemetery (aged 82) |
Name: |
Harriet Ann Attfield |
Sex: |
Female |
Birth |
1864 |
Notting Hill, Middlesex |
Birth fact |
1864 (age 0) |
1864 Dec Qtr, Kensington, 1a/74 |
Census |
1871 (age 6-7) |
Living with parents |
Death fact |
1872 (age 7-8) |
1872 M Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 304 (aged 7) |
Death |
1872 (age 7-8) |
Samuel Street, St George in the East, Middlesex |
Burial |
17 Jan 1872 |
City of London & Tower Hamlets Cemetery (aged 7 years) |
Name: |
William Attfield |
Sex: |
Male |
Spouse: |
Sarah Hemmings (1875- ) |
Birth |
1866 |
St George in the East, Middlesex |
Birth fact |
1866 (age 0) |
1866 Jun Qtr, Gt George East, 1c/412 |
Census |
1871 (age 4-5) |
Living with parents |
Education |
13 Oct 1873 (age 6-7) |
Admission, Berner Street School, Commercial Road |
Census |
1881 (age 14-15) |
Coal porter, living with parents |
Occupation |
1 Sep 1895 (age 28-29) |
Carman, No.11 Samuel Street |
Occupation |
25 May 1898 (age 31-32) |
Labourer, 17 William Street |
Death |
bef 1901 (age 34-35) |
|
Name: |
George Walter Attfield |
Sex: |
Male |
Birth |
1867 |
St George in the East, Middlesex |
Birth fact |
1867 (age 0) |
1867 S Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 396 |
Death fact |
1867 (age 0) |
1867 D Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 312 Occasional Copy: A (aged 6 months) |
Death |
1867 (age 0) |
Samuel Street, St George in the East, Middlesex |
Burial |
2 Jan 1868 |
City of London & Tower Hamlets Cemetery (aged 6 months) |
Name: |
Walter Henry Attfield |
Sex: |
Male |
Spouse: |
Edith Rendle (c. 1872-1916) |
Birth |
13 Nov 1868 |
St George in the East, Middlesex |
Birth fact |
1868 (age 0) |
1868 Dec Qtr, St George East, 1c/416 |
Census |
1871 (age 2-3) |
Living with parents |
Education |
11 Jan 1878 (age 9) |
Admission: Lower Chapman Street School (residence: 11 Samuel St) |
Census |
1881 (age 12-13) |
Living with parents |
Census |
1901 (age 32-33) |
Seaman RN, Baring St, Plymouth |
Census |
1911 (age 42-43) |
Naval pensioner formerly serving in Canadian Navy, 27 Baring St, Plymouth |
Death fact |
1923 (age 54-55) |
1923 Jun Qtr, Plymouth, 5b/271 |
Death |
24 May 1923 (age 54) |
27 Baring Street, Plymouth |
Name: |
George Attfield |
Sex: |
Male |
Birth |
1870 |
Bethnal Green, Middlesex |
Baptism |
22 May 1870 (age 0) |
St Matthias, Bethnal Green, Middlesex |
Birth fact |
1870 (age 0) |
1870 Jun Q, St George in the East, 1c/408 |
Death fact |
1870 (age 0) |
1870 Jun Q, St George in the East, 1c/278 (aged 0) |
Death |
1870 (age 0) |
16 James Street, St George in the East, Middlesex |
Burial |
4 Jun 1870 |
City of London & Tower Hamlets Cemetery (aged 5 weeks) |
Name: |
George Attfield |
Sex: |
Male |
Birth |
1871 |
St George in the East, Middlesex |
Birth fact |
1871 (age 0) |
1871 S Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 375 |
Death fact |
1871 (age 0) |
1871 S Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 291 (aged 0) |
Death |
1871 (age 0) |
James Street, St George in the East, Middlesex |
Burial |
29 Aug 1871 |
City of London & Tower Hamlets Cemetery (aged 10 weeks, abode James Street) |
Name: |
Harriet Ann Attfield |
Sex: |
Female |
Spouse: |
John Joseph Reese (c. 1872- ) |
Birth |
1872 |
St George in the East, Middlesex |
Baptism |
25 Sep 1872 (age 0) |
Stepney, Middlesex |
Birth fact |
1872 (age 0) |
1872 S Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 404 |
Census |
1881 (age 8-9) |
Living with parents |
Census |
1891 (age 18-19) |
Artificial florist, living with mother (unmarried) |
Census |
1911 (age 38-39) |
Wife in household (no children) |
Name: |
Mary Elizabeth Attfield |
Sex: |
Female |
Birth |
1874 |
St George in the East, Middlesex |
Birth fact |
1874 (age 0) |
1874 S Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 376 |
Death fact |
1874 (age 0) |
1874 D Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 335 (aged 5 months) |
Death |
1874 (age 0) |
Samuel Street, St George in the East, Middlesex |
Burial |
9 Dec 1874 |
City of London & Tower Hamlets Cemetery (aged 5 months) |
Name: |
George Attfield |
Sex: |
Male |
Birth |
1878 |
St George in the East, Middlesex |
Birth fact |
1878 (age 0) |
1878 M Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 403 |
Death fact |
1878 (age 0) |
1878 M Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 288 (aged 0) |
Death |
1878 (age 0) |
St George in the East, Middlesex |
Note on Husband: William Coles Attfield
The William Attfield of Farnham who married Harriett Swaine in 1864 is extremely elusive. I have decided to accept him as identical to William Coles Attfield although there is no firm proof.
The birth was registered twice at Farnham in 1844 under two different names, "William Coles Attfield" and "William Coles Coles". His baptism, also at Farnham, took place under the name "William Coles Attfield" - 6 months before his mother Harriet married William Coles. In the 1851 and 1861 censuses, he is living with his parents under the name "William Coles".
William Coles cannot be found in the 1871 census, but reappears in 1881 (in Wales) and 1891 (in Newington, Surrey), as a mason, in both censuses accompanied by wife Maria. It has not been possible to trace any marriage between William Coles and Maria.
Meanwhile, William Attfield, labourer, married Harriett Swaine at Hammersmith in 1864, and in the 1871 census the couple is living in East London with 3 children. The father, William Attfield, is a builder's labourer aged 28 - implying a birth year of 1843 - birthplace Farnham. In 1881, William has disappeared and Harriett is living alone with the 3 children in East London where she is described as "mason's wife". In 1891 she is recorded as a widow, but no matching deaths of a William Attfield are recorded in the 1881-1891 period. I therefore assume that William ran away sometime in the 1870s leaving Harriett with the children, abandoned the surname "Attfield" and reverted to the name "Coles".
William Attfield's marriage certificate names his father as "William Attfield", labourer. No such person has been identified among the Farnham Attfields but the occupation matches that of William Coles senior.
Harriett Attfield can be traced in the record through until her death in 1919, but no traces have been found of either "William Attfield" or "William Coles" after 1891.
The strongest evidence identifying the William Attfield who married Harriett Swaine with William Coles Attfield is the fact that they are both described as "mason" in the 1881 census. The rest is largely conjecture. The whole family - including William Coles's siblings and William Attfield's children - is very hard to track and there are many gaps in the information.