See also

Family of William Coles Attfield and Harriett Swaine

Husband: William Coles Attfield (1844- )
Wife: Harriett Swaine (c. 1838-1919)
Children: Harriet Ann Attfield (1864-1872)
William Attfield (1866-bef1901)
George Walter Attfield (1867-1867)
Walter Henry Attfield (1868-1923)
George Attfield (1870-1870)
George Attfield (1871-1871)
Harriet Ann Attfield (1872- )
Mary Elizabeth Attfield (1874-1874)
George Attfield (1878-1878)
Marriage 16 Jul 1864 St Paul's Church, Hammersmith
Witness 16 Jul 1864 C Nash, Ann Swaine

Husband: William Coles Attfield

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)

Child 1: Harriet Ann Attfield

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)

Child 2: William Attfield

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)

Child 3: George Walter Attfield

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)

Child 4: Walter Henry Attfield

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

Child 5: George Attfield

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)

Child 6: George Attfield

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)

Child 7: Harriet Ann Attfield

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)

Child 8: Mary Elizabeth Attfield

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)

Child 9: George Attfield

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.