Brother of Joe in my last post, Benjamin was in the Aspenden Militia in 1780; then aged 18. It is clear that in that year he and his
brothers Joseph and Charles went to one of the annual Herts Hiring Fairs.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, most Herts farm workers
were farm servants, i.e. live in farm labourers, employed on an annual
basis. Hence, the male servants noted in
the will of Robert Ginn, farmer of Anstey and Ben's ancestor.
However, farm servants traditionally ate at their
"master's table", and by the early 18th century this did not suit the
rapidly gentrified Herts farmers. It was
this period that saw the rise of the strict English class divisions, that, to
some extent at least, still persist. As
a consequence, there was a vast increase in the numbers of agricultural day
labourers, a very precarious existence.
Farm servants existed, but they were a minority, and were composed of
the young (often teenage) unmarried men and boys.
So, when Ben and Joe stood in line at the Hiring Fair, they
had hopes of being taken on as live in workers. At least they could be sure they would eat.
Both of them succeeded.
In 1781 Ben was taken on as a Farm servant to a Mrs Crouch in St John's Parish; by 1782
he was working for a Mr French. Indeed,
by 1784 he was taken on as an annual servant just outside Hertford, in
Hertingfordbury. (See Militia records).
However, in 1786 (then 24) he married Mary Halsey. It seems clear that the Halseys were not a
Hertford family, and that Ben's brother Joe married Mary's sister, Susan. This has aroused speculation that the pair
were daughters of Ellis Halsey of Knebworth; though this needs further
research.
From his marriage, Benjamin was a day-labourer. It is probable that the family lived at Pegs Lane,
certainly this seems compatible with other evidence. It would also explain why they were counted
as living outside Hertford Borough.
This family were clearly poor. Like many other Ginns, they faced the
pressures, both social and economic, that plagued people of their social group
at the end of the 18th century.
Ben died prematurely in February 1807. He had been baptised in February 1762. The St
John's Parish Clerk has my great thanks for noting his
age - 45 - exactly correct.
Unfortunately, Mary was soon to follow: she died in 1810,
being quoted as being 50.
Ben and Mary had eight children:
Sarah - was at Bayford in
1811. She had an illegitimate child by
“Brian Elmes” of Hertingfordbury that year, Elmes was ordered to pay
maintenance (Quarter Sessions). I
naturally assumed that “Elmes” was a local chap but could find nothing. This was all I knew of Sarah until Easter
2010 when an amazing research story unfolded.
Sarah married three
times, if she hadn’t I would never have traced her, her third husband was a
Thomas Lording and they married in London in 1841. Sarah gave her father as Benjamin Gin [sic] a
farmer. In 1871 as Sarah Lording “widow”
she was in London with a Brian Helm jnr (from Wakefield) and stated to be born
1789 in Hertfordshire.
I started tracking
back. It was a mindbender. This is her story.
Sarah met Brian Helm
(for that was his true name) in about 1810.
Brian was a Stone Mason from nr Wakefield in Yorkshire, he was born in
Rothwell in 1784. At the moment I have
no idea whether Sarah was moved to Yorkshire on a Poor Law apprenticeship by
the Hertford Overseers (and thus met him there)
for their first child was christened in Yorkshire, or whether ( because
of the maintenance order) that the child
was actually born in Bayford, Helm having been working “down south”, perhaps on
a church or building contract. He may
have taken her back to Yorkshire in 1811 so the family could meet the wife.
Brian Helm jnr was
thus likely born in Bayford in 1811, but was christened to Brian & Sarah in
East Ardsley in Yorkshire that same year , again near Wakefield, where Brian’s
brother John lived. By 1815 or so the
couple were in St Andrew Holborn and stayed there for the rest of their married
life.. It is obviously this that induced
Sarah’s sister Lydia to marry there in 1825.
I can find no evidence at present that Sarah herself ever actually
legally married Brian Helm. The
following are their known children.
Brian (later a Builder & Surveyor)
Sarah d. 1839
William d. 1840
George
John later a Plasterer
Jane d.
Benjamin
Joseph
Jane
Brain Helm snr died
at Holborn in 1833, aged 49. Sarah had a
good number of children and in 1836 married a widower, Robert Smithbone. Unfortunately poor old Robert at Holborn in
1837 (NBI) and in 1841 Sarah married yet again, our friend Thomas Lording snr who was a widower, himself
with a good number of kids, and a solicitor’s clerk..
Lording clearly
died, when as yet unknown, and I cannot yet find Sarah in either 1851 or 1861,
but in 1871 she was with her eldest son, though erroneously described as his
lodger. She died with his family in 1871
aged 82.
Lydia - finally
traced in 2009 – had looked for years. She married William Sams of
Gt Amwell at Holborn in 1825 aged 32. Sams was a wheelwright and they had two
sons, of whom James seems to have married and had issue. Lydia died at
Gt Amwell in 1860 aged 67.
Benjamin - see my post of 23rd October 2012
Martha - married George Page of Essendon
Susan - traced finally in 2010.
Married Robert Fleming at Clerkenwell, London in 1824. She had a good number of issue and I have corresponded with a descendant.
William, Elizabeth and Joseph - are untraced
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