Person:Eliza Edwards (17)

Eliza Edwards was baptised on 16th February 1831 at Pagham in Sussex daughter of Sarah Ann Edwards, formerly Hammond, and her husband John Edwards, an agricultural labourer. Eliza was the eldest of the couple's nine children; John and Sarah had married five months before Eliza's baptism. The family lived in the hamlet of Lagness. Eliza's maternal grandparents and paternal grandmother were still alive and living in Lagness at the time of Eliza's birth. Her paternal grandmother, Susannah Edwards, died when Eliza was about a year old.

Eliza's family stayed at Lagness until some time between 1837 and 1840, when they moved a short distance to the west to the hamlet of Bramber, in the parish of North Mundham. They stayed at Bramber until some time between 1845 and 1848, appearing there in the 1841 census. By 1848 they had moved to the parish of Sidlesham.

In 1849, Eliza had a daughter, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was baptised at Westhampnett, just outside the nearby city of Chichester. Westhampnett was the location of the workhouse responsible for the poor of the parishes of Pagham and Sidlesham, and it would appear that at the time of Elizabeth's baptism mother and baby were living in the workhouse there.

Baby Elizabeth went to live with Eliza's parents, whose youngest child was only seven months old when Elizabeth was baptised. The 1851 census finds Elizabeth being looked after by Eliza's parents at Chalder in the parish of Sidlesham. Eliza was not with them. She was working as a house servant in the nearby town of Bognor for the post master and his family.

There is then a thirty year gap in which no positive sightings of Eliza have been found. In that time, her daughter Elizabeth sadly died at the age of six years old in 1855. Then Eliza's maternal grandparents Ann and John Hammond died in 1858 and 1860. Also, Eliza's father John died in 1872.

Eliza's next positive sighting is not until 1881, when she appears 150 miles from Pagham living at Great Malvern in Worcestershire. She was living with her aunt, Phoebe Hammond or Medhurst, who was her mother's sister, and they were both described as a 'keeper of fancy goods'. Phoebe had previously lived with a married man named James Medhurst for several years, but they appear to have separated around the late 1850s, and he took on another mistress named Eliza from Chichester, who appears with him in the 1861 census in Cheltenham described as his wife. Whilst the age and birthplace may be a bit out, the possibility remains that she is this Eliza, which would explain where she was in the 1861 census. James has also not been found in the 1871 census. He died in 1877.

Eliza was still in Malvern ten years later, described as a 'fancy repository proprietor'. For a few years Eliza and her aunt Phoebe ran James Medhurst's old shop at Church Street in Great Malvern, advertising as "Medhurst and Edwards" in the Kelly's Directories from 1884 to 1892. Phoebe appears to have retired some time between 1892 and 1896, with Eliza running the business alone in 1896. Phoebe died in 1897. By 1899 Eliza had returned to Sussex, advertising in the 1899 Kelly's Directory at 44 West Street, Chichester, which is also where she was living in the 1901 census, not far from Pagham where she had been born. In Chichester she continued to run a 'fancy shop'.

Eliza's mother Sarah died in 1903, aged 95. Eliza survived her mother by less than two years, dying on 9th May 1905, aged 74 at the Chichester Workhouse. She was described as a shopkeeper of Runcton at the time of her death.

1. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Church of Pagham (Sussex). Parish registers for Pagham, 1707-1901. (Chichester: West Sussex County Council).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Pagham in the County of Sussex in the Year 1831
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   632	Febr[uar]y 16	Eliza	John & Sarah	Edwards	Lagness	Labourer	G.T Hudson, Off[iciatin]g Minister

2. ↑ England. 1841 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1100; Book 10; Folio 12; Page 1, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Bramber, North Mundham, Sussex
   John Edwards, male, 45 [1791-6], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], born in county
   Sarah Edwards, female, 30 [1806-11], born in county
   Eliza Edwards, female, 10 [1830/1], born in county
   Fanny Edwards, female, 8 [1832/3], born in county
   George Edwards, male, 6 [1834/5], born in county
   John Edwards, male, 4 [1836/7], born in county
   James Edwards, male, 1 [1839/40], born in county

3. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1653; Folio 468; Page 2, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: High Street, Bognor, Southbersted, Sussex
   Jeremiah W[illia]m Swan, head, married, male, 44 [1806/7], Post Master, b. Bognor, Sussex
   Ann Swan, wife, married, female, 29 [1821/2], b. Selsey, Sussex
   Maria Swan, daughter, female, 2 [1848/9], b. Bognor, Sussex
   Charlotte Swan, daughter, female, 6m [1850], b. Bognor, Sussex
   Mary A. Marshall, niece, female, 12 [1838/9], b. Woodmancutt, Sussex
   Robert Bowman, brother, unmarried, male, 32 [1818/19], Post Chaise Driver, b. Selsey, Sussex
   Eliza Edwards, servant, unmarried, female, 21 [1829/30], House Serv[ant], b. Pagham, Sussex
   Thomas Austin, servant, widower, male, 35 [1815/16], Horse Keeper, b. Bognor, Sussex
   Thomas Vouls, servant, married, male, 37 [1813/14], Ombibuss Driver, b. Horsham, Sussex
   William Allen, servant, male, 15 [1835/6], Errand Boy, b. Felpham, Sussex

4. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 2920; Folio 39; Page 8, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Tunbridge House, Church Street, Great Malvern, Worcestershire
   Phoebe Medhurst, head, widow, female, 62 [1818/19], Keeper of Fancy Goods, b. Pagham, Sussex
   Eliza Edwards, niece, unmarried, 50 [1830/1], Keeper of Fancy Goods, b. Pagham, Sussex

5. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 2331; Folio 157; Page 40, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: Hughenden, Victoria Road, Great Malvern, Worcestershire
   Thomas R. Franklin, head, married, male, 41 [1849/50], Railway Station Master, employed, b. Shipton under Wychwood, Oxfordshire
   Patience E. Franklin, wife, female, 37 [1853/4], b. Malvern, Worcestershire
   Annie. E. Franklin, daughter, female, 11 [1879/80], b. Malvern, Worcestershire
   Winifred M. Franklin, daughter, female, 7 [1883/4], b. Malvern, Worcestershire
   Arthur J.B. Franklin, son, male, 6 [1884/5], b. Malvern, Worcestershire
   Beatrice W. Franklin, daughter, female, 3 [1887/8], b. Malvern, Worcestershire
   John Norman Franklin, son, male, 11mo [1890], b. Malvern, Worcestershire
   Jane E. Haddock, boarder, single, female, 60 [1830/1], Living on own means, b. Colchester, Essex
   Eliz[abet]h S. Fisher, boarder, single, female, 62 [1828/9], Living on own means, b. London, Middlesex
   Eliza Edwards, visitor, widow, female, 60 [1830/1], Fancy Repository Proprietor, neither employer nor employed, b. Pagham, Sussex
   Lucy Arrow, boarder, widow, female, 64 [1826/7], Living on own means, b. Woolwich, Kent
   Hilda M. Riley, boarder, single, female, 16 [1874/5], Scholar, b. Putley, Herefordshire
   Elaine E. Riley, boarder, single, female, 13 [1877/8], Scholar, b. Putley, Herefordshire
   Amy Whatmore, servant, single, female, 27 [1863/4], Cook, b. Colwall, Herefordshire
   Amy L. Williams, servant, single, female, 20 [1870/1], Housemaid, b. Malvern, Worcestershire
   Emma Allen, servant, single, female, 17 [1873/4], Nurse, b. Malvern, Worcestershire

6. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 969; Folio 82; Page 9, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 44 West Street, Chichester, Sussex
   Eliza Edwards, head, single, female, 70 [1830/1], Fancy Shop & Ornaments, b. Pagham, Sussex
   Adah Jane Kimber, boarder, single, female, 19 [1881/2], Post Office Clerk, worker, b. Lindfield, Sussex

7. ↑ Death certificate, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   Registration District Chichester
   1905 DEATH in the Sub-district of Chichester in the County of Sussex
   No.	When and where died	Name and surname	Sex	Age	Occupation	Cause of death	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   344	Ninth May 1905 Workhouse Chichester U.D.	Eliza Edwards	Female	74 years	Formerly a General Shopkeeper of Runcton	Morbus Cordis Certified by Ernest N. Buchell L.R.C.P.L.	W[illia]m C. Willcocks Master Workhouse, Chichester	Twelfth May 1905	Emma Matilda Angel, Registrar

   
8.   England. 1861 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG9; Piece 1797; Folio 93; Page 33, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: 44 Winchcomb Street, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
   James Madhurst, head, married, male, 64 [1796/7], Fancy work, b. Tunbridge Wells
   Eliza Madhurst, wife, married, female, 41 [1819/20], b. Chichester, Sussex
   John James, lodger, unmarried, male, 26 [1834/5], Laborer, b. Derby
   Henry James, lodger, unmarried, male, 23 [1837/8], Laborer, b. Derby
   William Harris, lodger, unmarried, male, 21 [1839/40], Laborer, b. Derby
   Thomas Wilson, nephew, unmarried, male, 14 [1846/7], Artist, b. Cheshire

   Not certain if this is Eliza - age and birthplace both slightly out, but Eliza's aunt Phoebe had previously been James's mistress too, and Eliza and her aunt Phoebe lived together for a time after James's death running his fancy goods shop in Great Malvern.

9.   Kelly's Directory of Worcestershire, 1884
   Great Malvern
   Medhurst & Edwards, fancy repository, Church street
   
   Kelly's Directory of Worcestershire, 1888
   Great Malvern
   Medhurst & Edwards, fancy repository, Church street
   
   Kelly's Directory of Worcestershire, 1892
   Great Malvern
   Medhurst & Edwards, fancy repository, Church street
   
   Kelly's Directory of Worcestershire, 1896
   Great Malvern
   Edwards Eliza (Mrs.), fancy repository, Church street
   
   Kelly's Directory of Sussex, 1899
   Chichester
   Edwards Elizabeth (Miss), fancy repository, 44 West st