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Chris Scott
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chris
Post Number: 2233
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 8:26 am: | 
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R Stephenson - 1851 Census
135 Church Street, St Paul, Kingstpn Upon Hull
Head: Richard Stephenson aged 44 born Hull - Bone ? Crusher and Merchant
Wife: Isabella Stephenson aged 41 born Hull
Children:
Elizabeth A aged 18
Isabella D aged 13 - Scholar at home
Robert D aged 9 - Scholar at home
All born in Hull
Servants:
Margaret W Sission (?) aged 25 born Hull - Resident governess
Rachel Stephenson aged 23 - Housemaid
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Chris Scott
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chris
Post Number: 2234
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 9:03 am: |
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I am trying to track down this woman who would appear to have been Donston's governess but the surname is problematic. Any ideas?
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Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 5207
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 9:34 am: |
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Hi Chris
If I had to plump for anything, it would be "Sissons" if only because there was a Richard Sissons in Sculcoates in 1851, with daughters in the right age group, and he was clerk of water works, which seems to fit with Donston senior's later water bailiff job.
That second dot may be unimportant - there was a dot over "Robert" too.
Robert (dotless) |
Natalie Severn
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Severn
Post Number: 2550
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 5:04 pm: |
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Very interesting that he and his sister were privately educated at home-maybe he was a real Doctor!
Natalie |
Chris Scott
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chris
Post Number: 2238
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, November 03, 2005 - 10:50 am: |
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Hi Robert (dotless!)
The one problem with any reading of the name with a -ss in the middle (Sissons, Sission or Sissions) is that in 1851 the "long" s was still used as the first of a double s conjunction. See the way "governess" is written and you will see what I mean. I have checked other names in the 1851 census with -ss in them and they seem invariable to be written in this way, which Margaret W's name is not
Chris |
Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 5218
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, November 03, 2005 - 12:00 pm: |
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Good point, Chris. In that case, I'm jiggered if I know what it could be. 
Robert |
Howard Brown
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Howard
Post Number: 1100
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, November 06, 2005 - 8:44 pm: |
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In looking back over this thread, I notice that Sudden Death recieved what we Americans call a "home schooling". I thank my friend Chris Scott very much for this information. I only just now saw this.
This presents a situation where Stephenson is educated by a governess and obviously not in school.
When did British children/teenagers "graduate" back in the 1850's ? Stephenson would have been 18 in 1859,which is a contemporary [ 2005 ] graduating age for American kids.
Thanks very much Chris ! I apologize for not seeing this thread before,buddy !!!! |
John Savage
Chief Inspector
Username: Johnsavage
Post Number: 528
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Monday, November 07, 2005 - 8:15 pm: |
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Hi Howard,
I think it was often the case that boys from the more wealthy families would have been packed off to school at some stage, victorian boarding schools took boys from the age of seven. It may be the case that Donston was sent to school at about ten or eleven years, and this would have been nessesary if he were to become a professional of any sort.
The governess may have taught him some basics but would most likely have attended to the girls education which was more likely centered on becomeing a good housewife.
Rgds
John |
Chris Scott
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chris
Post Number: 2242
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 09, 2005 - 2:24 pm: |
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Hi How
Glad the 1851 info was of interest:-) I am following up on this governess woman and will post any info as i find it
Chris |
Howard Brown
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Howard
Post Number: 1115
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 8:45 am: |
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John:
Thank you for that information on the boarding schools.
This find by Chris [the census reference to RDS being a home scholar ] completes the first 10 years of RDS' life, as to where he was in those years. Now on to the second 10..
Ordinarily parents send their children away from home, in this instance away from Hull,when they send them to boarding school.
I'm just wondering John...are there still any boarding schools in existence in Hull that were in operation back in the mid-1800's ?
If not,I suppose we will have to look elsewhere,maybe even abroad,for this period of 1852-1858. Maybe even London itself.
Offhand, do you know at what age children graduated from a boarding school back then ?
If these boarding schools operated similar to schools today, they may have had summer respites which would mean little RDS returning to Hull,either by boat or train for the Summer. |
John Savage
Chief Inspector
Username: Johnsavage
Post Number: 532
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 7:05 pm: |
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Hi Howard,
It is very difficult to tell where Donston was educated, if it had been a boarding school it could have been anywhere in the country. Remember I sent you some details of one of the Hull Bridge family, who went to a boarding school in Cheltenham (about 150 miles away). One local boarding school that seems to have been in existence at the time was Pocklington Scool, situated in the small town of Pocklington, about 20 miles away.
Another possibility would be Hull Trinity House School, which was/is situated a few minutes walk from Charles Street and Church Street. This School was founded to give boys an education that would fit them for a life at sea, but if old man Stephenson was a ship owner perhaps he might have sent his sons there?
I am not sure at what age children would have left school in those days, I suppose a lot depended on were they were going next, those going to university and the profesions may have had a longer schooling than those going into trades. Anything from 14-18 is my guess, perhaps someone else here has some ideas?
Yes I expect they did get summer holidays, and I am sure young Donston would have returned home for these, or gone to the coast, Bridlington, Flamborough or such.
Rgds
John |
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