WILLIAM SHELLAKER was born in the year 1788 in the village of Lyndon in the County of Rutland in the English Midlands during the twenty-eighth year of the reign of King George III.
But it is evident, from the very first historical document in which he is mentioned, that William’s existence was in peril at the very outset of his life as the records show that he received a ‘private baptism’ on Friday 12th September 1788.
A record of a private baptism, which customarily took place within the home of the child, was usually an indication it was considered highly unlikely the child were expected to live. So it is reasonable to conclude William Shellaker’s own survival was uncertain at birth.
The Book of Common Prayer states a baptism is to take place on either the first or second Sunday after the birth or on the religious festival nearest to them, or if not the nearest convenient date.
The Book goes on to state, in regards to private baptisms,….
If a Child which hath been privately baptized do afterward live, it is expedient that it be brought into the Church, and be received into the Congregation.
So William survived whatever danger befell him and consequently, three weeks after his birth, as per the convention stated in The Book of Common Prayer, he was publicly baptised on Sunday 5th October 1788 in the village church of St Martin in Lyndon, which is pictured above right and reproduced by permission of LeicesterPhoto).
Below is a copy of that first historical document from 1788 in the Lyndon parish records showing the dates of William’s private and public baptisms.
William, Son of Richard & Mary
Shellaker was baptized, privately Sept 12th.
Publicly Oct 5th
WILLIAM’S FATHER
William was, insofar as parish records indicate, the first child and only son of RICHARD & MARY SHELLAKER and he was the fifth generation of the Shellaker family to live in the small Rutland village of Lyndon. At the time of William’s birth, his father RICHARD was around 26 years old as as records show he was baptised on Sunday 11th October 1761, also in church of St Martin in Lyndon. It is extremey probable Richard Shellaker was farmer as in a book entitled ‘The Place Names of Rutland’ I found a record of a field name in Lyndon of a ‘Shelakers Close’ and an indication the field given that name belonged to a ‘Mr. R. Shelakers’ who was a resident in Lyndon in 1794. This man was undoubtedly William’s father. The original document listing this field name is in a manuscript in the Lincolnshire Archive Office.
WILLIAM’S MOTHER
At the time of William’s birth his mother was also 26 years old. She was born on Thursday 3rd June 1762 in the Leicestershire village of HALLATON – her maiden name was MARY GIBBONS. Hallaton is a village approximately 13 miles south west of Lyndon. William’s parents, Mary Gibbons and Richard Shellaker, married on Monday 19th November 1787, again in the village church of St Martin, Lyndon. To date I have found 38 records – baptisms, marriages and funerals – of people carrying the ‘Shellaker’ name which took place in this church. This is far more than in any other church or chapel in the last four hundred years. Three such events have already been mentioned in this narrative so far; William’s own baptism in 1788 and that of his own father Richard in 1761 and also the marriage of his parents in 1787. Two further baptisms now follow….
TWO SISTERS
Based upon the Church of England baptism convention, I estimate William was born in the second week in September 1788. His birth may have been the 12th of that month, the date of his private baptism and if not the 12th probably only a few days prior to that date. A birth date for William of early September is around 9 months after the date of the wedding of his parents in November 1787 – so that all fits very nicely. Two years later, in 1790 Richard & Mary Shellaker have a second child, a sister for William who was now approaching his second birthday. She was named KATHERINE and was baptised on Sunday 10th October 1790.
Over two years pass until February 1793 when another girl arrives. She was named SARAH and was baptised on Friday 15th February 1793. William was over four years old at the time of the birth of his second sister. His younger sister Katherine was two years and four months old. Both of this children lived into adulthood. William’s youngest sister Sarah married a man named BARSBY and need to undertake further research on this marriage.
William other sister Katherine also marries when he was around 24 years old. There is a record of a ‘Catherine Shellaker’ marrying on Monday 30th May 1814 in the village of WING in Rutland. This ‘Catherine’ is same girl who was baptised as ‘Katherine’ in October 1790. Wing is less than two miles from Lyndon. Her husband, JOHN PARTRIDGE, was from the nearby village of PRESTON in Rutland. Records show this marriage produced at least two children born a few years after the wedding; ANN born around 1829 and THOMAS born around 1832. These four people; William Shellaker’s sister Catherine, brother-in-law John, niece Ann and nephew Thomas were recorded on the 1841 Census as living in MANTON, a village two miles from Lyndon. John’s occupation is that of a Miller and Baker. Catherine Partridge (née Shellaker) died in the spring of 1848 at the aged of 58 years old.
It is highly probable William Shellaker attended the weddings of both of his sisters but back to the subject of this narrative and a record of William’s own marriage….
WILLIAM’S MARRIAGE
I do not know how long William continued to live in Lyndon but it appears he lived in Uppingham at some point in his life as that was his stated residence at the time of his own marriage. His wedding took place on Monday 13th November 1815 in the grand parish church of St Peter & St Paul, in the village of EXTON, the record of which can be seen in the parish records of that village
“William Shellaker of the parish of Uppingham, Bachelor, and Sarah Hester of this Parish, Spinster were married in this church by Banns this thirteenth day of November in the year One thousand eight hundred and fifteen”.
By me: John Elliot – Vicar.
This marriage was solemnised between us {Signed} William Shellaker Sarah Hester
In the presence of {Signed} Mary Jane Ruff, Sophie Rosillbridge, Elizabeth Roya.
I’m not sure if I have correctly identified the names of these witnesses as the writing in not clear.
Please note these are the actual signatures of William & Sarah on this record of their marriage. They have not used an ‘X’ to make their mark as was the practice if one or both of those marrying were unable to write. It is also interesting to note that William and both of his sisters were all married on a Monday – I have no idea if this is significant for any reason.
Although the present church originates from the 13th and 14th centuries it was extensively restored in Victorian times, a few decades after William & Sarah married there in 1815 consequently the whole external appearance is now very different and has a Victorian aesthetics which would not have been seen on William’s wedding day. The reason for the restoration was a violent hailstorm which took occurred on 25th April 1843, 18 years after William’s wedding, during when the original spire was struck by lightning sending masonry crashing through the roof of the nave and destroying much of the west end of the church. A recent picture of this church is below and reproduced by permission of LeicesterPhoto.
WHY DID WILLIAM & SARAH MARRY AT EXTON?
Simple answer – I don’t know.
The village of Exton was situated around five miles* north of William’s birthplace of Lyndon so it would not be so strange to find William marrying in that village, although his bride was not local by birth – Sarah Hester was born in Lincolnshire.
I cannot find any connection, other than their wedding, to link either the bride or groom to the village of Exton. I can only speculate both or at least Sarah worked for the Noel family, owners of the estate. Within Exton village is Exton Park a large country estate which had belonged to the Noel family (Earls of Gainsborough) for over four centuries.
At the time of William and Sarah’s wedding it was home to Sir Gerard Noel, the 2nd Baronet, who represented Rutland as a Member of Parliament for over forty years, initially as a supporter of William Pitt the Younger. He had inherited the estates of his uncle, Henry Noel, 6th Earl of Gainsborough, although not the peerage, which could not pass through the female line, at which point he changed his surname to Noel.
* The journey would now be around seven miles as the massive, and beautiful, expanse of Rutland Water is now a located between the two villages.
SARAH HESTER – THE WIFE OF WILLIAM SHELLAKER
As mentioned above William’s wife Sarah Hester did not originate from Rutland or Leicestershire but was born in the county of Lincolnshire – in the Spittlegate area of Grantham, also spelt Spitalgate. (This information is revealed in a later Census record for Sarah). Her birthplace is described as ……..
SPITTLEGATE, a township, in the parish and union of Grantham, Wapentake of Winnibriggs and Threo, parts of Kesteven, county of Lincoln, 1 mile (S. by E.) from Grantham.
And as with the spelling of the Shellaker surname there are also inconsistencies in Sarah’s surname; on the record of her wedding it is written as ‘Hester’ and that is how she has signed her name. However, on what I believe is the record of her christening, the spelling is ‘ESTHER’.
There is a record in the Lincolnshire archive of a christening in Grantham on 7th June 1794 of a ‘SARAH ESTHER’. Her parents are ROBERT & ANN ESTHER. (Index ref Batch/Film No C011242 Serial/Sheet No. 2887). I believe this record is that of William’s wife as the year 1794 as this year is compatible as her birth year as recorded in later Census records which will be mentioned further on in this narrative. I also found an entry for one of Sarah’s sisters, SUSANNAH ESTHER, christened 30th Sept 1807.
[There are also entries on the IGI records for other christenings of children of Robert and Ann Hester in Abington, Berkshire; 1787 Ben, 1789 Hannah, 1791 Catherine and 1793 Martha.
I am not sure if these are part of the same family, although the dates do fit with Sarah’s birth in 1794 and Susannah birth in 1807 suggesting that the Esther/Hester family may have moved from Berkshire to Grantham shortly before Sarah’s birth – but this is not proven and is research I do not intend to pursue.]
Next Page: William and Sarah start a family
EMMA SHELLAKER was born on Wednesday 15th of August 1866, during the twenty-seventh year of the reign of Queen Victoria. She became the fourth child and third daughter of RICHARD & MARY SHELLAKER and was born in the East Leicestershire village of of TUGBY.
1866 – The Birth Certificate of Emma Shellaker
Richard & Sarah’s had three other children when Emma was born; SARAH & WILLIAM, who were five & three years old respectively, and MARY JANE, known as ‘POLLY’, who would celebrate her second birthday in the week following Emma’s birth. Emma’s father was one of the village butchers, her mother originated from the nearby Leicestershire village of Hallaton, where her family were carpenters. Her maiden name was MARY ANN GROCOCK and she was around twenty-eight years old when she gave birth to Emma. Richard Shellaker registered her arrival the following month in September. In the year following Emma’s birth, on December 16th 1867, another daughter was born, she was named ELIZABETH.
HER SHELLAKER GRANDPARENTS
Emma’s paternal grandfather, WILLIAM SHELLAKER, pictured below on the right, had died eleven years prior to Emma’s birth, also in Tugby, in November 1855 at the age of 67 years.
He was born in the year 1788 in the village of LYNDON in the county of Rutland and subsequently moved to Tugby sometime after his marriage in 1815. Parish records show the Shellaker family had lived in Lyndon for five generations, since around 1680.
Prior to Lyndon the Shellaker family can be traced further back to the village of LODDINGTON, which is on the border of east Leicestershire and Rutland. (In these older parish records the family name is also spelt “Shelacres”, “Shellakars” & “Shillaker”).
When she was born, Emma’s grandmother, SARAH, the widow of William Shellaker, pictured on the right, was still alive aged 72 years and also living in Tugby. Sarah Shellaker was born in 1794, in the ‘Spittlegates’ area of GRANTHAM, in the county of Lincolnshire. In William Shellaker’s family Bible I found two receipts, for the years 1859 & 1865, confirming Sarah Shellaker’s membership of the “Wesleyan-Methodist Society”.
After the death of her husband, Sarah Shellaker, whose maiden name was ‘HESTER’, lived in her own house in Tugby from which she ran a business. The 1863 publication of “White’s Trade Directory for Leicestershire” records that Sarah Shellaker ran a “Beerhouse”. [A Beerhouse was not a Public House but was basically a private house licensed to sell beer but not spirits, possibly just from one room.]
EMMA’S CHILDHOOD YEARS – THE FAMILY GROWS
Undoubtedly Emma experienced much family sadness during her early years as a total of seven siblings died between Emma’s third and twenty-second birthdays; four sisters were born during that time all of whom died as infants; the first being LOUISA, born in 1869 when Emma was three years old. Louisa died within the year, aged six months and was buried in the churchyard at Tugby. The 1871 Census taken on Sunday the 2nd of April in that year, records Emma living with her parents and her three surviving sisters; Sarah, Mary Jane (Polly) and Elizabeth, and also her brother, William.
1871 Census – The Shellaker family in Tugby
As the information for this Census is not totally clear I have reprinted the details below:
| Name | Relationship | Condition | Age | Occupation | Where Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Shellaker | Head | Marr | 40 | Butcher | Leicestershire, Tugby |
| Mary A Shellaker | Wife | Marr | 33 | Leicestershire, Hallaton | |
| Sarah A Shellaker | Daughter | 9 | Scholar | Leicestershire, Tugby | |
| William Shellaker | Son | 8 | Scholar | Leicestershire, Tugby | |
| Mary J Shellaker | Daughter | 6 | Scholar | Leicestershire, Tugby | |
| Emma Shellaker | Daughter | 4 | Scholar | Leicestershire, Tugby | |
| Elizabeth Shellaker | Daughter | 3 | Scholar | Leicestershire, Tugby | |
| George Talby | Servant | Not Known? | 17 | General & Domestic | Leicestershire, Hallaton |
FURTHER DEATHS IN THE FAMILY
Another sister named FANNY, was born in 1872 when Emma was five and also twins girl were born in 1873 when Emma was six, these twins were (confusingly) also given the names LOUISA & FANNY – these three girls all died in infancy and were buried in the churchyard in Tugby.
The following year, 1874 there was another death, on this occasion Emma’s paternal grandmother, SARAH SHELLAKER (née HESTER), died aged 80 years and was buried in Tugby churchyard. Emma was approaching her eight birthday when her grandmother, ‘Granny Shelacre’, died.
When Emma was ten years old, her mother Mary had a second son who was named JOHN RICHARD, but he lived for only fifteen months before passing away in February 1878 when Emma was eleven. During these years it is believed that another son was born who was named RICHARD. (I have not yet identified the year of his birth.) He also died in infancy. However, in April 1879 another sister arrived when her mother gave birth to HELENA. Helena, who was known thereafter as ‘NELLIE’, was born when Emma was twelve.
CHAPEL LANE, TUGBY
Emma probably lived most of her early life with her family in a house in Chapel Lane, Tugby where her father also had a Butcher’s shop. I have not, as yet, found any old photographs of the actual house in which Emma lived with her family but below are two photographs of Chapel Lane, Tugby. I believe these pictures are relatively contemporary to the time the Shellaker family lived there. In the photograph on the right a lady in a white apron in front of the Butchers Shop with two people either side of her with two boys further forward. Could these be people be Shellakers? – We will never know. [Click on the images below to see a larger picture of these photograph].
I understand the Shellaker family home was next to the Butcher’s Shop, both of which are on the right of this lane. The roof apex of Butcher’s shop, which faces towards the camera can be seen in both of the photographs below. The date of these pictures is unknown although they may have taken after the family had left the village in 1886. If anyone can supply an old photograph of the ‘far end’ of Chapel Lane which shows Butcher’s shop and the house in which the Shellaker family lived I’d be grateful if you would contact me. NB – The identity of the lady with the pram and children on the left picture below is unknown but it extremely improbable these people have any connection to the Shellaker family.
The original Butcher’s shop no longer remains although there is still a new Butcher’s shop on the same site in Chapel Lane – ‘G. T. Doughty Butchers Shop’, under the ownership of Gary Gregg. The large house directly on the left was the village bakery and is now known as ‘The Old Bakehouse’.
SCHOOL DAYS (PART 1)
However, back to the year 1872….
The Education Act of 1870 required the establishment of elementary schools throughout the country for which the school boards could charge a fee. On Monday 14th of October 1872, at the age of 6 years old, Emma was admitted to the local village school at Tugby. Starting school with her on that same Monday was her sister, 8 year old Polly. Her other sisters Sarah & Elizabeth, started the following Monday, the 21st of October. Sarah was 11 years old, Elizabeth, two months short of her 5th birthday.
This undated photograph may relate to the time the Shellaker girls attended the school. The interior of the school was reported to have a cold brick floor and was heated by open fires in the class rooms. The children could not leave until they achieved a certificate of efficiency from the school. The children had tests twice a year. In one of the regular reports from the school inspector, after visiting in 1873 (at the time Emma and her sisters were in attendance), reported: “The children are in fair order, reading fair, writing neat, spelling pretty fair, arithmetic weak, and needlework requires more attention. Punctuation requires further attention”
Tugby School Register
In 1998 I asked my mother, Beryl Leedham (née Shellaker), if she knew of anybody who could provide any old photographs or information relating to the village of Tugby. One of the people to whom she spoke was Mr. Tom Weare, a retired garage proprietor living in Billesdon who had in his possession the original register from Tugby school. This register, which dated from 1870 to 1924, had been retrieved from a dustbin by Mr. Weare’s late wife, Eda who had been a school teacher at Tugby. At the time I copied sections of this register relating to the Shellaker children but regrettably I fear this Tugby School Register has since been destroyed. I will include on this website every page I copied as the register will be of interest to other who are researching their own family history. Below is the opening page of the register which lists the Master and Mistresses of the school since it opened.
Masters and Mistresses of Tugby School 1870 – 1924
Emma Shellaker’s name appears in the page below. (Next to the number ‘59’) but her date of birth has been entered incorrectly. Emma’s older sisters are also listed, Sarah is the first name on the list (no. 43), Mary Jane (Polly) is number 50. Their sister Elizabeth is further down this page (Number ‘68’) with the year of her birth also being incorrect as she was born in 1867. I have a copies of the birth certificates of both Emma & Elizabeth which confirm the birth date information in this registered as being inaccurate. At the bottom of this section (Number ‘72’) is a ‘Kate Kempin’, who features later in this story. (Her full name was Keturah Kempin). On the right of this page reveals the differing grades the children achieved by the children. Four Shellaker girls are included on this list. [To see a larger view of this register click on the image].
Section of Tugby School Register Showing the Grades Achieved
Sarah Shellaker, numbered 43 on this list, achieved Grade III. Mary Jane Shellaker (Polly) – No. 50, reached Grade V. Emma (No.59) went on to achieve Grade VI, (‘The Sixth Standard’) which is evidently the highest standard attainable at this school and subsequently left Tugby School on Friday June the 18th 1880, as shown on the column on the far right, two months prior to her 14th birthday. Emma’s sister Elizabeth (No. 68) also achieved Grade VI. [Click on the image to view a larger copy of this list click on the image].
School Standards Explained. School Standards feature in Thomas Hardy’s novel, ‘Jude the Obscure’. This book, which was published in 1895, has a story primarily set between the years 1870 and 1886 which almost covers the same time period (1872-1880) in which Emma Shellaker attended Tugby school. In this book one of the female characters is referred to as “a schoolgirl out of her standards”. In the book’s End Notes this sentence is explained as follows; “i.e. out of elementary school, the sixth standard being the last for children, the seventh standard for would-be teachers, the standards being degrees of proficiency as measured by exams.”
This supports my comments that Emma Shellaker achieved the highest academic standard achievable during her time at Tugby School and also would indicate that her subsequent education, details of which will follow, was undertaken with the intent of achieving a level of education to the ‘seventh standard’, thereby providing the required qualifications for entry into the teaching profession.
1881 CENSUS – TUGBY – EMMA IS ‘MISSING’.
In the second Census on which Emma’s is recorded – the 1881 Census, which was taken on Thursday the 3rd of April 1881, she is not listed as living in the family home in Tugby.
1881 Census – The Shellaker Family in Tugby – but no Emma
Although the information for this Census is relatively clear I have reprinted the details below:
| Name | Relationship | Condition | Age | Occupation | Where Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Shellaker | Head | Marr | 50 | Butcher & Grazier | Leicester, Tugby |
| Mary A Shellaker | Wife | Marr | 43 | Leicester, Tugby | |
| Sarah A Shellaker | Daughter | Unmarr | 19 | Leicester, Tugby | |
| William Shellaker | Son | Unmarr | 18 | Butcher | Leicester, Tugby |
| Mary J Shellaker | Daughter | Unmarr | 16 | Leicester, Tugby | |
| Elizabeth Shellaker | Daughter | Unmarr | 13 | Scholar | Leicester, Tugby |
| Helana Shellaker | Daughter | 1 | Leicester, Tugby |
Fourteen years old Emma’s exclusion from this Census does not necessarily indicate she had ‘left home’ but indicates on the night of the 3rd April 1881 she was residing elsewhere.
Next Page: Living in Leicester
1864 – POLLY’S BIRTH AND THE EARLY YEARS
On the last Friday in August, just before the 19th century had reached two-third of its span, MARY JANE SHELLAKER was born in the east Leicestershire village of TUGBY. The date of her birth was Friday 26th of August 1864, which was in the twenty-ninth reign of her majesty Queen Victoria. Mary Jane was the third child of RICHARD & MARY SHELLAKER.
Although I have located records for baptisms of the other Shellaker children, I have been unable to locate a record of Mary Jane’s baptism. However the Tugby parish records for Baptisms are incomplete for the period when she was born.
Her father, Richard was a butcher. He was also born in Tugby, thirty-four years prior to Mary Jane’s birth, in the year 1830. Her mother originated from the nearby Leicestershire village of Hallaton, where her family were carpenters by trade. Her maiden name was MARY ANN GROCOCK and she was around twenty-six years old when she gave birth to Mary Jane. Mary Jane’s birth was registered by her father on Saturday 3rd October 1864, and although she was named ‘Mary Jane’ on the official certificate, she was to be known as ‘POLLY’ from a very early age, a name which she kept throughout her life and one which I will now use for the remainder of this narrative.
Polly’s paternal grandfather WILLIAM SHELLAKER had died in Tugby in the November of 1855, nine years before Polly’s birth. However at the time of Polly’s birth, her paternal grandmother, SARAH SHELLAKER, the widow of William Shellaker, was alive and also living in Tugby.
Polly’s grandparents, William and Sarah, are pictured on the right.
William was born in the year 1788 in the village of LYNDON in the county of Rutland and subsequently moved to Tugby sometime after his marriage in 1815. Parish records show the Shellaker family had lived in Lyndon for five generations, since around 1680.
Prior to Lyndon, the Shellaker family can be traced further back to the village of LODDINGTON, which is on the border of east Leicestershire and Rutland. (In these older parish records the family name is also spelt “Shelacres”, “Shellakars” & “Shillaker”).
Sarah was seventy years old when her granddaughter Polly was born. Sarah Shellaker’s maiden name was ‘Esther’ and she was born in the Spittlegates areas of Grantham, in the county of Lincolnshire. Sarah Shellaker was a member of the “Wesleyan-Methodist Society” and prior to his death her husband William had been a Leader of the Wesleyan Chapel in Tugby.
In the year prior to Polly’s birth her Grandmother Sarah is recorded as living in her own house in Tugby from where she was running a business. The 1863 publication of “White’s Trade Directory for Leicestershire” records that Sarah Shellaker ran a “Beerhouse”. [A Beerhouse was not a Public House but was basically a private house licensed to sell beer but not spirits, possibly just from one room.]
THE VILLAGE OF TUGBY, LEICESTERSHIRE.
In contemporary Victorian trade directories of Leicestershire the village of Tugby around the time of Polly’s birth and her early childhood is described thus:
“Tugby, a pleasant village upon an eminence on the road between the two towns, is seven and a half miles West of Uppingham and nearly twelve miles East by South of Leicester. The parish contains 1,540 acres of land and 364 inhabitants and lies partly in the East Goscote Hundred and partly in the Gartree Wapentake (or Hundred) in the eastern division of the county.
In the village was Anglican parish church dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket (pictured on the right). It was in this church that Polly’s parents, Richard & Mary, married on the 12th March 1861, three years prior to her birth and would be the church in which Polly was baptised.
In addition to the church there was a relatively new ‘Wesleyan Chapel built in 1844’ in the village. It is highly probable Polly attended this chapel with her parents, siblings and grandmother Sarah as the Shellaker family were non-conformists.
The village also had two public houses – The Black Horse and The Fox & Hounds, one of which still remains.
Around the time of Polly’s birth the main local employment in the Village is recorded as “Farmers” & “Graziers” and in common with most small English villages of that time, it was largely self-sufficient. Village trades and occupations recorded included Tailors, a Boot & Shoemaker, a Blacksmith, Grocers, Bakers, a Carrier and Toll Collector, a Wheelwright, a Farm Bailiff and a Higgler – (which is a Pedlar, usually with a horse and cart). There was also a Public Elementary School was built in 1872 and which was enlarged in 1885 and 1896 to hold up to 119 children.
POLLY’S FAMILY
When Polly was born her parents already had two children; SARAH, who was born on the 17th August 1861, celebrated her third birthday on the Wednesday of the week prior to Polly’s birth and WILLIAM , named after his paternal grandfather, who was around 18 months old, having been born in March 1863. It should be noted the first child Sarah, was born a mere five months after the marriage of her parents!
THE SHELLAKER FAMILY AT THE TIME OF POLLY’S BIRTH
In August 1866, when Polly was two years old, her mother Mary gave birth to another daughter, who was named EMMA. The family increased again four months after Polly’s third birthday, when a fifth child and fourth daughter, who was named ELIZABETH, was born on the 16th December 1867. As Polly was growing up there were many sad occasions in the Shellaker household; between Polly’s fifth and thirteenth birthday, her mother gave birth to a further six children, all of whom died in infancy or in their early childhood years. The first of these children was LOUISA, who was born a few days before Christmas 1869 when Polly was five years old. Louisa lived for only six months dying in June of the following year, in 1870.
1871 – CENSUS
The 1871 Census taken on Sunday 2nd April 1871, records Polly, now six year old, living with her parents and her three surviving sisters; Sarah, Emma and Elizabeth, and her brother William.
1871 Census – The Shellaker Family in Tugby
1871 CENSUS – THE SHELLAKER FAMILY IN TUGBY
As the information for this Census is not totally clear I have reprinted the details below:
| Name | Relationship | Condition | Age | Occupation | Where Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Shellaker | Head | Marr | 40 | Butcher | Leicestershire, Tugby |
| Mary A Shellaker | Wife | Marr | 33 | Leicestershire, Hallaton | |
| Sarah A Shellaker | Daughter | 9 | Scholar | Leicestershire, Tugby | |
| William Shellaker | Son | 8 | Scholar | Leicestershire, Tugby | |
| Mary J Shellaker | Daughter | 6 | Scholar | Leicestershire, Tugby | |
| Emma Shellaker | Daughter | 4 | Scholar | Leicestershire, Tugby | |
| Elizabeth Shellaker | Daughter | 3 | Scholar | Leicestershire, Tugby | |
| George Talby | Servant | Not Known? | 17 | General & Domestic | Leicestershire, Hallaton |
MORE CHILDREN & POLLY’S GRANDMOTHER DIES
On 18th February 1872, when Polly was eight years old, another daughter was born who was named FANNY but she again died in infancy on 22nd April. The following year, 1873, twin girls were born. Richard and Mary gave these girls the same names as their recently deceased daughters LOUISA & FANNY but like their namesakes, these twins also died. Around this period another boy was born but he also subsequently died in infancy. He was named RICHARD after his father.
In June 1874 Polly’s paternal grandmother, Sarah Shellaker (née Esther), died aged eighty years. She was buried in Tugby churchyard alongside the graves of her granddaughters Fanny & Louisa and the twins of the same names. Polly was nine years old when her paternal grandmother died and when she was twelve her mother gave birth to another son, born on 19th October 1876, he has named JOHN RICHARD but he lived for only seventeen months before dying on 6th February 1878. At this time Polly has one surviving brother, William and four sisters; one of whom was older, Sarah,and two were younger, Emma and Elizabeth.
SCHOOLING
Polly attended the local school in Tugby in the year it opened in 1872. She started her schooling on the 14th October 1872, at the age of eight years and 2 months and on the same day as her younger sister Emma, who was just over six years old. They were joined, the following week on the 21st October, by their sisters Sarah and Elizabeth, who were aged eleven and approaching five respectively.
The Education Act of 1870 required the establishment of elementary schools throughout the country for which the school boards could charge a fee. This undated photograph may relate to the time the Shellaker girls attended the school. The interior of the school was reported to have a cold brick floor and was heated by open fires in the classrooms.
The children could not leave until they achieved a certificate of efficiency from the school. The children had tests twice a year. In one of the regular reports from the school inspector, after visiting in 1873 (at the time Emma and her sisters were in attendance), reported: “The children are in fair order, reading fair, writing neat, spelling pretty fair, arithmetic weak, and needlework requires more attention. Punctuation requires further attention”.
TUGBY SCHOOL REGISTER
Below is a section of the school register that relates to Mary Jane (Polly), No. 50, also included in this section is one of Polly’s sisters, Sarah – No. 43. In this section the date of Sarah’s birth is incorrectly recorded as 1862. She was born in 1861.
Section of Tugby School Register Showing the Grades Achieved
Mary Jane (Polly) Shellaker, as mentioned is number ’50’ on this list, achieved the ‘5th Standard’ and subsequently left Tugby School on Friday June 8th 1877, as shown on the column on the far right, two months prior to her 14th birthday.
Her sister Emma, No.59, went on to achieve Grade VI, (‘The Sixth Standard’) which is evidently the highest standard attainable at this school. Polly’s sister Elizabeth, No. 68, also achieved Grade VI and her sister Sarah numbered ’43’ on this list, achieved Grade III. [Click on the image to view a larger copy of this list click on the image].
School Standards Explained. School Standards feature in the Thomas Hardy novel, ‘Jude the Obscure’. This book published in 1895 has a story primarily set between the years 1870 and 1886. (This period is around the same time period the Shellaker girls attended Tugby school). In this book one of the female characters is referred to as “a schoolgirl out of her standards”. In the end notes this sentence is explained as follows; “i.e. out of elementary school, the sixth standard being the last for children, the seventh standard for would-be teachers, the standards being degrees of proficiency as measured by exams.”
TWO FURTHER SIBLINGS ARRIVE
Two years after Polly left school and after six consecutive deaths of her infant siblings, Polly now aged fourteen, had a baby sister, HELENA (known thereafter as NELLIE), born on 19th April 1879 and two years later another brother was born who was named JOHN. He was born on 21st December 1881 when Polly was seventeen years old. Both these children lived well into adulthood. This 13th child, John Shellaker is my Grandfather. The birth of John was the final child of Mary Shellaker who, over a period of twenty years between the age of 23 to 43, gave birth to 13 children, seven of whom survived beyond infancy, six of whom lived into old age.
1881 CENSUS – TUGBY
Nine mounths prior to the birth of her young brother John and four years after leaving school Polly is recorded on a second Census, taken on Thursday the 3rd of April 1881. She is living with her family in Tugby aged sixteen years. Her younger sister Emma is not listed as living in the family home in Tugby, she is boarding in Leicester at this time where she was attending a local school, training to become a teacher.
1881 Census – The Shellaker Family in Tugby
1881 CENSUS – THE SHELLAKER FAMILY IN TUGBY .
Although the information for this Census is relatively clear I have reprinted the details below:
| Name | Relationship | Condition | Age | Occupation | Where Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Shellaker | Head | Marr | 50 | Butcher & Grazier | Leicester, Tugby |
| Mary A Shellaker | Wife | Marr | 43 | Leicester, Tugby* | |
| Sarah A Shellaker | Daughter | Unmarr | 19 | Leicester, Tugby | |
| William Shellaker | Son | Unmarr | 18 | Butcher | Leicester, Tugby |
| Mary J Shellaker | Daughter | Unmarr | 16 | Leicester, Tugby | |
| Elizabeth Shellaker | Daughter | Unmarr | 13 | Scholar | Leicester, Tugby |
| Helana Shellaker | Daughter | 1 | Leicester, Tugby |
CHAPEL LANE, TUGBY
For most, if not all, of of her early years, Polly probably lived with her family in a house in Chapel Lane, Tugby, where her father also had a Butcher’s shop. I have not, as yet, found any old photographs of the actual house in which Polly lived with her family but below are two relatively contemporary photographs of Chapel Lane, Tugby which show, in the photograph on the right a lady in a white apron in front of the Butchers with two people either side of her and also two boys further forward. Could these be people be Shellakers? – We will never know. [Click on the images below to see a larger picture of these photograph].
The Butcher’s shop is the building on the right of that photographs. I understand the Shellaker family home was next to the Butcher’s Shop, both of which are on the right of this lane. The roof apex of Butcher shop, which faces towards the camera can be seen in both of the photographs below. The date of these pictures is unknown although it is possible they were taken after the family had left the village in 1886. If anyone can supply an old photograph of the ‘far end’ of Chapel Lane which shows Butcher’s shop and the house in which the Shellaker family lived I’d be grateful if you would contact me. NB – The identity of the lady with the pram and children on the left picture below is unknown but it extremely improbable these people have any connection to the Shellaker family.
The original Butcher’s shop no longer remains although there is still a new Butcher’s shop on the same site in Chapel Lane – ‘G. T. Doughty Butchers Shop’, under the ownership of Gary Gregg. The large house directly on the left was the village bakery and is now known as ‘The Old Bakehouse’.
Next Page: Dissatisfaction with a new home
Eighteen years, one month and a week after her marriage to RICHARD SHELLAKER, MARY ANN SHELLAKER gave birth to their twelfth child in the East Leicestershire village of TUGBY. The child was a girl, their eighth daughter, born on Saturday the 19th April 1879. She was named ‘HELENA’ but she was to be known thereafter as ‘NELLIE’.
Nellie’s father, Richard was a Grazier and Butcher who supplied meat to the villagers of Tugby and people of the surrounding area. He was born in 1830, also in Tugby, forty-nine years prior to Nellie’s birth. Her mother Mary originated from the nearby village of HALLATON, where her family trade was carpentry. Her maiden name was GROCOCK and she was approximately forty-one years old when she gave birth to Nellie and it was she who registered her daughter’s birth – a section of which is below.
1879 – The Birth Certificate of Helena Shellaker
AN OLD SHELLAKER NAME
Several of the various derivatives of the name Helen can be found within the Shellaker family over the last 400 years. The name Helen is an English derivative from the Greek name Helene. The name Helena is a Latin version of Helen. The names Eleanor, Ellenor and Elinor are English versions of an old French respelling of the Old Provençal name of Alienor, which was taken as a derivative of Helen.
The name Eleanor was first introduced into England by Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) who came from Southwest France to be the wife of Henry II, and subsequently became the mother of Richard the Lionheart & King John. The name was also borne by Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III and Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I.
NELLIE’S SURVIVING SIBLINGS.
Nellie was the twelfth child of Richard & Mary Shellaker although only five children remained alive at the time of her own birth.
The first child of Richard & Mary Shellaker, a girl, was born in August 1861, a mere five months after Richard & Mary’s married at the parish church at Tugby on the 12th March 1861. This first-born child was named SARAH. The couple then had a son, born in March 1863, who was named WILLIAM. The following year, in August 1864, another girl was born and although she was christened MARY JANE she was known thereafter as ‘POLLY’. Two years later, in 1866, on 15th August another daughter arrived, she was named EMMA. Sixteen months passed and Mary gave birth to another girl in December 1867. She was christened ELIZABETH and she was the fourth girl and fifth child of Richard and Mary. These five children were alive when Nellie was born that spring of 1879 and all were considerably older; Sarah was seventeen, William had just reached his sixteenth birthday, Polly was fourteen years old, Emma was twelve and Elizabeth had reached her eleventh year in the winter preceding Nellie’s birth.
BROTHERS AND SISTER NELLIE NEVER KNEW.
However, between the birth of Elizabeth in December 1867 and Nellie’s birth, eleven years later in 1879, Mary Shellaker gave birth to six children none of whom survived beyond infancy. A girl LOUISA was born in 1869, but she died within a few months aged only sixth months old. In 1872 another child was born, she was named FANNY but again she died in infancy. In 1873 twin girls were born to whom Richard & Mary gave the same names as their two recently deceased daughters; LOUISA and FANNY but they also died in infancy. A son was born in 1876, he was named JOHN RICHARD but he lived for only fifteen months before passing away in February 1878, the year prior to Nellie’s birth. During the years 1868 and 1878 it is believed that another boy was born but subsequently died in infancy. He was named RICHARD.
THE SHELLAKER FAMILY AT THE TIME OF NELLIE’S BIRTH
THE VILLAGE OF TUGBY.
Tugby, around the time of Nellie’s birth, is described in a Victorian trade directory as.. “…. a pleasant village upon an eminence on the road between two towns, is seven and a half miles West of Uppingham and nearly twelve miles East by South of Leicester. Its parish contains 1,540 acres of land, and 364 inhabitants.”
There is a church in the village, St Thomas a Becket (which is pictured right and is reproduced by permission of LeicesterPhoto). This was the church in which Nellie’s parents were married in 1861. In addition a “Wesleyan chapel was built in 1844”. It is probable Nellie may have attended the Wesleyan chapel with her parents as her parents were nonconformists and played an active role within that chapel. A school was built in 1859 – which Nellie attended as a young child. The village also supported two public houses; “The Black Horse” and “The Fox and Hounds”.
Around the time of Nellie’s birth the main employment for the men of Tugby was that of “Farmers” & “Graziers”, and, comparable with most small English villages of that period, Tugby was largely self-sufficient. The other Tugby village trades and occupations included; “Tailors, a Boot & Shoemaker, a Blacksmith, Grocers, Bakers, A Carrier and Toll Collector, a Wheelwright and a Farm Bailiff.”
In addition a local had a trade described as a ‘Higgler’. This ancient occupation is described by Thomas Hardy in his novel ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ as “a dealer who buys and sells by picking up and delivering goods either on foot or by cart” also known as ‘Haggler’.
CHAPEL LANE, TUGBY
The Shellaker family lived in Chapel Lane, Tugby where they also had a Butcher’s shop. I have not, as yet, found any close-up old photographs of the house in which Nellie lived with her family but below are two relatively contemporary photographs of Chapel Lane, Tugby one of which shows a lady in a white apron in front of the Butchers shop with two people either side of her and also two boys further forward – could these be members of the Shellaker family? – We will probably never know.
I understand the Shellaker family home was next to the Butcher’s Shop, both of which are on the right of this lane. The roof apex of Butcher shop, which faces towards the camera can be seen in both of the photographs below. The date of these pictures is unknown although it is possible they were taken after the family had left the village. If anyone can supply an old photograph of the ‘far end’ of Chapel Lane which shows Butcher’s shop and the house in which the Shellaker family lived I’d be grateful if you would contact me. NB – The identity of the lady with the pram and children on the left picture below is unknown but it extremely improbable these people have any connection to the Shellaker family.
The original Butcher’s shop no longer remains although there is still a new Butcher’s shop on the same site in Chapel Lane – ‘G. T. Doughty Butchers Shop’, under the ownership of Gary Gregg. The large house directly on the left was the village bakery and is now known as ‘The Old Bakehouse’.
[Click on the images below to see a larger picture of these photograph].
NELLIE IS BAPTISED.
Nellie was baptised by the Reverend Henry Johnson, just over a month after her birth on May 22nd 1879 – which was a Thursday. This was significant to our story as all of the seven other baptism recorded directly under that of Nellie’s took place on a Sunday, which was the traditional day for baptisms within the Church of England. A baptism on a Thursday indicates Nellie was ill and near to death. This is supported by a note on the left of the record in the Tugby Parish Records indicating that this was a ‘Private Baptism’. A private baptism, which often took place within the home of the child, is usually an indication that it was considered highly likely the child was not expected to live. Helena, at this time, was seriously ill with, it is thought, inflammation of the lungs.
Below is the relevant section of the Tugby parish register on which her name is incorrectly spelt “Eleanor” and not “Helena” as on her birth certificate.
May 22nd 1879 – The Private Baptism of of ‘Eleanor’ Shellaker
1881 CENSUS – TUGBY.
The 1881 Census, which was taken on Thursday 3rd of April of that year, is the first that records the young Nellie Shellaker. The Census records her age as ‘1’ which is correct although when the Census was recorded she was only two weeks short of her second birthday. On this Census Nellie is recorded as living in Tugby with her parents, her brother eighteen year old William and three of her sisters; Sarah, Mary Jane (Polly) and Elizabeth who were nineteen, sixteen and thirteen respectively. The street name has not been recorded by the census enumerator although we know the family lived in Chapel Lane in Tugby. (NB. The number ’54’ is not significant; it is only a sequential number of the recorded households).
1881 Census – The Shellaker Family in Tugby
Although the information on this Census is relatively clear I have extracted the details in the table below. * Please note on this Census the birthplace of Nellie’s mother, Mary Ann Shellaker, is incorrectly recorded as Tugby. She was born in Hallaton.
| Name | Relationship | Condition | Age | Occupation | Where Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Shellaker | Head | Marr | 50 | Butcher & Grazier | Leicester, Tugby |
| Mary A Shellaker | Wife | Marr | 43 | Leicester, Tugby* | |
| Sarah A Shellaker | Daughter | Unmarr | 19 | Leicester, Tugby | |
| William Shellaker | Son | Unmarr | 18 | Butcher | Leicester, Tugby |
| Mary J Shellaker | Daughter | Unmarr | 16 | Leicester, Tugby | |
| Elizabeth Shellaker | Daughter | Unmarr | 13 | Scholar | Leicester, Tugby |
| Helana Shellaker | Daughter | 1 | Leicester, Tugby |
Nellie’s other sister Emma is not listed with the family. At this time she was living as a ‘boarder’ at ’94, Brunswick Street, Leicester’. Emma, who was fourteen years old at this time, was attending Wyggeston Girls School in Humberstone Gate in the center of Leicester.
ANOTHER BROTHER ARRIVES
In December 1881, when Nellie reached the age of two years and eight months, her mother gave birth to her thirteenth and final child.
The child, a boy, was named JOHN. He was baptized at the local parish church at Tugby in February of the following year, 1882. (This new baby, John Shellaker, was my grand-father).
The picture on the right is of Nellie as a young child. This photograph may have been taken just a few years after the birth of her young brother.
A family story tells of an incident, when Nellie, at the age of six, nearly drowns after falling through ice while playing on a frozen pond. She was rescued by her younger brother John Shellaker who himself was only around three or four years old!
NELLIE STARTS HER SCHOOLING AT TUGBY SCHOOL
Several years ago I saw documents showing Nellie attended the village school in Tugby and shortly afterwards, in the village of Billesdon. The Education Act of 1870 required the establishment of elementary school throughout the country for which the school boards could charge a fee.
On Monday 25th June 1883, at the age of 4 years and two months, Nellie was admitted to the local village school at Tugby. Her sisters Emma, Polly, Sarah & Elizabeth had also attended this school together but all had left a few years before Nellie’s first school day.
The undated photograph below could well be contemporary with the time in which Nellie Shellaker attended this school – she could be in this picture!
The interior of the school was reported to have a cold brick floor and was heated by open fires in the class rooms. The children could not leave until they achieved a certificate of efficiency from the school. The children were tested twice a year. In 1873 (ten years prior to Nellie’s first day), one of the regular reports from the school inspector reported: “The children are in fair order, reading fair, writing neat, spelling pretty fair, arithmetic weak, and needlework requires more attention. Punctuation requires further attention.”
TUGBY SCHOOL REGISTER
Back in 1998 I saw the original school register from Tugby School and photocopied sections relating to the Shellaker children. The section of the register relating to Nellie’s schooling while at Tugby is below. The entry for Nellie is on the second from bottom line, against the number ‘345’. Her name is incorrectly spelt ‘Eleanor’. Her start date, as mentioned above, is recorded as 25th June 1883, together with her date of birth – April 19th 1879. (Click on this record to view a larger version).
[Regrettably I do not think this register no longer exists]
Although I no longer have the document, there was one puzzling aspect in this register regarding Nellie’s leaving date – there are two entries for ‘Eleanor Shellaker’ in this register. Both of which have the same date of birth and the same staring date but against one entry the leaving date is Monday 27th October 1884 and on the second entry (shown above) the leaving date is blank.
In October 1884 Nellie would only be five and a half years old and in a record of Nellie’s life written many years later it is written …..
“at the age of seven (1886 / 1887) the family moved to Billesdon Lodge Farm. At this time she was receiving lessons from her sister, Emma. She started Billesdon School in Standard II. ”
It is known Nellie went on to achieve the ‘5th Standard’ at the age of eleven in June of 1890 while at Billesdon School – the copy of her certificate is on the following page. So we can speculate Nellie left Tugby School in October 1894, for reasons unknown but I will speculate shortly, and was taught by her sister Emma until the family moved to Billesdon.
School Standards Explained. School Standards feature in Thomas Hardy novel, ‘Jude the Obscure’. This book published in 1895 has a story primarily set between the years 1870 and 1886. (This period is around the same time period the Shellaker girls attended Tugby school). In this book one of the female characters is referred to as “a schoolgirl out of her standards”. In the end notes this sentence is explained as follows; “i.e. out of elementary school, the sixth standard being the last for children, the seventh standard for would-be teachers, the standards being degrees of proficiency as measured by exams.”
Next Page: The Family move to Billesdon