Illustration Christine Fuller
The Eastern Evening News of the 8th January, 1906, included the following snippet:
At an Occasional Court at Old Buckenham before Major E G Keppel, William Carter Kerrison, Great Ellingham, labourer, was charged by Police-Sergeant Parsley with stealing a shirt from a linen line, the property of George Littleproud, Swan Inn, Attleborough, on the 4th inst. Prisoner was remanded in custody to East Harling Petty Sessions on the 15th January.
The ‘Swan Inn’ or ‘White Swan’ was in Exchange Street in Attleborough.
Individuals or Families using Different Names
Those researching their family history will be familiar with families using different names on census returns and other official documentation.
There can be many reasons for this including illegitimacy, concealing a true identity or to take an inheritance.
In other articles, I have mentioned the Dungar Anderson family of Great Ellingham. At various times, members of this family used the last names ‘Dungar’, ‘Anderson’ as well as ‘Dungar Anderson’.
There is also the Lee family, who used the name ‘Hoy’ as well as ‘Lee’. We also have James Skipper who was born as ‘James Skipper’, but adopted the name ‘Wilkins’. However later, as an adult, he reverted to his birth name of ‘Skipper’
Here in this article, we find another example.
William Carter Kerrison
The newspaper report of William Kerrison’s misdemeanour does not include his age. Further, there was at least one other ‘William Kerrison’ in Great Ellingham at the time. However, helpfully, the newspaper article gives the individuals’s name as ‘William Carter Kerrison’.
As it happens, William Carter Kerrison was in fact Charles William Carter!
Born in Great Ellingham
Charles William Carter’s birth is registered in the Wayland District between the April and June of 1885. Census returns confirm his place of birth as Great Ellingham. His parents were Richard Kerrison Carter and Anna nèe Taylor.
However, how did Charles William Carter become William Carter Kerrison?
In an attempt to answer this question, we first look at his parents’ marriage.
Parents’ Marriage
St Peter’s Church, Little Ellingham
On the 28th January, 1882, bricklayer 24 year old Richard Kerrison Carter married 23 year old Anna Taylor in the Parish Church at Little Ellingham. Anna’s father is labourer Charles Taylor. However, the marriage register does not include Richard Kerrison Carter’s father’s name.
This could be an indication that Richard Kerrison Carter was born ‘out of wedlock’. This may also explain the use of the names ‘Kerrison’ and ‘Carter’.
We now look further into the family history of Richard Kerrison Carter.
Richard Kerrison Carter
The 1861 census finds 3 year old Richard [Kerrison] Carter with his mother, 45 year old Louisa Carter, at Bush Green. Louisa is lodging with 63 year old fowl dealer, John Abbott. I believe Louisa is mistaken for Lucy.
The 1871 census finds 55 year old married woman Lucy Carter as housekeeper for 39 year old bricklayer Richard Kerrison. They are living at Low Common.
The household also includes 13 year old brick-layer’s boy Richard K Carter. The census shows that young Richard K Carter is a son of the head of the household, Richard Kerrison.
However, Lucy Carter was (or had earlier been) married to fishmonger Charles Carter. I have previously investigated this couple. Unfortunately I ‘drew a blank’ as to what happened to Charles Carter after the 1851 census.
Nevertheless, it appears that Richard Kerrison is the father of Lucy’s son, Richard Kerrison Carter. This may also explain why, some years later, Richard Kerrison Carter uses the name Richard Carter Kerrison and his son, Charles William Carter, uses the name [Charles] William Carter Kerrison.
1891 census
Given that Charles William Carter was born in 1885, he will almost certainly be listed on the national census of the 5th April, 1891.
Chequers Lane. Postcard Carol Ewin
We find 5 year old Charles William Carter with his parents, Richard K Carter and Anna Carter, who are occupying a dwelling next to the Chequers Public House in Great Ellingham.
Richard and Anna Carter have two other children, 9 year old Annie and Lucy May who is only a few months old.
Death of Richard Kerrison Carter
Tragically, and within a few months of the census, Richard Kerrison Carter died at the age of 31. He died on the 13th December, 1891 in Great Ellingham as a result of apoplexy. Richard’s cousin ‘C.W. Barnard‘ was with him when he died.
1901 census
The census undertaken on 31st March 1901 finds 42 year old widow Anna Carter with her children 15 year old William (Charles William), 10 year old Lucy and 8 year old Mabel, living in a two-roomed dwelling in Town Green. William is working as an agricultural labourer.
Less than two months later, Anna’s 19 year old daughter Annie is baptised in St James’s Church. The baptism entry of the 16th May, 1901, shows her parents as Richard Carter Kerrison & Anna Kerrison. However, there is no reference to the fact that Annie’s father, Richard Carter Kerrison, had died in 1891.
Nevertheless, the baptism entry shows that the family are now using the last name ‘Kerrison’.
1906
It is five years later that 20 year old William Carter Kerrison (aka Charles William Carter) appears at the Magistrates’ Court at East Harling for stealing a shirt. However, I do not know the outcome of the case.
Nevertheless, it does leave the question whether the alleged theft was ‘out of character’ or, perhaps, just a piece of mischief!
Sources:
Great Ellingham Parish Registers. Norfolk Record Office. PD609. Also available at www.familysearch.org
Little Ellingham Parish Registers. Norfolk Record Office. PD568. Also available at www.ancestry.co.uk
1861 census RG9/1237/97
1871 census RG10/1841/93
1891 census RG12/1549/74
1901 census RG13/1867/70
8th January 1906, Eastern Evening News. Viewed via The British Newspaper Archive
GRO Index. Also available FreeBMD website