Mary Box

Mary Box is a distant ancestor of mine, a good place to begin. I like her name and its basic nature: Mary is a good solid name and Box is a solid object. I know nothing about her so I've begun with the census and some light internet browsing.

Mary was born in 1846 in Midsomer Norton, Somerset. These were the Somerset coalfields and her family were miners. The seams were thin and mining was particularly difficult. They'd been based there for at least two generations and had probably originated there (I'll try and find out). Mary was the fourth child of seven. When Mary was 5 they lived at Victoria Buildings, Principal Street. Her father William aged 55 was a coal miner, as were her brothers Alfred  18 and Richard 15.


In 1861 when Mary was 16 she is listed as a domestic servant, her father still a miner at 64

23 December 1865: Arthur Dowling, a 22 year old bachelor, resident in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, employed as a labourer; son of Simon Dowling, a mason, married at the Midsomer Norton Parish Church Mary Box, a 20 year old spinster, resident in Midsomer Norton; daughter of William Box, a coal miner.

By 1871 she has married Arthur Dowling, a brewers labourer and is living in Welton. William is living with them (at 73) alongside a lodger and a 2 year old nephew. Arthur's widowed mother is next door.

In 1881 Mary, at 35, seems to have no children but Francis the nephew is 12 and still with them. Arthur has progressed to cellarman.

In 1901 Mary is listed as a pauper and is living with nephew Frank and his family in Welton. Arthur seems to have died

At time of death, Mary was resident at Cambrook House, Clutton, Somerset; buried in Midsomer Norton on 23 January 1915, aged 71. Cambrook House was the new name for the Clutton Union Workhouse.
The workhouse register records cause of death as 'Fatty degen'n of Heart. Dropsy.'

On the face of it a hard life. Born into a poor mining family, married to a labourer, unable to have children, died in the workhouse.. For all we know she could have been blissfully happy, never knew anything different. Although Mary and Arthur had no children they had little Frank, who did his best to look after her in later years. There was always work and Arthur did progress. There were lots of elderly people dying in the workhouse infirmary. They wouldn't have been able to afford the doctor (who was Evelyn Waugh's grandfather and a violent man so perhaps Mary was better off....)