Hertfordshire Genealogy: SOLE, Cheshunt, 19th century

Emily (ggeckos2 @t juno.com) of the USA is looking for birth information for EMILY JANE SOLE birth: abt 1864 Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, England (according to the 1901 census) When she married Alfred Rowdon on 18 Oct 1891 in Cheshunt the British Vital Records Index states her father to be William.

I don't have free access to the GRO indexes of births but a lot can be done with online records. Before looking for Emily Jane's birth it is useful to see if the 1881 census agrees with the information you supplied (as there are often discrepancies). The 1881 census will also supply occupation information (which you haven't given) as a knowledge of occupation/social status can sometimes help know where to look.

In 1881 Jane was working at The Cedars, Turnford, Cheshunt:

Name	Relation		Gender	Age	Birthplace	Occupation
Henry RAINCOCK	Head	M	Male	42	Dulwich, Surrey	Member London Stock Exchange Broker
Catherine J. RAINCOCK	Wife	M	Female	44	Woolwich, Kent
Mabel J.D. RAINCOCK	Daur		Female	13	Maidenhead, Berks	Scholar
Christine C. RAINCOCK	Daur		Female	12	Cheshunt	Scholar
Evelyn M. RAINCOCK	Daur		Female	11	Cheshunt	Scholar
Lucy R. RAINCOCK	Daur		Female	9	Cheshunt	Scholar
Henry H.E. RAINCOCK	Son		Male	8	Cheshunt	Scholar
Flora P. RAINCOCK	Daur		Female	6	Cheshunt
Richard D. RAINCOCK	Son		Male	5	Cheshunt
Ann WARE	Serv	U	Female	29	Waltham Abbey, Essex	Head Nurse
Jane SOLE	Serv		Female	15	Cheshunt	Under Nurse
Clara JORDAN	Ser	U	Female	21	Waltham Abbey, Essex	Parlour Maid
Hannah BEADLE	Serv	U	Female	33	Gt Munden, Herts	Cook Domestic
Edith MAYO	Visitor		Female	13	Cheshunt	Scholar
Alice MAYO	Visitor		Female	9	Cheshunt	Scholar
Mary A. MAYO	Visitor	W	Female	34	Tattershall, Lincs	Annuitant

This is a good fit (by census standards) and while it is interesting, it is disappointing that she is not still living with her parents, which would have unambiguously identified them. However there is only one William Sole in Cheshunt who may be her father, and came from a similar social background. He was living at Cheshunt Park (possibly in a cottage close to the stables):

Name	Relation	Gender	Age	Birthplace	Occupation
William SOLE	Head	Male	47	Wednesborough, Kent	Coachman Domestic
Hannah SOLE	Wife	Female	49	Totenham, Middlesex
Rose H. SOLE	Dau	Female	13	Cheshunt	Scholar
William G. SOLE	Son	Male	10	Cheshunt	Scholar

"Wednesborough" is presumably Woodnesborough, and "Totenam" is Tottenham.

If Emily Jane's marriage certificate states that her father was a coachman I would be far happier about the identity - so you will need to get a copy to confirm this.. However the William in the census was almost certainly coachman for Frank G Debenham, of Park House, Cheshunt, who had 10 "downstairs" domestic staff living in the house, as well as a groom and gamekeeper living nearby.

Cheshunt Park was built in 1795 by Oliver Cromwell, London solicitor and descendant of the Lord Protector. His descendant leased it in 1865, with its 600 acres of land, to F. G. Debenham, a London estate agent.

Cheshunt's Past in Pictures

A check shows that the Cheshunt baptismal register between 1831 and 1895 is on the British Vital Index CD, so this was checked and showed that Rose Hannah Sole was born on 22nd September and christened on 20th October 1867, while William George Edward Sole was born on 26th January and christened on 20th August 1871. However there was no sign of Emily Jane.

If Emily Jane was the daughter of William and Hannah Sole there are a number of possible explanations as to why her baptism appears to be absent from the Cheshunt registers. One possibility was that when she was born (and possibly baptised) her parents lived elsewhere and they moved to Cheshunt when she was still a babe in arms, so that she had no memory of anywhere else. This is a particularly attractive theory as F. G. Debenham moved to Cheshunt Park in 1865 - and some of his staff, including his coachman, may well have moved with him. Unfortunately I don't know where Mr Debenham moved from.

Basically there are two records you need to get at this stage.

The 1871 census is available through your nearest LDS Family History Centre (see familysearch for the nearest one to you) or on CD (British Data Archives) and if my theory is correct you should find William, Hannah, Emily Jane, Rose Hannah and infant William George Edward living in a cottage at Cheshunt Park, Cheshunt. This may well have the "correct" place of birth for Emily as the information would have been supplied by her parents. This could be important in tracking down her birth and baptism.

As the name Emily Sole is not very common you should be able to search the registration indexes online, and purchase her birth certificate. FreeBMD provides a convenient index - except that it is incomplete at the relevant dates. There is one possibly relevant index entry:

Births Jun 1864: SOLE Emily Midhurst (Sussex) 2b 343

While I have not proved that William and Hannah were Emily's parents, or found out where she was born, the above should point you in the right direction. Let me know when you have located and purchased her birth certificate.

July, 2004

Emily (ggeckos2 @t juno.com) wrote back adding In reply to your suggestion to look up Emily Jane Sole in the 1871 Census... They were indeed in Cheshunt Park. She was five at the time and was an occupant along with her family. The occupant of Cheshunt Park House was a Mr. Frank Debenham, land agents and farmer. Thanks for your help!!.

Barbara Wyley (jbwyley @t xtra.co.nz) has pointed out that the map with WILLOUGHBY, The Springs, Turnford, Cheshunt, 19th/20th Century shows "The Cedars" and I repeat it here. It comes from the old-maps web site showing the area as it was in about 1880.

December 2009

Robert Webb (robert.c.webb @t btinternet.com) of Poynton, Cheshire, writes: I can confirm that the coachman lived above the stables at Cheshunt Park. My aunt, Val(entina) Gooch, was a domestic servant there for much of the 20th Century, eventually becoming the housekeeper. The last coachman was surnamed Mullinger and their daughter in law is still, I believe, living in one of the lodges on the edge of the park, which survived after the house was demolished. I have some knowledge of Cheshunt Park when it was the home of the Debenham family, so, if anyone needs information then I would be happy to pass on what we know.

December 2009 - new contribution