Emily Whiting 1858-1906

Parents: John Whiting and Elizabeth Barber
Born: 14th May 1858 in Haverhill.(2)
Baptised: 1st December 1896 at St Mary's Parish Church, Haverhill.(1)
Married: Ebenezer Farrant, 18, batchelor, bricklayer, of Chauntry Croft, Haverhill, son of Arthur Farrant, factory hand, on 20th October 1877 at St Mary's Parish Church, Haverhill. Witnessed by John Whiting and Amelia Beavis(2,3)
Children: Elizabeth Maria Farrant b.1878, Matilda Farrant b.1881, Mary Anne Emily Farrant b.1883, Arthur Ebenezer Farrant b.1887, Rose Lily Farrant b.1892, Ernest Joseph Farrant b.1894, Charles William Farrant b.1898 and Lily May Farrant b.1901
Died: January 1906. Buried on 10th January 1906 at Haverhill Cemetery.(4,5)

Bio: Emily was born around in 1858 in Haverhill, and appears as a young child 'Emelia' on the 1861 census. She is living with her father and his new wife in Burton End on the 1871 census, and is a scholar.

Emily and her brother Walter started courting another brother and sister, Emma and Ebenezer Farrant, who lived in Chauntry Croft, and both pairs were married on 20th October 1877 at the local Parish church. After they had married, they lived next to each other in Clements Road. They appear here on the 1881 census; Ebenezer is a bricklayer' labourer, and Emily works at a clothing factory. They have a young daughter, Eliza.

In 1882 Emily was involved in a 'battle' which made the local papers, and also ended up at the local petty sessions. Here's the account from The Bury and Norwich Post - 'CLARE PETTY SESSIONS, Monday, Jan. 23. Maryann Marsh, wife of Frederick Marsh, was charged with assaulting and beating Emily, the wife of Ebenezer Farrant at Haverhill, on the 13th. - Complainant said: I was in my house at Haverhill, at about ten minutes to eight in the morning, standing against the table, when defendant came in and struck me twice. She asked me what I meant by calling after her, and afterwards blackguarded (verbally abused) me. Her daughter threw some water into my house, and I told her about it. Defendant struck me in the face and kicked me afterwards. She knocked me into the cradle, and used me cruelly; she then left. - Harriet Beevis, for complainant, said: I was going down Clement's Lane on the morning of the 13th, a little before eight, when I saw Mrs Marsh had got Mrs Farrant..in the cradle. I stood against the door. Mrs Marsh struck and kicked Mrs Farrant, who called for help. Mrs Marsh then went out. - Mrs Marsh, in defence, said: On Thursday afternoon, when I was going to my work, complainant interfered with my little girl when she was cleaning the doorstep, and when I got home at night my girl told me of it. I went and told Mrs Farrant not to interfere with my child, and she then called me a ____. I asked her to prove it. I struck her and she threw a piece of wood at me. - Elizabeth Farrant, witness for the defendant, stated: I was coming past Mrs Marsh's house a little before eight in the morning on the Friday, and saw Mrs Marsh in the road, and Mrs Farrant on the doorstep with a piece of wood. I heard Mrs Farrant abuse Mrs Marsh who said Mrs Farrant should prove it. Mrs Farrant then threw a piece of wood at Mrs Marsh, who returned it. Harriet Beevis was not there. Mrs Marsh and I then went to work. - After consulting, the Magistrates fined defendant 2s.6d. and 17s.6d. costs, or 14 days (imprisonment). - Allowed a fortnight for payment.'(7) Emily and Maryann were of a similar age, and it sounds like they must have had a bit of an ongoing feud. It seems a little strange that another Farrant was a witness for the defence, but I presume she wasn't a close relative of Ebenezer's.

The 1891 census finds Emily and Ebenezer living at 7 Clements Lane. Ebenezer is now a horse hair weaver, Emily is a weaver, and they have five children, Elizabeth, Matilda, Mary, Arthur and Rose.

The Suffolk Baptism Index shows Emily being baptised in 1896(1), which is a trifle unusual. It does give an address '7 Clements Lane' which is next to her date of birth. I am inclined to think this indicated where she lived at the time of baptism, however, and we can pretty much confirm from censuses she was there in 1896, and that around the time of her birth she was in Burton End.

The last census Emily appears on is the 1901 census. The family are still at 7 Clements Lane, and both Emily and Ebenezer are working at home as weavers. Living with them are children Mary, Arthur, Ernest and Charles. Emily and Ebenezer had one more child, Lily May Farrant, who was born in 1901 after the census(9).

Emily died five years later in 1906 and is buried at Haverhill Cemetery.

After Emily's death, Ebenezer Farrant married again on 15th December 1907 in Birdbrook. His second wife was Susanna Richardson nee Lewsey, widow(11).

On the 1911 census Ebenezer was shown as a horse-hair weaver living at 7 Clements Lane with Susan and his children Ernest, Charles and Lily from his first marriage. They also have a son, Cyril, who was probably Susan's from her previous marriage. The census incorrectly states they had been married for 33 rather than 3 years.

Ebenezer died in 1927(6) and Susan died in 1932.(10)

Sources:

(1) SFHS, Suffolk Baptism Index, Clare Deanery, 1813-1900.
(2) Suffolk Records Office, Bury St Edmunds, Parish Registers of St Mary's Church, Haverhill. Fiche 578/4/p28 of 37
(3) Marriage Register. 4th Quarter 1877, Risbridge District, Vol 4a Page 824
(4) Haverhill Cemetery, Ref:3076. http://www.haverhill-uk.com/pages/burial-records-137.htm
(5) Death Register. 1st Quarter 1906, Risbridge District, Vol 4a Page 479
(6) Death Register. 4th Quarter 1927, Risbridge District, Vol 4a Page 860
(7) The Bury and Norwich Post, Tuesday, January 24th 1882, C19th British Library Newspapers: Part II
(8) Birth Register.
(9) Birth Register. 2nd Quarter 1901, Risbridge District, Vol 4a Page 838
(10) Death Register. 4th Quarter 1932, Risbridge District, Vol 4a Page 965
(11) Marriage Register. 4th Quarter 1907, Risbridge District, Vol 4a Page 1559