The Britannia Bridge, over the Menai Strait, Wales.
From here.
More public domain images
here
and here.
Charles Day,
bapt 15 Jan 1809, Cambridge,
stonemason,
living E side of Cambridge at mar,
mar 26 Jan 1829 to Eliza Turner [bapt 9 Jan 1812],
lived Cambridge, children born there 1829 to 1838,
moved to London, children born there 1841 to 1845-46,
in 1841 census they are living 44 Hyde Place (now Hide Place),
Westminster, London
(see map), George Aldis
speculates that he may have
worked
on Palace of Westminster
but no evidence of this,
moved to Wales, children born there 1846-47 and 1848,
worked as a foreman mason on the
Britannia Bridge
(for the railway line)
over the Menai Strait,
NW Wales (construction was 1846 to 1850),
this is the bridge on the W side,
not to be confused with the
older
Menai Suspension Bridge
(for road traffic)
on the E side,
he is listed in the account of the project:
[Clark, 1850, Volume 2, p.816]
as one of 5 foremen of masons,
he would have been responsible for a gang of about 100 men on site,
living London Rd,
Holyhead, NW Wales
(see map)
at Charles' bapt 1848,
George Aldis
speculates that he may have worked
at the Penmon
quarry in Anglesey,
which was used for the bridge project,
but no firm evidence of this,
youngest child born London 1850,
in 1851 census they were living Claydon, Suffolk, George Aldis
speculates that he may have
worked
on construction of the
Mid Suffolk Light Railway
but no evidence of this,
in 1861 census he was in Dover, George Aldis
speculates that he may have worked
on construction of Dover harbour,
but no evidence of this,
in 1871 census he was back in London,
listed as "Stonemason",
living 1 Bale St, Mile End, London,
Bale Street is now gone but Bale Road survives
(see map),
she died 1 Bale St, 30 Sept 1877, age 65 yrs,
of bronchitis,
he is listed as "Stone Mason", living with
his dau Caroline's family in London
in 1881 census,
living
West Ham, London,
at death,
died 11 Oct 1888, age 79 yrs,
in the
West Ham workhouse
at
Leytonstone, London,
this still stands (now for residential use), the big building that
Union Close leads into
(see map), George Aldis
says:
"It seems inconceivable that [he] should have ended his days in this pitiful way. Presumably he became too ill for Caroline to continue looking after him; and in any case she had problems of her own, since she was now a widow herself"
(Caroline was a widow with small children,
even one born after her husband's death,
and she had to go out to work as a cleaner to support them,
and had to send her older children out to work too),
had issue:
Marianne Day,
born less than 8 months after parents' marriage,
bapt 27 Sept 1829, NOT 22 Sept,
St.Clement's church,
Bridge St, Cambridge
(see map).
John Day,
born at East Road (leads to Newmarket Rd),
Barnwell,
E side of Cambridge,
bapt 18 Sept 1836,
church of St.Andrew the Less,
E side of Cambridge,
listed as "Learning mason trade" in 1851 census,
mar 1866 to Elisa ---- and had issue:
William Day,
born 1838 (listed as age 3 in 1841 census), Cambridge.
Sarah Day,
born 26 Jan 1841, 44 Hyde Place,
Westminster, London.
Martha Day,
born 1845 or 1846, Westminster, London,
alive in 1861 census.
Caroline Day,
born 1846 or 1847, Bangor, NW Wales,
she is described in 1851 census
as having been born at
Britannia Bridge,
living with parents at 1 Bale Street, Mile End Old Town, at mar,
mar 7 Feb 1870, Stepney, London, to
George Hallandal [from next door]
and had issue.
Charles Day,
bapt 25 Dec 1848, Holyhead, NW Wales
(see bapt cert
from here),
at mar 1868 he is living Bale St, Mile End, London,
mar 16 Aug 1868 [him age 19, her age 16 and pregnant],
St.Dunstan's church,
Stepney High Street, Stepney, London,
to
Mary Eliza Hammett
[born 24 Apr 1852,
bapt 25 July 1852, Church of Ireland, Youghal, Co.Cork,
dau of John Hammett and Elizabeth Hanan],
she was living St.Dunstan's Road, Mile End Old Town, at mar,
in 1870 they were living Regent Road,
Mile End Old Town, London,
in 1871 census
he is listed as "Stonemason",
she is listed as "Seamstress",
in 1871 census
they are all separated
(this may indicate that
the marriage, which started with her pregnancy, was in difficulty),
in 1871 census
he is living with his parents at 1 Bale Street, Mile End Old Town,
she is living with their son nearby at 43 Conway Terrace, Mile End Old Town,
and their dau is living with her parents (also in Mile End Old Town),
in 1881 census
husband, wife and son are together, living 75 Emmott Street, Mile End Old Town,
but dau still living with her grandmother,
in 1881 census
he is listed as "Stonemason",
she is listed as "Tailoress",
at death he is listed as "commercial traveller" of Norris Street,
Hoxton Old Town, Shoreditch,
he died 27 Mar 1888, Hoxton, London,
of diphtheria,
age 39 yrs,
she fl 1895,
had issue:
Ada Day,
Ada Louisa Day,
born 9 Oct 1868, Anthony St,
Tower Hamlets, London
(see map),
for some reason she is not with her mother and brother
but rather is listed as living with her Hammett grandparents, at 87 St.Dunstan's Rd, Mile End Old Town,
in census of 1871,
living with her (widowed) Hammett grandmother at 24 Newbold Street, Mile End Old Town, in census 1881,
living with her Hammett grandmother at 20 Dongola Street, Mile End Old Town, in census 1891,
she is listed as "Tailoress",
mar 23 Sept 1895, St.Paul, Bow Common, Stepney, to Charles Edward Slaven
[a seaman, born 1856,
Antigua,
West Indies],
in 1901 census they are living 354 Mile End Road, Stepney,
he is listed as "Railway navvy",
she is listed as "Tailoress"
had issue:
Edie M.E. Slaven (dau), born 1898, Stepney, alive in 1901 census.
Daisy Slaven, born 1900, Stepney, alive in 1901 census.
The Britannia Bridge to the W
still carries the railway line (on the lower level),
and carries the A55
road on the upper level.
The Menai Bridge to the E
carries the A5 road.
Drive across the Britannia Bridge.
Heading from Angelsey to the mainland.
2006 or shortly before.
This is the hi-res version.
See lo-res version.
See more videos.
West Ham workhouse
West Ham workhouse (the big building that
Union Close leads into).
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From Google Maps.
