THOMAS WILLIAM WARRINGTON and THE SHIRT FAMILY - SHEFFIELD

On my great grandfather FRED SHIRT's birth certificate dated 1877, his father is listed as HARRY SHIRT and his mother was named as SARAH EMMA SHIRT. A check of the GRO Indexes revealed that a HARRY SHIRT and SARAH EMMA WORTHINGTON were married in the June quarter of 1873 Sheffield Volume 9C Page 569. I sent for the marriage certificate and found that they were married on 26th May 1873 at the Parish Church in Sheffield. HARRY was 21 years old and his bride SARAH two years younger. Both HARRY and SARAH gave their addresses as South Street The Moor and HARRY gave his occupation as Printer.

However there is a sad ending to my research. My great great grandfather HARRY SHIRT died at the young age of 24 after only three years of marriage and he never saw his son FRED - he is marked as deceased on his son's birth certificate.

I have never been able to find any reference to either FRED or his mother SARAH EMMA in the 1881 Census. However once I had ascertained that HARRY was deceased I checked the registers to see if SARAH remarried. In the December quarter of 1880 I found an entry that stated that SARAH EMMA SHIRT married a THOMAS WILLIAM WARRINGTON (GRO Reference Ecclesall Bierlow Volume 9C Page 360). I ordered the marriage certificate which lists the marriage as taking place on 12th October 1880 at St Judes Church in the Eldon district of Sheffield. Thomas's occupation is given as a  Cabinet Case Maker. the certificate also states that Thomas was a 28 year old bachelor and Sarah a 27 year old widow. Both their fathers were "deceased" at the time of the wedding - Thomas's father also called Thomas had been a coachman whilst Sarah's father Charles Worthington had been an auctioneer. The witnesses were William Henry and Ellen Worthington   

A few months later the 1881 Census revealed that the couple were living in Eldon Street Sheffield

Dwelling 58 Eldon St Census Place Sheffield, York, England
Family History Library Film 1342122 Public Records Office Reference RG11 Piece / Folio 4643 / 6 Page Number 10

Name Relation Marital Status Gender Age Birthplace Occupation Disability
Thomas W. WARRINGTON Head M Male 33 Sheffield, York, England Cabinet Case-Wood Line (Mfr)
Sarah E. WARRINGTON Wife M Female 27 Hyde, Cheshire, England
Ada WARRINGTON Daughter Female 7 Sheffield, York, England Scholar
Fred WARRINGTON Son Male 4 Sheffield, York, England
Charles E. WARRINGTON Son Male 9 m Sheffield, York, England

The 1891 Census shows that the family had grown quite considerably. Apart from 43 year old Thomas Warrington, there were

Sarah E Warrington 37
Ada Warrington 17
Fred Warrington 14
Charles Edward Warrington 11
Thomas W Warrington 9
Francis E Warrington 7
Sydney Warrington 5
Henry Warrington 3
Harriett E Warrington 8/12

1891 England Census Class: RG12; Piece: 3809; Folio 72; Page 18; GSU roll: 6098919

The 1911 Census has this information

Name Sarah Emma Warrington
Relationship to Head of Household Wife
Condition / Years Married Married / 31 Years
Total Children Born Alive 6 Children Still Living 6
Gender Female
Age 57 Estimated Year of Birth 1854
Employed No
Working at Home No
Place of Birth Sheffield Yorkshire Nationality British
Enumerator Information
Address 45 Wolseley Road Sheffield Parish Ecclesall Town Sheffield
Type of Building Private House Number of Rooms 5 Inhabited Yes Reference RG14PN27825 RG78PN1592 RD509 SD6 ED14 SN142
Administrative County Yorkshire (West Riding) Registration District Ecclesall Bierlow Registration Sub District Sharrow Enumeration District 14

Sarah's place of birth is incorrect - it should be Hyde Cheshire. I am also very unsure about the following statement - Total Children Born Alive 6 Children Still Living 6. Sarah had three by her previous marriage to HARRY SHIRT but only one my great grandad FRED survived. She had four to her second husband THOMAS who are not on the 1911 census - Charles Edward Warrington Thomas W Warrington Francis E Warrington Sydney Warrington, and three who are Harry, Harriet and Walter. And so by my reckoning SARAH had at least ten children, of which only two died in childhood.

Notes

THOMAS WILLIAM WARRINGTON died in Sheffield 1911 at the age of 68

SARAH EMMA WARRINGTON (SHIRT) nee WORTHINGTON died in 1925 in Sheffield at the age of 71

ADA married a CHARLES ROWAN in Sheffield 1897

FRANCIS EDWIN WARRINGTON married a AGNES YOUNG on 25th December 1905 at St Barnabus Church, Highfield, Sheffield. Agnes died in 1941 and Francis in 1945 at the age of 62. They are buried together

WARRINGTON, Francis Edwin (Overhead Linesman, age 62).
Died at 37 Gifford Rd; Buried on December 12, 1945 in Consecrated ground;
Grave Number 21312, Section D6 of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield.

WARRINGTON, Agnes (Wife of Francis Henry, age 55).
Died at 37 Gifford Rd; Buried on October 3, 1941 in Consecrated ground;
Grave Number 21312, Section D6 of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield

Gifford road is situated in the Heeley district of Sheffield

CHARLES EDWARD WARRINGTON was born on 9th July 1879 in the Ecclesall Bierlow Union Workhouse Sheffield. There is no father listed but the mother is SARAH EMMA SHIRT formerly WORTHINGTON. It is long after HARRY died and it is before she married THOMAS WARRINGTON and so the assumption must be that the father is unknown. CHARLES  is listed as a Steel Planer in the 1901 Census

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This page was last updated on 10/05/11 11:23