Family History

Sex : Female

Date of Birth : 1787

Place of Birth :

Date of Death : 1829

Place of Death :

Number of Children : 0

Ann Walby was baptised on 2nd September 1787 at Aston in Hertfordshire. On 28th January 1813, Ann was married at Aston to Thomas Piddle, who was also from Aston. At the time of their marriage, Thomas was living at South Mimms, about sixteen miles south of Aston. Ann and Thomas do not appear to have gone to South Mimms to live after their marriage. They had a daughter, Susannah, baptised at Aston later that year. Susanna's baptism described Thomas as a labourer. Some time between 1813 and 1815 Ann and Thomas left Aston and moved to the neighbouring parish of Shephall, where they went on to have another six children (James, Joseph, Jane, Mary Ann, Louisa and Martha) between 1815 and 1827, although Jane died as a baby in 1820. Their eldest daughter, Susannah, died at about twelve years old, being buried at Shephall in 1825. In May 1828, Ann, Thomas and their children were faced with removal under the Poor Laws. The family became 'chargeable', indicating that they needed poor relief from the parish. The overseers of the poor in Shephall took the view that the family were not actually their responsibility, and called in the local justices for the peace. Thomas was examined under oath. What he said is not recorded, but the justices decided that the family's lawful place of settlement was not Shephall (where they had been living for over thirteen years) but South Mimms. It would therefore seem likely that when Thomas had lived in South Mimms as a young man before his marriage that he had worked over a year for one employer in that parish. Clearly he had not had an unbroken year's employment since moving to Shephall. The justices therefore drew up a removal order, allowing the Shephall overseers to take the family to South Mimms. However, the justices also suspended the order from taking effect immediately, as Ann was "unable to travel by reason of sickness and infirmity of body". It is not clear whether the removal order was ever carried out. It is not clear when Ann died. The most plausible burial found to date is at St Thomas's Church in Southwark of an "Ann Paddle" in February 1829 who was about the right age and a patient at St Thomas's Hospital. This may therefore fit with Ann having been too ill to travel in May 1828. Thomas died in 1839, aged 54.

Thomas Piddle ( 28th January 1813 - )

Children : None / Unknown

Relationship notes : Aston, Hertfordshire