Husband Transported - Elizabeth Kirk and Her Family - Left Behind in England
Elizabeth Kirk, née King, was left to fend for herself and her children when her husband was transported to Australia in 1832
When her husband, James Kirk was convicted of stealing a sheep and transported to Australia for life with his uncle Benjamin Kirk, Elizabeth was left behind to fend for herself and her children. If you would like some background, you can read about her husband, James Kirk here:
After James Kirk was arrested, the family he left behind in Buckinghamshire, England were his wife, Elizabeth Kirk, née King, and their five small children Henry, Eliza, Maria, Rebecca, and William.
Elizabeth King (abt. 1798 - 1834)
When James was arrested in February 1832, Elizabeth was 34 years old1. She had been married to James for about thirteen and a half years. They married on 19 October 1818 at Wendover in Buckinghamshire2. At the time of James' arrest, they were living in Drayton Parslow in Buckinghamshire. It was here that Elizabeth was left to fend for herself and care for their five children: Henry (aged 1 ½ years); Eliza (aged 3 ½ years); Maria (aged 7 ½ years); Rebecca (aged 9 ½ years) and William (aged 12 years).
Under the circumstances, it is perhaps not surprising that the family ended up reliant on parish relief and poor law support3. Prior to 1834, support would have been provided to them by the parish of Drayton Parslow. Following the introduction of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 they would have come under the jurisdiction of the Winslow Union. The Winslow Union consisted of 17 parishes, including Drayton Parslow.
Poor Laws
It was around the time of James’ arrest that a Royal Commission of Inquiry was set up to investigate the operation of the Poor Laws. Its task was to advise on how to change the poor law system in England and Wales. The Commission was announced on 1 February 18324. Its two-year investigation led to the writing and enactment of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834.
Unfortunately, the new law was not well informed. Much of the information that underpinned the Royal Commission’s report was incomplete, inaccurate and/or informed by data that was not statistically significant. For example, the questionnaires sent to 15,000 parishes by the Commissioners were poorly designed and got a very poor response. Only 1,500 responses were received. This meant that conclusions were drawn on the basis of information from only 10% of the parishes. The Commissioners either did not realise, or ignored the fact that, most relief went to the 'deserving poor' rather than able-bodied males. Only 20% of those claiming relief were able-bodied adult men. Most who claimed relief were children under 15 years and the rest were sick, aged or infirm5 .
The outcome of the review and new law was that the individual parishes in England and Wales that previously had been making their own arrangements for the poor, were formed into Unions. There was an assumption that work would always be available to those who could work when often it was not and the system was designed around the assumption that people had a choice which many of them did not. The new law, in effect, was designed to create a deterrent that would lead to a moral reformation among the poor6.
“Each Union had a purpose building called the Poor Law Union Workhouse for paupers. It was a last resort; those who were merely poor were expected to fend for themselves with the help of charity (from church, chapel or individual). It was nor a soft option but an uneasy combination of care and deterrence for the destitute which was intended to be harsh. It aimed to make life as unpleasant as possible working on the theory that human action is motivated by the seeking of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. The elderly and sick would be looked after but work would be provided for others.”7
Life would have been extremely difficult for Elizabeth and her family. Both she and her youngest child, Henry, died a relatively short time after James’ arrest. This was before the new law was enacted.
Henry died in February 1833 about the time that his father was arriving in Australia and Elizabeth died about a year and four months later in June 18348 9.
With their father's absence and their mother's death, Eliza, Maria, Rebecca and William were, in effect, orphaned. It appears that at least two of the girls became reliant on the Winslow Union Workhouse while William seems to have fared a little better, perhaps because he was older and better able to find work. More about each of the children below.
Henry Kirk (abt. 1831 - 1833)
Henry was baptised at Drayton Parslow in Buckinghamshire on 16 January 183110 and was probably born in January 1831, or a little before. He died in February 1833 (buried 8 February 1833), aged 2 years, about a year after his father had been convicted11.
Eliza Kirk (abt. 1828 - 1887)
Eliza was baptised in Drayton Parslow on 7 November 182812 and was, therefore, probably born in 1828. She was about 3 ½ when her father was arrested and convicted.
In the Winslow Union Workhouse records of August 1835, when Eliza was aged 6 years old, she is recorded as being 'friendless' and of being 'given 1s 6d'. In a further report in October 1842 she is reported as 'refractory - separately confined’13.
Eliza’s life did improve in adulthood and she married and moved to Canada. You can read more about Eliza here:
Maria Kirk (abt. 1824 - ?)
Maria was baptised in Drayton Parslow on 1 December 182414 and, therefore, probably born in 1824. She was about 7 ½ when her father was arrested and convicted.
Like her sister Eliza, Maria was an inmate of the Winslow Union Workhouse. In August 1835, Maria was ‘given 1s 6d’ and in October 1835 she was given ‘clothing not to exceed 15/-‘15.
To date, I haven't been able to find either a marriage or death record for Maria. It isn't clear whether Maria lived into adulthood but the absence of records suggests, perhaps, that she did not? Or, perhaps I just haven't found her yet?
Rebecca Kirk (abt 1822 - 1839)
Rebecca was baptised in Drayton Parslow on 1 September 182216 and so probably born in 1822. To date, I have found out very little about Rebecca. She would have been 9 ½ when her father was arrested and convicted.
It is likely that, like her sisters, Rebecca initially received support from the parish. From 1834, she may have received support from the Winslow Union Workhouse. However, I have found no record of this. Rebecca was the oldest of the sisters. She would have been 12 years old, or approaching 12, in August 1834 when the new poor law was put into effect. Perhaps she found agricultural work or a position as a domestic servant?
Rebecca died at the age of 16 ½. Her death is registered in the 1st quarter of 183917 .
William Kirk (abt. 1820 -1888) and his Family
William is the oldest of James and Elizabeth’s children. He was baptised at Drayton Parslow on 14 February 182018 and was probably born a little before that in January or February 1820. He was 12 in 1832 when his father was arrested and 14 in 1834 when his mother died. Of all of James and Elizabeth's children, he was probably the one who was best placed to be able to fend for himself.
William married Sophia Munday on 25 December 1840 at Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire19. Leighton Buzzard is about 8 miles from Drayton Parslow. William and Sophia had 5 children together; one of whom, Rebecca, died young at a year old.
William lived in Drayton Parslow his entire life and worked as an agricultural labourer. His wife and his children, once old enough, supplemented the family’s income working at home as straw plaiters.
William and Sophia are my 4th great grandparents. I descend via their daughter Hannah Kirk.
You can read more about William and his family here in my family history archive.
Final Note
It appears, then, that, of all of James and Elizabeth's children, only William and Eliza survived to adulthood. Their descendants, as far as I have been able to determine, are spread across England, Canada, United States, and New Zealand.
The post draws on information from my family history archive on the weare.xyz platform
Index to Baptism records shows that Elizabeth was baptised on 1 March 1798 at Drayton Parslow in Buckinghamshire and so was probably born about 1798. However, the record of her burial suggests she was born in 1800 - England Births and Baptisms 1538-1975 - Transcript via FindMyPast [Website] Accessed 1 Mar 2020
FindMyPast - Marriage Index Transcription Transcript via FindMyPast [Website] Accessed 20 March 2020
Geoff Kirk Eliza Kirk - Winslow Workhouse to Hope Island Lighthouse via Winslow History [Website] Accessed 18 January 2018: http://www.winslow-history.org.uk/winslow_workhouse_kirk.shtm
Wikipedia Royal Commission of Inquiry into theoperation of the Poor Laws 1832 Accessed 2 Mar 2020: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Commission_into_the_Operation_of_the_Poor_Laws_1832
Marjie Bloy The 1832 Royal Commission of Inquiry into the operation of the Poor Laws The Victorian Web [Website] Accessed 15 Mar 2020: https://victorianweb.org/history/poorlaw/royalcom.html
Marjie Bloy - See Note 6.
Glenys Warlow Worksheet pdf (Winslow Workhouse for History project) via Winslow History [Website]. Accessed 26 April 2021: http://www.winslow-history.org.uk/pdf/workhouse.pdf
FindMyPast - Burial Index Transcription via FindMyPast [Website] Accessed 12 Mar 2020
See also: Geoff Kirk ‘Eliza Kirk - Winslow Workhouse to Hope Island Lighthouse’ via Winslow History [Website] Accessed 18 January 2018: http://www.winslow-history.org.uk/winslow_workhouse_kirk.shtm
England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013 Transcript via Ancestry.com England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2014 Provo, UT, USA. Accessed 12 Mar 2020
FindMyPast - Burial Index Transcription via FindMyPast [Website] Accessed 2 Mar 2020
England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013 via Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2014 Provo, UT, USA. Accessed 12 Mar 2020.
Geoff Kirk Eliza Kirk - Winslow Workhouse to Hope Island Lighthouse via Winslow History [Website] Accessed 18 January 2018http://www.winslow-history.org.uk/winslow_workhouse_kirk.shtm
England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013 Transcript via Ancestry.com England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2014 Provo, UT, USA. Accessed 12 Mar 2020
Geoff Kirk Eliza Kirk - Winslow Workhouse to Hope Island Lighthouse via Winslow History [Website] Accessed 18 January 2018http://www.winslow-history.org.uk/winslow_workhouse_kirk.shtm
England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013 Transcript via Ancestry.com England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2014 Provo, UT, USA. Accessed 12 Mar 2020
Registered Q1 – RD: Winslow, Inferred County: Buckinghamshire, Volume: 6, Page: 277 via FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Accessed 5 Mar 2020
England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013 Transcript via Ancestry.com England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2014 Provo, UT, USA. Accessed 12 Mar 2020
England & Wales Marriages 1837-2005 Transcript via FindMyPast [Website] Accessed 12 Mar 2020
There are still Munday’s around Leighton. It was amazing how they coped, the workhouse was the last place that anyone would want to go. I don’t know much about the Winslow Union, all my research is in the Leighton Union. Really interesting story, thank you for sharing!
I am just catching up with your series Jane, and think it’s wonderful, as it really does shine a light on the way families were broken up in the days of transportation. It’s unthinkable how families survived at home after their breadwinner was gone. It’s very sad reading about the family in the poor house, but thank you for providing historical information about the poorhouses