Charles Ellwood

1847 - 1918

Charles was born in Hillrow, Haddenham, Cambridgeshire, on 14th January 1847, the son of Newman and Sarah ⁽¹⁾, and baptised there on 14th March ⁽²⁾. He had two older brothers Jonah and John, and at the census of 1851 they were all living in Hillrow ⁽³⁾. However when he was just six, his father suddenly fell ill ⁽⁴⁾, and within three days had died from cholera. His mother was (probably) pregnant at the time with his younger sister Elizabeth ⁽⁵⁾.

Hence, by the time of the next census in 1861, the family had changed somewhat. With eldest brother Jonah having left home by then too, it was just Charles, his mother and John and Elizabeth ⁽⁶⁾. Ten years later in 1871, the four of them were still living together ⁽⁷⁾.

Sometime in the 1870s Charles left Haddenham. His reasons and his route are unknown, but by the census of 1881 he was lodging in Great Longstone, Derbyshire, and working as a watchman on the railway. He also claimed to be 6 years younger than he really was - the start of a trend in which he would never give his correct age on a census again! ⁽⁸⁾

Life soon changed dramatically for Charles. Within a year he had married Sarah Furniss, a widow with 8 children, 8 years his senior ⁽⁹⁾; and within 6 more months his daughter Sarah Elizabeth was born ^(10)(18). By the time of the 1891 census, Charles was living with his wife, his daughter, two of his stepdaughters, and a step-grandaughter ⁽¹¹⁾.

His wife died in 1893 ⁽¹²⁾, and sometime over the next few years Charles moved to Litton Slack, where he and his daughhter were living by 1901 ⁽¹³⁾. The following year his daughter got married ⁽¹⁴⁾, leaving Charles all alone. Sometime ove the next decade he moved to Tideswell, where he lived on Lower Terrace Road ⁽¹⁹⁾.

Nothing much is known of Charles' last few years, but he is said to have moved to a cottage in the Pot Market in Tideswell ⁽¹⁵⁾, where it seems he may have had a rather lonely last few years, what with his wife dead, and his daughter either dead or at least disappeared in disgrace ⁽¹⁶⁾ (which may well have soured relations with his son in law and grandchildren too). He died in the workhouse infirmary in Bakewell, on 10th October 1918 ⁽¹⁷⁾.

• Sarah Elizabeth has her own page.

1. Birth Certificate from Registration District of Haddenham states:

   When and where born	Name	Sex	Name and surname of father	Name, surname and maiden surname of mother	Occupation of father	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered
   Fourteenth of January 1847 Hillrow Haddenham	Charles	Boy	Newman Ellwood	Sarah Ellwood formerly Gothard	Shepherd	The mark of x Sarah Ellwood Mother Hillrow Haddenham	Tenth of February 1847

2. Parish Register of Holy Trinity, Haddenham contains the following baptism entry from 1847 :
   

   When baptised	Childs Christian Name	Parents Christian Name	Parents Surname	Abode	Quality, Trade or Profession
   Mar 14	Charles	Newman & Sarah	Elwood	Haddenham	Shepherd

3. Census of 30th March 1851 reads:
   Place: Hillrow, Haddenham
   

   Newman Ellwood	Head	Mar	39	Shepherd	Cambs, Boxworth
   Sarah Do	Wife	Mar	36		Do, Haddenham
   Jonah Ellwood	Son		14	Scholar	Do, Do
   John Ellwood	Son		9	Scholar	Do, Do
   Charles Do	Son		4	Do	Do, Do

4. Death Certificate from Registration District of Ely states:

   When and where died	Name	Sex	Age	Occupation	Cause of death	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered
   Twentry first November 1853 Hilrow Haddenham	Newman Ellwood	Male	42 years	Shepherd	Cholera 2 Days Exhaustion 3 Days Certified	The Mark of Mary Burton present at the Death Hilrow Haddenham	Sixteenth January 1893

5. Elizabeth's exact age is unknown. The day before he died (in November 1853) her father wrote his will which implied that his wife was then pregnant. However Elizabeth was not baptised until 4th February 1856 (according to both IGI and BIVR - I have still to check the original parish register). In the next three censuses, Elizabeths age was given as 9, 18 & 25 respectively, all implying a different date of birth between 1852 and 1856. It seems more than likely she was Newman's daughter, but without seeing her birth certificate, its not certain even that her mother claimed that.
6. Census of 7th April 1861 reads:
   Place: Hillrow, Haddenham
   

   Sarah Ellwood	Head	Widow	45	occupier of land	[Haddenham]
   John	Son	Un	19		"
   Charles	"	"	14		"
   Elizabeth	Daur	"	9		"

7. Census of 2nd April 1871 reads:
   Place: Hilrow, Haddenham
   

   Sarah Elwood	Head	Widow	57	Late Labs wife	[Cambs],[Hilrow]
   John Elwood	Son	Unm	27	Ag: Lab	Do, Do
   Charles Elwood	Son	Unm	24	Do Do	Do, Do
   Elizabeth Elwood	Daur	Do	18	Dressmaker	Do, Do

8. Census of 3rd April 1881 reads:
   Place: Rose Cottage, Great Longctone
   

   John Bacon	Head	Mar	53	Railway Labourer	Derbyshire, Youlgreve
   Ruth Do	Wife	Mar	54		Do, Rowland
   Charles Ellwood	Lodger	Unm	28	Railway Watchman	Cambridge, Hillrow

9. Marriage Certificate from Registration District of Bakewell states:

   1882 Marriage solemnized at the Parish Church in the Parish of Longstone in the County of Derby

   When married	Name and Surname	Age	Condition	Rank or Profession	Residence at the time of marriage	Father's name and Surname	Rank or Profession of father
   February 13	Charles Ellwood	35	Bachelor	Labourer	Great Longstone	Newman Ellwood (Deceased)	Shepherd
   	Sarah Furniss	43	Widow	Shopkeeper	Great Longstone	John Marshall	Miner

   Married in the Parish Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church after banns

   in the presence of William Eyre, Ann Furniss

10. Birth Certificate from Registration District of Bakewell states:

    When and where born	Name	Sex	Name and surname of father	Name, surname and maiden surname of mother	Occupation of father	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered
    Seventh August 1882 Great Longstone	Sarah Elizabeth	Girl	Charles Ellwood	Sarah Ellwood late Furniss formerly Marshall	Railway Watchman	Sarah Ellwood Mother Great Longstone	Twenty third August 1882

11. Census of 5th April 1891 (part 1, part 2 reads:
    Place: Main Street, Great Longstone
    

    Charles Ellwood	Head	M	46	Railway Watchamn	Employed	Cambridheshire, Haddem
    Sarah do	Wife	M	54			Derbyshire, Chesterfield
    Mary A Furness	Step Daur	S	16	Dressmaker	Neither Employer or Employed	Derbyshire, Gt, Longstone
    Ethel do	do	S	13	Scholar		do, do
    Sarah E Ellwood	Daur	S	8	Do		do, do
    Arnold F Brocklehurst	Grand Son	S	5	Do		Lancashire, Manchester

12. Death Certificate from Registration District of Bakewell states:

    When and where died	Name	Sex	Age	Occupation	Cause of death	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered
    Thirteenth January 1893 Great Longstone RSD	Sarah Ellwood	Female	56 years	Wife of Charles Ellwood a Railway Watchman	Phlhisis Exhaustion Certified by Ed Branson [Wrench] M.B.	C Ellwood Widower of deceased In attendance Great Longstone	Sixteenth January 1893

13. Census of 31st March 1901 reads:
    Place: Litton Slack
    

    Charles Ellwood	Head	Wid	48	Railway Labourer	Worker	Derby, Hillrow
    Sarah Ellwood	Dau	S	18	Cop Winder		"  , Longstone

14. Marriage Certificate from Registration District of Bakewell states:

    1902 Marriage solemnized at the Parish Church in the town of Tideswell in the County of Derby

    When married	Name and Surname	Age	Condition	Rank or Profession	Residence at the time of marriage	Father's name and Surname	Rank or Profession of father
    Nov: 24 1902	Harry Jackson	21	Bachelor	Quarryman	Gordon Road	George Jackson	Plate layer
    	Sarah Elizabeth Ellwood	20	Spinster	-	Litton	Charles Ellwood	Watchman Midland Ry

    Married in the Parish Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church after banns

    in the presence of Charles Ellwood, Ethel Furniss

15. Information from living relatives.
16. See his daughter's page.
17. Death Certificate from Registration District of Bakewell states:

    When and where died	Name	Sex	Age	Occupation	Cause of death	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered
    Tenth October 1918 Union Infirmary Bakewell	Charles Ellwood	Male	70 years	Tideswell R.D. Railway Platelayer	1. Senile debility 2. Spastic paralysis Certified by C.W. Evans M.D	A Atkinson Master Union Workhouse Bakewell	Twelfth October 1918

18. Parish Register of St Giles, Great Longstone includes the entry:
    

    When baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents Name		Abode	Quality, Trade or Profession
    		Christian	Surname
    1882 Septr 17 born Aug 7	Sarah Elizabeth	Charles & Sarah	Ellwood	Great Longstone	Railway Watchman

19. Census of 2rd April 1911 reads:
    

    Charles Ellwood

    Head

    61

    Widower

    Railway Labourer

    Railway Company

    Worker

    Cambridgeshire, Hillrow

    Number of Rooms: 4
    Postal Address: Lowe Terrace Rd, Tideswell