Resume

The Anker lineage can be traced back to 17th century Cambridgeshire. In Whittlesey Ancestors Part 1 of this article we followed the footsteps of Abraham Anker who was born in 1819, the same year that his father died. He married local girl, Mary Wilkins with whom he ultimately had nine children. Abraham worked the land as an agricultural labourer. The family's fortunes plumbed the depths in the 1850s when they were forced to enter the Whittlesey Union Workhouse. During the 1860s their circumstances were improving, Abraham was back at work and the family had moved into their own accommodation. In this second installment I will be concentrating on my own line through Abraham's son, George.

Into old age

There have been more changes by the time of the 1871 census. The Ankers have moved back to Lattersey Field for the third time. Abraham has become a farmer, responsible for 19 acres of land. There has been a new arrival to the family - a five year old son named David Anker who was born in 1865. There is a continuing improvement in the household's economic situation over the course of the next decade. By 1881 it has been almost 20 years since Abraham and his family left Whittlesey Union Workhouse. Now 62 years old, he had become a farmer of 26 acres of land which he apparently owned. The income from the farm was enough that he could afford to employ a farm hand.

By this time Abraham was not in the best of health. A doctor had diagnosed him with heart disease some time before but the long hours and hard manual work he put into running the farm was making his health ever worse. By 1886 Abraham knew he didn't have long to live. There were urgent matters that needed attention. He would have to make provision for his wife after he was gone. Mary was getting on in years and could not be expected to keep working. Then there was the matter of who would take over the day to day running of the farm? Perhaps one or more of his children could run the family business. He set about writing his will with the aid of a local solicitor, the details of which can be read in the companion article: The Will of Abraham Anker of Whittlesey. The value of the estate amounted to £198-6-0, not a large sum of money but it was enough that Mary could live on for the rest of her life. The farming business she inherited would continue to generate income.

The following year, the town of Whittlesey held its famous Straw Bear festival. "It was the custom on the Tuesday following Plough Monday to dress one of the confraternity of the plough in straw and call him a 'Straw Bear'...A tail was provided and a strong chain fastened around the armpits. He was made to dance in front of houses and gifts of money or of beer and food for later consumption was expected" (1). George Frampton, a historian from Kent who researched this custom (2), found a record in the Cambridgeshire Times & March Gazette, 14 Jan 1887 (3) that said Mr Anker was the Straw Bear Keeper. This individual led the Straw Bear around town by pulling his chain. From looking at the 1881 census, Mr. Frampton surmises that this could have been "John Anker, born 1842. Otherwise he may have been Abraham (born 1851) or David, (born 1860)". Abraham Anker had two sons called Abraham and David - it is possible that either one of them could have played the part of the Straw Bear Keeper. The custom almost died out in the early twentieth century with the last sighting of the Straw Bear in 1909. The Whittlesey Society revived the festival in 1980 and to this day it continues to draw large crowds.

To Nottinghamshire

David's older brother George left home a few years later and moved to Carlton, Nottingham, where he worked as a railway labourer. He subsequently met Elizabeth Hallam and the two were married on 11 December 1878 at the parish church of Gedley. Elizabeth was born on 18 January 1857, the daughter of George and Susannah Hallam. Her father worked as a framework knitter. The 1871 census of the Hallams depict a family hard at work in this industry. George worked as a framework knitter and four of his daughters, Eliza, Ann, Jane and Elizabeth worked as cotton weavers. Almost every family living on their road worked in this industry.

The origins of the industry go back to the Elizabethan era when individuals from poorer backgrounds knitted socks to supplement their earnings. In 1589 the Reverend William Lee of Calverton, Nottinghamshire, invented a mechanical knitting frame. Concerned that this would put handknitters out of work, the Elizabethan Court did not grant a Royal Patent to the device. Rev. Lee and his brother went to France where they developed the machine with the approval of the French monarchy. Lee's brother eventually returned to England and set up a London workshop. A thriving business built up with the exiled Huguenot silk-spinners who had settled in the village of Spitalfields just outside the city. In 1663, the London Company of Framework Knitters was granted a charter. (4) Ian R Varey writes (5) that this occupation was unique to the "counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. After the Civil War knitting frames were set up in the wool producing areas of the East Midlands. By the 19th century, Derbyshire was concentrating on the production of silk garments, Nottinghamshire on cotton, such as Nottingham Lace, and Leicestershire on worsted, woollen garments. The framework knitter was somewhat taller than an upright piano, but not as wide. The solid wooden frame, incorporating a seat and foot pedals, supports the metal knitting machine. A row of fixed hooked needles hold the knitting, whilst the operator works on the new row. On 19th century machines, five or six rows of knitting with 288 stitches to the row could be achieved in one minute. The making of long hose suited a family unit, the man did the knitting, the woman did the sewing up and the children wound the hanks of wool onto cones".

Main Street, Carlton

By 1879 George and Elizabeth Anker had taken up residence at Main Street, Carlton. Their first child was born in the summer of that year, a son named George Henry. Within minutes of his birth it was clear that there was something terribly wrong. George was diagnosed with spina bifida. There was no treatment for this congenital disease during the Victorian Era. We cannot imagine how his parents felt when the doctor broke the news to them. George lived for seven weeks and died on 3 July 1879 after going into convulsions for an hour. Devastated as she was to lose her first born child, Elizabeth did not lose heart. On 3 November 1880 she gave birth to a healthy baby boy named George after his deceased brother.

By the time of the 1881 census, the family are living on Brook Street and have taken in a boarder named Mary Oldham, a 22 year old lace machinist from Nottingham.

In the years that followed, George and Elizabeth Anker added three more children to their family: Ada Maria (1883), Elizabeth (1885) and Nelly (1887).

Continued in column 2...

The engine driver

George worked in the coveted position of railway engine driver for the Great Northern Railway Company, having worked his way up through the ranks. In his article (7), Neil Storey writes that "many lads grew up wanting to be steam engine drivers, but there was no fast track to this coveted job. Applicants from railway families, especially the sons of an engine driver, were preferred, and it was best to start young, as young as 12 years old and certainly by the age of 14. This was because at the turn of the century it took a lad about 20 years to become a locomotive driver after he had joined the railway. An aspiring engine driver began 'in the shed' as an engine cleaner and 'grease monkey' or oiler."

We know that George Anker was not the son of an engine driver and the 1871 census shows him working as an agricultural labourer. It's hard to imagine how he progressed so quickly but perhaps natural ability and a willingness to learn helped. Storey continues: "Boys who showed aptitude, and willingness to progress, began by listening to and learning from experienced firemen and engine drivers concerning the way in which a steam engine locomotive works, especially how the fireman made up his fire, and the variety of tools, oil cans and fire irons. Young lads were also encouraged to learn from books." If the lad showed promise he would sit an examination where he would be tested on all aspects of maintaining and operating a locomotive. A satisfactory pass would qualify him as a 'relief fireman'. His main job was to make sure the boiler had the correct amount of steam needed for the job at hand. In addition he would watch for the safety of the engine driver on his side of the locomotive. In rare cases when an engine driver was unable to perform his job, the relief fireman would take over the controls. If the fireman had demonstrated his knowledge and skills he could take the driver's examination. Storey writes that "This rigorous test included knowledge of safety procedures, signals and 'knowledge of the road' (intimate knowledge of the railway line over which he would be working - everything from the order of stations to inclines, crossings and the position of signals). Success meant that he became a 'passed fireman'." As an engine driver, George probably worked about 13 or 14 hours a day and perhaps longer if there were delays on the line.

A decade of tragedies

By the time of the 1891 census, Mary Anker was living at a rented house on Arnolds Lane, Whittlesey. The census indicates she was renting three rooms and living on her own means. The disability column on the census was checked indicating that Mary was either blind or deaf or perhaps both. Meanwhile her son George and his family have moved to 10 Meadow Road, Carlton. His three eldest children attend school while Elizabeth stays home to look after her youngest child Nelly.

A number of tragic events happened over the next few years. Elizabeth's mother died of cancer on 17 May 1894. Susannah was 63. In 1896 George Anker was diagnosed with heart disease. There was little the doctor could do. George died on 26 October 1898 after suffering a massive heart attack. He was 41. Elizabeth was left to raise four teenage children by herself. As if things couldn't get any worse, her mother-in-law died two weeks later. Mary Anker had been poorly for some time and was going senile. The news of her son's death at such a young age must have affected her, perhaps even hastening her own demise. Within two weeks of his death, Mary was dead. She was 80. Her daughter Mary Oldfield was by her bedside when she died. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Anker had some legal matters to attend to. Since her husband had died intestate, she would have to apply for a letter of administration to take responsibility of his estate as well as provide two sureties. A personal surety is someone who makes him or herself personally responsible for payment in the amount of the bond should the estate trustee fail to properly administer the assets of the estate. Sureties were provided by Richard Outwin, engine driver of 39 Victoria Road, Netherfield and George Kaye, engine driver of Chandoo Villa, Chandoo Street, Netherfield. The letter of administration was granted on 18 November 1898. A transcript is below:

"In Her Majesty's High Court of Justice, BE IT KNOWN, that at the date hereunder written, Letters of Administration of all the estate, which by law devolves to and vests in the personal representative of George Anker, of Ashwell Street Netherfield in the County of Nottingham, Engine Driver, deceased, who died on the 26th day of October 1898 at Ashwell Street aforesaid intestate, and who at the time of his death had a fixed place within the District of the County of Nottingham were granted by Her Majesty's High Court of Justice at the District Probate Registry thereof at Nottingham to Elizabeth Anker the lawful widow and relief of the said intestate, And it is hereby certified that an Affidavit for Inland Revenue has been delivered, wherein it is shown that the gross value of the said estate within the United Kingdom (exclusive of what the deceased may have been obsessed of or entitled to as a Trustee and not beneficially) amounts to £363 and that the said affidavit bears a stamp duty of £0-10-0. Dated the 18th day of November, 1898 M.S. Vincent Registrar."

The value of George Anker's estate amounted to £363. This may have been a combination of any or all of the value of his property and the value of any pension or life insurance policy that he had with his employer. The letter of administration is stamped "Great Northern Railway superannuation fund."

A brave new century

Elizabeth is still living at Ashwell Street at the time of the 1901 census. She has no occupation. All her children are working. Ada works in a school. Elizabeth is a postal telegraph clerk. Nelly is employed as a shop assistant. George William is a railway engine cleaner. There is some evidence he was working from the age of 15 since an application was made for his birth certificate on 17 September 1895 for "the purposes of the Factory and Workshop Act 1891." This Act limited the number of hours that children could work. To make ends meet, Elizabeth took in boarders. They are James Duncan, a widower and artist from Scotland, his five year old daughter Eva and Earnest Rowley, a 27 year old railway engine stoker. In 1905 Elizabeth's daughter, Elizabeth, had a child out of wedlock. His name was Leonard Lymberry Anker. He never knew who his father was since his father's name does not appear on his birth and marriage certificates. His son Robert is said to have immigrated to the United States.

By the time of the 1911 census there have been some changes. The Ankers have moved to larger accommodations on 1 Conway Avenue, Carlton. Elizabeth is 52 and still widowed. All her children have good jobs. Ada is a qualified school teacher. Elizabeth is a machinist. Her five year old son Leonard is living with the family. Nelly works as a clerk. George William has left the railways and works as a process etcher. There is a 16 year old servant girl by the name of Miss L. Newton. Mr. Duncan and his daughter Eve are still living with the family. He is a lithographic artist. Perhaps it was he who piqued George William's interest in this line of work. Years later, Mr. Duncan painted a portrait of George William Anker's wife, Ada Mallin, standing by the river.

Information about the Anker family after 1911 is scarce. George William left Nottingham and moved to London where he continued working as a lithographic artist. One source revealed that he worked on the Harpers & Queen magazine which caters to high society. He eventually met his future wife Ada Mallin, while lodging at the home of her mother in West Drayton. Ada was born on 2 November 1898 in Dudley, the daughter of David Mallin and Elizabeth Wise. George and Ada were married by licence at Uxbridge Registry Office on 14 April 1923. At the time of their marriage, George was 42 and Ada was 24 - a significant age gap of 18 years. There are no further details about the family until the death of George's mother on 26 March 1931. Elizabeth was 74. She suffered with heart disease and an episode of bronchopneumonia was too much for her frail body to handle. George made the journey from London to Nottingham to be with his mother before she died. Elizabeth never remarried. The rest of the affairs of the Anker family will remain private, suffice to say that George William Anker passed away on 13 August 1962 and his wife Ada died on 27 March 1987.

This story is about a reversal of fortunes - how a poor family left the workhouse and made something better of their lives.

References

1. The Festival and photograph of the straw bear and trainer (1909): The Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival
2. FRAMPTON, GEORGE Whittlesey Straw Bear: With Notes on the Celebration of Plough Monday in The Area; Cambridgeshire Libraries Publications. 1989, 1st Edition. (ISBN: 1870724615)
3. Our World Festivals quoting Frampton G, Morris Matters, 2000, 19, 1, 8-21. "An Index of Performers Participating in Cambridgeshire's Molly Dance and Straw Bear Customs, up until 1939." Whittlesey, Historical References
4. The Stocking Frame: wikipedia
5. Varey, Ian R: "FWK is not a rude word!" (1995) in WIRKSWORTH Parish Records 1600-1900
6. Sharpe, P: "A Stocking Frame at Sutton-in-Ashfield Library" in A Village of Considerable Extent: pg 14 South Normanton Parish Council 1982
7. Storey, Neil. Railway Gangers. Practical Family History: April 2006

Page added: June 8th 2010
Last updated: April 21st 2012

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