Miriam Johnson (OH's FFMM)

[Jill]

Name - "official" name and what they were known as:
Miriam Johnson

Date and place of birth;
1839 Bramley, Surrey from census though birth registered in Petworth district, Sussex.

Names of parents:
William & Eliza

Date and place of baptism - if applicable:
17 Nov 1839 Hascombe, Surrey

Details of each of his or her marriages - if any:
11 Dec 1865 Wisborough Green, Sussex to Thomas Pottington.

Occupation(s) - if any
1861: general servant for Mark Miram of Yew Tree House Wisborough Green, farmer of 20 acres

Addresses where they lived (including county if in UK) - and please list which censuses you have or haven't found him/her on.
1841: Hascombe, Surrey
1851/61: Wisborough Green
1871/81: Lisgate Common, Fittleworth
1891: Hoghurst, Fittleworth
1901: Lower Mill, Fittleworth
1911: ??? only 3 people in the country called Pottington none of them are Miriam or her husband Entered as Knight as Elizabeth has discovered

Date, place and cause of death:
probably 1920, Petworth district

Date and place of burial / cremation;
n/k

Details of will / administration of their estate - if applicable;
none found

Memorial inscription - if any:
n/k

Link to husband Thomas Pottington/Potterton or Knight

[ElizabethHerts]

Jill, this is odd!

Is there any reason they would have used another surname in 1911? It is just because I have found the following:


KNIGHT, Thomas Head Married M 74 1837 Stone Quaryman Sussex Kirdford
KNIGHT, Miriam Wife Married 45 years F 74 1837 Surrey Cranleigh

RG number: RG14 Piece: 5298 Reference: RG14PN5298 RG78PN236 RD82 SD2 ED7 SN23

Bognor Mill Fittleworth

Compare this with 1901 Census:

POTTINGTON, Thomas Head Married M 67 1834 Stone Quarryman Kirdford Sussex
POTTINGTON, Marian Wife Married F 66 1835 Bramley Surrey

RG number: RG13 Piece: 954 Folio: 109 Page: 18

Lower Mill, Fittleworth, Little Bognor County: Sussex

[kiterunner]

If she was baptised in 1838 then she can't have been born in 1839!

[ElizabethHerts]

All I can think is that because of their age etc someone else filled in the form incorrectly.

[Jill]

Oops Kiterunner that's my typo, baptism should read 17 Nov 1839, I'll amend it.

How bizarre about the name Knight, Elizabeth, thanks for finding that I shall have to ask my bro in law if he knows any more as he has done a lot more work on the family than I have.

[Jill]

Curioser & curioser.

Just stumped up for their 1911 entry, and that of their son Frank Pottington in a separate household who is also down as Frank Knight!

Frank married in 1901 as Pottington and had a daughter Mary Lottie b1907 born as Pottington. All very odd.

[ElizabethHerts]

I thought it might be Thomas and Miriam when I saw the 1911 transcription, but even odder with their son Frank!

I wonder what would prompt them to change their name?
Is it just they preferred Knight or was there a reason to change identity - although I can't believe that as they are living in the same area surrounded by people who know them.

I'd be interested to hear what your brother-in-law says, Jill.

[ElizabethHerts]

BTW - our wedding reception was at Bramley, Surrey!

[ElizabethHerts]

Frank and his wife might have had another child, later on:

Sep qr 1920
Knight Irene Mother's Maiden name: Goacher
Petworth 2b 629

[Jill]

Miriam & Thomas's son in law Charles Harwood, farm bailiff had started stealing from his employer merchant banker Sir Ernest Drake Kleinwort in Haywards Heath near the time of the census (May, Jun & Oct, sums of 2 shillings) but no charges were brought until December so it can't have been that.

update: saw bro in law today and asked, he said Thomas's father though known as Pottington was illegitimate and had been born as Knight, so the family used both names.