This entry has been converted from an older document and may contain formatting errors.

I received a number of death certificates in the post:

Death of Frederick Henry Guiver,otherwise Fuke, on 3rd December 1912 at the Home for Incurable Children, 30 College Crescent. He was aged 13 and died from Spinal Caries Paraplegia – General Tuberculosis – Asthenia. He was the son of Edith Amelia Guiver, now the wife of William Fuke a Grocers Packer of 3 Chargeable Lane, Plaistow. The death was registered on 4th December by E. A. Fuke, mother, of 83 Meadows Buildings, Mansford Street, Bethnal Green.

The child and mother’s surnames were originally written as Fuke but these have been struck through and replaced with Guiver with notes added referring to the Fuke name. These corrections are numbered and initialled by the registrar.

It seems Frederick was suffering from something similar to Pott disease, which is a form of tuberculosis that affects the spine, causing deformity such as a hunched back. Asthenia means weakness so the child was in a very bad way.

Edith Amelia Guiver was the sister of Frederick Arthur Benjamin Guiver, my direct ancestor.

I also received the two death certificates of Frances Snowling – they turned out to be identical. I’m not sure if the same one has been sent in error or if there were simply two entries in the index for the death. I’ve never seen that before but given that the registration took place 7 months after the death then perhaps they enter it twice. Something to check.

Death of Frances Snowling on 24th October 1870 in Fressingfield. She was aged 71 and died from Inflamation of Bowels , 2 Weeks Certified. Her occupation was widow of William Snowling, pig dealer. The death was registered on the 27th April 1871 by Mary Ann Snowling of Fressingfield who was present at her death. She could not sign her name.

I think this is definitely Frances Chapman whose husband, William, was deported to Australia. A couple of things tie together here. The Australian death certificate for William that I found listed his occupation as butcher. Also I came across a newspaper story in the Bury and Norwich Post of 17 May 1820 where a butcher of “Fressington” called William Snowling was listed as being wanted for desertion from the Suffolk Militia.

I think Mary Ann Snowling is Mary Ann Corbyn, who married William’s nephew, James.

The next certificate was for Eliza Snowling:

Death of Eliza Snowling on 17 October 1837 in Fressingfield. She was aged four months and died from consumption. Her occupation was daughter of a servant. The death was registered on 10 November by Frances Snowling, mother, present at death.

This ties up with the baptism of Eliza Snowling in Fressingfield on 23 July 1837 [S0024] where no father is shown. I had originally assumed this was the daughter of Frances Chapman, but I am now more inclined to think that it is her granddaughter, i.e. the daughter of Frances Snowling baptised on 1819. She would have been 18 at the time and quite possibly working as a servant. Her mother, also Frances, was recorded as a washerwoman in every reference we have to her and would have been 37 when Eliza was born. On balance of probabilities I think the younger Frances was the mother.

That logic also applies to Emily Snowling I think:

Death of Emily Snowling on 15th February 1838 in Stradbroke Union House. She was aged 2 and died from Hooping Cough. Her occupation was pauper. The death was registered on 19th February by George Wright. Master of the Union Workhouse, Stradbroke

There was an Emily Snowling baptised in Fressingfield on 5 Jul 1836, mother Frances Snowling [S0024]. I suspect this is Frances the younger, baptised in 1819.

The final certificate is for William Snowling, another child, who I had presumed was the son of Frances and William Snowling (as per baptism in 1824):

Death of William Snowling on 7 February 1838 in Fressingfield. He was aged 2 and died from inflamation of the lungs. His occupation was child of a labourer. The death was regsistered on 14th February by Mary Snowling, mother, Fressingfield, present at death.

I’m not 100% sure who this is. We have a record of a burial on 11 February 1838 but previously we had attached this to William, son of John Snowling and Hannah Batho. It appears that this death certificate is a different William, perhaps the son of Samuel and Mary Ray.