32 - The Benson Family

Household 32 was headed by Jane Benson, an impressive widowed mother of 3 children; Sarah Jane, William and Mary Ann. Born Jane Gilbert, she had grown up in Calver, Derbyshire, not far from Eyam. Her father was a shoe maker and Jane and her sisters worked at the cotton mill.

She married George Benson in October 1847. He was a cotton warper from Romiley but they started their family in Derbyshire, and then Stalybridge. When the youngest of their 3 children was 6 years old George died aged just 36 years.

With no family support in Stalybridge Jane returned to Calver. She would have been disappointed had she hoped to move back in with her father as her brother and his family were living there. She had to find rooms to rent and the only way to afford the essentials was to put the children to work in the cotton mill. At 10 years of age, William worked full time as a doffer, in charge of removing the full bobbins and replacing them with empty ones.

Jane's father died in 1862 and the family moved to Romiley, perhaps to be near to George Benson's family. By 1871 we know that Jane was still working as a weaver of cotton, but had also begun her own business as a druggist, or pharmacist. From 1868 all druggists had to be registered to trade so Jane must have somehow learnt the trade alongside working and bringing up her family. The shop was downstairs and the family would have lived in the 2 rooms above. Jane would have sold fairly innocuous remedies such as peppermint and caster oil, but also laudanum and opium, which could be lethal if taken in the wrong dose.

Meanwhile, Jane's daughters were working as throstle spinners at Oakwood Cotton Mill, so called as the machine sounded like a thrush singing. William also worked at the mill as a lap carrier.

Shockingly, all three of Jane's children married, had children and were bereaved.

Mary Ann married Joseph Benson who lived at Oakwood Cottages just along the road. They had 3 daughters, one of whom died in infancy. Joseph died from a stroke aged just 31 whilst at work. Mary Ann went on to live with Peter Henshall, a married man, and had more children with him. When Peter's first wife died they finally married, aged 55 and 65.

Sarah Jane married Charles Lloyd Anker, a cotton grinder from Romiley. They had 6 children together and a year after the youngest was born, Charles died.

William married Nancy Hannah Booth, from Lane Ends in Romiley. They had 4 children and Nancy died aged 44.

You can find out more about the Benson family in the book "The Residents of Romiley Road" which will be coming soon.