52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 'Same Name' - Updated Dec 2020

The theme 'Same Name' reminds me of the time when, years ago, I had been exploring my Wilkinson line and hit that proverbial brickwall; unable to find anything at all about my 2nd gt grandfather Robert Wilkinson's wife Emma Anna Killik apart from what I had seen on their marriage certificate.  
Emma married at the very young age of 16, to Robert Wilkinson, age 20. They married at St Mary's Church Tollesbury on 22nd September 1855. In the Father's Name and Surname column on the marriage certificate the vicar wrote - 'illegitimate daughter of Rosa Killick' [sic]. A particularly cruel thing to have written for all to see. None of the witnesses is from Emma's side of the family. [1]

St Mary the Virgin, Tollesbury. Photo-Stacky, Family Tree Forum

1855 Marriage

For years I knew nothing of my 2nd great grandmother, Emma Anna Killik. (often written as Killick). I had always wondered and found it strange that none of the children, except for one, had the 'Same Name' as anyone on the Wilkinson side of the family. The exception being her firstborn son, Robert, who is named after his father, Robert Wilkinson. This seems so unusual. Their naming pattern for the other eight children I believe must reflect some unknown close association with her birth mother and other members of the Killik family despite not living with, or near them, for the first 16 years of her life.

I had some of the baptisms, birth, marriage and death certificates for quite a few of my direct line ancestors from searching the appropriate Record Offices and the IGI but it wasn't until the censuses and further documents came online that I was able to piece together the story of this particular family.

The 1851 census shows Emma Ann Killik born Salcott living as a lodger with John and Mary Ann Harris in Old Hall Lane, Tollesbury, Essex. [2]

1851 census

I was then able to find her on the 1841 census - named as Emma Harris, age 2, living with John and Mary Ann Harris in the small village of Salcott about 3 miles north of Tollesbury. [3]

1841 census

I found a baptism for Emma in the Parish Records for Salcott, Essex held at the Essex RO.  Emma Ann Killik was baptised 5th June 1839, daughter of Rosa Jane Maria Killik - spinster [4]

1839 baptism

St Mary's Church, Salcott. Photo - Stacky at Family Tree Forum

 Rosa Jane Maria Killik, my 3rd great grandmother, was born 23rd March 1817; eldest daughter of Stephen Killik and Jane Maria Thomas. Stephen was in the brewery trade and had inherited property from his father. At the time of Rosa's baptism, 24th June 1817, they appear to be a comfortably-off family 'in trade' residing in Marylebone, Westminster. [5]

1817 Baptism

In 1839, at the age of 22, it seems Rosa was shipped off to her spinster aunt, Susannah Elizabeth Killk living in Salcott cum Virley, Essex to have a baby, quietly and away from family and friends. I can only imagine the shock and embarrassment this may have caused her middle class Victorian parents. This small village on the coastal marshes of Essex would have seemed very strange to this possibly lonely and frightened young lady so used to the noisy, smelly, hustle and bustle of life in the big city. 

Probably on the advice of her parents and aunt, Rosa left her baby in the care of John and Mary Ann Harris and returned to London to live but not to her parents it would seem. The 1841 census lists Rosa living in Wynyatt Street, St James, Clerkenwell with no one that I recognise as a family member but her parents were living in Mawson Row, Chiswick.
As an aside, the poet Alexander Pope lived on this Row from 1716-1719; there is a Blue Plaque on the outside of the The Fox and Hounds, previously called The Mawson Arms.

By 1851 Rosa is listed as the wife of Edwin Wilks at 37 Clipstone Street, Marylebone. Edwin is noted as 'formerly a police officer' born Market Drayton, Shropshire. However, I have never found a marriage for her. [6] 

1851 Census

At the same time Rose's father Stephen Killik and his family had moved to 4 Grove Villas in St Paul, Hammersmith and he was a 'Proprietor of Houses'. We know from his Will that he had several properties around Chiswick, Fulham, Hammersmith and Clerkenwell. With the family was a very interesting visitor - Adila Willks [Adela Wilks] age 9, born Kensington. [7]

1851 census with Adela

Out of curiosity, I searched for this child, as you do, with quite unexpected results. The baptism for Adela was eventually found for 28th November 1847 at St Marylebone, a full 5 years after her birth. Her parents were Edwin - gentleman and Rosa Jane Maria Wilks. That was a find I hadn’t expected. The birth was never registered as far as I know and marriage has never been found for Rosa and Edwin……….[8]

1847 Baptism for Adela

………………which wasn't so surprising as Edwin Duncan Wilks was a married man at the time of both Emma and Adela's births. In fact, he had been married three times before. Edwin Duncan Wilks b 1801 at Market Drayton, Shropshire was a police constable at Marlborough St Police Station. 

I found a Divorce Petition for Wilks v Wilks filed 18th September 1858 which confirms Edwin as the father of three illegitimate children to Rosa Killik. I have been unable to find the third birth so again another child unregistered but possibly died before baptism was able to be undertaken.
Because of the divorce laws in England at the time, it is easy to see why Edwin's wife Emily was unable to bring her case to the attention of the courts until 1858.
Divorce laws in England 
'The Society for Promoting the Amendment of the Law in the 1850s published proposals suggesting that divorce should be dealt with in a separate Court and should be a cheaper process. These proposals were accepted and by the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857, the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes came into existence and the Ecclesiastical jurisdiction over divorce was abolished. The 1857 reforms only changed procedure and adultery remained as the only ground available for divorce. If a wife was the party claiming a divorce, she had to prove cruelty or desertion, in addition to the act of adultery by her husband.'
 
At first I was excited to find this divorce petition but as I read through it I found it quite disturbing. How would this have been viewed by middle class Victorians? Her behaviour, I expect, would have been regarded as unacceptable and perhaps she would have been shunned by society. From censuses it would appear that both her children were brought up by others but we must remember that a census is but a snapshot of one day and without further evidence we cannot assume that Adela was not brought up by her mother.
For the life of me though, I cannot understand why Rosa continued to stay with such a seemingly cruel man. I cannot walk in her shoes but I have to believe she either loved him very much or, for perhaps monetary reasons, felt powerless to leave him. Without her children beside her, I don't believe she would have led a very happy life.

It came as quite a shock to discover that, when the case of Wilks v Wilks was heard before the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes on the 30 June 1859, according to the report in the Morning Post dated 1 July,  'The Court thought the evidence only sufficient to warrant a sentence of judicial separation.'

This meant of course that Edwin was not free to marry Rosa.  

Edwin died 10th July 1860 from asphyxia and disease of the heart (3 years) at their home - The Royal Oak, 14 Spencer Street, Clerkenwell. He had left the Police Force and became the licensee in 1856. This was a property of Rosa's father Stephen. Edwin's death must have been quite a blow for Rosa as she had lost her father earlier in the year to laryngitis and bronchitis. Edwin left behind only debts but Rosa did benefit from her father's Will. Later, when her mother Jane Maria died, she found her none too sympathetic and received nothing from her having 'been already provided for'.... by her father in the form of dividends.
 
1861 census sees Rosa Wilks as a 'widow' and head of household with her sister Clara at the same address - 14 Spencer Street, Clerkenwell. Her daughter Adela Hillyard, now married, is listed with them as a niece. I think this may have been a case of 'What would the neighbours say?'  [9]

1861 census. Rosa, Clara and Adela

Rosa never married after Edwin's death but lived with her sister Clara and she died in 1909 at the great age of 91.

Emma and Robert Wilkinson settled in Tollesbury, affectionately known as the 'Village of the Plough and Sail'  to raise their family of nine children. Robert was an oyster dredgerman as was his father and grandfather before him.

Having looked back at Emma and her mother Rosa's family it is evident from the naming pattern of her children that some of Emma's family, particularly her sister Adela, must have kept in touch with her during all those years she had lived so far away from them. Hopefully her mother was one of them. It is obvious too that she kept in close contact with, and cared very much for, her 'foster' parents John and Mary Ann Harris.

Emma and Robert Wilkinson’s children with 'same names'.

Emma Mary Ann after herself and her mother’s 'foster' mother Mary Ann Harris.
Robert James John after her husband Robert Wilkinson and her great grandfather John Joseph Killik.
Edward Henry after her sister Adela's husband Edward Hillyard and/or uncle Henry Killik.
Harris John after her mother’s 'foster' father John Harris.
Laurence Stephen after her grandfather Stephen Killik.
Adela Rosa Maria after her sister and her mother.
Rosa Charlotte Sabina after her mother and an aunt.
Raymond Edwin Stephen after her father Edwin Wilks and grandfather Stephen Killik. 
Charlotte Hilda Hillyard after an aunt and her sister Adela's husband Edward Hillyard.

The work would have been hard and bringing up a family of nine children would have been tough. I like to believe that despite her humble beginnings, with a hardworking husband and children to care for, Emma led a much more loving and contented life than that of her mother.
Emma was aged just 58 when she died of apoplexy at home with Robert present at her death on 23rd February 1898.
Her mother Rosa outlived her by 11 years. 

References:
[1] D/P 283/1/12 Essex Archives Online - Tollesbury.
[4] D/P 413/1/1 Essex Archives Online - Salcott.
No further reproduction allowed without ERO written permission.
[5+8] London, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906. Ancestry.com
[2-3] [6-7] [9] England Censuses. Ancestry.com