Section 2a: Occupants of the Manor House through the censuses - part 1 (1841-1871)
Note: the Censuses only indicates who is LIVING at the properties listed, so it is hard to identify if they happen to own the property themselves or are tenants ... and the earliest census to reveal details of occupants which was taken in 1841, included only minimal information about place of birth (just whether each occupant was born ‘in county’) and ages of everyone over the age of 15 were rounded down to the nearest five years.
1841 census The occupier of Bibbesworth Manor House was the Reverend Henry WORSLEY (age ~55), with his wife Susan and three daughters – Susan, Mary and Euphemia. All were born outside of the county of Middlesex. At this period the building appears to have been a boarding school for young boys . Two School Assistants are listed as living at the address – George Spowers and Charles Snook, plus two male servants and six female servants. There were 25 pupils – aged between 8 and 15. Just six of the boys were born in Middlesex, the remainer all born elsewhere (including three from Scotland and one from Ireland). This was a period when it was still common to send young boys away for schooling ... though Charles Dickens’ serial publication of the novel ‘The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby’ in 1838/39 was beginning to draw attention to the appalling conditions found in many schools and academies (these were frequently run by men of the cloth).
This clip of the image for Bibbesworth Manor in the 1841 census only includes the Rev Worsley and his family - though the three daughters look like triplets, because of rounded down ages, we just known they were all aged between 15 and 19!
By 1851, Henry and Susan Worsley had moved away and were living in Suffolk with their son Rev Henry Worsley, Rector of Easton in Suffolk. This census confirmed that Henry Worsley Senior was born in abt 1783 in Newport, Isle of Wight, and his occupation was described as “D C L Clergyman without Care of Souls”. His wife Susan was born in 1786 in East Knoyle, Wiltshire.
1851 census From 1851, the information collected in the census becomes more detailed - now we start to learn ages and places of birth of occupants of properties, along with details of the relationships between the individuals listed. There are still clerical WORSLEYs as occupiers of the Manor House, though it is a different family group:
1851 - Note, the property is now known as 'Manor House'
The head of the household is now listed as Madeline WORSLEY, Clergyman’s wife. Madeline’s three eldest children were born in Greenwich, Kent, the next three at Carisbrook on the Isle of Wight and the youngest in Finchley. There were no longer any pupils shown on the entry, so the school seems to have closed. Madeline's unmarried sister, Henrietta le Geyt, was also present. However, her husband Reverend Charles Worsley was not present in Finchley in 1851; he appeared as a visitor in the household of Charles and Charlotte Bashleigh at 11 Chester Place, Marylebone. Charles Bashleigh was a Solicitor and Reverend Charles Worsley was shown as married, aged 67 and born in Carisbrook, Isle of Wight – his occupation was shown is “Not having care of Souls”.
In 1841 Henry Worsley’s family had been living in Carisbrook in the Isle of Wight and Madeleine’s husband was clergyman Charles Worsley, born abt 1786 on the Isle of Wight.
Unfortunately, the parish registers for the Isle of Wight are not available online, so I cannot establish if the two Reverend Worsleys (Charles and Henry) are brothers, though it seems likely. However, from information on Wikipedia, there could be a possible connection to Sir Richard WORSLEY (1751-1805) of Appuldurcombe, Isle of Wight (a pretty scandalous description of his family life is shown in Wikipedia (e)). But Alumni Oxonienses 1715-1886 (f) shows two possible entries with a less notable ancestry:
WORSLEY, Charles, son of Henry of Gatcombe, Isle of Wight, cleric. Matriculated 25 jun 1800 age 17 (BA from Wadham College 1804, MA 1807) died 1854. [Find My Past has a transcript of the baptism of Charles Worsley on 30 October 1783 at Carisbrooke, Hampshire, son of Henry and Mary. The GRO index shows the death of Charles WORSLEY in 1854 in Isle of Thanet reg. district – he was aged 70] Charles WORSLEY married on 25 jun 1833 at Greenwich to Madelina Maria LE GEYT. Rev’d Charles Worsley of the Manor House Finchley, was buried on 15 Aug 1854 at Finchley.
WORSLEY, Henry, son of Henry of Isle of Wight, cleric. Matriculated 4 jul 1798 age 16 (BCL 1805. DC: 1826) died 25 aug 1860. [Find My Past has a transcript of the baptism of Henry Worsley on 20 nov 1782 at Carisbrooke, son of Henry and Mary Worsley. FMP also has a transcript of a Marriage Licence Bond relating to the marriage of Henry Worsley (age 37, cleric) to Susan STILL (age 34, spinster of East Knoyle, Wilts) dated 20 jul 1819, Godshill, Hampshire. The GRO index shows the death of a Henry Worsley in 1860 in the Wandsworth Reg. District – he was aged 78]
so their father was almost certainly ...
WORSLEY, Henry, son of Edward of Isle of Wight, Matriculated 12 feb 1774 age 18 (BA 1777, MA 1791, B & DD 1800) Rector of Gatcombe, brother of Edward 1764. Remarkably, Rev Henry Worsley, age 85, clergyman was still alive and living at Garcombe Rectory, Isle of Wight in the 1841 census – his wife was Mary (age 79) and also living in the household were Lucy and Isabella Worsley (age 35 and 19 respectively) plus three servants.
1861 census The occupant of the Manor House in the 1861 census was still a WORSLEY – but there is no Head of Household named. The first name on the list was Charles F WORSLEY, ‘nephew’, unmarried age 22 – occupation “Bengal Civil Service”. There were also a housekeeper, cook and two maids. Charles’ place of birth was New Village, Isle of Wight. He turns out to be the same Charles Worsley aged 12, who was the son of Madeleine and Charles in the 1851 census. Charles Fortescue WORSLEY’s birth appears on the GRO index in 1838 on the Isle of Wight – confirming that his mother’s maiden name was Le GEYT. The Times of India published details of the marriage of Charles Fortescue WORSLEY, esq, Bengal Civil Service, to Caroline Jane ATKINSON, eldest daughter of Lieut Colonel F D Atkinson of the Bengal Staff Corps: the marriage took place at St Paul’s Cathedral (Calcutta) on 7th Jan 1863 (g).
1861 census - the first occupant listed is Charles F Worsley - (no Head of Household recorded)
1871 census The Manor House now has a new family in residence: George PLUCKNETT with his wife Charlotte and their ten children – all were born in Middlesex, and the five youngest children born in Finchley. There is also an Italian Governess (born in Brussels!) listed as a Boarder, and two children aged 16 and 15 who are shown as Visitors. George’s occupation is shown as ‘Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace’ Co Middx & Tower Hamlets, FSA Builder – he was born in Harlington, Middx. An 1846 Marriage Licence shows that his wife was Charlotte NICHOLLS. The ‘below stairs’ household has grown considerably since earlier censuses; with a butler, Cook, two housemaids, a Ladies Maid, a Nurse and a Kitchenmaid – most of these staff hail from the Home counties. (Living in the Lodge is James Lane, coachman, his wife Frances, plus a stable boy is boarding with the Lane family)
SOURCES:
(e) Sir Richard Worsley, 7th Baronet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Richard_Worsley,_7th_Baronet
(f) Alumni Oxonienses 1715-1886 – details accessed at Society Of Genealogists
(g) Families in British India Society https://www.fibis.org/
1871 census - The Manor House is now occupied by the very large family of the PLUCKNETTs plus their staff
