Wednesday 19 February 2014

52 Ancestors: Week 8: Sarah Ann Mottram nee Lea (1840-1894)

Sarah Ann Lea was born on 9 April 1840 in West Bromwich to James Bunce Lea and Ann Davis.  In 1863 she married Peter William Mottram at St Martins, Worcester.  They went on to have two known children.  James George Mottram (1865 -1866) and Elizabeth Ann Mottram (1874-1940) who was known by my Grandad as Granny Woods.

You may have noticed from my posts that I love newspapers and with the Mottram name being rare in Worcester it's a nice name to search.  A while back I came across these newspaper reports.
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Worcestershire Chronicle

Saturday 10 March 1894

SUDDEN DEATH IN WORCESTER.

An inquiry was held by the City Coroner (Mr. W. B. Hulme) at the Guildhall on Tuesday afternoon in the circumstances attending the death of Sarah Ann Mottram, who died rather suddenly at her house in Bridge place, Lowesmoor, on Sunday afternoon. Mr. S. W. Coombs attributed death to fatty degeneration of the heart, due to intemperate habits, Peter William Mottram, Lowesmoor, gave evidence as to finding the deceased, who was a charwoman, 54 years of age, dead on her bed at five o'clock on Sunday evening - as already stated. She was, he admitted, addicted to drink. The Jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.
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Worcester Journal

Saturday 10 March 1894

SUDDEN DEATH.— On Tuesday Mr. W. B. Hulme, Coroner, enquired into the circumstances attending the death of Sarah Ann Mottram, the wife of a labourer, living at Bridge-place, Lowesmoor, who died suddenly on Sunday. The evidence was to the effect that the deceased had been of intemperate habits for some time past. On Sunday her husband saw her lying on the bed smoking, and shortly afterwards he found her dead. Dr. Coombs stated that several of the organs of the body were diseased, and death had taken place from affection of the heart. The jury returned a verdict of "Death from natural causes."
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Unfortunately, it would seen that it was not the first time Sarah Ann Mottram had been mentioned in a newspaper.  Given the rarity of the Mottram name in Worcester and the fact that this Sarah Ann is in the same locality as my Sarah Ann.  My Sarah Ann's occupation on the 1881 census...laundress.
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Worcestershire Chronicle

Saturday 08 January 1876

CITY POLICE.

SATURDAY. 

Before J. Wood, J. Coucher, and R. E. Barnett, Esqrs. 

ALLEGED ILLEGAL PAWNING.—-Sarah Ann Mottram, laundress, Lansdowne-terrace, was charged with stealing one blanket, one sheet, two pillow slips, and one table cloth, and with illegally pawning these articles. Mary Lee, Lansdowne-terrace, was the prosecutrix, and as she did not wish to press the charge prisoner was discharged.
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I need to understand who Mary Lee might be as Sarah Ann's maiden name was Lea.



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