The Blogging from A to Z Challenge is to post everyday (except Sunday) in the month of April 2020 starting with the letter A and going all the way to Z. My theme is...
Ancestor Occupations
KEEPING LODGERS
Another thing Sarah Nichols and her husband Henry Crawford did to earn an income was by keeping lodgers, even though they weren't supposed to.
In February 1884 Sarah and Henry were fined for keeping lodgers.
FMP - Western Times 21 Feb 1884, pg.3
The bench fined defendant 10s plus 10s 6d costs and advised Mrs Crawford to have the house registered as a common lodging-house. Mrs Crawford said she should not do so, as she did not take in common lodgers.
In May of 1884 one of her lodgers died in a fire in his room.
FMP - The Totnes Times and Devon News 10 May 1884, pg.3
Sarah Crawford, the landlady deposed that the deceased had lodged in her house since the last week in September, and that when he was well, he was employed as a tailor.
Sarah died in July 1885 and Henry put the house up for sale in December 1886.
FMP - Totnes Weekly Times 25 Dec 1886, pg.4
Wow, that's quite the news article about the fire...
ReplyDeleteThose times were a long way from couch surfing, huh
The Multicolored Diary
I had ancestors and collateral relatives who took in lodgers -- particularly those with large houses who needed the extra income. Although your article about the fire underscores the risks of this way of generation extra income.
ReplyDeleteAt 4d a night that fine would have taken some time to pay off. Interesting that she said she wouldn’t register the place yet three months later she still had one of the same men staying there. Such a sad story about the death from fire.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few stories of these two getting into trouble.... also her brother. Which I’m sure is why my 2x ggm wanted to immigrate to Canada and get far away from her crazy family.
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