Louise Ellen Roberts Scowles 1881

I am trying to trace the family of Louise Ellen and Mary Eliza Roberts of Highview The Scowles.

They attended Scowles school as shown on the school register but I do have any photographs at all of them and would appreciate any information relating to them. Their fathers name was William Roberts.

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This looks like it should be them in 1891 but their father’s name is given as Frederick

GR 1891 Census, Scowles,

Frederick R? ROBERTS, Head, Mar, 35, Coal Miner, b. Gloucestershire, Scowles
Mary, Wife, Mar, 36, Staffordshire, Bilston
Charles H H, Son, 7, Gloucestershire, Scowles
Mary E, Daur, 12, Gloucestershire, Scowles
Louisa E, Daur 10, Gloucestershire, Scowles

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Again, many thanks for your informative reply to my question re young women working away from home.

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I imagine you must have at least some of this. Did Mary switch her given name to Eliza?

GR 1901 Census, Raglan, Mon.

Gilbert L BAILLIE, Head, Mar, 39, Living on own means, b. ?? Hall, Glam.
Constance F K , Wife, Mar, 41, St Johns Wood, London
Louisa ROBERTS, Serv, 19, Cook domestic, Newlin (sic), Glos.

GR 1911 Census, Churchdown, Nr. Cheltenham

Annie CURWEN, Head, 51, Widow, b. Filey, Yorks
Louisa ROBERTS, Servant, 29, Single, General Servant Domestic, Coleford, Glos
Eliza ROBERTS, Visitor, 32, Single, Coleford, Glos

GR 1901 Census, Agincourt Sq, Monmouth

William VAUGHAN, Head, Mar, 54, Plasterer, b. Mon, Trelleck
Marian, Wife, Mar, 58, Oxford
Eliza ROBERTS, Servant, Sing, 22, General Servant Domestic, Gloucester, Coleford

FODFHT

Record_ID 26357
Entry_Number 88
Year 1913
Month Dec
Day 28
Grooms_Surname TOWNSEND
Grooms_Forenames Thomas Milson
Grooms_Age 37
Groom_Condition Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation Collier
Grooms_Residence Hillersland near Coleford
Grooms_Fathers_Surname Townsend
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames George
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation Collier
Brides_Surname ROBERTS
Brides_Forenames Mary Eliza
Brides_Age 35
Brides_Condition Spinster
Brides_Occupation [not stated]
Brides_Residence The Scowles Coleford
Brides_Fathers_Surname Roberts
Brides_Fathers_Forenames Frederick William
Brides_Fathers_Occupation Collier
Licence_or_Banns Banns
Date_of_Banns
Signature_or_Mark Both sign
Witness_1 F W Roberts
Witness_2 Louisa Ellen Roberts
Other_Witnesses William Morgan M Annie Morgan
Officiating_Minister Edward H Brice
Event Marriage
Memoranda
Notes
Register_Reference P93 IN 1/12
Page_Number 44
Parish_Chapel Coleford

Record_ID 26362
Entry_Number 93
Year 1914
Month Mar
Day 11
Grooms_Surname LABAN
Grooms_Forenames Morgan John
Grooms_Age 34
Groom_Condition Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation Farmer
Grooms_Residence Trelleck
Grooms_Fathers_Surname Laban
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames John
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation Farmer
Brides_Surname ROBERTS
Brides_Forenames Louisa Ellen
Brides_Age 32
Brides_Condition Spinster
Brides_Occupation Domestic Service
Brides_Residence The Scowles Coleford
Brides_Fathers_Surname Roberts
Brides_Fathers_Forenames Frederick William
Brides_Fathers_Occupation Colliery Inspector
Licence_or_Banns Banns
Date_of_Banns
Signature_or_Mark Both sign
Witness_1 Bessie Roberts
Witness_2 William Ewart Prue
Other_Witnesses Frederick W[illia]m Roberts
Officiating_Minister Edward H Brice
Event Marriage
Memoranda
Notes
Register_Reference P93 IN 1/12
Page_Number 47
Parish_Chapel Coleford

GR Deaths

Louise E
Last Name Laban
Gender Female
Year 1965
Birth Year 1882
Birth Month
Birth Day
District Forest of Dean
County Gloucestershire
Country England
Volume 7B
Event Quarter 1
District Number
Page 451
Line Number 2
Entry Number

First Name Mary E
Last Name Townsend
Gender Female
Year 1961
Birth Year 1879
Birth Month
Birth Day
District Gloucester Rural
County Gloucestershire
Country England
Volume 7B
Event Quarter 3
District Number
Page 395
Line Number 69
Entry Number

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Well, what can I say, thank you so very much.I am intrigued by the addresses of where the two girls/women were staying when the census was carried out. Did young single women travel so far from home to work. How would they have found domestic work so far from their home.

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The distances involved are not so very far. Raglan is about 11 miles from Coleford as the crow flies and Cheltenham about 23. In Census you will find plenty of examples of young women travelling much further than this to take up domestic work. It was still an era when daughters of working class folk expected to go into service as a matter of course until, perhaps, they married. Bear in mind that the present British rail network is a shadow of its former self and it was once possible to get to or near many more, smaller towns or villages by train. Raglan certainly had a station until 1955 although I imagine you would have had to travel via Monmouth to get to it. At those kinds of distances I expect they would have been resident at their places of work for most of the time. As to how they found the work, if they didn’t find it by word of mouth the newspapers of the day were full of advertisements for domestic and other servants.

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My great grandfather emigrated to NZ from the Forest in 1860. Not long after he arrived here, he arranged for his 16 year old sister to emigrate as well, to take up domestic service in NZ (yes, even here in those days, posh - or lazy - people had servants!).

So she travelled 12,000 miles in a leaky sailing ship to take up domestic service.

Incidentally they lie buried next to each other, with headstones of the same style. I have always liked that.

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Louise Ellen Roberts Scowles 1881 (General)

Louise Ellen Roberts Scowles 1881

Louise Ellen Roberts Scowles 1881 (Updated)

Louisa Ellen Roberts Scowles 1881 (Updated)

Louisa Ellen Roberts Scowles 1881 (Updated)

Louisa Ellen Roberts Scowles 1881 (Updated)