Martha Wareham, my three-time great-grandmother
Martha Wareham was born on 20 January 1788 in North Baddesley, Hampshire, a small settlement to the north of Southampton. Her father, Lawrence, was 47, and her mother, Elizabeth, was 48. She was baptised in 1788 at All Saints Church, Southampton. On 27 November 1809, she married Henry Willis in Southampton. They had five children over 17 years. She died in January 1873 at age 85.
North Baddesley, in the late 18th century, was a small, agricultural parish shaped by traditional rural life. Martha moved to Southampton, where she met and married Henry Willis, a porter. Between 1810 and 1827, they had five children: Mary Anne (1810), Elizabeth (1819), my 2x great-grandmother, Sarah (1820), and Emma (1827). Martha may have another son, James, but I can find little information about him beyond the 1841 Census. They may also have had another daughter, as indicated by a burial record for what may be their sixth child. It notes she is the child of Henry and Martha Willis and was buried on 19 February, aged six months. However, she is also called Elizabeth, like their second child, who is now eleven.
In 1841, Martha was living in the Binstead area, about 40 km north of Southampton. The census records her as living only with James Willis. I am not sure who this is, whether a son or a brother, as there is no further information. It is unclear what happened to the family at this time, but the 1851 census shows her living with her husband, Henry, and their daughter, Sarah, at 81 Chandos Street, Southampton.
Chandos Street was in the St. Mary’s area of Southampton. The area was a densely populated district with rows of terraced housing, courts, and small workshops. It was close to the docks and the town centre, making it a typical working-class neighbourhood. The street no longer exists, as it was demolished during slum clearances and post-war redevelopment.
Martha’s husband, Henry, died in 1856. On 13 July 1859, Martha was arrested on East Street for being drunk and disorderly and was sent to the poorhouse.
Martha continued to live on Chandros Street with her daughter, Sarah, until her death in 1873.
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