Introduction
Henry F Lake is an enigma. The 1851 census recorded him as a seventeen-year-old assistant miller living with his mother and stepfather in Barry Lane, Hardington.[1] The record suggests that his mother had an intriguing past, but little is known about it. Additionally, Henry’s occupation was unusual and indicates that he worked outside the parish.
Childhood
Henry was born in about 1833 at Newport on the Isle of Wight. He appears to have been the illegitimate son of Marianne Feaver Lake, who was born in about 1811 at Evershot. The “F” in his name probably stood for Feaver, the maiden name of Marianne’s mother.
Mystery
The circumstances surrounding Marianne’s presence on the Isle of Wight in 1833 are difficult to explain. If she went there to work, why was she not sent back once her pregnancy became known? If someone had sent her there for her confinement, that person would probably have been affluent, as the island was relatively difficult to access from Evershot at that time.
Mother’s life
In June 1841, Marianne was a servant at East Chinnock rectory employed by Rev Charles Smith Coxwell and his wife, Frances. Henry did not live with her at that time, and he has not been found in the 1841 census at all.[2]
In 1846, Marianne married George White, a fellow servant at the rectory. The couple bought a house in Barry Lane, Hardington, the following year. This is where Henry lived with them at the time of the 1851 census.
George and Marianne lived together at Hardington until the 1860s, when they moved to Merriott.
The only record we have of Henry F Lake is the 1851 census entry.
References
[1] His relationship to George White, the household head, was “son-in-law”, which meant stepson.
[2] Illegitimate children were often raised by their grandparents. However, Marianne’s mother died in 1822. Her father remarried the following year, had five more children and lived until 1871. There is no evidence he played any part in raising Henry.
