Find Ancestors

It was my pleasure. :-)

I am certain you have found the right family with the marriage to Harriet Polley, this is my extended tree searching for my second cousin, so I will leave it her if she wants to confirm with certs. You have really turned up some great surprises, turns out 3 generations back both my mum's ancestors and my dad's ancestors lived on the same street ! it was a much smaller world back then! Thanks for all your help.

BTW, you're not rubbish at searching, they weren't easy to find!

Still missing the 1861 and 1871 for James and Harriet :-S

Just checked the marriage image, they are both supposedly of full age, but porkies were often told on these occasions. The baptism details tally too well with the father's occupation on the marriage etc for Harriet Amelia not to be the Harriet Amelia baptised Jan 1840.

The baptism was Jan 1840, and the marriage August 1856, so Harriet was at least sixteen and a half at the time of the marriage.

Didn't happen often but girls could marry at 12, and boys at 14, (with parental consent) up until the late 1920s (EDIT, until 1929, when minimum age was raised to 16) in England and Wales.

Harriet's birth was registered first quarter 1840, so she was either born sometime in January before her baptism on the 26th, or she might have been born late on in 1839, as you had six weeks in which to register the birth.

The young age at marriage would also explain how it was biologically possible to have her last child in 1885, having had her first known child baptised in 1858, less than 2 years after the wedding ( No dob given for the child, Harriet junior).

EDIT: I notice James' likely first bride, Susan(nah) Riley was only 17 when he married her - maybe he liked them young?

The other marriage definitely isn't them, as that couple had chlidren born in Clapham,are also traceable in the census.

I've already shown the link with George and Elizabeth Hutson being witnesses at the marriage of Henry F Finlayson,, and the link with the 3 Gastigny Place address that cropped up in your Hutson research.

I'm confident that the Finlayson-Polley marriage is the correct one, but if you want to resolve the issue for certain, you could buy the birth cert for Elizabeth Mary Ann to verify her mother's maiden name :

Births Jun 1876 FINLAYSON Elizabeth Mary A Holborn 1b 792

Harriet wasn't the first person to lop a year or two off her age in the census..... :-0

Though the 1901 census seems to have a fairly accurate birth year for her.

I agree that the marriage of James Finlayson and Harriet Amelia Polley is the most likely but just concerned about Harriet being born 1842?? wasn't she rather young to marry at 14? I don't have much experience with marriage's this far back, was marriage at 14 possible?

Thank you Kucinta, the info you have found is amazing, it will take me all night to go through it but it all looks spot on. I really appreciate your help, I thought I had tried every variation of the surname to find them in the other census's but clearly I am still rubbish at searching.
Thanks again.

The Polley family in 1841:

1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census

Wild Street, St Giles in the Fields, St Giles & St George, Middlesex, England -

Wm Polley Male 25 1816 Middlesex, England goldbeater
Wm Polley Male 5 1836 Middlesex, England
Henry Polley Male 3 1838 Middlesex, England
Harriett Polley Female 25 1816 Middlesex, England
Harriett Polley Female 1 1840 Middlesex, England <<<<<<<<
James Crow Male 15 1826 Middlesex, England
John Johnson Male 30 1811 -
Charles Johnson Male 5 1836 Middlesex, England
Clara Johnson Female 25 1816 Middlesex, England
Emma Johnson Female 7 1834 Middlesex, England

and 1861:

1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census

7, Clare Court, St Clement Danes, Strand, London, England

William Polley Head Married Male 47 1814 Goldbeater Hodson, Middlesex, England
Harriet Polley Wife Married Female 47 1814 - -
William Polley Son Unmarried Male 26 1835 Book Binder -
Elizabeth Polley Daughter Unmarried Female 17 1844 Book Folder -
Frederick Polley Son - Male 14 1847 Printer -
Elizabeth Estling - Unmarried Female 23 1838 Servant -
William Estling Visitor Unmarried Male 20 1841 Printer

?????

Possible marriage for parents?

Name: William Polley
Spouse: Harriot Burdett
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 12 Nov 1833
Parish: St Mary, Lambeth
Borough: Lambeth
Register Type: Parish Register

Going back to Elizabeth Mary Ann's mother, Harriet.

I think this is her baptism. Father is William, a gold beater, as per her marriage to James Finlayson:

Name: Harriet Amelia Polly
Record Type: Baptism
Baptism Date: 26 Jan 1840
Father's name: William Polly
Mother's name: Harriet Polly
Parish or Poor Law Union: Holborn St Giles in the Fields
Borough: Camden
Register Type: Parish Registers

Father a gold beater. No dob recorded. abode 26 Gt Wild St

This looks like the family in census 1851:

1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census

Gilbert Street, Saint Clement Danes, Strand, Middlesex, England

William Polley Head Married Male 40 1811 Gold Beater Horton, Middlesex, England
Harriett Polley Wife Married Female 40 1811 Shoe Binder Horton, Middlesex, England
William Polley Son - Male 16 1835 Errand Boy St Giles, Middlesex, England
Henry Polley Son - Male 13 1838 Errand Boy Hoxton, Middlesex, England
Harriett Polley Daughter - Female 11 1840 - St Giles <<<<<<<<
Elizabeth Polley Daughter - Female 8 1843 - St Giles
Frederick Polley Son - Male 4 1847 -

A note in the final column says William Polley is blind in 1 eye.

There is also a son named William, so either father or son could be the witness on Harriet Amelia's marriage register record.

Elizabeth Mary Ann's father James admitted to the workhouse?

He is described as a knife grinder:
Name: James Finlayson
Birth Date: 1826
Admission Age: 64
Admission Date: 16 Jan 1890
Record Type: Admission
Borough: Holborn
Parish or Poor Law Union: Holborn
Place: London, England
Title: City Road Workhouse (St Luke's Workhouse) Register, 1889-1890<<<


He is described as a grinder.

Name: James Finlayson
Birth Date: 1825
Admission Age: 66
Admission Date: 31 Mar 1891
Discharge Date: 30 Apr 1891
Record Type: Admission and Discharge
Borough: Holborn
Parish or Poor Law Union: Holborn
Place: London, England
Title: City Road Workhouse (St Luke's and Other Workhouses) Register, 1890-1891

Note it is the CITY ROAD workhouse, the same one that Harry Hutson was also admitted to?

he seems to pop in and out of the workhouse during the early 1890s

This last entry terminates with the word 'Dead', which tallied with the death record I posted earlier.

Name: James Finlayson
Birth Date: 1826
Admission Age: 67
Admission Date: 21 Jun 1893
Discharge Date: 28 Jun 1893
Record Type: Admission and Discharge
Borough: Holborn
Parish or Poor Law Union: Holborn
Place: London, England
Title: City Road Workhouse (St Luke's and Other Workhouses) Register, 1892-1894

Wondering about this James Finlayson, remember ages of over 15s were round ed down to the nearest five years in the 1841, so he could be 35-39 years old:

Census 1841:

Name: James Finlayson
Age: 35
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1806
Gender: Male
Where born: Middlesex, England
Civil Parish: St James Clerkenwell
Hundred: Ossulstone (Finsbury Division)
County/Island: Middlesex
Country: England
Street address:


Registration district: Clerkenwell<<<<<<<<<<<<
Sub-registration district: St James

Household Members:

James Finlayson 35 cutter c1806 Middlesex England
Julia Finlayson 26 c 1815 Middlesex, England
Mary Reardon 20 lint maker c1821 Middlesex, England

THis looks like a marriage for James and Julia, given the surname of the other member of the 1841 household, MaryrReardon

Name: James Finlayson
Spouse: Julia Reardon
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 29 Jul 1832
Parish: St Leonard, Shoreditch
Borough: Hackney
Register Type: Bishop's Transcript

James is described as a widower, so he could be the man previously married to Sophia Jane and father of the James baptised 1823.

EDIT: Possible death for Sophia?

Name: Sophia Fenlayson
Record Type: Burial
Age: 28
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1802
Death Date: abt 1830
Burial Date: 10 Jul 1830
Burial Place: St Sepulchre, Holborn, England
Parish or Poor Law Union: St Sepulchre, Holborn
Borough: City of London
Register Type: Parish Register

Abode: Black Bay Alley.

This MIGHT be James in census 1851, again cutler rather than cutter, but he seems to be cutler on censuses, not on baptisms and marriages etc, so it may be down to mistranscription when the enumerator was writing up the census books, or the terms cutter, cutler, and knife or razor grinder are being used interchangeably.


1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census

Turnmill Street, Saint John Clerkenwell, Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England

Susan Riley Head Widow Female 54 1797 Spinner St Andrew's, Middlesex, England
Susan Riley Daughter - Female 23 1828 - St Andrew's, Middlesex, England
James Finlison Visitor - Male 27 1824 Cutler Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England <<<<<<<<<<
William Riley Son - Male 18 1833 Paper Stainer St Andrew's, Middlesex, England

Not much help when it comes to identifying parents though. :-(

EDIT, looks like the above IS James, as this would seem to be his first marriage below, which is interesting, as James claimed to be a bachelor when he married Harriet Amelia Polley:

Name: James Finlayson - cutter
Spouse: Susannah Riley
Spouse Age: 17
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 13 Feb 1844
Parish: St John, Clerkenwell
Borough: Islington
Father Name: James Finlayson - cutter
Spouse Father: William Riley - boot maker
Register Type: Parish Register

Bride and groom of White Horse Court.

This death would tally reasonably well with James being aged 66, born c1825, in census 1891:

Deaths Jun 1893 Finlayson James 67 Shoreditch 1c 67

Wondering if he were born even earlier, but was cagey about his age because his wife Harriet was quite a bit younger than him?

???????????????????

This one has father named James as per his marriage

Name: James Finlayson
Record Type: Baptism
Baptism Date: 29 Sep 1823
Father's name: James Finlayson
Mother's name: Sophia Jane Finlayson
Parish or Poor Law Union: Clerkenwell St James
Borough: Islington
Register Type: Parish Registers

Address Lamb Court. Father a razor grinder. Brother named George baptised same day, no birthdates recorded.

The family are woefully mistranscribed in census 1891, no wonder you couldn't find them!

Name: James Finloyon
Age: 66
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1825
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Harriet Finloyon
Gender: Male
Where born: Clerkenwell
Civil Parish: St Luke
Ecclesiastical parish: St Luke
Town: London
County/Island: London
Country: England

Household Members:

James Finloyon 66 c1825 Clerkenwell (looks like cutler rather than cutter)
Harriet Finloyon 49 c1842 St Luke
Mary Finloyon 15 c1876 St Luke
Edward Finloyon 11 c1880 St Luke
Sarah Finloyon 9 c 1882 St Luke
Harry Finloyon 6 c1885 St Luke

Marriage for son Henry Frederick:

NB Bride and groom are again of 64 Herbert St, as for brother John Edward's marriage:

Name: Henry Frederick Finlayson - carman
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1883
Age: 21
Spouse: Jane Maria McCarthy - paper sorter
Spouse Age: 21
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 4 Dec 1904
Parish: Holy Trinity, Hoxton
Borough: Hackney
Father Name: James Finlayson - cutter
Spouse Father: Arthur Mccarthy - brick layer
Register Type: Parish Register

Witnesses are GEORGE HUTSON, ELIZABETH HUTSON

Marriage for daur Sarah Sophia:

Name: Sarah Sophia Finlayson
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1881
Age: 21
Spouse: William Doig Prescott - machine minder
Spouse Age: 29
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 13 Jul 1902
Parish: St Luke, Finsbury
Borough: Islington
Father Name: James Finlayson - cutter
Spouse Father: Richard Prescott - can't make it out
Register Type: Parish Register

Bride and Groom are of 3 GASTIGNY PLACE. Witnesses Emma Noskey and Robert Yellowlee.

Second marriage for Sarah Sophia:

Name: Sarah Sophia Prescott
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1882
Age: 34
Spouse: Joseph Garibaldi Wainwright - carman
Spouse Age: 34
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 14 May 1916
Parish: St Paul, Clerkenwell
Borough: Islington
Spouse Father: William Wainwright - carman
Register Type: Parish Register

Bride and groom are both widowed, both of 172 Central st. Bride's father is James Finlayson, cutter.

Witnesses are Henry Finlayson and Emma Finlayson.

You really should recognise the address on this 1901 census for the widowed Harriet FInlayson (nee Polley), and a couple of her children. I suspect John Edward is Edward from the 1881 census:


1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census

3, Gastigny Place, St Luke, Holborn, London, England<<<<<<<<<<<<

Harriet Finlayson Head Widow Female 61 1840 Charwoman -
Sophia Finlayson Daughter Single Female 19 1882 Fancy Box Maker St Luke's
John E Finlayson Son Married Male 22 1879 Carman St Luke's
Elizabeth S Finlayson Daughter-In-Law Married Female 19 1882 Fancy Box Maker Leyton, Essex, England

This looks like the marriage for John Edward....

Name: John Edward Finlayson - carman
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1879
Age: 22
Spouse: Elizabeth Selina Gooch
Spouse Age: 19
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 31 Mar 1901
Parish: Holy Trinity, Hoxton
Borough: Hackney
Father Name: James Finlayson - deceased cutter
Spouse Father: John Morris Gooch - slater
Register Type: Parish Register

Both bride and groom of 64 Herbert Street. Witnesses Edward William Gooch and Sarah Finlayson (possibly the Sarah baptised 1882?)

On the marriage of Elizabeth Mary Ann Finlayson to George Hutson, the witnesses are Thomas Hutson, and Harriet Powers.

I believe Harriet Powers is Elizabeth Mary Ann's sister , baptised 1858 as posted earlier, and this is her marriage:

Name: Harriet Finlayson<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Spouse: Edward Powers - printer
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 25 Dec 1878
Parish: St John, Hoxton
Borough: Hackney
Father Name: James Finlayson - cutter <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Spouse Father: Edward Powers - blacksmith
Register Type: Parish Register

Bride and groom are both of 4 Upper John Street.

The 1881 Census you mentioned. He's transcribed as a working cutler, but it's cutter on the image:

NB: The address tallies with that on some of the later baptisms I posted.

1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census

8, Richards Place, St Luke, Holborn, London, England

James Fenlayson Head Married Male 52 1829 Working Cutler Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England
Harriett Fenlayson Wife Married Female 39 1842 - St Clement, Middlesex, England
James Fenlayson Son Single Male 15 1866 Printer St Luke's, Middlesex, England
Mary Fenlayson Daughter Single Female 5 1876 Scholar St Luke's, Middlesex, England
Edward Fenlayson Son Single Male 3 1878 - St Luke's, Middlesex, England

I assume Mary is Elizabeth Mary Ann, and Edward is actually John Edward.

At least two marriages for a James Finlayson and a Harriet:

I believe this one is most likely, as the earliest baptism is 1858, and the groom's occupation is CUTTER

Name: James Finlayson - bach - cutter
Spouse: Harriet Amelia Polley
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 31 Aug 1856
Parish: St John the Evangelist, Lambeth
Borough: Lambeth
Father Name: James Finlayson - cutter
Register Type: Parish Register

Bride's father is William Polly, a gold beater. Both bride and groom were of Wiliam St. Witnesses were Mary Magrath and William Poley.


This is the other marriage, occuring around the same time:

Name: James Finlayson - bach - milkman
Spouse: Harriett Henrietta Townshead
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 31 Mar 1856
Parish: St Barnabas, South Lambeth
Borough: Lambeth
Father Name: David Finlayson - draper
Spouse Father: John Townshead - glass cutter.
Register Type: Parish Register

Bride and groom both of John Street. Witnesses Henry John Mills and Mary Ann Smith.

This couple have children baptised at Clapham Holy Trinity from 1857 onwards. James has become a butcher by occupaton, 1858, he's a brewer. 1859 a butcher again . 1866 he's a drummer,

This Harriet sometimes has middle name Henrietta, sometimes not. The family are living in Battersea in census 1871, with James, born c1834 Brixton, Surrey, now occupied as a labourer. so not to be confused with your James and Harriet.

More baptisms?

Name: Annie Amelia Finlayson
Record Type: Baptism
Baptism Date: 5 Aug 1877
Father's name: James Finlayson
Mother's name: Harriett Finlayson
Parish or Poor Law Union: Finsbury St Luke
Borough: Islington
Register Type: Parish Registers

Born July 25th 1877. 8 Richard's Place. Father a cutter.

EDIT Died young:
Deaths Mar 1883 FINLAYSON Annie Amelia 6 London C. 1c 12


Name: John Edward Finlayson
Record Type: Baptism
Baptism Date: 29 Sep 1878
Father's name: James Finlayson
Mother's name: Harriett Finlayson
Parish or Poor Law Union: Charterhouse St Thomas
Borough: Islington
Register Type: Parish Registers

Born JUly 18 1878. 7 French Alley. Father a cutter.

Name: Sarah Sophia Finlayson
Record Type: Baptism
Baptism Date: 22 Jan 1882
Father's name: James Finlayson
Mother's name: Harriet Finlayson
Parish or Poor Law Union: Finsbury St Luke
Borough: Islington
Register Type: Parish Registers

Born Jan 3 1882. Father a cutter. 8 Richard's Place Old Street.


Name: Herny Frederick Finlayson
Record Type: Baptism
Baptism Date: 1 Feb 1885
Father's name: James Finlayson
Mother's name: Harriett Finlayson
Parish or Poor Law Union: Finsbury St Luke
Borough: Islington
Register Type: Parish Register

Born Jan 2nd 1885. 8 Richard's Place. Father a cutter.

Baptisms?

Remember Father James Finlayson was a deceased cutter on the marriage register for Elizabeth Mary Ann.

Name: Elizabeth Mary Ann Finlayson
Record Type: Baptism
Baptism Date: 16 Apr 1876
Father's name: Jane Finlayson
Mother's name: Harriett Finlayson
Parish or Poor Law Union: Charterhouse St Thomas
Borough: Islington
Register Type: Parish Registers

Birth March 18th 1876. 8 Richard's Place Old St Father a cutter. It really does look like Jane and Harriett on the image.

More baptisms:

Name: Harriett Finlayson
Record Type: Baptism
Baptism Date: 2 Apr 1858
Father's name: James Finlayson
Mother's name: Harriett Finlayson
Parish or Poor Law Union: Charterhouse St Thomas
Borough: Islington
Register Type: Parish Registers

Father a cutter. No birthdate 4 CH??e Yd, Golden Lane.

Name: James William Finlayson
Record Type: Baptism
Baptism Date: 18 Apr 1862
Father's name: James Finlayson
Mother's name: Harriett Finlayson
Parish or Poor Law Union: Charterhouse St Thomas
Borough: Islington
Register Type: Parish Registers

Born Sept 12 1861. 1 London Passage. Father a cutter.

Name: Frederick Finlayson
Record Type: Baptism
Baptism Date: 4 Jan 1874
Father's name: James Finlayson
Mother's name: Harriet Finlayson
Parish or Poor Law Union: Finsbury St Luke
Borough: Islington
Register Type: Parish Registers

No birthdate. 2 London Passage Golden Lane. Father a cutter.

EDIT Died young?
Deaths Mar 1878 FINLAYSON Frederick 4 Holborn 1b 560