Stanhoe gardeners: the prolific Roy family
Laurence Roy has sent us some history of the Roy family in Stanhoe. “Some is from birth and death records,” he writes, “and some from census records, all added to family memories and records.” Note that the Roys are related to the Willimans.
Henry Roy (born 1785, location unknown) lived in Stanhoe by 1803, where he married Mary Belton. They had children starting with William (1803–1853), Matthew (1805–1891), Mark (1807–1879) and Mary (1809–1870).
In 1830 Matthew Roy married Ann Chastney (1810–1888) and continued to live in Stanhoe. They produced nine children between 1832 and 1853.
In the 1841 census Matthew and Ann just seemed to have Matthew (1834–1892) and Robert (1840–1880) living with them, but no exact address is given, just at Stanhoe.
In the 1851 census Matthew and Ann are listed as gardeners living at the Lodge, Stanhoe, and having Matthew, Robert, Anna Maria (1843–1917), Arthur (1848–1910), and Mary Ann (1850–1931) with them.
In the 1861 census Matthew and Ann are listed as gardeners living at the Cottage on the Leat, Stanhoe, and having Robert, Arthur, Mary Ann, Jane Francis (1853–1935) and Harriet (1853) with them.
By the 1871 census Matthew and Ann have disappeared to Northumberland (presumably for work). Arthur Roy from above has married Jane Williamson (1849–1914) in Stanhoe in 1870. They had a child named Robert John (1871–1948). and were shown as working as gardeners and living at Cross Road Cottages, Stanhoe.
In the 1881 census Matthew and Ann now aged 76 and 71 had returned to Stanhoe, living in Docking Road and working as agricultural labourers. Arthur and Jane Roy are living at Cross Lane, Stanhoe and also working as agricultural labourers. They now have five children: Robert John, Ellen Maria (1873–1952), Albert Arthur (1875–1947), Annie (1877–1957) and Edward (1879–1939).
In the 1891 census Arthur and Jane are still living at Cross Lane and working as agricultural labourers. But they now have nine children, Albert, Annie, Edward, Arthur (1881–1898), Jessie (1883–1895), Louis (1885–1899), Minnie (1887–1961), Mabel Emma (1889–1913) and Edgar (1889–1899).
In the 1901 census Arthur and Jane now 54 and 52 are listed as living near the Cross at Stanhoe, and still working as agricultural labourers, with only four of the children at home – Edward, Minnie, Mabel and Elsie Jessie (1896–1978) – the rest having either died young or left to find work.
Albert Roy married Caroline Williman (1873–1935) in Stanhoe in 1897 and had Percival Albert Roy (my grandfather) in 1898. They then moved to Watford in about 1900.
By the 1911 census Jane now 62 was living in Station Road, Stanhoe (Arthur having died in 1910) with Minnie (who later emigrated to USA), Mable and Elsie.
Edward working as a farm labourer married Rosina Horrex from Suffolk (a dressmaker) in 1910 and stayed in Cross Lane, Stanhoe. They had a child named Olga Rosina in 1911 who moved to Fakenham at some point and lived until 2001.
Percival later moved on to Croydon and then down to Brighton where he lived until 1991, and where I was born.
If anyone else can add anything to this I would love to hear from them.