James Waghorn was born in Rochester, Kent, and baptised in St Margarets Rochester on 3rd October 1804. Rochester was within the administrative district of Maidstone, which would explain his birth place as being recorded as Maidstone on census returns. ch(1)
He was married in Frindsbury, near Rochester, Kent, to Harriet Pedley ‘of the same parish’ on 19th November 1832. Neither James nor Harriet could write their name, they put a cross on the register, noted as “the mark of……”
They moved to Whitechapel between the birth of their first child, Jane, and their second child, Elizabeth, in 1833-34. ch(2)
In the 1841 census James's occupation is "smith", living in Esley Place (Ely Place). cs hb(1)
In 1848 their two youngest children, David and Honor (recorded in census data as Harriet) were baptised at St Marys, Whitechapel. hb(2)
In the 1851 census they were still living in St Mary’s parish, Whitechapel, but had moved address and now lived at 70 Finch Street in "Mile End New Town". Their family now consists of the two parents and 8 children. His occupation is now listed as "white smith". A whitesmith works with cold metals, either finishing and polishing tinplate and galvanised iron, or working with white metals like pewter and tin to produce eg tin and pewter cups, water pitchers, forks, spoons and candle holders. cs
In 1861 they were still in Whitechapel, but had changed address yet again to 59 Montague Street, still in Mile End New Town, east of Brick Lane. His occupation was now "blacksmith", so he was working with hot metal in a smithy or forge, as was his eldest son, Joseph, and perhaps his second son Charles. cs
During these 28 years Harriet has given birth to at least 11 children, 2 died in the 1840s and 2 in the 1850s.
Their son, David, was 11 years old in 1861, the youngest of the children still living. James Waghorn was by then 56 and Harriet 51. They have not yet been found on the 1871 census.
In 1874 James was present at the marriage of his son, David, to Mary Nichols. mc
No record of his death has been found.
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