William Knott

LIFE GOES ON: AN INTRODUCTION

MY GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

THE SIXTEEN FAMILIES

KNOTT - I - BOWLES - I - WATERS - I - HARRALL - I - PAGE - I - WISEMAN - I - CROSS - I - CARTER

CORNWELL - I - HUCKLE - I - MORTLOCK - I - MANSFIELD - I - REYNOLDS - I - CARTER - I - ANABLE - I - STEARN

CHRONOLOGY - I - DRAMATIS PERSONAE - I - WHERE PEOPLE CAME FROM - I - CALENDAR

MAP OF ELY - I - MAP OF MEDWAY
MAP OF CAMBRIDGE AND DISTRICT

THE WORKHOUSE

WORLD WAR I - I - WORLD WAR II

simonknott.co.uk I home I e-mail

LIFE GOES ON

William Knott
born Dover, Kent, 4th May 1795
died Strood, Kent, 1st September 1857

on the Knott family tree
part of the Knott family story

married to Caroline Wells

father of George Knott

son of William Knott
and Mary Prebble

William Knott (1795-1857). My Father's Father's Father's Father's Father. My Great-Great-Great-Grandfather.

1795: Frustratingly, William only appears for certain on one census, and so his recorded birthplace of Dover, Kent, and assumed birthdate, are only known from his self-reported details in 1851, more than half a century later. Knott is a common surname in east Kent, and William is probably the most common male name in the first half of the 19th Century. The most likely candidate is a William Knott born on 4th May 1795 and baptised at St Mary's Church, Dover on 17th May 1795, the son of William Knott and Mary Prebble. They had married at St Mary's Dover on 5th September 1792.

1817: William married Caroline Wells on 30th March at St Margaret's church, Rainham, Kent. The Rainham registers are poorly preserved, but both parties appear to have been previously unmarried, and both were residents of Rainham parish. Although Caroline was illiterate and signed with a cross, William was able to write his own name. The witnesses were William Wells and William Taylor. William Wells was presumably a family member of Caroline's, but William Taylor witnesses several other marriages on the same page, and was probably the parish clerk. It is notable that no member of the Knott family witnessed the marriage, suggesting the possibility that William had moved to the Medway Towns for work, rather than coming as a child with his family. The entry in the register is here.

1826: William and Caroline's son William was born in Northfleet, Kent, and baptised at St Botolph's Church, Northfleet on the 13th August.

1836: William and Caroline's daughter Jane was born in Gillingham, Kent, and baptised at St Mary Magdalene's church, Gillingham on 25th May.

1839: William and Caroline's son James was born in Gillingham, Kent, and baptised at St Mary Magdalene's church, Gillingham on 10th March.

1841 census:

William was not at home on the night of the 1841 census. Because William Knott is such a common name, and the 1841 census does not record exact birthplaces, it is almost impossible to trace William in 1841. He should be in the Medway towns, but in this time of agricultural depression he may well have had to travel for work. The most likely candidate is a 40 year old William Knott, born in Kent, living as a lodger in the beerhouse of the 20 year old Elizabeth Clancy in Union Street, Canterbury, Kent. He gives his occupation as labourer. There are three other women also living in the house, all aged 20, but giving no occupation or profession. It is not outside the bounds of possibility that this is a brothel of sorts. The entry is here.

William's family were living at the Street, Gillingham, Kent. William's wife Caroline was forty-three years old at the time of the 1841 census.

Caroline is shown as an agricultural labourer. There were eight children in the house. Mary was 23, Elizabeth was 19, William was 15, John was 12, Fanny was 7, Samuel was 5, James was 2 and Thomas was 2 months old. The census does not show if all of these children are Caroline's.

Everyone in the household was born in Kent. You can see the two pages of the entry here and here.

1843: William and Caroline's youngest son, my great-great-grandfather George Herbert, was born in Gillingham, Kent on the 31st March. His father was William Knott, his mother Caroline Knott formerly Wells. His father's occupation was given as agricultural labourer. The birth was registered on the 8th May. So far I have found no baptismal record for George.

1851 census:

William was fifty-eight years old at the time of the 1851 census. This is the only time he is definitely to be found on a census. The Knott family were living at 8, Church Street, Gillingham, Kent.

He is shown as an agricultural labourer. His wife Caroline was 52 years old.

William had three children. William, an agricultural labourer, was 26, James was 12 and George was 8. Also living in the household was Rebecca Knott, aged 3, shown as a granddaughter. She was the daughter of William's son William; her mother Fanny had died in March 1849 at the age of 23.

William is shown as being born at Dover in Kent. His wife Caroline was born at Rainham in Kent. William's son William was born at Northfleet, while James, George and Rebecca were all born in Gillingham. The entry is here.

1857: At some point in the time between the censuses of 1851 and 1861, William died. By 1861 Caroline was describing herself as a widow. There are a number of deaths of a William Nott or Knott in Kent in the period, but only two are in the Medway area, and only one of about the right age, a 66 year old William Knott who died at the Union House in Strood on 1st September 1857. This is likely to be our William. He died of the symptoms of cholera, at a time when the disease was at its peak in south-east England. On the 4th September he was buried in Strood churchyard, not Gillingham, but the paupers' grave plot would probably have been used for all workhouse deaths. The burial would have been one of the last in the old churchyard before the extension opened the following year. William lived in the Medway union area (Chatham workhouse), not the North Aylesford Union area (Strood workhouse) but it may well be that the Chatham workhouse had no room for him, and he was taken over the bridge to Strood.

1861 census:

William was dead by 1861. His wife Caroline was 64 years old. The Knott family were living at 1 Hillington Square, Gillingham, Kent.

Caroline is shown as a widow and employed on a farm.

There were two children. Jane was 26. She does not appear on the 1851 census with the family, but was probably in domestic service. George was 16. Also living in the household was James Wood or Hood, a labourer.

Caroline was born at at Rainham in Kent. Jane and George were born in Gillingham. The transcript for their entry is here.