M. 26 Jun 1780 in Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England2
Wife: Betty Morris
D. before 1 Aug 1818 in Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England3
For centuries, a system of charity existed in England where the needy were taken care of by the community. A person was evaluated by their parish council — they were either able to pay the local rate, or they were considered to be poor. And if they were poor, they received regular handouts distributed at the town church.
During most (if not all) of his adult life, John Hughes was one of the poor. He was born in the village of Almondsbury, England, baptized at St. Mary’s Church on March 19, 1755.1 John’s parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Hughes, but nothing else is known of the family. At age 25, John was married at Almondsbury to Betty Morris; the wedding took place on June 26, 1780,2 and John was able to sign his name to the parish register, indicating that he may have had a basic education. The couple were known to have had six children, with the first baptized on March 22, 1781.4 Their youngest was baptized in 1798,5 but this isn’t always proof of a birth year because some waited a few years to bring their children to the church.
The conditions John’s family lived in were likely desperate, and by 1799, he began making visits to the church for assistance. That November, a line formed outside the vestry room at St. Mary’s for an effort called “clothing the poor.” Over 40 people were there to receive what the community could offer. John was allowed 7 yards of cloth, while other people got shirts, shifts, jackets or blankets (one woman was even given a petticoat that day).6
A few weeks later on January 29, 1800, John returned to the vestry room with a request for money: he wanted to build a house.6 So they gave him 1 pound and 1 shilling, the equivalent of about $100 in today’s money. The meager amount didn’t go far enough, and he asked for more in February; this time he was awarded 1 pound,11 shillings and 6 pence. Presumably John then built his family a dwelling where they could live, but there are no details about the house itself. He likely did much of the work along with his older sons, which gives the impression that John and his family were hard-working people.
Donation to John in 1800 Almondsbury vestry book.
Between 1801 and 1811, John didn’t appear in the vestry records. This may have meant he moved out of the area, but because he just built his house, that doesn’t seem likely. More plausible was that John was able to support his family during those years, and therefore didn’t seek the community’s help. In November 1811, his name was back on the list at clothing-the-poor day, and he received another length of cloth for his family.6
John was only about 63-years-old when he died, and his funeral took place at St. Mary’s on August 1, 1818.3 His wife Betty had passed away only a couple of weeks earlier,7 which suggests they may have died of the same illness, although there is no evidence of this. Within a generation, the vestry system was phased out in England because too many unemployed people overwhelmed it. New laws were passed during the 1830s requiring those getting public assistance to live in workhouses, which were essentially prisons for the poor. For that we can say that John was lucky to have lived at an earlier time.
Children:
1. George Hughes — B. before 4 Mar 1781, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England;4 M. Ann Gastrell (?-1812), 22 Mar 1806, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England8
2. Sarah Hughes — B. before 8 Feb 1784, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England9
3. John Hughes — B. before 22 Apr 1787, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England10
4. Thomas Hughes — B. before 28 Nov 1790, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England;11 D. 15 Jun 1835, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England;12 M. Hester Keen (~1790-1868), 2 Jan 1811, Bristol, England13
5. William Hughes — B. before 26 Jan 1794, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England14
6. Hannah Hughes — B. before 25 Mar 1798, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England;5 D. about 23 Apr 1821, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England;15 M. Stephen Bracey (1794-1872), 11 May 1816, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England16
Sources:
2 Marriage record of John Hughes and Betty Morris, Bristol, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938, Ancestry.com
3 Burial record of John Hughes, England, Bristol, Parish Registers, 1538-1900, FamilySearch.org
4 Baptismal record of George Hughes, B., E., C. of E. B., M. & B.
5 Baptismal record of Hannah Hughes, B., E., C. of E. B., M. & B.
6 Overseers order books, 1797-1817, England, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, FamilySearch.org
7 Burial record of Betty Hughes, E., B., P. R.
8 Burial record of George Hughes, E., B., P. R.
9 Baptismal record of Sarah Hughes, B., E., C. of E. B., M. & B.
10 Baptismal record of John Hughes (younger), B., E., C. of E. B., M. & B.
11 Baptismal record of Thomas Hughes, B., E., C. of E. B., M. & B.
12 Burial record of Thomas Hughes, E., B., P. R.
13 Marriage record of Thomas Hughes and Hester Keen, E., B., P. R.
14 Baptismal record of William Hughes, B., E., C. of E. M. & B.
15 Burial record of Hannah Bracey, B., E., C. of E. B.
16 Marriage record of Stephen Bracey and Hannah Hughes, B., E., C. of E. M. & B.
