Biddy the Chiver’s Khazi

[Gary Barnett]

In 1911, there was an 8–year-old Mary O’Rourke living at the:

Nazareth House Home for Destitute Children and Aged Poor,
London Road,
Southend-on-Sea.

Her place of birth was recorded as Poplar. Apart from the 1 year age discrepancy, she looks promising.

[Gary Barnett]

Apologies if you have this already and posted it somewhere, Gary, it's from South Grove workhouse the day before and has a tiny bit of extra detail on Biddy's charge:

Enright, Mary, born 1901, age 2 3/12, Brought from Leman Street Police Station, Roman Catholic, informant mother, mother Bridget charged with Drunk +c PC 375 (Carson) admitted 21/10/03 discharged 22/10/03

No, I hadn’t seen that Debs. Thank you!

[Debra Arif]

It seems that Bridget had at least one child.

On 22nd October, 1903, Mary Enright ‘alias O’Rorke’, aged 2 3/12, was admitted to the Whitechapel Infirmary from the Workhouse suffering from anaemia. Her parents were recorded as Bridget and Thomas and it was noted that her mother had been imprisoned for 7 days. Mary was discharged on 26th October.

Bridget and Thomas O’Rourke didn’t marry until 1907, which explains the ‘alias O’Rorke’ comment.

Apologies if you have this already and posted it somewhere, Gary, it's from South Grove workhouse the day before and has a tiny bit of extra detail on Biddy's charge:

Enright, Mary, born 1901, age 2 3/12, Brought from Leman Street Police Station, Roman Catholic, informant mother, mother Bridget charged with Drunk +c PC 375 (Carson) admitted 21/10/03 discharged 22/10/03

[Gary Barnett]

Yes it looks like it's from Bridget O'Connor's marriage to Denis Enright.

Ah, yes, that looks likely.

Mary must be somewhere in the records.

[Robert Linford]

Yes it looks like it's from Bridget O'Connor's marriage to Denis Enright.

[Gary Barnett]

I’ve found it, thanks.

It’s CofE and in Marylebone, so it doesn’t jump out as being our girl. There was an unrelated family of CofE Enrights in Marylebone that I have come across. The name Bridget appears in that family.

That’s wrong, it’s not necessarily CofE at all. But if the birth was on 1/12/1900, that would conflict with Mary’s birth in July, 1901.

[Gary Barnett]

Hi Gary


This was William's baptism, with a Bridget Enright - hopefully the chiver - as the mother. The birth registers don't seem to have William, unless the name was mangled or was listed under an O'Rorke variation. There was a William Francis Enright registered Q4 1900 Marylebone but the mother was O'Connor.

I’ve found it, thanks.

It’s CofE and in Marylebone, so it doesn’t jump out as being our girl. There was an unrelated family of CofE Enrights in Marylebone that I have come across. The name Bridget appears in that family.

[Gary Barnett]

Hi Gary


This was William's baptism, with a Bridget Enright - hopefully the chiver - as the mother. The birth registers don't seem to have William, unless the name was mangled or was listed under an O'Rorke variation. There was a William Francis Enright registered Q4 1900 Marylebone but the mother was O'Connor.

CofE or RC?

[Robert Linford]

Hi Gary


This was William's baptism, with a Bridget Enright - hopefully the chiver - as the mother. The birth registers don't seem to have William, unless the name was mangled or was listed under an O'Rorke variation. There was a William Francis Enright registered Q4 1900 Marylebone but the mother was O'Connor.

[Gary Barnett]

I wonder if this is her with William in Marylebone Workhouse 1900 - baptism.

I can’t seem to find that record. How is her name transcribed, Rob?

I haven’t found a William in the family so far. These are the likely siblings I have:

Julia 1872 ?
Bridget 1875 Bedwelty
Michael 1877 Bedwelty
Patrick 1878 ?
Catherine 1880 West Ham
Mary 1882 Crickhowell
Matthew 1884 Bedwelty
Mary 1884 Bedwelty
Catherine 1886 Bedwelty
James 1886 ?
John James 1888 Poplar

[Robert Linford]

I wonder if this is her with William in Marylebone Workhouse 1900 - baptism.

[Gary Barnett]

In June, 1896, Thomas O’Rourke enlisted in the Militia (7th Bn Rifle Brigade). Four months later he was convicted of robbery at the Old Bailey and sentenced to 9 months’ imprisonment, which effectively put an end to his military career.

If he was involved with Biddy at that time, he hadn’t acknowledged the fact in terms of skin art:

[Gary Barnett]

This is the case that resulted in O’Rourke receiving 18 months’ hard labour in July, 1901. It involved an unidentified woman stealing a leather apron from a man who was then beaten up by O’Rourke and his mate John Reardon. O’Rourke’s mother was somehow involved, but it’s not clear whether she or some other woman was the thief.

https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=def1-519-19010722&div=t19010722-519#highlight

[Gary Barnett]

Good work, Gary! The information keeps piling up and it is great.

Bridget could have had postpartum depression or she might simply have been exhausted from pregnancy and probably not the optimum diet.

Yes, and there’s quite a bit more to be discovered, I think. I haven’t yet found Mary’s birth or what happened to her, and some of Biddy’s siblings are proving a little difficult to track down. Nor can I find Biddy or her father in the 1891 census. Her mother was then in the Poplar Infirmary, her sister Catherine was in the Poplar workhouse, her sister Julia was lodging with a family in West Ham, and three of her brothers were in an orphanage in Leyton. I’m not sure how many of her siblings were alive in 1891. I’ve provisionally identified 11 children for Patrick and Bridget, but the 1891 Poplar examination notes speak of the couple having only 6 children. There’s still some work to be done there.

Also, I will have to pay another visit to the LMA to see if I can piece together Biddy’s criminal record from the Holloway prison registers. And I would love to know in what circumstances she achieved the ‘Chiver’ title that she was proudly brandishing in 1893.

Biddy’s story is all-absorbing at the moment. I was intending to revisit Foggy, Alice and others in 2020, but they are temporarily on the back burner.

[Anna Morris]

Good work, Gary! The information keeps piling up and it is great.

Bridget could have had postpartum depression or she might simply have been exhausted from pregnancy and probably not the optimum diet.