| 4. | Theophilus Bucknall was born in 1812 in Brewers Yard, Beeston, Nottingham, England (son of Theophilus Bucknall and Martha Potter); died in 1878 in Kings Norton, Worcestershire. Notes:
Census Listings;
1841 Nether Street, Beeston, Nottinghamshire. age 25. Frame Work Knitter. (41-218)
1851 Clarkes Buildings, Monument Lane, Edgbaston. Head (m). age 39. Gardener. (51-278)
1861 Laburnam Place, Bellis Street, Edgbaston, Head (m). age 49. Gardener. (61-383)
1871 269 Ladywood Lane. Edgbaston, Birmingham. Head (m). age 53. Gardener. (71-326)
Notes
The family, other than Elizabeth, was living at Arthur Street, Beeston in 1841. There is a record of an Elizabeth Bucknall marrying John Howitt at Clifton on 6 May
1832. This may be Elizabeth above but there is some uncertainty. The family were all framework knitters and Henry and Edward were unmarried. Eric's commentaries mention a possibility of Theophilus (4) marrying in Nottingham but no record of such a marriage has been found.
Theophilus moved to Birmingham in the mid-1840s almost certainly because of depression in the framework knitting industry. Before their marriage in 1849 both Theophilus and Mary Anne Bassett were living in Smallbrook Street, Birmingham. The marriage certificate and the 1851 census state Theophilus's occupation as a gardener. He remained a gardener for the rest of his working life and was employed by the Bache family of Edgbaston. The Bache family in 1851 lived at Fairview House, Hagley Road and later at 44 Frederick Street where the head of the family, Samuel Bache, was a Unitarian minister.
It is likely Theophilus came into contact with a neighbouring Martineau family, also Unitarians, as his brother, Henry, subsequently worked for a member of that family. Also, one of Theophilus's sons was called John Kentish and there was a Martineau son called Edward Kentish, both believed named after a renowned Birmingham Unitarian minister, John Kentish (1768-1853), who lived in Park Vale, Edgbaston and was related by marriage to the Martineau family.
By 1851 Theophilus (his father born 1777) had died and his widow, Martha, aged 72, Edward and Henry, still unmarried, were now living at 44 Nether Street, Beeston, as neighbours of Theophilus's brother, George, and his family. Henry continued as a framework knitter of cotton hose but Edward had become a gardener. Around the time of the death of their mother in 1859, Henry and Edward both married and moved away from Beeston. Henry became a gardener and farmhand working for Harriet Martineau, the Victorian author, journalist and political economist who lived in the Lake District. Edward worked as a gardener and groom in West Bromwich but his employer is not known. He moved to Edgbaston around 1862 but again his employer is not known. In the 1881 census Edward's occupation was Gardener (ND). This means "non-domestic", ie he may have been a gardener for a local authority. A check revealed he was not employed at the nearby Botanical Gardens.
Although the Martineaus were a Norwich family the third son, Robert, became a brassfounder in Dudley. By the 1840s he was living on the Bristol Road, Birmingham, with his family of six children and later at 32 Highfield Road, Edgbaston. By then he had also become a magistrate. His eldest son, Thomas, who became a lawyer and magistrate, became related by marriage to the Chamberlain* family and was three times mayor of the then borough. He lived with his family at 26 Calthorpe Road, Edgbaston. His son and grandson became benefactors of the City and Lord Mayors. Edward Kentish also became a brassfounder and in 1871 was living in Portland Road, Edgbaston.
It seems probable Henry obtained his post with Harriet Martineau, who until 1855 had been an occasional visitor to her Birmingham relatives, through Theophilus's employer's friendship with the Martineau family. Eric's commentaries mention that Theophilus worked for the Bache family and Henry worked for Harriet Martineau but there was no family information about Edward.
* Joseph Chamberlain (1836-1914) former Mayor of Birmingham and MP.
* Austen Chamberlain (1863-1937) former Chancellor of the Exchequer
* Neville Chamberlain (1869-1940) former Prime Minister
One assumes as Theophilus, Henry and Edward had been framework knitters that in order to take up full-time gardening in mid-life they must have had some experience of horticulture or agriculture while living at Beeston.
Harriet Martineau (b.1802), a younger sister of Robert, had moved from Norwich to London in 1832 to further her writing career. She became a complete invalid between 1839 and 1844 and went to live at Tynemouth to be near her physician brother-in-law until, as Eric's commentaries and her autobiography states, she was cured by mesmerism. In 1845 she had a house built at Ambleside, Westmorland (The Knoll). She had travelled in USA, Europe and the Middle East but in 1855 she again became ill and was never to leave home until her death twenty years later.
Her niece, Maria, who is believed to have had some nursing training and was the third child of Robert Martineau, went to live with her. She became Harriet Martineau's devoted companion and secretary until her own untimely death from typhoid fever in March 1864 aged 37. Her sister, Jane, then took over.
In early 1859 Henry went to work at The Knoll as gardener and farmer of her model farm of two acres. This farm had been started some years earlier to provide a measure of self-sufficiency in food for Harriet's household. After the opening of the railway to Windermere in 1847 the summer influx of tourists to the Lake District periodically caused food retailers to run short of supplies. Harriet's innovative farming resulted in some national publicity, the interest of a Parliamentary Committee examining The Smallholdings Question and the publication of a book on the subject.
It seems likely that Maria Martineau with her Birmingham connections had a role in the recruitment of Henry after Harriet's previous gardener and farmworker, Robert Fulcher, had left her employment following a dispute.
A letter from Harriet Martineau to Sarah Martineau, 23 March 1859, states - We are so comfortable with the new man and his bride. She is a nice active body, very sensible and her husband adores her. They are desperately happy, to be sure.
It should be noted that at the time of their marriage in 1859 Henry was aged 43 and Elizabeth 34. These ages suggest a possible long courtship, marriage perhaps not being possible until Henry had found permanent employment. Also, there had been Henry's widowed mother to consider. She died around the time of the marriage in early 1859.
Henry Bucknall and his wife lived in an adjacent cottage (Knoll Cottage) and were identified living there up to 1881, although Harriet Martineau had died in 1876 and is buried in Birmingham. The Knoll remained in the possession of the Martineau family until the 1920s and Henry worked for the new tenant until his death in 1889.
Reports suggest Harriet Martineau treated her servants very well, educated them and even provided them with a library. Knoll Cottage evidently had a commodious laundry room which enabled Elizabeth Bucknall to become a laundress there. Henry and Elizabeth had two daughters, the first being named after Henry's employer.
Theophilus married Mary Ann Bassett on 19 Aug 1849 in St Martin, Birmingham, Warwickshire.. Mary (daughter of William Bassett and Sarah) was born in 1820 in Hurley, Warwickshire, England; died in 1884. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1886 - 1981 (94 years)
