Everyone is called William -William Strelley Shoemaker and Soldier c1824 to 17 June 1898

Here's another William Strelley. This one I sometimes call William (2) because in recent times since 1780 there's been nine in my Strelley line and in other parts of the extended family. Believe me there's more Williams even before that time. So through the ages everyone seems to have liked the name William.

This William is my two times great grandfather and until recently I wasn't sure he was the actual culprit. However in recent weeks DNA links back through the Scottish Williams and down through the Derbyshire ones have confirmed the dubious paper trail. William (2) c 1824 was the second child to William Strelley (1) and Matilda Johnson (previously Stewart). He had two half brothers, two half sisters and two sisters, Jemima and Georgina.

William was born in the parish St Cuthbert's in Edinburgh Scotland while his father was practising as a medical doctor there. His birth does not seem to have been recorded in parish records in either Edinburgh or Derbyshire.  It is known that father, William (1) was in a spot of bother with the courts around the time of his birth. A newspaper report in May 1824 regarding a hearing for an assault case back in 1822 is disparaging of his beliefs and morality.

It is this male Strelley who carries on the Strelley name through a line of Glasgow Strelleys. Throughout the records the surname has been spelt in various ways Strelley, Strelly, Stralley and Strally probably reflecting a combination of Scottish and Derbyshire accent.

Anyway by 1841, William (1) has ‘shot through’ leaving Matilda as shown in the 1841 Census in Edinburgh with her children Jemima, Georgina and William. Young William is a shoemakers apprentice said to be aged 12.  Long before the mass production of shoes William would've sat at a little wooden stool hammering away at the leather he was shaping into shoes. His tools of trade would have been handy- a lapstone, wooden stirrup, whet board pincers and nippers. Perhaps he worked in a factory where different workers performed different tasks such as cutting the leather, sewing , joining the heels and soles etc. Shoemakers in the 19^th century barely made a subsistence wage.

At  supposedly 17 years and 11 months William signed up to the Militia to 90th Regiment Light Infantry on 2 August 1845. He was there when  the 90th Regiment went to join the military conflict on the Crimean Peninsula being fought between 1853 and 1856 when it sailed to Balaklava in December 1854 and saw action in Sevastopol in the winter of 1854. The Regiment return to England in 1856 but then headed for India in February 1857 to help suppress the Indian rebellion. His record shows he was wounded  on 17 November 1857 at the Relief of Lucknow.

Finally on 26^th May 1868 after receiving his fifth Good Conduct Award Private William Strelley left the military. According to the UK Royal Hospital Chelsea pensioner service soldiers records he had served abroad in Crimea for 1 year 8 months and in India for over 10 years for a total service of 23 years 267 days.  He holds five good conduct badges. He has been awarded the Crimea Medal, Clasp for Sebastopol, Turkish Medal, some Indian clasps and a long service medal. Private Strelley is discharged of his own accord in May 1868 aged 40 years 8 months. His intended place of residence after leaving the army is Glasgow.  He signs his discharge papers with an X. The papers also give a description of William.  he's 5feet 7 and 3/4 inches, fair complexion, hazel eyes and light brown hair. he has a scar on his nose and left eye.  

Since 1066 there has been a strong military tradition in the Strelley family with Knights and Sirs supporting King and country.  William continued this tradition.  If he’d have lived he could have seen this continued with his children, grand children and great grandchildren together with nephews  enter military service  during World War I and World War II and later. Unfortunately three were killed in action for their trouble. I know of no medals being handed down but perhaps there was oral history passed on by his sisters and children.

With Strelley being absent for so long overseas he had probably never seen his parents or sisters again. His mother had moved to Muckart with her daughter Georgina and husband. Matilda died in 1865 and Jemima had moved between Edinburgh and Glasgow with various teaching and guardian positions. Possibly it was her address he mentioned as his intended address when he left the army. I’m thinking that there’s a possibility William (2) may have inherited from his father (1) who had recently died in 1867. His father had continued practicing medicine in Basford England. No probate records are available so this is speculation. 

Three years later in the 1871 Census, William Strelley (2) aged 45 lives as an unmarried army pensioner with David McHardy, his wife Elizabeth and daughters Lavinia and Barbara, David Skinner (Lavinia’s son), William S McHardy (another son) aged one and a servant. They are all “visitors” at 20 Orr Street Glasgow. Lavinia works as a power loom weaver at a nearby woollen factory. The McHardys are possibly old friends from Edinburgh.

It is assumed  (until DNA proved it) William S McHardy is Strelley’s son-  William (3) although no father is listed on his birth certificate.  This is especially so as Lavinia continues to live with him for nearly 30 years. Another child is born. She’s Lavinia Strelley McHardy born 1875, born illegitimately and lives for only 3 months.

1881 census

Ten years later in the 1881 Census Strelley (2)  listed as a general labourer lives with Lavinia as his wife  together with his son William Strelley 11 (3) who has taken William’s (2)  name as well as  Bertha (now known to be Barbara Strelley McHardy) Strelley aged  nine months. Barbara’s birth is also registered as illegitimate. William and Lavinia do not have a registered marriage. There must be some impediment to their marriage. Has William or Lavinia been married previously?

 

William and Lavinia with their last son Robert in 1891

William (2) ,63  in the 1891 Census still lives with Lavinia aged 41 at 59 Dunn Street Glasgow. It seems he has made up for lost time as he and Lavinia have yet another child, Robert  (registered as Robert Strellie McHardy) aged four.  Little Barbara  has since died  in 1882. This is Lavinia’s 7th child. Four children with Strelley in their name can be attributed to a relationship with William. Two children, David Skinner and Janet People McHardy have been the subject of paternity hearings and Thomas Gilchrist McHardy born interestingly after William (3) and before Barbara are also shown as illegitimate without a father listed on both his birth or death certificate.  No wonder I was nervous about being a Strelley.

Seven years later in 1898 William (2) died of disease of the brain. His death certificate shows him as having parents William Strally and Matilda Strally m/s Johnstone. At least the paper trail is there.

William died in 1898 died in an old man's asylum

What a sad ending for a Strelley heir. He died at an old man's asylum in Glasgow. His death certificate describes him as a 70-year-old former labourer and army pensioner. The notation says "single" and Lavinia is not mentioned although her death certificate 4 years later in 1902 has her as “married to William Strelley, Tanner deceased”.

William and Lavinia's situation by the end of their lives appears to have been quite dire.

When she died of chronic nephritis (kidney disease) at the age of 50 in 1902 Lavinia Strelley (nee McHardy) was living at 40 Dale Street Glasgow. The census taken one year previously shows her as an inmate of a night asylum for the homeless. Her son William (3) is the informant on her certificate.- he would have known the full story wouldn’t he?

Perhaps as a homeless and destitute person she may have placed a dementia ridden William (2) where he could be cared for in the old man’s asylum.

So much information can be gleaned from this death certificate. Firstly disease of the brain probably means Alzheimer’s or dementia. His son William died of cerebral softening or senility. His father had died of “old age” – a euphemism? His  uncle and grandfather were said to be “quite mad” especially Robert Strelley near his time of death.

Secondly, details of his parents’ names are correctly entered given he was institutionalised. With an all round lack of marriage and church documents any clues are important. This further strengthens my paper trail and when discovered a few years back allowed the link from the Strelleys in Scotland to the Strelleys in Derbyshire. Other documents had William(1) as William M.D. which was how he was described in Jemima’s death certificate. I also have a document posted to William M.D. in Edinburgh from the family solicitor  in Derby after the death of his ‘insane” father.

Thirdly, notation as “army pensioner”  allowed for the discovery of the Military records and service in Crimea and India. Thus  accounting for his absence from the Scottish Census in 1851 and 1861 and advising of his address back in Glasgow rather than Edinburgh. All in all discovering William (2) feels like my lucky genealogy charm. So much has come from a few pieces of paper.