London Cork Merchants: 20th Century     Notes on the Roberts Family A marriage at St Giles’ Cripplegate Church, London, 26 February 1786:     Arthur Roberts, bachelor, and Sarah Bickerton, spinster, both of the parish, by banns.     Witnesses: Thomas Butt, Mary Butt.     (London marriages, 1754–1938, London Metropolitan Archives, hosted by Ancestry). Baptisms at the Kings Weigh House Independent Meeting (formerly at Little East Cheap Street) on Fish Street Hill in the City of London (National Archives reference RG 4/4394, Non-Conformist records, hosted by The Genealogist ): Baptism date   24 Feb 1788 Sarah dau of Arthur and Sarah Roberts 29 May 1789 Nathanal son of Arthur and Sarah Roberts of East Smithfield 30 Jun 1791 Mary dau of Arthur and Sarah Roberts of East Smithfield 7 May 1793 Elizabeth dau of Arthur and Sarah Roberts of Wapping 4 Feb 1795 Ann dau of Arthur and Sarah Roberts of East Smithfield 5 Feb 1797 Jean dau of Arthur and Sarah Roberts of East Smithfield 2 Oct 1800 Rebecca dau of Arthur and Sarah Roberts, Cork Cutter born 3 Sept 1800 14 Oct 1804 James son of Arthur and Sarah Roberts of East Smithfield James Roberts, like his father, entered the cork-cutter trade. His profession of Cork Manufacturer was recorded in one of the birth registrations of his children (Protestant Dissenters' Registry, National Archives reference RG 5/1 to 161, Non-Conformist records, hosted by The Genealogist): Cecilia Sarah Roberts, born 13 September 1829, at the house of James Roberts, No 4 Mountague Terrace, Mile End Road [East London], the daughter of James Roberts, Cork Manufacturer, and his wife Sarah Cecilia, who was the daughter of John Burdett Howell of Box Hill, Dorking, Surrey. Katherine Mary Roberts, born 16 December 1830, at the house of James Roberts, No 29 Jewry Street in the parish of St Botolph Aldgate [London], the daughter of James Roberts and his wife Sarah Cecilia, who was the daughter of John Burdett Howell of Jewry Street, now of Box Hill, Surrey. Emily Bickerton Roberts, born 18 May 1836, at the house of James Roberts, No 5 Botolph Lane in the parish of St George Botolph Lane [London] the daughter of James Roberts and his wife Sarah Cecilia, who was the daughter of John Burdett Howell, late of Jewry Street, now of Box Hill, Surrey. Census Returns, maintained by The National Archives, can be viewed at the Ancestry family history website. Notes: In the 1841 census, the age was rounded down to the nearest five for those aged 15 or over. However, it appears that this rule was not always applied. Name Age   Occupation Born in County? 1841 census – Botolph Lane, London     Reference: HO107/721/2 (folio 5, p. 16) Arthur Roberts 80 Independent N Susan Roberts 40   Y Susan Foot 26 F.S. [female servant] N Notes: The 1841 Post Office London Directory (Ancestry online) had the entry:     Arthur Roberts & Son, cork merchants & manufacturers,     10 Eastcheap & 5 Botolph Lane. A death notice in The Times, London, 24 February 1847:     On the 22d instant, Mr. Arthur Roberts, of Botolph Lane, aged 86. A burial at Bunhill Fields, London, 1 March 1847:     Arthur Roberts, 86 years, of 4 Botolph Lane     (Non-Conformist records, hosted by The Genealogist). His son James Roberts was listed on the following census page as shown next. 1841 census – Botolph Lane, London     Reference: HO107/721/2 (folio 5, p. 17) James Roberts 35 Cork Manufacturer Y James Homan 20 Apprentice Y Cecilia Roberts 12   Y Kate Roberts 10   Y Emily Roberts 5   Y Temperance Bayliss 45 F.S. [female servant] N Emma Mansfield 25 F.S. Y Notes: At the time of the 1841 census, James Roberts was a widower. Sarah Cecilia Roberts, aged 30, wife of James Roberts, was buried 20 April 1839 at Norwood Cemetery in south London. The burial register recorded the family address as No. 5 Botolph Lane (London burials, London Metropolitan Archives, hosted by Ancestry). James Roberts married his second wife, Sarah Maria Sutleffe, on 24 March 1842 at Chipping Barnet, Hertfordshire (FamilySearch). The birth of Edward Arthur Roberts, mother’s maiden surname Sutliffe, was registered in 1843 in the City of London (GRO online indexes). Name and relation to Head of household Marital Status Age Occupation Birth Place 1851 census – Lee Green, Lee, Kent     Reference: HO107/1591 (folio 32, pp. 5–6) James Roberts Head Married 44 Merchant London Sarah M Roberts Wife Married 40   London Cecilia S Roberts Daughter Unmarried 20   Surrey Edward A Roberts Son   8   London Maria L Roberts Daughter   6   London Frederick C Roberts Son   1   London Temperance Bayliss Servant Widow 53   Culworth, Northamptonshire Catherine Dyke Servant Unmarried 29   Commercial Road [East London] Emily Hicks Servant Unmarried 18   Hackney [East London] Notes: Lee, now in south-east London, is a community west of Eltham. 1861 census – Broom Hall, Plumstead, Kent     Reference: RG09/411 (folio 78, pp. 11–12) James Roberts Head Widower 55 Cork Merchant London Katherine Mary   Roberts Daughter Unmarried 30 Housekeeper London Emily Bickerton   Roberts Daughter Unmarried 23   London Edward Arthur Roberts Son Unmarried 18   London Maria Louisa Roberts Daughter Unmarried 16   London Frederick Charles   Roberts Son   11 Scholar London Lydia Soady Visitor Married 30 Wife of Merchant at Sydney London Eliza Louisa   Shrewsbury Visitor   5   Sydney, Australia Elizabeth Firman Servant Unmarried 32 Cook Deptford, Kent Lydia Davis Servant Unmarried 25 Housemaid London Mary Hughes Servant Unmarried 21 Housemaid London Caroline Montgomery Servant Unmarried 17 Housemaid Woolwich, Kent Thomas Jones Servant Married 28 Groom West Felton, Shropshire Caroline Jones Servant Married 24 Groom’s wife Oswestry, Salop William Jones Servant   12 Groom’s brother West Felton, Shropshire Notes: A marriage at Horton Kirby, Kent, 19 April 1866 (FamilySearch):     Edward Arthur Roberts, son of James Roberts, and     Elizabeth Hall, daughter of Henry Hall. The birth of Louisa Annie Roberts, mother’s maiden surname Hall, was registered in 1868 in the Dartford, Kent registration district (GRO online indexes). 1871 census – High Road, Greenhithe, Swanscombe, Kent                         Reference: RG10/887 (folio 19, p. 32) Edward Roberts Head Married 28 Cork Merchant London Elizabeth Roberts Wife Married 27   Sutton-at-Hone, Kent Louisa Roberts Daughter   2   Greenhithe, Kent Edward Roberts Son   6 months Greenhithe, Kent Louisa S Hall Wife’s Sister Unmarried 29 Paper Maker’s daughter Sutton-at-Hone, Kent Maria Roberts Sister Unmarried 26   London Mary Ann Headley Servant Widow 44 Cook domestic Twickenham Ann Eggar Servant Unmarried 24 Nurse Long Sutton, Hampshire Jemima Barber Servant Unmarried 20 Housemaid Langrick Ferry, Lincolnshire   1891 census – The Woodlands, Greenhithe, Swanscombe, Kent                         Reference: RG12/642 (folio 90, p. 1) Edward A Roberts Head Married 48 Cork Merchant London Elizabeth Roberts Wife Married 47   Sutton-at-Hone, Kent Louisa A Roberts Daughter Single 22   Greenhithe, Kent Marian C U Roberts Daughter Single 18   Greenhithe, Kent James A Roberts Son   16 Scholar Greenhithe, Kent Mildred V Roberts Daughter   9   Greenhithe, Kent Cyril M Roberts Son   7   Greenhithe, Kent Caroline Gower Servant Single 31 Parlour maid Loose, Kent Eliza Campbell Servant Married 44 Cook Rochester, Kent Kate Coppard Servant Single 26 Housemaid Beckley, Sussex Caroline Mann Servant Single 19 Kitchen maid Newbury, Berkshire Martha Newling Servant Single 32 Nurse Wallington, Herts. Alice Jeffcoate Servant Single 18 Nurse London Notes: A death notice was printed in The Times, London, 22 December 1891:     On the 19th inst., at Woodland House, Greenhithe, Kent,     Edward Arthur Roberts, in his 49th year [aged 48]. Probate record (gov.uk):     Edward Arthur Roberts of Woodlands House, Greenhithe, Kent, and of     1 Savage Gardens, London, cork merchant, died 19 December 1891 at     Woodlands House; probate London 15 January 1892 to Elizabeth Roberts, widow. 1911 census – Home Mead, Cobham Terrace, Greenhithe, Kent Elizabeth Roberts Head Widow 67 Cork Merchant Sutton-at-Hone, Kent Cyril Murray Roberts Son Single 27 Private means Greenhithe, Kent John Gascoigne Bower Son-in-law Married 29 Motor engineer Margate, Kent Mildred Violet Bower Daughter Married 29   Greenhithe, Kent Phoebe Elizabeth   Bower Grandchild   8   Greenhithe, Kent Edith Day Servant Single 32 Domestic Greenhithe, Kent prepared by WhistlerHistory 2023.