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Robert Govier Atkins and Rachel Saville © Robert Govier Atkins, the third child and second son of Thomas Atkins and Phoebe (nee Govier), was born in Symondsbury, Dorset, England on the 17th March, 18501. He was baptised as Thomas on the 22nd March 18502. However, when his birth was registered by his mother on the 11th April, his name was recorded as Robert Govier Atkins, the name of his older brother who died a few months before he was born, his father's occupation was given as Labourer and their place of residence as Venn. Listed as Robert, age 1, on the 1851 Census3, he is with his parents Thomas and Phoebe, older sister Hannah, and lodgers Richard Atkins 25 and Rachel Atkins 19, thought to be his father’s brother & sister. The family is living at Venn in Symondsbury and possibly working on Venn Farm. Census records indicate Robert did attend school, but it is not known where, it is also probable that as he grew he assisted his parents on the land. On the 1861 Census3 he is found, recorded as Robert Athing, a 10 year old scholar, living at Low Down, Broadwindsor, Dorset, with his parents and siblings. Low Down is thought to be a farm where the family worked. The 1871 Census3 indicate the family was living at Forster Farm, Charminster, Dorset. Now aged 20, Robert's occupation is recorded as an Agricultural Labourer. All of these locations are within a 30km radius of Symondsbury4 and an assumption can be drawn as to why the family moved around the area. Up to the mid-1800s a large percentage of the population were agricultural workers of some kind5. There were those labourers who worked for a particular farmer, and who stayed on the same farm or estate for long periods of time, often all their working lives. Frequently, they had been born on the farm in a tied cottage and never left, the house being passed on to the son on the death of the father. However, for many labourers there was absolutely no guarantee of employment and if the farm fell on hard times, or the farmer decided that he could dispense with the services of a particular labourer, he then could, and would, dismiss him and turn him and his family out of their cottage without any compensation. During the mid-1880s, as the fabric of rural communities changed, many farm workers were forced to move quite frequently in search of work and those labourers who possessed a particularly useful trade or experience would often hire themselves out on an annual contract basis5. They did this because they could demand good wages, and farmers might vie with each other to get the worker they wanted. It was the normal custom for hiring to be done once a year, the place of hiring almost always being a country fair, or less often, a market. Frequently called 'hiring fairs', the labourers would stand on a platform, or in an enclosure, to be 'looked over’ by the prospective employers for features such as strength, and general appearance, in some cases the other family members would also be assessed for their capability to work. It is quite feasible to think that Thomas and his family sought and gained employment at the many different farms in the area in this manner. As rural conditions worsened many agricultural workers moved even further a field to find work and Oral Family History indicates that as a young man Robert walked to Essex, carrying a large trunk, in search of work. No actual evidence or documentation of this claimed journey has been located, but we do know Robert had arrived in Essex by 1800, as on the 29th February, 1880, Robert married Rachel Saville in the Parish Church, Newport, Essex. Both gave their Residence as Newport, Robert was an Agricultural Labourer, but no occupation is listed for Rachel. Robert's father is recorded as Thomas a Labourer, and Rachel's father is given as Stephen Saville also a Labourer. Robert made his mark, but Rachel signed her name. The witnesses were George Andrew (possibly Rachel’s step-father) and Eliza Thake. The earliest certain mention of the name Newport for this village appears in the Domesday Book7 of 1086, although there is evidence of human habitation going back possibly to some 250,000 years ago. The name means a new town and ‘port’ was often a name for a market in Saxon times, and Newport did have a flourishing market. The village grew and prospered until around 13008, after which it declined and its market ceased; it was overtaken in importance by its near neighbour, Saffron Walden. The name Walden is said to originate the Old English ‘Weala-denu’, the valley of Britons or serfs, implying the continued existence of a community populated by the indigenous inhabitants rather than Anglo-Saxons9. During the late 14th and early 15th centuries the town’s wealth derived principally from wool, with the local woolstaplers eventually building their own Guild Hall in the market place. This survived until it was demolished in 1847 to make way for the Corn Exchange. Wool was soon overtaken by the saffron industry as the main source of local wealth, and it is from the autumn-flowering saffron crocus that Saffron Walden derives its name. The sixth child and the third daughter of Stephen and Jane (nee Archer), Rachel was born on the 24th April, 1860, in Newport. Her birth was registered in Saffron Walden by her mother on the 16th May, 18601 and she was baptized in the Congregational Church, in Saffron Walden, on the 10th June, 18602. Quakers9 began meeting here in the 17th Century and in spite of persecution opened their first meeting house in 1676. The Independents set up at a barn in Abbey Lane and in 1694 built their own chapel. Rachel is found on the 1861 Census3, living at the Private Cottages near the Church, in Newport, Essex, along with her parents and brothers Stephen, William and Charles. The family is at the same address when the 1871 Census3 was taken, and at this time Rachael, aged 10, was recorded as a scholar. It is not known when Robert and his family moved from Essex, but it is known their first child, William Charles, was born in Newport 18601, but the address on the birth certificate is Tottenham, Middlesex, and they are listed in the 1881 Census3 as living at 10 Devon Road, Tottenham. Robert's occupation is given as General Labourer. Son William Charles married Fanny Julia Mott 19036. On the 1891 Census3 the family is living at 2 Milton Road, Edmonton, Middlesex. By this time Robert and Rachel had two more children: Alice Phoebe 1885-1964; and Ernest Saville 1891-1963, and Robert's occupation had changed to Bricklayer's Labourer. The 1901 Census3 shows Robert and Rachel still at No. 2 Milton Road, Edmonton. Robert is again listed as a Bricklayers Labourer, Alice is no longer at home, and the family has grown with daughters: Florence Annie 1892-1955: Ada May 1896-1974; and Ethel Rachel 1900, and sons: Robert John 1894-1966; and Frederick 1898-1972. The family increased again with another son, Alec in 1904, and daughter, Gladys Edith 1905-1926. In 19113, Robert aged 60, a General Labourer, Rachel age 50, with children: Ernest 20; Florrie 19; Robert 17; Ada 15; Fred 13; Ethel 11; Alice 9; and Gladys 5, are living at 52 Huntington Terrace, Langhedge Lane, Upper Edmonton. Records show there has been a settlement at Tottenham for over a thousand years4&7. About 20km south-south-east of Newport, the Parish abutted Essex along the River Lea to the east, and Edmonton to the north. When the 1086 Domesday Book was compiled in 1086, 70 families lived within the area, these were mostly labourers working for the Lord of the Manor. Edmonton appears in the Domesday Book , as ‘Adelmetone’, 'a farmstead or estate of a man called Ē adhelm' from an Old English personal name and tū n. Used in place names, often as part of suffix: ingtū n, romanised to ington. By the late 1870s, many of Tottenham’s low-lying fields and market gardens had been transformed into cheap housing for lower middle and working class families. The area was also well known for its large Quaker population. Robert died, at 3 Short Street, Edmonton, on the 10th July, 192510. The cause of death is given as Carcinoma of the Stomach and Exhaustion. He was 77years old, and his occupation on the death certificate is given as Builders Scaffolder. His wife Rachel was present at his death and is named as the Informant. Robert was buried in the Edmonton Cemetery in Paupers Grave No.605 B Section on 15th July 192511. On the 5th January, 1942, Rachael died, in the North Middlesex County Hospital10. Formerly of 58 St Malo Avenue, Edmonton, she was 81years old and the cause of death was given as Broncho Pneumonis and Myocardial Degeneration. The Informant was A. G. Atkins, believed to be her son Alec. Myocardial degeneration is the deterioration or the inflammation of the heart muscle, often caused by oxygen deprivation, and was frequently used as a euphemism for Old12. Buried on the 10th January 1942, Rachel was also laid to rest in the Edmonton Cemetery, in Paupers Grave No1462 L Section11.
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