I am grateful to Judy Marsh for some of the information on this page.
She was born 20 July 1863 (18th according to the 1939 register) at Hargrave and baptised at Chevington 13 September 1863 (same date as Jeremiah, labourer, of Hargrave). Her birth was registered in the September quarter 1863 in the district of Thingoe (includes Hargrave).
She married Walter George Wright 29th December 1890, at the parish church of Hargrave. Walter George was the second son of the late George Wright of Gazeley and Phoebe Ann Birch was the eldest daughter of the late John Pettit of Hargrave.
Born around 1860, Walter George Wright seems to have been an irresponsible, impulsive man with a quick temper. He appeared before the magistrates on several occasions and spent periods in prison. Below are brief summaries of the many newspaper articles which deal with his appearances at the Petty Sessions in Bury.
On 31 August 1883 Walter George Wright, butcher of Gazeley, was alleged to have unlawfully and indecently assaulted and ill-treated Mary Ann Day, a domestic servant at Dalham. He had taken her out for a ride and had apparently tried to have sex with her but she screamed loudly and he then rode off. At the Quarter Sessions he was found guilty of common assault and sentenced to 1 month’s imprisonment with hard labour. J.C. Ridley, grocer, who had known him for 9 or 10 years gave evidence of Wright’s good character (Bury and Norwich Post 18 September 1883 - bailed to appear at the Quarter Sessions - and Bury Free Press 27 October 1883).
On 21 June 1885, Walter George Wright (butcher of Gazeley) was drunk and disorderly at Dalham. The defendant did not appear and had absconded. He was fined 10s with 9s.6d costs (Bury Free Press 11 July 1885).
In 1891 Phoebe was at Ivy Lodge, Risby, aged 27, a schoolmistress (employee), born at Hargrave. With her was her husband, Walter G. Wright, aged 31, a butcher (employer), born at Gazeley. Also with them was a cousin of Walter's, Annie Elizabeth Everett, single, aged 21, a mother's help, born at Cambridge.
On 28 August 1893, Walter Wright (butcher of Risby) assaulted Algernon Wilkes of Risby over the parking of a bicycle in the yard of the cottage that was owned by Walter. It seems that Wilkes had done this deliberately with a view to provoking Wright who used a horse whip on him. Wright pleaded not guilty but was fined 10s with 8s.6d costs (Bury and Norwich Post 12 September 1893).
On 16 November 1898, Walter Wright (butcher of Risby) was seen beating his horse and driving furiously along Risbygate Street. He pleaded guilty and was fined 10s with 9s costs (Bury and Norwich Post 29 November 1898).
On 11 September 1900 Walter G. Wright (butcher of Risby) he was caught trespassing for partridge at Risby and was fined £1 with 10s costs (Bury and Norwich Post 25 September 1900).
On 23 November 1900 Walter G. Wright (butcher of Risby) used obscene language whilst standing on the step of his butcher’s shop towards a police constable. The magistrates could not determine whether his step was part of the highway or his own property so found him not guilty but said that he had certainly disgraced himself (Bury and Norwich Post 11 December 1900).
In the 1901 census she was living at Ivy Lodge, Risby, aged 38, born at Hargrave. Her husband, Walter G Wright was aged 42, a butcher, working on his own account and born in Gazeley. With them were their children Reginald W. 9, Sissie I E 8, George 6, William W. 4, Edwin O 2 and Harry K 9 months, all born at Risby. George King was boarding there aged 50, a general labourer (worker) born at Hengrave.
In 1911 at 4 Barn Lane, Bury St Edmunds, in 5 rooms, Phoeby was aged 47 and born at Hargrave, W. A. was aged 51 a butcher born at Gazely, They had been married for 20 years and had had 11 children of whom 3 had died. Their children were Sissie was aged 18, a domestic servant, George was aged 16 a fishmonger’s errand boy, Weston was aged 14 and out of work, Harry was aged 10, Annie was aged 7, Leonard was aged 4, all born at Risby and Grace was aged 3 and born at Bury St Edmunds.
On 18 March 1913 an NSPCC inspector, James E. Bartholomew, called at Walter’s house to enquire after the well-being of a child and was attacked by Walter G. Wright (butcher) who delivered three blows to his head. He was sentenced to two months in prison with hard labour (Bury Free Press 29 March 1913). It seems that he did not serve this at the time but absconded.
In late March or early April 1914 Walter G. Wright (butcher of 4 Barn Lane, Bury) was taken into custody on remand for deserting his wife and 5 children between 27 March 1913 and the present time. He was next heard of in London and his wife visited him there for three days. Then he went to Manitoba, Canada and worked on a farm there, returning to this country in February. Although he did send money home, and wrote regularly, it was insufficient to maintain his family and the cost to the Union was £30.3s.2d. He was sentenced to 1 month’s imprisonment to be served after the 2 month’s for the assault (Bury Free Press (4 April 1914).
In May 1916 Walter G. Wright (butcher) was committed to prison for 1 month because of his arrears of 18s in maintenance payments for his son Walter who was attending an industrial school (Bury Free Press 27 May 1916).
In May 1917 Walter George Wright (butcher of Bury St Edmunds) was in arrears of £1.6s in maintenance of a 17 year old child at an industrial school at Purfleet. The magistrates said that he could be a good workman but preferred messing about. In his defence he said that he had a wife and four other children to maintain, and shouldn’t still be paying for the upkeep of a 17 year old. He was sentenced to 1 month’s imprisonment with hard labour (Bury Free Press 2 June 1917.
On 7 October 1919 Walter Wright (butcher of Bury) aided and abetted a poacher and was fined £1 (Bury Free Press 18 October 1919).
Walter G. Wright’s death was registered in the March quarter 1926 in the Bury St Edmunds district. He was aged 65.
In 1939 (register), at 4 Barn Lane, Bury St Edmunds, she had a date of birth of 18 July 1863 and was a widow. With her was Albert J. Wright, single, with a date of birth of 27 June 1911, a general labourer, sugar beet factory.
Phoebe A. Wright’s death was registered in the Bury St Edmunds district in the March quarter 1947. She was aged 83.
Walter and Phoebe’s children were:
Reginald Walter Gascoine Wright, born 29 October 189112 and registered December quarter 1891 in the Thingoe district. He was baptised 31 January 1892 at Hargrave a son of Walter George (butcher) and Phoebe Ann Birch Wright. His date of birth in the baptism record is given as 30 October 1891.
In 1911, at Pratts Farm Depden, he was with his grandmother, aged 19, single and a labourer on farm and born at Risby.
Sissie Isobel Eliza Wright, born 12 March 189312 and registered in the June quarter 1893 in the Thingoe district.
George Wright, born 14 April 1894 and baptised 28 October 1894 at Risby (father a butcher)
William Weston Wright, birth registered June quarter 1897 in the Thingoe district, and privately baptised 14 January 1898 (father a butcher) at Risby.
Edwin Oliver Wright (1899 – 1908), birth registered in the March quarter 1899 and death
registered in the December quarter 1908 in the Bury St Edmunds district
(Thingoe was transferred to Bury in March 1908). He was aged 9.
Harry Kitchener Wright, birth
registered in the September quarter 1900 in the Thingoe district.
Irene Wright, She was a bridesmaid at Annie’s wedding.
Annie Julia Wright, birth
registered in the March quarter 1904 in the Thingoe district. She married Corporal J. Barber of 1st
Suffolk Regiment in the Cathedral at Bury St Edmunds in August 1926. She was the 3rd daughter of Mrs
and the late Mr Walter G. Wright of Barn Lane, and he was the 7th
son of Mr and Mrs K Barber of Depden Green.
The bride was given away by her uncle Mr E. Pettit of Newmarket. A bridesmaid was her sister Irene
Wright. The bouquets were placed on the
grave of her father and they left for Saxmundham
where the groom won a 14-day oak clock for boxing. The couple moved to Colchester into married
quarters.
Leonard Lewis Wright, birth
registered in the September quarter 1906 in the Thingoe district.
Grace Wright, born about 1907.
Albert J. Wright, registered in the Bury St Edmunds district in the September
quarter 1911. In 1939 he was with his
mother, a sugar beet factory general labourer with a date of birth of 27 June
1911.
There is
one more possible child with mother’s maiden name of Pettit, in the Bury St
Edmunds district, Reginald C. in the March quarter 1917.
Posted December 2016