Dennis Saddington (1854 - 1915)

Apologies for the lack of posts so far this month - I have been sitting exams and also awaiting the arrival of my beautiful new niece, who was a week overdue.

Anyway, the subject of this post is Dennis Saddington, a brother of Laura Saddington. I have chosen to post on Dennis, because I noticed that a number of people had arrived at this blog, having googled "dennis saddington". This is a work in progress post, and as I discover more about Dennis, I will edit it accordingly.

According to information provided by the late Jim Saddington of Philadelphia, USA, Dennis Saddington was born on 12 November 1854 at Little Stukeley, Huntingdonshire. His parents were Charles Saddington (born circa 1821 at Woodwalton, HUN) and Elizabeth Colbert (born circa 1827 at Little Stukeley, HUN). Dennis was the third son and fourth child of the seven children known to have been born to Charles and Elizabeth.

In the 1861 census, the family were living at Little Stukeley, HUN, and Charles was an agricultural labourer (RG9/975, Folio 130, Page 11, Sch. 57). In the 1871 census, the family were still living at Little Stukeley, HUN, and Charles was now a bricklayer's labourer, as was Dennis (RG10/1527, Folio 95, Page 6, Sch. 24).

Somehow Dennis made his way to Norfolk, where he married Annetta Elizabeth Howard on 6 June 1876 in her birthplace, Flitcham. From Norfolk, the happy couple soon moved to Nottingham, where their first child, Henry Charles was born in Bulwell in the September quarter of 1876.

Their second child, Dennis Howard, was born in Bulwell in the September quarter of 1878, whilst their third child and first daughter, Annetta Elizabeth, was born in Hyson Green in the September quarter of 1880. The family then moved to Radford, Nottingham in time for the 1881 census, living at 19 Gladstone Terrace, where Dennis was enumerated as a bricklayer (RG11/3345, Folio 144, Page 39).

The year 1882 brought both joy and sorrow. Florrie Agnes was born in the September quarter, whilst Dennis Howard died at the age of 4 in the December quarter. Dennis and Annetta's fifth child, Arthur Dennis, was born in Radford on 2 December 1885.

Sometime after Arthur Dennis' birth, the family moved to Humberstone, Leicester, where Frederick William was born in the March quarter of 1889, followed by Albert George in the September quarter of 1890. In the 1891 census, Dennis and Annetta, and their six surviving children were living at 10 Haslings(?) Road, Humberstone, Leicester, and Dennis was working as a bricklayer (RG12/2495, Folio 109, Page 22,& Folio 110, Page 23, Sch. 107).

Dennis and Annetta moved house not long after the census, because when little Albert George died at the age of 1 in the September quarter of 1892, he did so in the Leicester Registration District. The children born in Humberstone had been registered in the Billesdon Registration District.

The arrival of Percy Robert in the March quarter of 1894, followed by Ethel May, born in the December quarter of 1895, increased the number of mouths to feed once more.

Then tragedy struck the family again. Annetta Saddington died in the December quarter of 1898, aged 44, leaving her husband, Dennis, with seven children to look after, the youngest three being all under 10 years of age. The eldest child, Henry Charles, now 21, had been contributing for some years now, having been enumerated as a shoemaker in the 1891 census at the age of 14.

Unlike many men who had been left in that position at this period of history, Dennis did not marry again. The 1901 census shows him living at 37 Percival Street, Leicester, with six of his seven surviving children. He was working as a bricklayer, Henry (now 24) was working as a shoe rivetter, Florrie (18) was a tailoress and Arthur (15) was a printer compositer, while the three youngest had no given occupation (RG13/3000, Folio 77, Page 20, Sch. 117).

Dennis' eldest daughter, Annetta Elizabeth, had married John William Taylor in the December quarter of 1899, and was working as a tailoress machinist in Leicester in the 1901 census. Florrie Agnes married in the March quarter of 1902 to either James Manning or William Walter Smith. Henry Charles married in the June quarter of 1905 to either Maud Facer or Alice Merrick. Arthur Dennis emigrated to the United States in 1907, and married Marion E Hilton on 27 June 1908 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ethel May married John Jones in the March quarter of 1914. Frederick William married Lily A Platts in the December quarter of 1915, whilst Percy Robert married Gertrude M Lowe in the same quarter.

Dennis died in the September quarter of 1915, aged 60, in Leicester, so would have lived to know that all of his surviving children were or were about to be married. I hope that he died happy, despite the early loss of his wife and two small sons.

If you are one of Dennis' descendants or are descended from any of his six brothers and sisters, I would be delighted to hear from you.