Matthew WATERSON ^49,137

   Ancestral File Number: 1P8X-QC7.

  Research Notes:

The 1841 census records at Ancestry.co.uk have the spelling as MATHEW WARTERS.
Closer view of the record indicates a spelling of MATHEW WARTERSON.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Research has been done for the derivation of Matthew WATERSON's surname.
The son of Walter.
Exalpes are:-
John Wauterson, 1379, Yorkshire.
Thomas Waterson, 1674, Suffolk.

• He worked as a Gas Man on 7 Aug 1837 in East Dereham, Norfolk, England. ⁵ At the time of the birth of Rebecca.

• Matthew WATERSON was present on the evening of the 1841 British Census on 6th June 1841 in East Dereham, Norfolk, England. ⁵¹ Mathew WARTERS was recorded as being 25 years old, a Gas Worker, born in Norfolk, and living in Mill Road, East Dereham, Norfolk.
Also present was;
Susan WARTERS 25 years old, born in Norfolk,
James WARTERS 5 years old, born in Norfolk,
Rebecca WARTERS 3 years old, born in Norfolk,
Frederick WARTERS 2 years old, born in Norfolk,
Sarah WARTERS 6 months old, born in Norfolk.

• He resided at Mill Road in 1841 in East Dereham, Norfolk, England. ⁵¹

• He worked as a Gas Worker in 1841 in East Dereham, Norfolk, England. ⁵¹

• Matthew WATERSON was present on the evening of the 1851 British Census on Sunday 31st March in South Lynn All Saints, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England. ¹³⁸ Matthew is recorded as being 38 years old, a Labourer, and head of the household at:-
2 Normans Yard, Checker Street,
Kings Lynn.

Also living at this address was:-
Matthew's wife, Susan, age 40, and their children:
James, age 14, Labourer, born East Dereham,
Frederick, age 11, born East Dereham,
Sarah, age 9, born East Dereham,
Elizabeth, age 8, born East Dereham,
Matthew, age 6, born East Dereham,
David, age 1, born Lynn, Norfolk.

• He worked as a Labourer in 1851. ¹³⁸

• He resided at 2 Normans Yard, Checker Street in 1851 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England. ¹³⁸ At the time of the 1851 census, Matthew and his family were living at 2 Normans Yard, Checker Street.

It can be confidently assumed that the family moved from East Dereham to Kings Lynn sometime between 1845, after young Matthew was born, and 1851 when this census was taken.

• Matthew WATERSON was present on the evening of 2 April for the 1861 Census in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England.
Matthew WATERSON was recorded as being 49 years old, a General Labourer, born in Setch Norfolk, and head of the household at:
3 Thomas Street, South Lynn, Kings Lynn, Norfolk.
Also present was his wife,
Susan 46 years old, born in East Dereham Norfolk, and their children
Matthew 16 years old, a Bricklayers Boy, born in East Dereham,
David 12 years old, a Scholar, born in Kings Lynn,
William 10 years old, a Scholar, born in Kings Lynn,
Margaret 7 years old, a Scholar, born in Kings Lynn,
[Caroline is incorrectly shown as Matthew and Susan's daughter]
Caroline 2 years old, a Scholar, born in Kings Lynn,

• He resided at 3 Thomas Street, South Lynn in 1861 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England. ³⁸

• He worked as a General Labourer in 1861 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England. ³⁸

• Matthew WATERSON was present on the evening of the 1871 British Census on Sunday 2nd April in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England. ³⁸ Matthew WATERSON was recorded as being 60 years old, a Labourer at the Gap Works, born in Setch Norfolk, and head of the household at:
David Laws Yard, South Lynn, Kings Lynn, Norfolk.
Also present was his wife,
Susan 59 years old, born in East Dereham Norfolk, and their children
William 17 years old, a Labourer at the Cake Mill, born in Kings Lynn,
[Caroline is incorrectly shown as Matthew and Susan's daughter]
Caroline 12 years old, a Scholar, born in Kings Lynn,

• He resided at David Laws Yard, South Lynn in 1871 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England. ³⁸ Laws-yard . - A privy with a chamber over it; houses on each side, and within 6 feet opposite; several others close by. The night-soil runs over from the boxes, and flows down the channel into the street; it is now running over from one privy. All the neighbours are in a state of great indignation, pouring forth their complaints on all sides of me. One house has no privy but a box kept in an attic. They say that when they have spoken to Mrs. Watson, the owner of part of the property, about it, she has abused them.
John Thorne , occupant of one of the houses opposite one of the privies, is ill; and says, "I have lived here for nearly four years. I have three children alive; have buried two from this house. One was born dead, and the other lived only one day. A child three months old is not well. Lived in Norfolk-street before. I have not had good health from a child, but within the last two years have been much worse; have much pain in the chest and head." This man has all the symptoms of a debilitated predisposed constitution; the children are all debilitated. This is a very bad place. In an interior yard there are eight houses in a very bad state, and the people complain of the privies, &c.
In the other part of the court are 29 families, some of them consisting of six or seven persons. There are altogether more than 200 persons. Three taps for water, and it is only on from 7 to 9 in the morning. "We should wish very much that the place should be altered, and made more clean. We are satisfied we should have better health." This was stated by a number of them simultaneously. "Physic is very dear." This is the yard complained of in court by Capes; his house wall has percolations through it from the privy first described.

• He worked as a Labourer at Gap Works in 1871 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England. ³⁸

• Matthew WATERSON was present on the evening of the 1881 British Census on Sunday 3rd April in Kings Lynn St Margarets, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England. ⁴⁵ Mathew is recorded as being 70 years old, a Laborer General and head of the household at:
Bridge Street Millers Yard,
Kings Lynn, Norfolk.

Also living at this address was:-
his wife, Susan, 72 years old, born in East Dereham, Norfolk,
and their son, William WATERSON, age 28, Laborer General, born in Kings Lynn.

• He worked as a Laborer General in 1881 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England. ⁴⁵ The marriage of Mathew's daughter Caroline, records his Rank or Profession as Gas Fitter. It can be assumed that Mathew had been trained as a gas fitter but was now no longer working as such.

• He resided at Bridge Street Millers Yard in 1881 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England. ⁴⁵ At the time of the 1881 census Matthew and his wife, and their youngest son, William were living at Bridge Street Millers Yard.

From the record of address in the 1851 census of 2 Normans Yard, Checker Street, the family would have moved to Bridge Street at some time. As both addresses refer to a "Yard" and Matthew was probably involved with the building industry, the house would have an attached yard for storage of materials. Matthew is refered to as a "Gas Fitter" on his [grand-]daughter Caroline's Marriage Certificate, so the storage yard and general business that Matthew was involved with was probably repair, maintenance, and installation of gas works.

Matthew married Susan COCKER, daughter of John COCKER and Mary HOWARD, in 1836 in East Dereham, Norfolk, England.⁴⁹ (Susan COCKER was born in 1815 in East Dereham, Norfolk, England ¹³⁹.)