by Christine Swan
I have previously written of my great, great grandmother Mary Flood of Southwark who married William Henry Apthorp, coachsmith and wheelwright, in the grand church of St George’s Hanover Square. In this post, I explore her father’s life.
St George’s Church, Hanover Square
Daniel Flood was baptised on the 8th May 1772, in Honiton, Devon, the youngest son of Peter and Eleanor. Honiton is an historic market town situated on the Roman Fosse Way, and developed around a long High Street. Daniel’s father was a master cordwainer. In this small town, the Flood family were prolific and well-known. Peter Flood’s eldest son Richard, married in Honiton in 1783, when youngest son Daniel, was just eleven years old. In 1791, Richard, and presumably Daniel, were still resident in Honiton, with Richard also a cordwainer. I counted no fewer that eight Floods listed in the town trade directory, representing a wide range of occupations, from bankers to bakers.
Floods in Honiton in 1791
After the birth of Richard’s children, his family moved to London. As the youngest son, perhaps Daniel felt that his future lay there too. I cannot be certain of the year in which they made the journey of just over one hundred and fifty miles to Southwark, but I know that it was between 1792 to about 1798. Across the rolling Devon landscape, passing over the Blackdown Hills, they would have stopped over in towns along the route, most likely Andover and Basingstoke, mirroring a route that I took on childhood family holidays travelling in the reverse direction to Devon.
Borough would have been a shock to the two brothers. I wonder if they knew what to expect. In the early nineteenth century, Southwark still had elements of rural life but the population was to increase rapidly over the coming years. Busy taverns and coaching inns would have brought in people from outside of London, and tradespeople, such as hatters and cordwainers would have benefitted from the increased footfall.
The George Inn, Borough, would have been known to Daniel Flood
Daniel Flood trained as a hatter, but, I have not discovered if he trained in Devon or in London although it is likely that it was the former, as he would have been a minimum of twenty years old when he moved. He would most probably have been apprenticed in a similar way to his brother Richard. Southwark became the centre of the hat trade and many of its processes, which were potentially dangerous, through the use of mercury, were conducted in poorer, more industrialised areas than in the City.
Daniel married Susannah Clarke in 1799, also in St George’s Church Hanover Square. Richard, and his wife Molly, were witnesses to the marriage. I can only presume that this was the bride’s parish as both Richard and Daniel lived in Borough, Southwark.
The marriage of Daniel Flood and Susannah Clarke in 1799
Daniel and Susannah’s first child, Susannah was born the same year, and baptised at St George the Martyr two years later. Daniel and Richard’s families lived in Queen Street, now Union Street in Southwark. Part of this stretch was also delightfully named Bandy Leg Lane, presumably because of the shape of the road. This was in an area that was to become a notorious slum. It was situated within the Liberty of the Mint, which I have described previously, as a preserve of debtors, fugitives and scoundrels.
The Mint in 1825, as it would have been when Daniel Flood lived there. By This file is from the Mechanical Curator collection, a set of over 1 million images scanned from out-of-copyright books and released to Flickr Commons by the British Library.View image on Flickr View all images from book View catalogue entry for book., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32463560
In 1801, Daniel’s second daughter, Elizabeth was born. Susannah and Elizabeth were baptised at the same time, although the former’s birth year is given as 1799. Daniel Jarvis Flood was born in 1803 but, this year was marked by tragedy as his sister Susannah died. Daniel Jarvis also did not survive, and died in 1805. This was a time in history when infant mortality was as high as fifty percent. Daughter Mary, my great, great grandmother, was born in 1806 and thankfully, survived to adulthood. Their next son, Daniel, born in 1808, sadly did not survive, and died in 1810. The couple’s final child, Susannah, was born in 1811.
St George the Martyr Church, Borough, where Daniel’s children were baptised and buried
In the same year, Daniel and Richard’s father, Peter, died in Honiton. Would the two brothers have known? Richard, as the eldest son, may have gained some inheritance, but he himself was to pass away in 1813, aged fifty five years. Daniel remained living in Queen Street, as he had since he arrived in Southwark, at least fifteen years earlier.
Daniel Flood’s burial record from 1833
Daniel’s wife died in January 1833, aged sixty three years, and Daniel was to die almost exactly one month later, at the same age. With only daughters surviving, this branch of the Flood name ceased with Daniel’s passing. Meanwhile, Floods continued to flourish in Honiton during the nineteenth century. Both Susannah and Daniel would have had the pleasure of seeing their daughter Mary married in 1825, and to have seen two of their grandchildren born.
All original photos by the author
Awful Rigours and Wretched Pay 