By Christine Swan

My great grandfather died before my father was born so there was little known family history. “He used to sell horse flesh for cats”, my Dad told ,me. One of my cousins had a photograph so I could begin my quest to piece together his life. “He used to dress up in a cat costume”, my Dad said, “And he was kicked by a horse and put into hospital”. I haven’t found evidence of any of these as fact, but, by this time, my father’s dementia caused him to muddle reality with imagination.

David Deighton was born on 27^th May 1867 in Shoreditch. Mary Ann Deighton had been married to William Brown but the latter is not a surname that David ever used so I presume that William was not his father. I have no birth record but, as I have found, searching records where the person changes their name regularly, creates complications. In 1868, Mary Ann married William English but claimed to be a spinster. David appears in the 1871 census living with his mother, stepfather, and half siblings in Henrietta Street.

1871 census record showing the English family living in 18 Henrietta Street, now Allgood Street

After Mary Ann died in 1878, he remained with his stepfather whilst also attending school however, by 1880, he had reverted to using his mother’s surname of Deighton and his listing in the census indicates that he was his mother’s son rather than a legitimate heir.

School year 1879 David is still using the surname English but the family are now living in Frampton Park Road. David is stated as being nearly blind although this does not appear on later school records

By the following academic year, his surname has reverted to Deighton and no mention is made of his former disability.

1881 census record

He was still living with the English family until 1881 when he was fourteen years of age, but it seems that later that year, he went into the workhouse and mysteriously stopped using the surname Deighton too. Perhaps he felt that with his mother gone and his stepfather no longer providing a home, he wanted to break away from previous connections and use an entirely new name.

Hackney Union admission record 1881 – 82

I don’t know where the surname Taylor came from but, when David was admitted to the Hackney Union workhouse in October 1881, this was the one that he chose to use. Could this have been the surname of his biological father? He stated William English, his stepfather, as his closest living relative. In February 1882, David moved to Brentwood District School now aged fifteen.

Records from Brentwood District School where David was between 1881 and 1883. He was discharged to the Hackney Union workhouse

Victorian Poor Law Union schools were harsh places but were designed to teach practical skills such as shoemaking, tailoring, gardening and woodwork. Pupils were also taught how to read and write as well as basic numeracy skills. At a period where many of my ancestors were unable to write, I did find it interesting that David was literate. In October 1883, he moved back to the Hackney Union Homerton workhouse, which is a huge, imposing building facing Homerton High Street. One listing explains that he returned from the Smallpox Hospital. Smallpox vaccination was compulsory and death rates relatively low in the 1880s.

Returned from the smallpox hospital, while his mother was indeed dead, I do not know who his biological father was to confirm this fact. This is the end of his association with his stepfather, William English

Over the next few years, although his stepfather was still alive, David ceased listing William English as his closest family member. He listed firstly his grandmother, Ann Crudgington, living in Baxendale Street, but when she passed away in 1885, he named an uncle – Mr Crudgington of 25 Pedro Street, Clapton.

Hackney Union admission from 1885, just before his grandmother, Ann Crudgington passed away

Workhouse admission after his grandmother had died now giving an uncle as the closest living relative

Interestingly, a fellow workhouse inmate, Mary Ann Taylor, gave her address as 27 Pedro St – a possible relative? He didn’t provide the forename of Mr Crudgington so this must be either a brother of Mary Ann or possibly a great uncle, a brother of Daniel Crudgington.

David shuffled between admission and discharge from the workhouse until 1891. He would have been considered an “in and out” meaning that he was admitted on numerous occasions. In the 1891 census he was recorded as being a patient in the London Hospital suffering from bronchitis and pyrexia (fever). When I visited the London Hospital archives to discover why David had been admitted, he gave his address as Coventry Street so I believe that he was living with his grandfather, Daniel Crudgington. I had gone on the assumption that he had been attacked by a horse but several hours of searching led me to the general medical records and the discovery of the correct reason.

To be a cats’ meat vendor might not appear to be very lucrative line of work however, it is estimated that there were about 1000 cats’ meat sellers operating during the mid 1800s. With a huge population of cats, who were not only companion animals but provided a useful service in rodent population control, I’d like to think that most were well-rewarded. I can imagine David wheeling his barrow, crying out for sales, followed by umpteen cats looking for a free sample. The meat was thinly sliced and sold on skewers which, I am certain, cats learned how to disassemble and help themselves! A number of my more recent relatives are very fond of cats. I’m guessing for David, it was a means to an end but I wish the “dressing up as a cat” story was true.

1891 census showing David Taylor as an in-patient at the London Hospital in Whitechapel. Interestingly, long-term patient and resident, Joseph Merrick has only died the year before.

His grandfather, Daniel Crudgington, died in 1892 but David’s luck changed in 1893 when he married Julia Cooke at St Peter’s church in Bethnal Green on 22^nd May. On their marriage certificate, he gives the same address in Baxendale Street where Ann and Daniel, his grandparents, had lived for over ten years. Julia Cooke’s address is given as 28 Baxendale Street, making her and David next door neighbours.

Marriage record for David Deighton Taylor in 1893. Both bride and groom signed the register and I came to recognise David’s scrawl in other documents.

David and Julia’s first child, William David Dighton Taylor, was born at the end of 1893, but sadly, he died shortly after birth. Their daughter, May Elena Taylor, was born in 1896 and survived. In 1898, along came my grandfather, Albert Edward Taylor followed by Edwin James, Frank Henry, William Alfred, Violet Alice and Arthur George over the ensuing years.

The family moved from a property in Buckhurst Street to Wadeson Street. Unfortunately, the latter property no longer exists but some of the lower numbers remain. They are quite beautiful Victorian buildings although history sites claim that the street was overcrowded, as were many streets in the vicinity.

David, Julia and May Elena Taylor in about 1896 (Author’s own photo)

David and Julia’s family consisted on nine people living in four rooms. Their neighbours had four rooms for just two people so I can imagine that my great grandfather’s home was fairly busy! David was working mostly as a cats’ meat seller but on Violet Alice’s birth certificate, he stated that he was also working as a lavatory attendant. I suspect that he was working both jobs to earn sufficient money for his large family. I did a little research about Victorian conveniences. Many were exceedingly ornate and demonstrated the Victorians commitment to improving local amenities, even if visitors needed to pay for the convenience. As a job role, it isn’t one that many would favour as a career choice but nobody would doubt its value. Interesting to note that the original public lavatories were for men only. This would definitely have curtailed the travels of women and sources imply that this was deliberate. In fact, things seems to have gone full-circle where there are very few public conveniences again so we all have to make careful plans when out and about.

David was working hard to provide an income for his large family who I would have loved to stayed and grown older together but fate was about to cast its hand and a dark cloud descend on the Taylor family.

Additional sources

Historic England Spending a penny: an exploration of England’s public toilets [online] Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/archive/collections/photographs/spending-a-penny/

Geri Walton Cats’ meat sellers of the 1800s [online] Available at: https://www.geriwalton.com/cats-meat-sellers/

Workhouses.org Children in the workhouse [online] Available at: https://www.workhouses.org.uk/education/