• History of Cemetery
• Location/Plans
• Notable people
• Grimsley gravestones
• News
• Burials A–Z
• Current Work
• Photographs
• Restoring a grave
• Contact/Search

Frederick William CASTLE (1837–1877)
His daughters Alice Mary CASTLE (1869–1879) and
Kate Wiltshire CASTLE (1875–1876)
St Michael section: Row 30, Grave L50

Frederick William Castle was born at Bown's Alley, Oxford in 1837 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 3 September. He was the son of the basket-maker Frederick Castle and Harriet Ann Walden who on 25 July 1833 were married at St Mary Magdalen Church. For more about his family, see separate grave of his parents and sister. In 1841 he was four years old and living with his parents and maternal grandfather in Bown's Alley. He was still there in 1851 when he was aged 13, and was then working as an errand boy. In 1861 Frederick (23) was boarding in Bolton and working as a basket maker.

Mary Wiltshire was born in Stokenchurch in 1837/8 (with her birth registered in the first quarter of 1838). At the time of the 1841 census Mary (3) was living in Stokenchurch with her mother Mary, who was a chair-bottomer, and her older siblings John (10), Sarah (8), and Sophia (6).

On 23 May 1858 in Oxford Registry Office, Frederick William Castle married Mary Wiltshire. At the time of the 1861 census they were lodging at 6 Bark Street, Bolton, and Frederick was working as a basket maker. They had returned to Oxford by the following year, settling briefly in George Street in St Mary Magdalen parish before moving on to Broad Street, the south side of which was in St Michael's parish. Their six children were born in Oxford:

• Frederick Albert Castle (born at George Street, Oxford in 1862 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 7 September)
• Herbert John Castle (born in Broad Street, Oxford in 1865 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 30 July)
• Ernest George Castle (born in Broad Street, Oxford in 1867 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 22 September)
• Alice Mary Castle (born in Broad Street, Oxford in 1869 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 26 December);
  died 1879 aged ten years
• Louisa Jane Julia Castle (born in Broad Street in 1872 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 31 March)
• Kate Wiltshire Castle (born at 8 Broad Street, Oxford in 1875 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 1 August):
  died 1876 aged 13 months

At the time of the 1871 census Frederick (33) was a basket maker, living at 8 Broad Street, Oxford with his wife Mary (34) and their children Frederick (7), Herbert (5), Ernest (3), and Alice (1).

His next two daughters Louisa and Kate were born in 1872 and 1875 respectively, but Kate did not live long and died in 1876:

† Kate Wiltshire Castle died at Broad Street at the age of 13 months on 21 July 1876 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 23 July (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael's Church).

Frederick himself died in 1877:

† Frederick William Castle died at Broad Street at the age of 39 on 23 July 1877 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 29 July (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael's Church).

His widow moved with the children to 9 Wellington Square in St Giles's parish, and her daughter Alice died there in 1879:

† Alice Mary Castle died at 9 Wellington Square at the age of ten on 28 August 1879 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 30 August (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael's Church).

At the time of the 1881 Mary (43) was the housekeeper at 30 Wellington Square, Oxford to the solicitor John Clayton (64). All four of her surviving children were living with her: Frederick (18), who was an apprentice electrician; Herbert (15), who was an apprentice saddler; and Ernest (13) and Louisa (9), who were at school.

Two of her sons were married in 1887:

• On 14 August 1887 at St Giles's Church, Frederick Albert Castle, described as a basket-maker of 39 Wellington Square, married Harriet Merry of 7 Park Crescent, the daughter of the engine-driver Job Merry;
• On 20 April 1889 at St Giles's Church, Herbert John Castle (24), described as a saddler of Wellington Square, married Eliza Jane Webb (24) of Cowley St John, the daughter of the railway servant George Webb.

Her daughter Louisa gave birth to an illegitimate son, Percival Castle, on 8 April 1890 when she was just 18. He was baptised at St Barnabas's Church on 22 May, and Louisa's mother brought him up.

At the time of the 1891 census Mary (54) was living at 7 St Barnabas Street with her unmarried son Ernest (28), who was a tram inspector and the head of the household. Also living with them was Mary's grandchild Percival Castle (nine months). Louisa Jane Julia Castle is hard to find, but may be the Oxford-born Julia Castle (19) who was a “penitent” in St Mary's Home, Wantage, a shelter for fallen women.

Mary Castle's son Ernest was married in 1894:

• In the second quarter of 1894 in the Martley district of Worcestershire, Ernest George Castle married Lily Isabel Burston.

In 1901 Mary (64), who described herself as a cook, and her grandson Percival (10) were still living with Mary's son Ernest, who was now a married man with two children living at 22 Essex Street in east Oxford. Young Percival's mother Louisa (29) was now the servant of Miss Garwood at 52 Hurst Street, also in east Oxford. Louisa was married shortly after the census:

• In the second quarter of 1901 in the Headington registration district, Louisa Jane Julia Castle married Albert John White.

In 1911 Mary (74) was again with her son Ernest and his family at 63 Divinity Road.

She does not appear to have died in Oxford, and probably moved elsewhere with her son Ernest, who ended up in East Sussex. She may be the Mary Castle who died in Potterspury, Northamptonshire at the age of 86 near the end of 1923.

---

Children of Frederick William Castle and his wife Mary

• Frederick Albert Castle (born 1862): see separate grave.
• Herbert John Castle (born 1865) was a harness maker. In 1891 he was living at 11 Everard Street, Dartford, Kent with his wife Eliza and their daughter Mabel (1). By 1901 they had moved to 16 Hythe Street in Dartford and had two more daughters: Maud (9) and Hilda (7). In 1911 they were with Hilda at 194 Lowfield Road, Dartford. Herbert died in Dartford at the age of 89 near the beginning of 1955.
• Ernest George Castle (born 1867) was an assurance agent in 1901, living at 22 Essex Street in east Oxford with his wife Lily and their sons Eric (5) and Edgar (3), and his mother. In 1911 Ernest was once again a tram-car ticket inspector and was living with his wife and two sons at 63 Divinity Road, and his mother was still with him. By 1915 he had moved to 23 Minster Road. He may be the Ernest G. Castle who died in the Rye district in 1934 at the age of 66.
• Louisa Jane Julia Castle, Mrs White (born 1872) was aged 37 in 1911 and was already a widow: she was working as a general servant to a family at 118 Joy Road, Cricklewood, London. She may be the Louisa J. J. White who married Joseph T. Swannell at Newport Pagnell near the end of 1915.