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Francis HISTED (1856–1897)
His daughter Sarah Lottie HISTED (1885–1890)
St Giles (Ss Philip & James) section: Row 25, Grave F31½

 

Tony Histed, great-grandson of Francis Histed, had this grave marker restored in 2018

Francis Histed was born in Summertown in 1856 (reg. Headington district third quarter, and his family were living at Jericho Gardens when he was baptised at St Paul's Church, Oxford on 13 June 1858. He was the son of Richard Histed, a shoemaker, and Sarah Butler, who were married at St Peter-le-Bailey Church in Oxford on 11 August 1851: they were both then living in Queen Street, and neither could sign their name.

Francis was just one year old when his father Richard died at Littlemore Lunatic Asylum in October 1857 at the age of 32: he was buried in the asylum burial ground.

At the time of the 1861 census Francis (4) was living in part of 45 Wellington Street in Jericho with his widowed mother Sarah (30), who was a charwoman, and his older brothers Richard (8) and Henry (6).

By 1871 Francis (14) was a printer compositor, living at 27 Cardigan Street with his mother, who was now a laundress, and his brother Henry (16), who was a photographer’s assistant.

On 21 July 1879 at Ss Philip & James’s Church, Francis Histed of St Bernard’s Road married Charlotte Ann Bowell, the daughter of the butcher Thomas John Bowell of St Bernard’s Road, and they had the following children:

• Mabel Frances Histed (born at 44 St Bernard’s Road on 9 January 1880 and baptised at Ss Philip & James’s Church on 12 February)
• Elsie May Histed (born at 2 Wytham Terrace, Kingston Road on 9 December 1881 and baptised at Ss Philip & James’s Church on 5 January 1882)
• Thomas Frank Histed, known as Frank (born at 2 Wytham Terrace, Kingston Road on 30 November 1883 and baptised at Ss Philip & James’s Church on 20 December)
• Sarah Lottie Histed (born at 36 Kingston Road on 17 October 1885 and baptised at Ss Philip & James’s Church on 29 November)
• Flossie Rose Histed (born at 66 Southmoor Road on 4 September 1887 and baptised at Ss Philip & James’s Church on 29 September)
• Harry Bowell Histed (born at 66 Southmoor Road on 12 August 1889 and baptised at Ss Philip & James’s Church on 12 September)
• Leslie Jack Histed (born at 85 Southmoor Road on 25 February 1894 and baptised at Ss Philip & James’s Church on 5 April)

Francis and Charlotte were living at 44 St Bernard’s Road (then called St John’s Road) in Ss Philip & James’s parish when their eldest daughter was born in 1880.

By the time of the 1881 census Francis (24) and Charlotte (23) were living at 2 Wytham Terrace, Kingston Road with their first daughter Mabel (1). In 1885 their address was given as 36 Kingston Road, which is probably the same house.

By 1887 they were living at 66 Southmoor Road.

Their daughter Sarah Lottie Histed had been living for about a year with her maternal aunt, Miss Annie Esther Bowell, at 120 Walton Street when on Saturday 29 November 1890 her aunt left her dressing a doll in the kitchen for about five minutes at 11.15am. She heard a scream, and found Sarah standing behind the door in flames. With the help of a neighbour, Mr Davis, she put the fire out, cut off her clothes, and took her to the Radcliffe Infirmary. She died there a week later:

† Sarah Lottie Histed died at the Radcliffe Infirmary at the age of 5 on 6 December 1890 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 9 December (burial recorded in the parish register of St Giles’s and Ss Philip & James’s Churches).

The hospital record states that she had second-degree burns on her arms and face, and had had scarlatina for six days and bronchitis for three days. The inquest is fully reported in Jackson’s Oxford Journal on 13 December 1890. Sarah’s aunt said that the child had probably put her foot on the fender to take a pin off the shelf, and her clothes caught fire. The Surgeon at the Infirmary said that he thought she would recover from the burns, but she developed a rash that looked like scarlet fever and was moved to the fever block on the Tuesday, where she died at 1am on Saturday 6 December. A verdict of accidental death was recorded.

At the time of the 1891 census Francis and Charlotte were still at 66 Southmoor Road with their five surviving children Mabel (11), Elsie (9), Frank (7), Flossie (5), and Harry (1). Francis was still working as a compositor, probably at Oxford University Press.

By 1894 when their youngest child Leslie was born they were at 85 Southmoor Road.

Francis Histed died in 1897:

† Francis Histed died at 74 Southmoor Road at the age of 41 on 2 October 1897 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 7 October (burial recorded in the parish register of St Giles’s and Ss Philip & James’s Churches).

At the time of the 1901 census his widow Charlotte (43) was still living at 74 Southmoor Road and described herself as a lodging house keeper, although only one 75-year-old boarder was staying with her. All her surviving children were still at home, namely Mabel (21); Elsie (19); Thomas (17), who was a butcher; Henry (11), and Leslie (7).

By 1911 Charlotte had moved to 27 Cowley Road. Three of her children were still at home: Thomas Frank (27), who was a butcher; Elsie May (29), who was a laundress; and Harry (21), who was a servant at Magdalen College. Also living with her was her grandson Frank Histed (3): he was born in St Ebbe’s, and is likely to have been Elsie’s son.

Mrs Charlotte Histed died in Oxford a year later in 1912 at the age of 55.

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Surviving children of Francis Histed

• Mabel Frances Histed (born 1880) married William Clarence Theobald in Croydon near the end of 1905. At the time of the 1911 census Mabel (32) was living at 60 Beltran Road, Fulham with her husband Herbert (28), who was a salesman in the provision trade, and their daughter Doris Mabel Theobald (3). In 1939 she was described as incapacitated and was living at Gallows Hill near Watford, Hertfordshire. She died in the Watford district at the age of 75 in 1955.
• Elsie May Histed (born 1881) married Charles Gardner in Oxford in 1931, when she was 50. The 1939 register shows her living with her husband, who was a general labourer, at 67 Essex Street. She died in Oxford in 1942.
• Thomas Frank Histed, known as Frank (born 1883) was a butcher, still living with his mother in 1911. He died in Durham at the age of 84 in early 1968.
• Flossie Rose Histed (born 1887) never married. In 1911 she was a chambermaid at the Clifton Hotel in Welbeck Street, Marylebone. She died in Harrow at the age of 63 in 1950.
• Harry Bowell Histed (born 1889) married Ethel Lily Elger in the Headington registration district in 1917, and they had three daughters whose births were registered in the Headington district: Dorothy M. Histed in 1919, Patricia M. Histed in 1928, and Josephine Histed in 1930. Harry was living at 18 London Place, St Clement’s in 1935. He died in Oxford at the age of 70 in 1960.
• Leslie Jack Histed (born 1894), known as Jack, was a grocer’s assistant of 17 in 1911, living at 1 Sydney Road, Gosport, Hampshire. He married Rhoda E. Williams in Paddington in 1915. Leslie Jack Histed died in Oxford at the age of 70 in 1960.