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Daniel PARSONS (1822/3–1874)
His wife Mrs Charlotte Elizabeth PARSONS, née Crane (1819/20–1896)
St Michael section: Row 37, Grave L50

Daniel Parsons was born in Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire in 1822/3 and baptised there on 25 January 1823. He was the son of the labourer or gardener Nathaniel Parsons and Sophia Burtt, who were married at Steeple Aston on 30 May 1803. His parents had nine other children baptised at that church: William (1804), Benjamin (1805), a second William (1807), Mildred (1809), John (1812), Nathaniel junior (1815), Richard (1817), Thomas (1819), and Mary Ann (1826). By 1841 Daniel (18) was living in Oxford as the servant of the Woodford family in Church Street, St Ebbe's, and in 1851 he was one of the six house servants at 21 Beaumont Street, Oxford of the Revd Greswell and his family. He is hard to find in the 1861 census, but was probably at Christ Church, as he was described as a college servant there in August that year.
See separate grave in St Sepulchre's Cemetery of his brother Nathaniel Parsons.

Charlotte Elizabeth Crane was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk in 1819/20 and baptised there on 29 January 1820. She was the daughter of the blacksmith John Crane and his wife Elizabeth. At the time of the 1841 census she was the servant of the Tomlinson family in Great Yarmouth. By 1851 she had moved to Oxford, and was living at Christ Church, the house servant of William Jacobson, the Regius Professor of Divinity (and Rector of Ewelme): both he and his wife were born in Great Yarmouth and probably knew Charlotte's family. She is hard to find in the 1861 census, but must still have been at Christ Church.

On 27 August 1861 at St Aldate's Church, Oxford, Daniel Parsons married Charlotte Elizabeth Crane: they were both then aged 38 and described in the register as servants of Christ Church. They had two daughters:

• Mary Alice Parsons (born at Great Yarmouth in 1862/3, reg. first quarter of 1863)
• Mildred Parsons (born at Steeple Aston in 1864 and baptised there on 25 September).

Their first daughter was born at Charlotte's home of Great Yarmouth. When their second daughter Mildred was born in 1864, they appear to have only been on a visit to Daniel's home, as the parish register states that her mother was “accidentally of Steeple Aston”, and adds the fact that she was “commonly called Mary” rather than Charlotte.

It is likely that Daniel started work as a bedmaker at Oriel College early in their marriage.

By the time of the 1871 census Daniel (47), described as a college servant, was living at Boxall Passage off the south side of Broad Street (which was in St Michael's parish) with his wife Charlotte (47) and their daughters Mary (8) and Mildred (6). (Boxall's Passage then ran down the side of 16 Broad Street and led to six houses in Boxall's Yard or Court, which was squeezed between Broad Street and Ship Street, all of which had been leased by Thomas Boxall in the 1840s and 1850s. By the 1870s it was becoming known as Harwood's Passage, but the two names were used indiscriminately.)

Daniel Parsons died suddenly near the beginning of 1874:

† Daniel Parsons died at Boxall's Yard, Broad Street at the age of 51 on 8 January 1874 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 12 January (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael's Church).

An inquest was held into his death, and the following report appeared in Jackson's Oxford Journal:

Inquest before W. Brunner, Esq., Coroner
On Thursday afternoon last, at Harwood's-court, Broad-street, on the body of Daniel Parsons, aged 52 [sic], a bed-maker, of Oriel College, who died suddenly the same morning. From the evidence it appeared that deceased went to the closet after breakfast, and, in consequence of his being there longer than usual, his wife went to see what was the matter, and found him lying upon the floor. Deceased was conveyed into the house, but he was dead at the time. He had complained lately of a soreness in his chest, and had consulted Mr. Hitchings, the surgeon of the College Servants' Benefit Society, who considered that his heart was diseased, and treated him accordingly. The Jury returned a verdict of “Death from natural causes.”

His effects came to under £700, and his widow was his executor.

In 1881 his widow Charlotte (60) was still living in Boxall's Yard with her daughter Mary (18), who was a dressmaker. Her other daughter Mildred is hard to find.

At the time of the 1891 census Charlotte's address was given as 1 Harwood's Yard, and both Mary Alice (27) and Mildred (25) were at home and working as dressmakers.

The family may then have moved to St John Street, as Mrs Parsons died there in 1896:

† Mrs Charlotte Elizabeth Parsons née Crane died at 31 St John Street at the age of 77 on … October 1896 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 27 October (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael's Church).

The two daughters of Daniel and Charlotte Parsons

At the time of the 1901 census Mary (37) and Mildred (35) were living together at 15 Walton Crescent, with a young boarder: they were both then working as governesses from home.

Mildred was married in 1903:

• In 1903 in Oxford, Mildred Parsons of St Paul's parish married Benjamin Samuel Murgatroyd of St Peter-le-Bailey parish: their banns were called at Mildred's church in September and at Benjamin's in September.

They had no children.

At the time of the 1911 census Mrs Mildred Murgatroyd (44) was living at 15 Walton Crescent with her husband Benjamin (31), who was a greengrocer (hawker). Her unmarried sister Mary Parsons (46), who was again working as a dressmaker, had come to live with them.

Mary Alice Parsons (born 1862/3) may be the Mary Ann Parsons who died in St Ebbe's, Oxford at the age of 85 in 1936.

Mrs Mildred Murgatroyd née Parsons (born 1864) was living at West View, Buckland, Faringdon, Berkshire when she died at Stanford-in-the-Vale on 6 July 1941 at the age of 76. Her effects came to £556 16s. 9d., and her executor was her solicitor.