Chelsea Beginings

On 26th March 1796 in Abbey Dore my 3x great grandfather Richard Davis was born. He was baptised on 10th August 1796 by his parents; *Thomas Davis and Susannah Davis (nee Russell). Richard’s parents were married on 30th Nov 1780 also in Abbey Dore.

In 1815 Richard joined British Army serving in the 39th Foot Regiment of Herefordshire in which he would have served as a infantry man. He would have been dressed in the traditional red coats of the British Army. Life in the British army was a During his service he travelled to India were he was present at the capture of Coorg Territory in February 1834. This was short but bloody campaign which saw British forces entering Coorg to commence operation against the Raja. Richard also travelled to New South Wales Australia before returning home in 1835.

The outbreak of the war with Coorg 1834

On his return to England, Richard moved to Chelsea, London were he lived as an out patient of the Chelsea Hospital. The 1841 census shows Richard living with a female servant. It was also in London that Richard met his future wife, Edith Webb. They were married on 8th December 1840 in Brompton Holy Trinity Church Kensington. From their wedding certificate it shows that Richard had been married before, this also means there is a possibility he may have had child but with who will remind a mystery for now.

Richard and Edith had been married for 15 years before they had my Great Great Grandfather; James John Davis, They also had six other children; Charles Thomas Valentine, Alfred Joseph, Edith Catherine, Edith Elizabeth, Alice Ellen and Emily Davis. All their children were born in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea.  Large families were not uncommon in Victorian period as most children didn't survive beyond their fifth birthday. This was largely due to disease, malnutrition or their general standard of living. It was said that if you made it to five your could make it to fifty.

Chelsea in the mid 19th Century was very different than it is today. Chelsea remind rural even though having a population of over 3000. Chelsea was the market garden in the East, there were fruit and veg markets in Covent Garden which at one time was also the red-light district. Richard and is family may have shopped at this market or one very similar.  Richard and his family lived in Caroline Place which is still there today although the houses are long gone now. In 1898 Charles Booth created a map of London showing the different streets of city in colours which represented their social status. According the Booth map Caroline Place was labeled “Mixed. Some comfortable others poor”.

In 1855 my Great Great Grandfather was born James John Davis he too was born in Chelsea. He married Catherine Bridget Handley in 1873. He was painter and decorator in Chelsea and Battersea. In the 1881 census, he wasn’t living his family in Battersea instead he and his brother Alfred worked together at a pub in Surrey called the Royal Oak. In 1883 James suddenly died of TB a disease which was all too common in those days. The bacillus causing tuberculosis, wasn’t identified and described until 1882 by Robert Koch. Tuberculosis (TB) or Consumption, primarily attacked the lungs but can also effect of parts of the body.  It is spread through the air from coughs and sneezes from those infected. Today we can vaccinate against TB from a young age. Unfortunately I know very little else about James.