Sydney Spurdle (1867-1918)

This is my great-grandfather Sydney Spurdle. He was born on 13th April 1867 in Broadwindsor, Dorset. His parents were Richard and Ann Spurdle (maiden name Abbott).

Sydney travelled to North Wales in approx 1890/91 to work at Gresford Colliery. He seems to have come from a family of agricultural labourers, but obviously there wasn't work to be had on the land and he had to travel further afield to find a job. He was a married man and had a young child, so I imagine he must have been quite desperate for work to uproot himself and his wife from their families and travel so far away. His wife was Caroline Wetherell and they had married in June 1888.

I haven't got the birth certificate for their first child Herbert born approx 1889, but on the 1891 census he is shown as being born in Dorset, but on the 1901 census Herbert is shown as being born in London. I don't know which is correct, but given the mention of London I wonder whether that is where Sydney and Caroline might have first travelled to look for work? 

On the 1891 census they are living in Gwersyllt near to the Gresford Colliery. Sydney is 23 and is a coal worker, Caroline is 22 and their son Herbert is one year old. They had another baby Sarah Ann in September 1893 but this was quickly followed by tragedy as Caroline died just two months later in December 1893. It must have been very difficult for Sydney with a young son and baby daughter and no relatives to help out. 

But here's the surprise, in the 1901 census Sydney seems to be living with his dead wife's relations at Stansty Forge House, Gwersyllt. His wife Caroline Wetherell came from Drimpton, Dorset and in the 1881 census she can befound living with her mother Sarah in Drimpton. Sarah is listed as head of the house in the 1881 census - so perhaps she is a widow? In the 1901 census Sydney Spurdle and his children are living with Simon/Simeon Start (Head, aged 41, Born Axmouth Devon, Collier Hewer), Sarah Start (Wife, aged 65, Born Drimpton Dorset), Annie Wetherell (Daughter, aged 22, Born Drimpton Dorset) and Ellen Wetherell (Daughter, aged 20, Born Drimpton Dorset).  Herbert and Sarah Spurdle are listed as grandchildren. I am sure that Sarah is Caroline's mother and that Annie and Ellen are her sisters. I must admit to being a little bit astounded that it appears that Sarah married a man 24 years her junior!

I am intrigued that Sydney's in-laws also moved to North Wales. I'd like to know if they had planned to do so or whether they moved especially to help Sydney raise his children. Sydney later married for a second time and had several more children, but I'll write about that next time.