Inherited records: papers of Charles Steele of Lewes

The 1871 census returns lists Charles Steele (aged 49 years, born at Leckford, Hampshire) of Priory Street, Southover, whitesmith and forgeman, his wife Caroline (47, Lewes), children Annie Maria (16, Lewes), Rhoda (14, Lewes), Alfred (11, Lewes), Allan (8, Lewes) and Sydney (5, Lewes) and grandson Charles Reginald (2, Brighton). By 1881 he was living at 12 Abinger Place, hot water engine foreman (states he was born at Winchester) with his wife Caroline, children Rhoda, dressmaker, Allan, ironmonger's apprentice and Sidney, pupil teacher, and granddaughter Ada (6, Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire), scholar (RG 11/1069 folio 84). Two of their children were baptised at the Westgate Unitarian Chapel: Caroline Jane (born in All Saints on 29 August 1844), the daughter of Charles Steele and his wife Caroline (née Phillips), was baptised on 6 October 1844, and Charles (born in the parish of St John Lewes on 5 November 1846) was baptised on 14 March 1847 (NU 1/1/3)

In 1871 Charlotte Jackson (25, Putney, Surrey) was living at Lansdowne Place, schoolmistress, while by 1881 she was living with her mother Charlotte Jackson (62, Compton, Bedfordshire) of 5 Lansdowne Terrace, housekeeper, sister Marie (30, Putney), teacher of needle work and boarder Elisabeth Hooper (22, Ipswich, Suffolk), assistant matron PES (RG 11/1070 folio 57)

It is not known why these documents were in the possession of Alan R Fuller, a partner of Messrs Fuller and Askew

Source: C Brent 'Lewes in 1871: A household and political directory' University of Sussex Centre for Continuing Education occasional paper 9 (1978) and card index to the 1871 returns for Lewes (ACC8719); on-line index to 1881 census returns

Document given to the Sussex Archaeological Society on 14 Sep 1961 (SAS/ACC1086)