Thomas Richard Roberts ²

  Chronology:

In 1841 he was born at 18 Dock St, Rosemary Lane, Whitechapel, the home of his parents. (See the 1841 census for his father). ^{5 8 9}

In 1851 he was a Scholar living with his widowed mother and extended family at No 3 Garden Place, Chicksand Street, Stepney. As far as I can work out so far this is off Brick Lane. (see the entry for his mother for details of the family). ¹⁰

In 1861 he is likely to have been the Butcher's Servant, age 18, born Shoreditch, working for William Amos at 36 Robinhood Lane, Poplar. ¹¹

In 1865 at the time of his marriage he was described as a Milkman of Great Cambridge Street, Haggerston (now Queensbridge Street). ¹²

In 1866 at the time of daughter Lavinia's birth he was described as a Butchers Assistant of 7 Fountain Terrace, Poplar. ¹³

In 1871 he worked as a Carman (Servant) and lived at 78 Berner Street, St George in the East Parish, Tower Hamlets with wife Louisa and children Lavinia, Thomas and William all of whom are shown as born Middlesex, Whitechapel.

Berner Street and is now called Henriques Street. It is a small street off Commercial Road not far from Whitechapel station. At 1am on 30th September 1888 the body of Elizabeth Stride was found in the street - she was a victim of Jack the Ripper. The has changed completely but this photo shows it as it was in 1888.

(FROM WIKIPAEDIA: St George in the East is one of six Hawksmoor churches in London, UK , built from 1714 to 1729, with funding from the 1711 Act of Parliament . The name of the church was was also the parish for the surrounding area, until subsumed into Stepney (and later Tower Hamlets ).
The church was hit by a bomb in during the Second World war Blitz on London's docklands in May 1941. The original interior was destroyed by the fire, but the walls and distinctive "pepper-pot" towers stayed up. In 1964 a modern church interior was constructed inside the existing walls, and a new flat built under each corner tower. The church still stands, and has an active congegration. Plans have been drawn up to develop the crypt into a performance venue. It is located on Cannon Street Road , between The Highway and Cable Street , in the East End of London. Behind the church lies St George's Gardens, the original cemetery, which was passed to Stepney Council to maintain as a public park in mid-Victorian times. In 1836, the parish of St George in the East was constituted as a Poor Law parish under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. It appeared in the 1980 film The Long Good Friday .) ¹⁴

In 1881 he was a Labourer living at 4, back of Island Row, Poplar with wife Louisa and children Lavinia A (domestic servant), Thomas R, William H, Bob and Louisa M (all shown born Poplar).

Island Row is off Limehouse and backs onto Limehouse Basin (Regent's Canal Docks). This 1882 map shows the area with Island Row about where the "i" of Limehouse is. ¹⁵

In Sep 1887 at the time of daughter Lavinia's marriage he was described as a Fishmonger. ¹⁶

In 1891 he was working as a Fishmonger and living at 274 West Ferry Road, Poplar with wife Louisa and son Thomas who was also working as a Fishmonger. They have two dock workers lodging with them. ¹⁷

In 1901 he was described as a Carman & Contractor (own account) of 8 Watford Road, West Ham where he lived with wife and sons Thomas and Robert and Robert's wife and two children. Thomas and Robert were described as Licensed Hawkers. ¹⁸

He worked as a Fish Hawker in 1911 and resided at 5 Totness Cottages, West Ferry Rd, Poplar. ¹⁹

Thomas married Louisa Matilda Bishop, daughter of James Bishop and Mary, 4th Sep 1865 in St Mary Haggerston, Haggerston Rd, Shoreditch.¹ (Louisa Matilda Bishop was born on 23 Nov 1844 in London, Middlesex ^{15 20}, christened on 22 Dec 1844 in St John the Evangalist, Lambeth ²¹ and died in 1926 in West Ham (reg) - (likely) ²².)

  Marriage Notes:

The church of St. Mary was built to the design of John Nash in 1822-6 and was destroyed in the 2nd World War.