Kate Bull and Frederick Radford Family Research and photos Suzanne Palmer January 2025
Back Row: Frederick and Eric Radford. Seated: Mae, Kate and Enid Radford in about 1922
My great-grandmother, Kate Bull, was born in Kingsdown in 1880. She married Frederick Radford in 1901, and in 1907 they emigrated to Canada. Although I have been to England several times including Wiltshire, I have never made it to Box. Suzanne tells the story of her family with some social comments in italics about Box residents in times of economic recession.
Early Family
Frederick Bull (1819-1874) and his wife Mary Stevens (1816-) came from Bradford-on-Avon where they lived until the 1840s when they moved to Kingsdown, Box. At first Mary and the children were in a tied cottage owned by Jacob Pocock of Shaylor’s Farm next to the farm’s gamekeeper. They shared the house with Edgar and Abraham Hancock, farm labourers, whilst Frederick was either unwell or working away as a domestic gardener. By 1868 they had moved to one of 8 tenanted cottages in Kingsdown owned by Thomas Rowland, Esq of Twerton, Bath.[1]
Their second son, Frederick Bull (1851-1900), was a labourer who could not find work as a gardener or in agriculture and was forced to take any work he could find. Originally, he lived at Bull Lane, central Box, where he was employed as a labourer on highway (road). He married Mary Jane Gale (1852-) in 1874 and they moved back to Kingsdown. Frederick (1851-1900) and his father were both buried in Box Cemetery in a family plot (767) but the family was too poor to mark it with a headstone and the plot has now been lost. By the 1911 census, Mary Jane Gale Bull had moved to Deri, Glamorgan, South Wales to live with her son Frank and daughter-in-law Alice Isabella.
Frederick Bull (1819-1874) and his wife Mary Stevens (1816-) came from Bradford-on-Avon where they lived until the 1840s when they moved to Kingsdown, Box. At first Mary and the children were in a tied cottage owned by Jacob Pocock of Shaylor’s Farm next to the farm’s gamekeeper. They shared the house with Edgar and Abraham Hancock, farm labourers, whilst Frederick was either unwell or working away as a domestic gardener. By 1868 they had moved to one of 8 tenanted cottages in Kingsdown owned by Thomas Rowland, Esq of Twerton, Bath.[1]
Their second son, Frederick Bull (1851-1900), was a labourer who could not find work as a gardener or in agriculture and was forced to take any work he could find. Originally, he lived at Bull Lane, central Box, where he was employed as a labourer on highway (road). He married Mary Jane Gale (1852-) in 1874 and they moved back to Kingsdown. Frederick (1851-1900) and his father were both buried in Box Cemetery in a family plot (767) but the family was too poor to mark it with a headstone and the plot has now been lost. By the 1911 census, Mary Jane Gale Bull had moved to Deri, Glamorgan, South Wales to live with her son Frank and daughter-in-law Alice Isabella.
Social Changes in Late Victorian Period
Changes in British society and economy significantly reduced rural employment after 1873. Migration became a policy of the British Government, keen to export those it perceived as troublemakers or irredeemably poor. The word “migration” became less associated with slavery and a synonym for “opportunity”. Agents promoting migration to Canada toured Britain after 1896. The Barnardo’s Charity sent thousands of orphaned children overseas and the Salvation Army supported the emigration of the poorest groups in society.[2] British emigration became respectable.
The British farming industry fell into depression after 1873, with home-produced corn prices undercut by foreign imports, often from Canada.[3] The use of steam engines, both static and moveable, also resulted in the need for less manual workers. These changes continued for decades and the job description “agricultural labourer” largely dropped out of census records. Those people who had skills migrated to manufacturing towns and others sought work abroad. All of this was apparent in Box. The Northey family halved their land holdings between 1873 and 1894 and they had to let their remaining farms on long leases at low rents. It was a short-term decision which hastened the Sale of the Estate after 1912.
The agricultural depression had other effects because wealthy landlords who were suffering reduced farm rents (or none at all) reacted by cutting back on their domestic staff, including their army of gardeners. They no longer had sufficient funds to flaunt their wealth by visible demonstrations of affluence. The competition in grand gardens to grow exotic plants and speciality trees, such as Giant Redwoods, was abandoned in Box with cost-saving measures resulting on staff lay-offs.
For some in Box, the solution lay in taking work in the stone industry but this was highly cyclical and controlled by a few families. As early as 1901, banker masons went on strike in the Box and Corsham area demanding an extra 7d per hour rather than the ½d offered.[4] They went out on strike for a month and a half until late July 1901 when It is estimated that the (Box) men have lost in wages alone close on £700.[5] In November 1908 vicar Rev William White fundraised to rebuild the church wall and “provide work for several men who have for so long been unemployed. Nearly a dozen men are already employed on the work and for some weeks I felt that to give employment to a few would be better than a promiscuous charity to many”.[6] By January 1909 a soup kitchen was started every Tuesdays and Fridays to support families in need of food. It was against this background that the Bull and Radford families were attempting to survive.
Changes in British society and economy significantly reduced rural employment after 1873. Migration became a policy of the British Government, keen to export those it perceived as troublemakers or irredeemably poor. The word “migration” became less associated with slavery and a synonym for “opportunity”. Agents promoting migration to Canada toured Britain after 1896. The Barnardo’s Charity sent thousands of orphaned children overseas and the Salvation Army supported the emigration of the poorest groups in society.[2] British emigration became respectable.
The British farming industry fell into depression after 1873, with home-produced corn prices undercut by foreign imports, often from Canada.[3] The use of steam engines, both static and moveable, also resulted in the need for less manual workers. These changes continued for decades and the job description “agricultural labourer” largely dropped out of census records. Those people who had skills migrated to manufacturing towns and others sought work abroad. All of this was apparent in Box. The Northey family halved their land holdings between 1873 and 1894 and they had to let their remaining farms on long leases at low rents. It was a short-term decision which hastened the Sale of the Estate after 1912.
The agricultural depression had other effects because wealthy landlords who were suffering reduced farm rents (or none at all) reacted by cutting back on their domestic staff, including their army of gardeners. They no longer had sufficient funds to flaunt their wealth by visible demonstrations of affluence. The competition in grand gardens to grow exotic plants and speciality trees, such as Giant Redwoods, was abandoned in Box with cost-saving measures resulting on staff lay-offs.
For some in Box, the solution lay in taking work in the stone industry but this was highly cyclical and controlled by a few families. As early as 1901, banker masons went on strike in the Box and Corsham area demanding an extra 7d per hour rather than the ½d offered.[4] They went out on strike for a month and a half until late July 1901 when It is estimated that the (Box) men have lost in wages alone close on £700.[5] In November 1908 vicar Rev William White fundraised to rebuild the church wall and “provide work for several men who have for so long been unemployed. Nearly a dozen men are already employed on the work and for some weeks I felt that to give employment to a few would be better than a promiscuous charity to many”.[6] By January 1909 a soup kitchen was started every Tuesdays and Fridays to support families in need of food. It was against this background that the Bull and Radford families were attempting to survive.
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Above Left: Frederick Radford in 1918 in his WWI Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force uniform.
Above Right: Kate working in the family home about 1898 with her mother Mary Jane Gale Bull in the background.
Does anyone recognise where the house is in Kingsdown?
Above Right: Kate working in the family home about 1898 with her mother Mary Jane Gale Bull in the background.
Does anyone recognise where the house is in Kingsdown?
Life of Kate Bull and Frederick Radford
Frederick and Mary’s fourth child Kate Bull (1880-1951) married Frederick Radford (1881-1976) at Bath on 4 January 1901.
Kate was a rather formal and reserved character. She could be implacable with her opinions, very Victorian especially as related to social norms, a product of her generation. Frederick came from Devon and I was told by his granddaughter that he never lost his West County accent. He was the son of Thomas Radford and Elizabeth Burrows and was working as a domestic coachman at Bathampton at the time of his marriage.
Seeking more opportunities, they emigrated to Quebec, Canada, from Liverpool in 1907 on the ship Corsican along with their two children and 1,171 other passengers. By then Frederick had lost his job and described himself as a labourer. When Frederick and Kate emigrated, it was because of improved employment and living opportunities offered in Canada. Initially, they lived in Embro, Ontario before relocating to London, Ontario, where they lived the remainder of their lives. Their first two children, Eric and Enid were born in England.
In the photo of Frederick above you can see that he had a red cross badge on his uniform. He joined the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in May 1916, describing his trade as a florist. It is probable that he joined the 149th Battalion, based in Watford, Ontario, which began recruiting in late 1915 and sailing to England in March 1917. After the war, Fred worked for the Canadian National Railway for many years but also had a greenhouse where he grew and sold plants. He loved gardening and always kept his hand in. I was told he was kind and a true gentleman.
Frederick and Mary’s fourth child Kate Bull (1880-1951) married Frederick Radford (1881-1976) at Bath on 4 January 1901.
Kate was a rather formal and reserved character. She could be implacable with her opinions, very Victorian especially as related to social norms, a product of her generation. Frederick came from Devon and I was told by his granddaughter that he never lost his West County accent. He was the son of Thomas Radford and Elizabeth Burrows and was working as a domestic coachman at Bathampton at the time of his marriage.
Seeking more opportunities, they emigrated to Quebec, Canada, from Liverpool in 1907 on the ship Corsican along with their two children and 1,171 other passengers. By then Frederick had lost his job and described himself as a labourer. When Frederick and Kate emigrated, it was because of improved employment and living opportunities offered in Canada. Initially, they lived in Embro, Ontario before relocating to London, Ontario, where they lived the remainder of their lives. Their first two children, Eric and Enid were born in England.
In the photo of Frederick above you can see that he had a red cross badge on his uniform. He joined the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in May 1916, describing his trade as a florist. It is probable that he joined the 149th Battalion, based in Watford, Ontario, which began recruiting in late 1915 and sailing to England in March 1917. After the war, Fred worked for the Canadian National Railway for many years but also had a greenhouse where he grew and sold plants. He loved gardening and always kept his hand in. I was told he was kind and a true gentleman.
The couple in 1951 (courtesy The London Free Press (Ontario))
Their Golden Wedding Anniversary was reported in the local Ontario newspaper in 1951 as rather quiet due to Kate’s heart ailment. Frederick was reported as a gardener by profession but, since he emigrated from England, he had worked mostly for the Canadian National Railways in their workshops. In retirement he had returned to gardening, cultivating 150,000 plant cuttings. Kate passed away in 1951 at 993 Oxford Street, shortly after their wedding celebrations. Her obituary described her as an adherent of the Metropolitan United Church. Frederick outlived her by 25 years, aged 96 when he died in 1976, still at the same address.
Emigration from Britain
It has been argued that the volume of emigration from Britain to the Empire in the late Victorian period has been understated.[7] The New Worlds of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada offered opportunity and the chance of success not available to most nineteenth century people. These lands were not “foreign” but part of Britain, governed by British laws and seeking to mirror British lifestyles.
The British government offered various schemes to encourage the emigration of soldiers returning from the Great War called the Overseas Settlement Act in 1919. The initiative was extended to “any suitable person” by the 1922 Empire Settlement Act offering training and subsidies for agricultural, domestic workers and unemployed young men to move to the colonies. The 1923 the Imperial Economic Conference claimed that “a re-distribution of the white population of the Empire in the best interests of the whole British Commonwealth.” Many countries were keen to expand their white, Christian, English-speaking communities, especially where this society was in a minority. This applied to Canadian legislation against French-speaking areas as well as in African countries. It is claimed that 130,000 British people emigrated to Canada under these schemes.[8] Until the 1930s Canada offered subsidised transport rates, high wages, finance to buy farms and other inducements.[9]
It has been argued that the volume of emigration from Britain to the Empire in the late Victorian period has been understated.[7] The New Worlds of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada offered opportunity and the chance of success not available to most nineteenth century people. These lands were not “foreign” but part of Britain, governed by British laws and seeking to mirror British lifestyles.
The British government offered various schemes to encourage the emigration of soldiers returning from the Great War called the Overseas Settlement Act in 1919. The initiative was extended to “any suitable person” by the 1922 Empire Settlement Act offering training and subsidies for agricultural, domestic workers and unemployed young men to move to the colonies. The 1923 the Imperial Economic Conference claimed that “a re-distribution of the white population of the Empire in the best interests of the whole British Commonwealth.” Many countries were keen to expand their white, Christian, English-speaking communities, especially where this society was in a minority. This applied to Canadian legislation against French-speaking areas as well as in African countries. It is claimed that 130,000 British people emigrated to Canada under these schemes.[8] Until the 1930s Canada offered subsidised transport rates, high wages, finance to buy farms and other inducements.[9]
Later Radford Family
My grandmother, Enid Kate Radford, daughter of Kate Bull and Fred Radford, was married three times. Her first husband, Charles Ernest Shaw junior is my grandfather and their children including my mother were born in London, Ontario. Secondly, she married James Alfred Thomas senior, then in later life Berndt Freed. Sadly, I did not know my great-grandparents or grandparents as Enid and Charles Shaw placed their three children into care. All were subsequently adopted, Eric and Marion by the same family, and my mom was adopted at nine months old by a Canadian citizen and his American wife who resided in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1999 mom and I registered to receive her birth/adoption information. Ontario records were not open at that time, so we hired an investigator who assisted with identifying information. Eventually when Ontario opened adoption records, we did receive formal confirmation of her birth family. Mom and I also met her birth sister, her birth brother's family as well as a half-sister from Enid's second marriage.
My grandmother, Enid Kate Radford, daughter of Kate Bull and Fred Radford, was married three times. Her first husband, Charles Ernest Shaw junior is my grandfather and their children including my mother were born in London, Ontario. Secondly, she married James Alfred Thomas senior, then in later life Berndt Freed. Sadly, I did not know my great-grandparents or grandparents as Enid and Charles Shaw placed their three children into care. All were subsequently adopted, Eric and Marion by the same family, and my mom was adopted at nine months old by a Canadian citizen and his American wife who resided in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1999 mom and I registered to receive her birth/adoption information. Ontario records were not open at that time, so we hired an investigator who assisted with identifying information. Eventually when Ontario opened adoption records, we did receive formal confirmation of her birth family. Mom and I also met her birth sister, her birth brother's family as well as a half-sister from Enid's second marriage.
Family Tree
Frederick Bull (c1821-1874), domestic gardener, and his wife Mary Stevens (c1817-). Children:
Frederick Bull (1851-1900) and Mary Jane Gale (1852-). Children:
Kate Bull (1880-1951) and Frederick Radford (1881-1976) Children:
Frederick Bull (c1821-1874), domestic gardener, and his wife Mary Stevens (c1817-). Children:
- Charles (1840-), agricultural labourer, who married Emily (c1845 in Box-);
- Charlotte |(c1843-);
- Elizabeth (c1845-);
- Joseph (c1849-);
- Frederick (1851-1900);
- Jane (1855-);
- Mary (1858-).
Frederick Bull (1851-1900) and Mary Jane Gale (1852-). Children:
- Alice Georgina (1874-1947 in Glamorgan, Wales) who married Frank Woodley (1879-) in 1909;
- William (1876-) who married Florence (c1878-) in 1903;
- Frank (1878-) married Alice Isabella (c1881-). In 1911 they were living at Deri, Glamorgan where Frank worked as a coal hewer;
- Kate (1880-1951) who married Frederick Radford (1881-1976);
- Herbert (1883-) who married Margaret (c1889-);
- Lucy (1887-) who married Arthur E Edwards (c1880-) in 1910;
- Elizabeth (1891-);
- Edith May (1894-).
Kate Bull (1880-1951) and Frederick Radford (1881-1976) Children:
- Eric Alfred (1903-1970) married Margaret S Watson (1900-1978);
- Enid Kate (1905-1975) married 3 times: Charles Ernest Shaw (1904-1987), James Alfred Thomas (1908-1967), and Bernt William Freed (1912-1973);
- Mabel Mae Lucy (1908-1998);
- Edward Frank (1912-1912);
- Ellen Dorothy (1921-2009) who married Kenneth W Astles (1918-2014).
Conclusion
We have long recognised that European nations had substantial emigration in the 19th century. These countries included Germany, Russia and Italy. We are also aware that many people emigrated from Ireland to the New World, but the exodus from England has been under- discussed. Suzanne’s story of her family adds to our knowledge of these times.
We have long recognised that European nations had substantial emigration in the 19th century. These countries included Germany, Russia and Italy. We are also aware that many people emigrated from Ireland to the New World, but the exodus from England has been under- discussed. Suzanne’s story of her family adds to our knowledge of these times.
References
[1] The Bath Chronicle, 27 February 1868
[2] British Migration in the 19th century - The British Empire
[3] See Victorian Farming - Box People and Places
[4] Bath Chronicle and Herald, 13 June 1901
[5] Salisbury and Wilton Times, 26 July 1901
[6] Parish Magazine, November 1908
[7] See Emigration State: Race, Citizenship and Settler Imperialism in Modern British History, c. 1850–1972 - Foks - 2022 - Journal of Historical Sociology - Wiley Online Library
[8] Empire Settlement Schemes after WWI | Exodus: Movement of the People
[9] Empire Settlement Act, 1922 | Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
[1] The Bath Chronicle, 27 February 1868
[2] British Migration in the 19th century - The British Empire
[3] See Victorian Farming - Box People and Places
[4] Bath Chronicle and Herald, 13 June 1901
[5] Salisbury and Wilton Times, 26 July 1901
[6] Parish Magazine, November 1908
[7] See Emigration State: Race, Citizenship and Settler Imperialism in Modern British History, c. 1850–1972 - Foks - 2022 - Journal of Historical Sociology - Wiley Online Library
[8] Empire Settlement Schemes after WWI | Exodus: Movement of the People
[9] Empire Settlement Act, 1922 | Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21