Vivash Family in Box: A Tale of Five Phoebes
Carl Vivash May 2016
Carl Vivash May 2016
When I first started looking into our family history I knew my Grandfather, Richard Wallace Vivash born in 1908, came from Box and that Vivash was pretty much exclusively a West Country name. There are records of Le Vyvaz going back to at least 1191 in Wiltshire. I therefore expected to trace the family to a local village and that to be that for hundreds of years. Things turned out to be a bit different however.
Using the census records from 1841 and every ten years thereafter, birth, marriage and death records, I soon traced the family in Box back five generations to my Great Great Great Grandfather William Vivash. The earliest Vivash reference I could find is when Phoebe Vivash was born at Corsham in 1841 to William and Sarah Vivash. William’s occupation is recorded as Labourer. Ten years later, the 1851 census showed William, Sarah and their family living at Box Quarries and William and Sarah as having been born in Middlesex, London and Northampton, Sudbrow (sic) respectively.
They had six children. The first two, Henry Joseph and Mary recorded as being born in London, Phoebe in Corsham and John, Matilda and Eliza in Box. William was working as an Agricultural Labourer and Henry Joseph as a Quarryman Labourer. This was the first mention of the Vivash family working in the Bath Stone industry at Box; this association was to continue for four generations with every male family member working in the quarries in some capacity at some point in their lives.
Interestingly, Vivash is spelt Fiveash in the 1851 and 1861 census. There is a wide range of spellings used for the name over the years, Vivash, Viveash and Fiveash being the most common.
Using the census records from 1841 and every ten years thereafter, birth, marriage and death records, I soon traced the family in Box back five generations to my Great Great Great Grandfather William Vivash. The earliest Vivash reference I could find is when Phoebe Vivash was born at Corsham in 1841 to William and Sarah Vivash. William’s occupation is recorded as Labourer. Ten years later, the 1851 census showed William, Sarah and their family living at Box Quarries and William and Sarah as having been born in Middlesex, London and Northampton, Sudbrow (sic) respectively.
They had six children. The first two, Henry Joseph and Mary recorded as being born in London, Phoebe in Corsham and John, Matilda and Eliza in Box. William was working as an Agricultural Labourer and Henry Joseph as a Quarryman Labourer. This was the first mention of the Vivash family working in the Bath Stone industry at Box; this association was to continue for four generations with every male family member working in the quarries in some capacity at some point in their lives.
Interestingly, Vivash is spelt Fiveash in the 1851 and 1861 census. There is a wide range of spellings used for the name over the years, Vivash, Viveash and Fiveash being the most common.
Box 1851 Census – William ‘Fiveash’ and family (courtesy Ancestry)
London to Box
To see that the family had moved to Box from London came as a bit of a surprise but, nevertheless I began to look for records of the family in London. I quickly found the baptism records of the first two children, Henry Joseph on the 10th August 1834 and Mary three years later on 26 February 1837, both at St Mary's Church, Marylebone. William and Sarah were recorded as living at 91 East St, Marylebone. This was a large building subdivided into separate households in the shadow of Marylebone workhouse. On the baptism entries William's occupation was shown as a servant.
Now, however, I was stuck. I could find no record of William’s marriage to Sarah or his baptism in London to trace the Vivash family any further. I have remained stuck for the last 25 years, until now. Another reason I was puzzled was why would a servant in London suddenly move to Box. I couldn’t help thinking that the two mysteries could be linked and if William moved to Box due to family ties, especially with the name being so localised to Wiltshire, I might be able to move the story on.
By 1836 the Great Western Railway had reached Corsham and the digging of the railway tunnel through Box Hill, from Corsham to Box, had resulted in the need for a huge quantity of labourers and the local population had swelled considerably. It seemed likely William moved his family in search of work. The 1841 census shows hundreds of people living in Railway Huts but I have not been able to find William recorded anywhere in this census. It is probably no surprise that people were missed, considering the chaotic conditions in the area at the time.
To see that the family had moved to Box from London came as a bit of a surprise but, nevertheless I began to look for records of the family in London. I quickly found the baptism records of the first two children, Henry Joseph on the 10th August 1834 and Mary three years later on 26 February 1837, both at St Mary's Church, Marylebone. William and Sarah were recorded as living at 91 East St, Marylebone. This was a large building subdivided into separate households in the shadow of Marylebone workhouse. On the baptism entries William's occupation was shown as a servant.
Now, however, I was stuck. I could find no record of William’s marriage to Sarah or his baptism in London to trace the Vivash family any further. I have remained stuck for the last 25 years, until now. Another reason I was puzzled was why would a servant in London suddenly move to Box. I couldn’t help thinking that the two mysteries could be linked and if William moved to Box due to family ties, especially with the name being so localised to Wiltshire, I might be able to move the story on.
By 1836 the Great Western Railway had reached Corsham and the digging of the railway tunnel through Box Hill, from Corsham to Box, had resulted in the need for a huge quantity of labourers and the local population had swelled considerably. It seemed likely William moved his family in search of work. The 1841 census shows hundreds of people living in Railway Huts but I have not been able to find William recorded anywhere in this census. It is probably no surprise that people were missed, considering the chaotic conditions in the area at the time.
The following is taken from the Wiltshire Council website:
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The last portion of Brunel’s London to Bristol Great Western Railway line to be completed was between Bath and Chippenham. This presented the greatest difficulty in the cutting of the 1¾ mile long Box Tunnel ... During the final six months before completion there were 4,000 men and 300 horses working. The work took five years with nearly 100 men killed whilst working. The tunnel was completed in Spring 1841 and the line officially opened on 30th June 1841 … Work on the tunnel changed the nature of Box completely. Shanty towns for labourers were built and were swiftly followed by the arrival of all the camp followers associated with the temporary camps of men. New beer houses and public houses were set up, including one with the name Railroad Tavern. The effect on the established population of this mainly agricultural parish was immense with fears of drunkenness and violence common.
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Crime and Punishment
William seems to have been involved in some of the disorder mentioned above. The Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette of
10 December 1840 has the following report: Committed to the New Prison Devizes. William Vivash, for one month, for having assaulted and beat George West at Corsham, in the execution his duty as special constable.
What caught my eye though was an entry in the same newspaper three weeks earlier on 19 November 1840: Committed to the New Prison Devizes. Charles Potter and Thomas Vivash, for two months each, for having assaulted and beat George West and John Smith, constables at Corsham.
Could this be the same incident that William was sentenced for three weeks later? Was Thomas Vivash the relative that linked William to Corsham and Box? This was the only other mention of the Vivash name I had found anywhere in Corsham or Box at this time, could he be related or maybe it was just coincidence, and he was just one of the thousands of labourers looking for work with the digging of the tunnel.
I decided to look further at Thomas and he certainly seemed to have a chequered history; appearing regularly at the Wiltshire Quarter and Petty Sessions throughout the 1830s and early 1840s. There didn’t seem to be any link to William or London however. Eventually Thomas’ life of crime caught up with him; the following article appeared on the 6 January 1844 in the Salisbury and Winchester Journal: Wilts Epiphany Sessions. Two men, named Thomas Viveash and William Hatt, were charged with stealing a pair of clogs belonging to Miss Goddard, at Cliffe Pypard. It appeared that the two men had been begging at the house of the Rev. Mr Goddard, and that they had carried the clogs from the shoe-house, where they had been placed by the footman. Hatt pleaded guilty, and having been recommended to mercy by the Rev. Mr Goddard, on account of previous good character, was sentenced to three months imprisonment. Viveash, after taking his trial, was convicted, and sentenced to seven years transportation.
Transported to Tasmania
Thomas was transferred to Millbank prison in London to await transportation where the Gaolers Report of Character stated:
Prior conviction of felony. Lived in crime 8 or 9 years. Previous character bad. And the How disposed of column in the prison register showed: “Maria Somes” Van Diemans Land. Millbank Prison Register 1844. The ship Maria Somes sailed from London on 25 April and arrived in Tasmania on 30 July 1844.
William seems to have been involved in some of the disorder mentioned above. The Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette of
10 December 1840 has the following report: Committed to the New Prison Devizes. William Vivash, for one month, for having assaulted and beat George West at Corsham, in the execution his duty as special constable.
What caught my eye though was an entry in the same newspaper three weeks earlier on 19 November 1840: Committed to the New Prison Devizes. Charles Potter and Thomas Vivash, for two months each, for having assaulted and beat George West and John Smith, constables at Corsham.
Could this be the same incident that William was sentenced for three weeks later? Was Thomas Vivash the relative that linked William to Corsham and Box? This was the only other mention of the Vivash name I had found anywhere in Corsham or Box at this time, could he be related or maybe it was just coincidence, and he was just one of the thousands of labourers looking for work with the digging of the tunnel.
I decided to look further at Thomas and he certainly seemed to have a chequered history; appearing regularly at the Wiltshire Quarter and Petty Sessions throughout the 1830s and early 1840s. There didn’t seem to be any link to William or London however. Eventually Thomas’ life of crime caught up with him; the following article appeared on the 6 January 1844 in the Salisbury and Winchester Journal: Wilts Epiphany Sessions. Two men, named Thomas Viveash and William Hatt, were charged with stealing a pair of clogs belonging to Miss Goddard, at Cliffe Pypard. It appeared that the two men had been begging at the house of the Rev. Mr Goddard, and that they had carried the clogs from the shoe-house, where they had been placed by the footman. Hatt pleaded guilty, and having been recommended to mercy by the Rev. Mr Goddard, on account of previous good character, was sentenced to three months imprisonment. Viveash, after taking his trial, was convicted, and sentenced to seven years transportation.
Transported to Tasmania
Thomas was transferred to Millbank prison in London to await transportation where the Gaolers Report of Character stated:
Prior conviction of felony. Lived in crime 8 or 9 years. Previous character bad. And the How disposed of column in the prison register showed: “Maria Somes” Van Diemans Land. Millbank Prison Register 1844. The ship Maria Somes sailed from London on 25 April and arrived in Tasmania on 30 July 1844.
Millbank Prison Register 1844 (courtesy Ancestry)
Tasmania has a great deal of convict information available online and I was soon able to find Thomas’ convict records. The first thing I found, sadly, was an inquest report into Thomas’ death dated 14 June 1845, not quite a year after he had arrived. The inquest took place on Maria Island in the County of Pembroke and found: That he came to his death by the visitation of God.
Following this not very happy start I next looked at his Conduct Record. As well as showing details of his offence, sentence and a description it had an entry for Native Place. This stated Whitechapel. So it looked as if our Wiltshire convict came from London after all !
Following this not very happy start I next looked at his Conduct Record. As well as showing details of his offence, sentence and a description it had an entry for Native Place. This stated Whitechapel. So it looked as if our Wiltshire convict came from London after all !
Convict Conduct Record 1844 (courtesy Ancestry)
I quickly looked through his other convict records for his Native Place: Appropriation List: Whitechapel. Description List: London. Indent of Convicts Arriving in Van Diemens Land: Whitechapel. This last document gave even more information however in the remarks column: Father Joseph, Mother Sarah. Great Bedwin Wilts. Brothers: John (15th Regt of Foot), Wm. London. Sisters: Phoebe, Matilda, Hannah.
Indent of Convicts Arriving in Van Diemens Land (courtesy Ancestry)
Wm was common shorthand at the time for William. So Thomas had a brother called William who he said came from London as well ! Looking for Thomas’s parents, Joseph and Sarah, I found possible details of their marriage: 20 Dec 1807 Joseph Vivash and Sarah Smart. St Sepulchre, London.
St Sepulchre Marriage Register 1807 (courtesy Ancestry)
So it also looked as if Thomas’ parents were married in London. Then I found baptisms for the following children:
William 17 October 1813; Elizabeth Ann 17 October 1813; Phoebe 15 March 1815; Emily 26 December 1819; John 8 June 1822.
I also found another daughter, Matilda born in 1818, by using the censuses.
Back to Wiltshire
All the baptisms I found were in Great Bedwyn, but it seemed the parents’ marriage was in London and the children appear to have been baptised some time after their birth (note that William and Elizabeth were baptised on the same day). This made me think that, for at least some of the children, Joseph and Sarah waited until they were visiting their home parish in Wiltshire to baptise them.
So the parents and four of the five siblings mentioned in Thomas’ convict record matched the family of Joseph Vivash that I had found in Great Bedwyn. However, I could find no baptism or census record for the fifth sibling, Hannah, in London or Great Bedwyn. There were two additional children born to Joseph and Sarah not mentioned in Thomas’ record: Elizabeth Ann, who I believe died young as there are no further records relating to her anywhere; and Emily, who appears in later census returns, perhaps the record keeper thought five was enough to note down! These differences left some doubt in my mind that I definitely had the right family so I turned back to the records.
Looking through the census returns seemed to show the family was living in Great Bedwyn by 1841 so the family’s time in London must have been confined to the earlier years of the century. One thing I did notice on the 1841 census was that Joseph’s wife, Sarah, was alone with her daughter Emily at home in Great Bedwyn on that day with no sign of Joseph.
So where might Joseph be in 1841 at the same time as his (possible) sons Thomas and William were living at Corsham? I went back and checked the 1841 census for Corsham for any Joseph of the right age or any possible misspelling of Vivash that I could think of. And there he was, mis-indexed as Joseph Unrash, though to the trained eye it is obviously Vivash, aged 55 living at Green Hill, Corsham. I also found a Charles Vevash aged 20 living at Pound Pill.
William 17 October 1813; Elizabeth Ann 17 October 1813; Phoebe 15 March 1815; Emily 26 December 1819; John 8 June 1822.
I also found another daughter, Matilda born in 1818, by using the censuses.
Back to Wiltshire
All the baptisms I found were in Great Bedwyn, but it seemed the parents’ marriage was in London and the children appear to have been baptised some time after their birth (note that William and Elizabeth were baptised on the same day). This made me think that, for at least some of the children, Joseph and Sarah waited until they were visiting their home parish in Wiltshire to baptise them.
So the parents and four of the five siblings mentioned in Thomas’ convict record matched the family of Joseph Vivash that I had found in Great Bedwyn. However, I could find no baptism or census record for the fifth sibling, Hannah, in London or Great Bedwyn. There were two additional children born to Joseph and Sarah not mentioned in Thomas’ record: Elizabeth Ann, who I believe died young as there are no further records relating to her anywhere; and Emily, who appears in later census returns, perhaps the record keeper thought five was enough to note down! These differences left some doubt in my mind that I definitely had the right family so I turned back to the records.
Looking through the census returns seemed to show the family was living in Great Bedwyn by 1841 so the family’s time in London must have been confined to the earlier years of the century. One thing I did notice on the 1841 census was that Joseph’s wife, Sarah, was alone with her daughter Emily at home in Great Bedwyn on that day with no sign of Joseph.
So where might Joseph be in 1841 at the same time as his (possible) sons Thomas and William were living at Corsham? I went back and checked the 1841 census for Corsham for any Joseph of the right age or any possible misspelling of Vivash that I could think of. And there he was, mis-indexed as Joseph Unrash, though to the trained eye it is obviously Vivash, aged 55 living at Green Hill, Corsham. I also found a Charles Vevash aged 20 living at Pound Pill.
Corsham 1841 Census – Joseph Vivash (courtesy Ancestry)
Things seemed to be coming together but I still had a nagging doubt that the marriage I had found in London for Joseph Vivash and Sarah Smart might not be the correct one for Thomas' or William’s parents. After all the marriage entry in London says Of this parish meaning they had been living in London and the baptisms of all of the children I had found had been at Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire. Plus the later census returns all showed the family living in Wiltshire. As these baptism and census returns didn’t show Sarah’s maiden name I needed to check that Thomas' and William’s father Joseph had indeed married Sarah Smart and not a different Sarah somewhere other than London.
I began by looking for the Smart family in Great Bedwyn. I found a baptism for a Sarah Smart on the 8 June 1783. Her parents were Thomas Smart and Ann Davis. I also found four brothers and sisters, the youngest of which, born in 1795, was yet another Phoebe; there seemed to be a theme here!
I looked into the lives of the Smarts to see if I could find anything to link them to London, Box or to Joseph, Thomas and William Vivash. Then the youngest Smart daughter, Phoebe, came up trumps. On the 15 May 1826 she married a man called James Hobbs, he was a mason by trade and he was born in Box! James and Phoebe’s first two children were born in Great Bedwyn and then in about 1830 they moved to Corsham and shortly afterwards to Box. They are shown on the 1841 census living at Box Quarry. So it looks as if the marriage of Joseph Vivash to Sarah Smart in London in 1807 is of Thomas' and William’s parents.
And Joseph’s sister-in-law, Thomas' and William’s aunt, was living in Box before 1840.
I began by looking for the Smart family in Great Bedwyn. I found a baptism for a Sarah Smart on the 8 June 1783. Her parents were Thomas Smart and Ann Davis. I also found four brothers and sisters, the youngest of which, born in 1795, was yet another Phoebe; there seemed to be a theme here!
I looked into the lives of the Smarts to see if I could find anything to link them to London, Box or to Joseph, Thomas and William Vivash. Then the youngest Smart daughter, Phoebe, came up trumps. On the 15 May 1826 she married a man called James Hobbs, he was a mason by trade and he was born in Box! James and Phoebe’s first two children were born in Great Bedwyn and then in about 1830 they moved to Corsham and shortly afterwards to Box. They are shown on the 1841 census living at Box Quarry. So it looks as if the marriage of Joseph Vivash to Sarah Smart in London in 1807 is of Thomas' and William’s parents.
And Joseph’s sister-in-law, Thomas' and William’s aunt, was living in Box before 1840.
Box 1841 Census – Phoebe Hobbs and family (courtesy Ancestry)
Unfortunately Phoebe died at Box in 1843 but James Hobbs remarried quickly and had more children. What was interesting was that that the first two children with his new wife were born in Paddington, London. It looked as if he moved to London for several years following Phoebe’s death before returning once more to Box. In fact two of Phoebe’s children remained in London when their father and stepmother returned to Box. In 1851 Francis Hobbs is a stonemason living in St Marylebone, a few streets away from where William was living before 1840, and his sister Eliza is a kitchen maid at Portland Place, also in St Marylebone. It looked as if the extended Vivash / Smart / Hobbs families had quite an attraction to London, moving backwards and forwards between there and Wiltshire between at least 1807 and 1850. Lastly I decided to have another look for Thomas’ sister Hannah. Noticing quite a number of illegitimate children during my searches, I thought I’d have a look for any mention of Hannah Smart. And there she was, Hannah Smart Base born Daughter of Sarah Smart, baptised on 30 December 1804 in Great Bedwyn, three years before the marriage of Joseph Vivash and Sarah Smart in London. So there was a sister called Hannah and another piece of evidence to link Thomas with the Vivash family of Great Bedwyn.
Summary of the Evidence
There appear to be only four different Vivashes around Box and Corsham in about 1840-50:
I think that we are not going to get any stronger evidence that Joseph is the father to William and Thomas. It looks as if they all moved to the area to work on Box Tunnel probably after being told about the availability of work by Joseph’s sister in law Phoebe who was living at Box. William settled in Box, Joseph returned to Great Bedwyn and Thomas met his eventual fate in Van Diemens Land.
There is one more piece of corroborating evidence. Of William’s eight children, two were named after his wife Sarah’s brother and sister, William James and Mary. Five of the remaining six were called Henry Joseph, John, Matilda, Elizabeth and of course Phoebe, all names of Thomas' and William’s father, brothers and sisters. The family seemed to like the name Phoebe. I have actually found five so far; two Phoebe Vivashes and three Phoebe Hobbs.
Joseph Vivash
So the next question is what was Joseph Vivash of Great Bedwyn doing apparently getting married and living in London before moving back to rural Wiltshire? Perhaps a clue is in the fact that the 1806 Regimental Index for the 40th Regiment of Foot shows a Joseph Vivach who enlisted in 1799 and the Napoleonic War Peninsula Medal Roll has a Joseph Vivash at the battles of Talavera, Salamanca and Vittoria. I’m not sure if being part of Wellington’s army allowed Joseph enough time to father all of his children at the beginning of the 1800s but the Military General Service Medal for the Peninsula Campaign was not issued until 30 years after the Napoleonic Wars and had to be applied for by surviving veterans. I cannot find records of any other Joseph Vivash alive at this time so perhaps he is the right one !
Summary of the Evidence
There appear to be only four different Vivashes around Box and Corsham in about 1840-50:
- Joseph aged about 55 who was born in Great Bedwyn, was married in London in 1807 to Sarah Smart, baptised a son called William at Great Bedwyn in 1813. Among his other children were John, Phoebe, Matilda and a step daughter Hannah, who was in Great Bedwyn for the 1851 and 1861 censuses but in Corsham for the 1841 one and had a sister in law called Phoebe Hobbs (nee Smart) who had been living in Box since about 1830.
- Thomas aged about 29, stating his native place as Whitechapel, London, that he had a brother called William from London, other siblings called John, Phoebe, Matilda and Hannah, and a father called Joseph and a mother called Sarah from Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire.
- William (and his family) aged about 30, stating he was born in London, who baptised his first two children there and named his daughter, born shortly after arriving in Corsham, Phoebe.
- Charles Vivash aged about 20. No further information but he’s probably related somewhere !
I think that we are not going to get any stronger evidence that Joseph is the father to William and Thomas. It looks as if they all moved to the area to work on Box Tunnel probably after being told about the availability of work by Joseph’s sister in law Phoebe who was living at Box. William settled in Box, Joseph returned to Great Bedwyn and Thomas met his eventual fate in Van Diemens Land.
There is one more piece of corroborating evidence. Of William’s eight children, two were named after his wife Sarah’s brother and sister, William James and Mary. Five of the remaining six were called Henry Joseph, John, Matilda, Elizabeth and of course Phoebe, all names of Thomas' and William’s father, brothers and sisters. The family seemed to like the name Phoebe. I have actually found five so far; two Phoebe Vivashes and three Phoebe Hobbs.
Joseph Vivash
So the next question is what was Joseph Vivash of Great Bedwyn doing apparently getting married and living in London before moving back to rural Wiltshire? Perhaps a clue is in the fact that the 1806 Regimental Index for the 40th Regiment of Foot shows a Joseph Vivach who enlisted in 1799 and the Napoleonic War Peninsula Medal Roll has a Joseph Vivash at the battles of Talavera, Salamanca and Vittoria. I’m not sure if being part of Wellington’s army allowed Joseph enough time to father all of his children at the beginning of the 1800s but the Military General Service Medal for the Peninsula Campaign was not issued until 30 years after the Napoleonic Wars and had to be applied for by surviving veterans. I cannot find records of any other Joseph Vivash alive at this time so perhaps he is the right one !
Peninsula Medal Roll (courtesy Ancestry)
If you are related to the Vivash family, Carl would love to hear from you about your ancestors in common. Please contact him via our Contact tab.