By John Slaughter
I am pleased to welcome new member Jim Saul. At the time of writing I am waiting to hear from Jim about his Saul ancestry.
I have been working my way through some Yorkshire parish records that have been released on Findmypast. I am finding some interesting new information that either adds details to what we already have or, in some cases, enables me to add new families. In one instance it has enabled me to link together two previously separate charts, albeit ones that we had long suspected were connected. I have to date been through the baptisms and am part way through the marriages, so still have a quite a lot left to do. So far it has thrown up a few interesting characters.
I came across a George Alfred Saul who married a Phoebe Pardoe at Attercliffe, Yorkshire in 1871. I was however unable to find either George Alfred or Phoebe on any of the censuses though was able to establish that George Alfred had died in 1897 in the Sheffield Registration District. The reason why they may have been absent from the censuses became a little clearer when I found a report in the Sheffield Independent newspaper dated 18 September 1879.
A SYSTEMATICAL WIFE DESERTER: A Stonemason named George Alfred Saul, whose last residence was in Sambourne Square, was brought up under a warrant charged with the desertion of his wife and two young children. Police Constable Cooper proved the case and stated that the prisoner’s wife and children had been in the Sheffield workhouse seven times since 1877. He had often promised to make a home and provide for his family, but had repeatedly deserted them, leaving them destitute. Their cost to the Union had been £50. The prisoner had already suffered imprisonment for a similar offence and the Bench now committed him for 3 months, with hard labour.
Another Saul to feature in the newspapers was John Spalton Saul, though his offence was somewhat less serious. He was the Landlord of the Wheat Sheaf Inn, York and the York Herald on 18 July 1879 carried the following report.
SUNDAY DRINKING: John Spalton Saul, landlord of the Wheat Sheaf Inn, Nunnery Lane, was summoned for allowing intoxicating liquors to be consumed on his premises during prohibited hours. About half past nine on Sunday morning last, P C Riley visited the defendant’s house, and in the doorway found a man named William Rennie, drinking out of a pint mug. As soon as he saw the policeman he attempted to conceal the mug, but the policeman got hold of it and found a small quantity left in the mug. He then asked the landlady about supplying Rennie with drink, and she admitted that she had done so. She however stated that Rennie had told her that he had come from Huntington, and Rennie admitted that he had done so. The policeman knew however that Rennie was a York man, and lived in Regent Street. The serving of drink was admitted by the defendant, who said that it was supplied on the belief that Rennie’s statement was true. The Bench thought that the defendant should have made proper enquiry before selling the drink to Rennie and fined him 10 shillings.
If you are researching the Saul surname please do keep in touch with me and let me know of any new research you have carried out. Some new fact you have discovered may link you in to one of the trees I hold providing you with more information about your family.