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William GOATHAM
Abt 1819 - 1892 (~ 73 years)
Has 153 ancestors and 22 descendants in this family tree.
Set As Default Person 
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Name William GOATHAM Relationship 
with Teresa Ann GOATHAM Born Abt 1819 Bredgar, Kent, England 
- Shown as full age when married
Baptised 27 Feb 1820 St. John the Baptist Church, Bredgar, Kent, England - From PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 18 Jun 2019)
Abode Bredgar, father George shown as a carpenter.
Gender Male Occupation From 1839 to 1851 H. M. Dockyard, Sheerness, Sheppey, Kent, England Police Force - Police officer (when he married - 1839, when his dau married - 1859); police constable (daughter's baptism and when he registered her birth - 1840 and the 1851 census)
Listed twice in the 1841 census - at home (where occupation given as "police") and in the dockyard police establishment as one of those "on duty and lodging in the Dk yd on the night of June 6th" where hs is listed as "constable".
In the Dockyard again at the time of the 1851 census along with 1 Police Inspector, 2 Police Sergents and 15 other constables.
Residence From 1840 to 1841 9, Strides Road, Mile Town, Sheerness, Sheppey, Kent, England - Living at at 9 Strides Row, Minster (Sheppey) at the time of the 1841 census. Strides Row was in Sheerness, all of which was in Minster parish. William was with his wife Sophia and baby daughter. He was also recorded with the police in the same census.
William was the informant of his daughter Mary Ann's birth in 1840 which shows him as resident at Strides Row, Mile Town, Sheerness.
Occupation From 1860 to 1876 Lord Nelson, 2, West Street, Blue Town, Sheerness, Sheppey, Kent, England Licensed victualler - Shown as 'licensed victualler' at the "Lord Nelson" in 1861 census, 'Beer seller' (1871 census, no name of pub shown but at " West Street i.e. the address of the Lord Nelson), 'retired publican' (1881), 'formerly licensed victualler' in probate calendar entry.
Post Office Diretory's of 1862, 1867 and 1874 show that William was publican at the Lord Nelson in Blue Town. (image of 1862 entry seen for myself on TheGenealogist website, viewed 26 Sep 2016; info. from all 3 seen on the UK pub history website)
Occupation From 1860 to 1876 Lord Nelson, 2, West Street, Blue Town, Sheerness, Sheppey, Kent, England Running a brothel? - If you are not familiar with Sheerness you may not realise the meaning of the name 'Blue Town' for the location, and the pub's name, the Lord Nelson. 'Blue Town' because the area was full of sailors, in their navy uniforms, and in such an area a pub named after the famous naval hero,
Clearly such an area was also going ot have a lot of prostitutes to satisfy the desires of many of the sailors, and it seems the Lord Nelson was somewhere more than a drink was available to male customers.
In 1861 the census shows in addition to William and his wife a servant and three lodgers were present. Four young, unmarried women (aged 19 to 26), consisting of a servant and three lodgers, none of the latter having an occupation shown. I think we can all guess the profession they were following!
Looking for references to the young women in newspapers (using the index to the papers on the BNA and FMP, as in June 2023) there are references to what seems to be all four. (It seems that many of the prostitues were not local, which means that there are not multiple young women with the same name, but even so it is difficult to be sure with one or two of the names).
For the servant, Elizabeth POLSON , that she was a prostitute was confirmed when she died, still living at the Lord Nelson in 1869; her death was probably of an epileptic fit.
At the time of the 1871 census, although still at the Lord Nelson, William and his wife were the only people recorded as there on census night. However, this does not mean they were not still involved with the business.
William Goatham was found guilty of allowing prostitutes to stay longer in the pub than was needed for refreshment in both 1872, having been cautioned on previous occasions, and again 1876, being fined on both occasions and saying he was giving up his licence in 1876. Since there were clearly more rooms available in the property than needed for William and his wife, it may well be that he profitted from letting rooms to the young women and their customers.
Residence From 1881 to 1892 10, Victoria Street, Sheerness, Sheppey, Kent, England Died 19 May 1892 10, Victoria Street, Sheerness, Sheppey, Kent, England Cause: Cardiac disease - GRO ref: Goatham, William aged 72 Sheppey RD 2a 494
Date and place from probate calendar entry, also from newspaper announcement of the death:
"Goatham. - On the 19th May, at 10, Victoria Street, Wm. Goatham, aged 72 years."
(from the Sheerness Times, 21 May 1892, p. 5, col. 5)
And details also from death registration (image of GRO register entry).
The informant was his neighbour at 12 Victoria Street, "T. R. Batchelor" (Thomas Robert BATCHELOR), present at the death and described as 'Nephew'. To be precise Thomas was the husband of the niece of third wife of William's third and last wife, Harriet. Not only her niece, Thomas's wife Louisa had been orphaned young and appears to have been brought up by Harriet
Buried 24 May 1892 The Cemetery, Halfway Road, Sheerness, Sheppey, Kent, England - From KFHS CD 16
Probate 24 Jun 1892 London, England Calendar entry - Goatham William of 10 Victoria Street Sheerness formerly a licensed victualler died 19 May 1892 Probate London 24 June to Vincent Henry Stallon gentleman Effects £2369.
Vincent Stallon was a solicitor based in Sheerness. He had put a notice in the Sheerness Guardian and East Kent Advertiser of 22 April 1893 advertising for anyone with claims on William's estate or being indebted to it to contact him / pay the amounts due.
Siblings1 brother and 1 sister Half-siblings3 half brothers and 2 half sisters (family of George GOATHAM and Lucy LEEDS) Patriarch & Matriarch 
GOATHAM, d. Yes, date unknown (7 x Great Grandfather)
Sarah AUSTEN, bap. 17 Nov 1769, St. Giles’ Church, Tonge, Kent, England, d. Sep Q 1843, Ashford, Kent, England (Age ~ 73 years) (Grandmother) Person ID I1445 All | England: Kent Group (in Go(a)tham One-Name Study), England: Kent Group - subjects of Go(a)tham One-Name Study, All in the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study , All subjects of the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study, The descendants (and other halves) of George Goatham and Ann née Winch Last Modified 19 Mar 2024
Father George GOATHAM, b. 1797, Bredgar, Kent, England , d. 19 Nov 1885, The Union Workhouse, Milton next Sittingbourne, Kent, England (Age 88 years)
Other Partners: Lucy LEEDS m. 12 Jan 1829Mother Sarah HUNT, bap. 21 Mar 1791, St. Mary’s Church, Teynham, Kent, England , bur. 24 Jan 1824, St. John the Baptist Church, Bredgar, Kent, England (Age ~ 32 years) Married 3 May 1819 St. Mary’s Church, Teynham, Kent, England [1] - Status not shown, both otp, witnesses were Wm Hunt, Elizabeth Hunt (made her mark) and Wm Stiles (probably Parish Clerk)
Family ID F886 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 1 Sophia FRIEND, b. Abt 1815, Kent, England , d. Nov 1841 (Age ~ 26 years) Married 13 Apr 1839 St. Mary and St. Sexburga’s Church, Minster, Sheppey, Kent, England - GRO ref: GOATHAM, William to FRIEND, Sophia Q2 1839 Sheppey RD 5 470
From PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 4 April 2019)Wm Goatham, Police Officer, Bachelor, full age, residence at time of marriage: Short St, Miletown, father: Geo, Carpenter
Sophia Friend, [no occupation shown], Spinster, full age, residence at time of marriage: Short St, Miletown, father: Jerimiah, Labourer
Married by Banns
Children + 1. Mary Ann GOATHAM, b. 30 Jan 1840, Sheerness, Sheppey, Kent, England , d. Mar Q 1912, Maidstone Reg Dist, Kent, England (Age 71 years)▻ Robert BARNABY m. 26 Feb 1859Last Modified 19 Dec 2019 Family ID F1719 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 2 Mary Ann BURRUS, b. 11 Dec 1816, Sheerness, Sheppey, Kent, England , d. 4 May 1889, 10, Victoria Street, Sheerness, Sheppey, Kent, England (Age 72 years)
Other Partners: William Richard GLASSCOCK m. Mar Q 1841Married 27 Feb 1860 St. John the Divine Church, Chatham, Kent, England - GRO ref: Glasscock, Mary Ann TO Goatham, William q1 1860 Medway RD 2a 409
Details from FreeREG website
Register entry no. 148
William Goatham, Widower, occupation: Police Officer, abode: New Road, Chatham, father: George Goatham, father's occupation: Carpenter
to
Mary Ann Glasscock, Widow, [no occupation shown], abode: New Road, Chatham, father: Robert Burrows, father's occupation: Blacksmith
Witnesses: Gorre Norris, Maria Norris (both made their marks)
Also on LDS Family Search, M01354-9
Last Modified 30 Dec 2017 Family ID F1133 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 3 Harriett RUTLAND, b. Abt 1825, Harty, Sheppey, Kent, England , d. 27 Dec 1913, 10, Victoria Street, Sheerness, Sheppey, Kent, England (Age ~ 88 years)
Other Partners: Thomas BURRUS m. Jun Q 1849Married 7 Jun 1891 St. John the Baptist Church, Tunstall, Kent, England - GRO ref: Goatham, William to Burrus, Harriett q2 1891 Milton RD 2a 1415
Details from PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 4 April 2019)
The entry shows William as a 'Gentleman' - he presumably felt he could use this description as he was living on his own means, also that he was resident in Tunstall. The latter is clearly untrue: just 2 months before he was living in Sheerness as he had been for years, and he was living at the same address when he died the year after this marriage. The marriage was also by licence - it seems they wished to marry quietly. Was this because they were already living together (although with Harriett as 'housekeeper', according to the census)? This would seem out of character given William's earlier life, but perhaps it was part of now trying to look like a gent.
Last Modified 22 Jan 2020 Family ID F1718 Family Group Page | Family Chart
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Sources - [S47] Teynham Parish Registers (KFHS transcribed data), Kent Family History Society, accessed 21 Mar 2012), entry for the marriage of George Goatham to Sarah Hunt. (Reliability: 3), 21 Mar 2012.
576 1819 03 May George GOATHAM otp Sarah HUNT otp B Wm Hunt / Eliz Hunt
There was also a marriage of a Sarah Hunt to a Richard Friend in Teynham in 1829, but given that this Sarah would by then have been aged about 38 I don't think it was likely to have been her.
- [S47] Teynham Parish Registers (KFHS transcribed data), Kent Family History Society, accessed 21 Mar 2012), entry for the marriage of George Goatham to Sarah Hunt. (Reliability: 3), 21 Mar 2012.