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07 Feb 2012Findmypast.co.uk records tell Charles Dickens’ story
Today is Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday and to mark the occasion, we’ve been investigating the records on findmypast.co.uk to see what they can tell us about Dickens’ life.
We feel like we know Dickens a little bit better following our research – read on to find out what our records reveal about this extraordinary man.
Baptism
It seemed logical to start at the beginning, so our first stop was to search for Dickens’ baptism record. Dickens’ unusual middle name makes it easy to be sure that we’ve found the right man.
Dickens record shows that he was baptised in Portsea St Mary, Hampshire on 4 March 1812. We can also learn that Dickens’ parents are called John and Elizabeth:
Charles Dickens' baptism record - click to enlarge
Marriage
Fast-forwarding a few years, we discovered the record of Dickens’ marriage to Catherine Thomson Hogarth. The pair married in Chelsea, Middlesex on 2 April 1836:
Charles Dickens' marriage record - click to enlarge
Dickens and Catherine lived in Bloomsbury where they went on to have 10 children. Sadly, the couple separated in 1858 but never divorced; this wouldn’t have been a socially acceptable action for someone as well-known as Dickens.
Dickens in 1861
By 1861, Catherine and her son, Charles Jr, had moved out of the family home and Catherine’s sister, Georgina, was living with Dickens and the rest of the children. Georgina took Dickens’ side in his rift with Catherine and took over the running of the household.
In the same year that ‘Great Expectations’ was published, Dickens’ 1861 census return provides us with a glimpse into his life at this time. Dickens is described as ‘married’, giving away nothing of his separation from Catherine.
Dickens’ occupation is listed as ‘Author Novelist Essayist & Editor’ and Georgina is recorded as ‘Servant Housekeeper’:
Charles Dickens' 1861 census return - click to enlarge
Death
Next we found Dickens’ death record. He died on 9 June 1870 in North Aylesford, Kent – view the record here:
Charles Dickens' death record - click to enlarge
As well as this record, we unearthed a different record of Dickens’ death on findmypast.co.uk
Dickens was a shareholder in the Great Western Railway, which means that a record of his death appears in the GWR Shareholders Index.
The GWR recorded all transactions that related to shareholdings which changed hands due to an event other than a simple sale. The most common event recorded in the ledger was the death of the shareholder. When a shareholder died, their shares were passed to their beneficiaries and the executors handled the administration of the estate.
Displaying further evidence of his rift with his wife, Dickens’ record shows that his wife’s sister, Georgina, and friend, John Forster, were the executors. View this beautifully handwritten original document here:
Charles Dickens' Great Western Railway Shareholders Index record - click to enlarge
We hope you enjoyed discovering what the records on findmypast.co.uk reveal about Charles Dickens’ life.
Thouroughly interesting, enjoyed the read
I also found him in 1841 described as “Chas Dickens, Gent”.
No sign in 1851 as yet.
St Mary’s Church is situated on the corner of Fratton Road and St Mary’s Road in Portsmouth. His birthplace is in Mile Emd Road, Portsmouth (may possibly be Commercial Road – same road changes names at one point). Dickens House is in Doughty Street, London WC1 which is, presumably, the Bloomsbury location referred to.
Sorry for typo, should read Mile End road.
Fascinating,I wish I could trace my ancestors as well.
Also find information interesting, as my family has a connection on my mother’s side of the family (DORRETT). Dickens asked my (not sure how many) great grandfather if he could use the name DORRETT (with a least one change in it) for his book Little Dorrit. My ancestor worked in the prison at the time.
Dear Lynn
Fascinating to see the use of the name Dorrett. My great x 3 aunt Hannah Manton married Charles Dickens’s coachman/servant/dresser John Thompson in 1852. They had 2 children, Emily (born 1854) and Matilda Dorrit (born 1857). Matilda went on to have a daughter, Emily Dorrit (born 1889)- and so the Dorrit name is part of my family history as well.
I was born at 348 Commercial Rd Portsmouth and from my bedroom window I could look straight across the road to the house where Dickens was born. I never visited the Museum until 1978 after living in Australia from 1948.
Charles Dickens with George Cruickshank (a mutual friend and illustrator of books written by both Hone and Dickens) attended the funeral of my 3 x great grandfather, William Hone, the writer, on 6th November 1842. After the event, Dickens is reputed to have written “God knows it was miserable enough, for the widow and children were crying bitterly in one corner, and the other mourners – mere people of ceremony, who cared no more for the dead man than the hearse did – were talking quite coolly and carelessly in another; and the contrast was as painful and distressing as anything I ever saw.” This and other things that Dickens is quoted as having said about William Hone are to be found in Ben Wilson’s “The Laughter of Triumph” (2005).
Great – very interesting – I saw Miriam Margolyes on stage in “Dickens’ Women” only last Saturday and had planned to follow up his story!
Very interesting read,I have visited his birth place. also I understand he was in an early railway accident.
A contemporary of mine has a plate in the display cabinet in her dining room It has at sometime been smashed into three pieces and crudely pinned together with metal staples
Her mother told her that she had been given the plate by Georgina Hogarth on a visit to her home with a friend when she was 10 or 11 years old
From a description of the area involved I was able to establish using my findmypast credits and the 1901 census that this was Gloucester Terrace Paddington where Georgina was living with Mary and Henry the children of Charles The plate has a CD monogram
Sorry!!! I got confused in the last paragraph of my earlier reply
The address in question was 31 Egerton Terrace Kensington where Georgina was living with her servants one of whom Emma Durnford was with her and the children in 1871 at Gloucester Terrace
Have just read all the info on the site which I found very enjoyable as my son bought the house next door to Charles Dickens Birth place and is identical, we watched the Birthday celebrations from his front garden and they were very enjoyable. When the museum is closed he often gets visitors knocking the door asking questions regarding Charles Dickens, even down to why are there only Red Geranium’s in the garden in summer? because that was his favourite flower, thought I would share that with you as a little info.