Francis Paradice (1847-1848)

Francis Paradice was one of the three sons of Ambrose Paradice who were mentioned in their father’s will.  Francis was also the father and grandfather of the Paradices who immigrated to Canada.  He was born in Corsham, Wiltshire on July 27, 1807 to Ambrose and (Elizabeth Lewis Paradice).  He came to Bristol with his parents as a young child.

The Bell Inn on East Street in 2001

As an adult, Francis worked as a publican and licensed victualer.  A victualer was a tavern keeper or a person who provided an army, navy, or ship with food supplies.  From 1832 to 1847 Francis Paradice was the proprietor of a tavern called the Bell Inn located on East Street, the main commercial street of Bedminster.  It is likely that the tavern was named for an old bell, reportedly of monastic origin, which was a landmark on East Street.

Given the location and the time, it is possible that Francis Paradice also supplied food to the navy or merchant fleet.  Bedminster lies on the south bank of the River Avon across from the port city of Bristol.  Located on the sheltered water of the Avon a few miles upstream from its confluence with the Severn Estuary, Bristol is a major seaport.  In the 19^th century, Bristol was a city of canals and wharves.

Francis and his father Ambrose may have relocated from Bristol to Bedminster because the town was growing rapidly and would have offered commercial opportunities to a publican and a baker.  Coal mining had begun in earnest in the area in the mid-18^th century, and by the turn of the 19^th century there were 18 coal mines in Bedminster and the adjacent Ashton Vale.  People were flocking to Bedminster to work in the mines and the various heavy industries that were springing up.  The population of Bedminster increased from 3,000 in 1801 to 78,000 in 1884.  However, for Francis the competition must have been fierce.  In 1843 there were 33 public houses in Bedminster.

On November 14, 1831, Francis married Elizabeth Lewis in the parish church of Filton, Gloucestershire.[1]  Despite having been married in Filton and living most of their married life in Bedminster, Francis and Elizabeth had a long association with St. Werburgh’s Church in Bristol.  Francis and Elizabeth had eight children, all of whom were baptized at St. Werburgh'.  The children were:

Charles Paradice, who was born on December 18, 1830 and christened on November 14, 1832;

Elizabeth Paradice, who was born on August 16, 1832, likely in Bedminster, and christened on November 14, 1832;

Francis Paradice, who was born on December 20, 1833, likely in Bedminster, and christened on February 19, 1834; he died at the age of three and was buried at St. Werburgh’s on March 5, 1837;

George Paradice, who was born on June 9, 1835, likely in Bedminster, and christened on July 8, 1835;

William Paradice, who was born on June 15, 1837, likely in Bedminster, and christened on July 23, 1837;

John Paradice and Ambrose Paradice, who apparently were twins[2], born in Bedminster on December 23, 1838 and christened on January 20, 1839;

Ann Paradice, who was born in Bedminster on June 30, 1841 ²⁵⁶ and christened on July 18, 1841; Ann married Thomas Richards on October 20, 1862 in Montpelier, Gloucestershire, England.

As the proprietor of the Bell Inn, Francis appears to have prospered.  The 1841 census shows that his family, who were residing at the inn, included a servant, Ann Filer[3]. 

However, the surrounding neighborhood was anything but prosperous.  Slums had developed in Bedminster along with the rapidly growing population.  Tenements that lined the narrow lanes lacked running water and sewerage.  The 1850 Health Report noted an open drain on North Street that collected waste from over 40 houses.  Farther along the drain collected waste for another 121 houses.  Due to these conditions, Bedminster had suffered particularly high death rates in the cholera epidemics of 1830, 1846 and 1849.  In addition, due to the burning of coal as a fuel in the industrial area, air quality was poor.  Bedminster was continually covered by smoke.

By 1848, the family had left Bedminster and were living at No. 2 Kingshead Court, Wine Street, in Christchurch Parish, Bristol, where their relatively comfortable life was coming to an end.  Francis Paradice became ill with a stomach disorder and began vomiting blood.  On April 4, 1848, at the age of 40, he died of gastritis and hemastemesis.  He was buried at St. Werburgh’s Church on April 9, 1848.

Francis’s family appears to have had a difficult time after his death.  According to the 1851 census, his widow Elizabeth was working as a charwoman.  Some of the children had left home, and most had gone to work.  The oldest son, Charles, was living with his mother and working as a tailor.  The oldest daughter, Elizabeth[4], was a servant in the home of James Wood, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, who lived on Queen Square, one of the finer residential areas of Bristol.  Fifteen-year-old George was living in a rooming house in St. Stephen Parish and working as a porter.  William and John (then about 13 and 12 years old) were living with their mother and working as errand boys.  Only the two of the youngest children, Ambrose and Ann did not have jobs.

Francis’s widow, Elizabeth, did not remarry but continued to live and work in Bristol until her death.  In 1861 she was living in with her son, Charles, in Castle Precincts and working as a sextoness.  She likely was sextoness of St. Werburgh’s Church, which was nearby, although there were several churches in Castle Precincts.  In 1871 Elizabeth still gave her occupation as “sextoness,” but she was living in St. Augustine Parish as a lodger in the home of Charles F. Jewell and his wife Susannah.

Elizabeth (Lewis) Paradice died at 16 Trinity Street in St. Augustine Parish on June 22, 1873.  She was about 62 years old.  Her daughter, Elizabeth, was with her when she died.

The cause of Elizabeth’s death was “irritation from prurigo.”  Prurigo is an itchy skin condition that would not normally be fatal.  However, in the 1870s (before the discovery of antibiotics) an infection that resulted from scratching could easily have been lethal.

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[1] Filton is a suburb of Bristol.

[2] Their civil birth certificates (transcriptions) show them to be twins (barring a mistake in the transcription or a misreporting).  The 1841 census shows them to be different ages (John age 2 and Ambrose age 1, but based on his christening date, Ambrose would have been 2).  The 1851 census shows them both to be 12.

[3] The census microfilm was poor quality, making ages and Ann’s last name difficult to read.

[4] Elizabeth appears to be listed twice in the 1851 census, once with her family and again with the Wood family.

 

Sources

Church of England, Parish Church of Corsham, Parish registers, 1563-1971. (LDS Family History Library Microfilm No. 1279378.), Francis Paradice Birth, Item 4 (Baptisms and Burials 1795-1812), 3rd page of 1807 records.

Listings in Mathew’s Bristol Directory, 1832 - 1847.

Bantok, A. (B. Lawrence, Ed.). 2001.  Bedminster. Bristol and Avon Family History Society Journal 106.  [online] Bristol and Avon Family History Society.  http://www.bafhs.org.uk/bafhs-parishes/other-bafhs-parishes/52-bedminster.  Accessed January 9, 2014.

Thomas, R.  2000-2005.  Bristol. [online] http://brisray.com/bristol/bemmy1.htm.  Accessed January 9, 2014.

Parish Church of Filton (Filton, Gloucestershire, England), "Marriages," Francis Paradice & Elizabeth Lewis Marriage; FHL microfilm 1596036, item 5 or 6.

1841 Census England - Bedminster - HO 107/376 (1.  Microfiche accessed in Bristol Public Library, 2.  LDS Family History Library Microfilm # 0288785).

St. Werburgh's Church (Bristol, England), "Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1677-1865," Baptisms of Charles Paradice (1832); FHL microfilm 1595994, item page 24, item 196.

St. Werburgh's Church (Bristol, England), "Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1677-1865," Baptism of Elizabeth Paradice (1832); FHL microfilm 1,595,994, item page 24, item 197.

St. Werburgh's Church (Bristol, England), "Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1677-1865," Baptism of Francis Paradice (1834); FHL microfilm 1,595,994, item page 26, item 205.

St. Werburgh's Church (Bristol, England), "Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1677-1865," Burial of Francis Paradice (1837); FHL microfilm 1,595,994, item page 14, item 106.

Certificate of Death - George Paradice (Photocopy of original supplied by Colorado Vital Statistics (City & County of Denver).

St. Werburgh's Church (Bristol, England), "Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1677-1865," Baptism of George Paradice (1835); FHL microfilm 1,595,994, item page 27, item 211.

St. Werburgh's Church (Bristol, England), "Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1677-1865," Baptism of William Paradice (1837); FHL microfilm 1,595,994, item page 29, it3m 229.

General Register Office, England, Certified Copy of an Entry of Birth - John Paradice, Registration District & Sub-district Bedminster, Counties of Bristol & Somerset. 1839. Registration Year 1839, 1st Quarter, Vol. XI, Page 61.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Family Search Beta Site, Available online at beta.familysearch.org, England, Bristol Parish Registers, 1538-1900, Film Number: 4247264, Baptisms of John, Ambrose and Ann Paradice.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Family Search Beta Site, Available online at beta.familysearch.org, England, Bristol Parish Registers, 1538-1900 Film Number: 4188552, Paradice-Richards Marriage.

Townsend, P.  2007.  Bedminster Social History Archives.  [online] http://www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/2130009667/  Accessed January 10, 2014.

Francis Paradice Death Certificate.  (1848, 2nd quarter.  Castle Precincts, City & County of Bristol.  Number 77.  Certificate issued 23 August 2001.  DXZ884361.)

1871 Census England, Images online at www.ancestry.com.  Accessed 25 Jun 2005, Bristol St. Augustine, RG10/2535, page 6.

1861 Census for the parish of St. Augustine, Bristol, England (LDS Microfilm # 0542857 Census sworn 9 Apr 1861), Bristol Castle Precincts, RG9/1715, page 20.

Elizabeth Paradice Death Certificate