52 Ancestors week 19 - William Cluff HULME's sticky situation

In 1854, my great-great-great grandfather, William Cluff HULME, was in the sticky situation of Bankruptcy.

William was born on the 24th of March, 1811 at St. Pancras, Middlesex, England.  

He was the eldest son of seven children of Daniel HULME and Mary nee WOOD.  

Along with his sister Caroline, William was baptised on the 18th of April 1813 at St. Pancras Old Church.

St Pancras Old Church 1915
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On the 4th of March 1841 William married Hephzibah LAND at Westminster, London. Between 1841 and 1859 they had eight children.

William was a grocer at High Street, Putney.  

On the 10th of March, 1854 his bankruptcy was mentioned in the London Gazette.

 

According to the U.K. National Archives, very few bankruptcy case files survive. 

"Insolvent debtors and bankrupts are different. Bankrupts were supposed to be traders, making their living by buying and selling.  Insolvent debtors were individuals unable to pay their debts. Only after 1861 could insolvent debtors apply for bankruptcy."

Bankruptcy procedure:
Chancery commissioners dealt with bankruptcy before 1832.
In 1832 the court of bankruptcy was established and creditors could petition the Lord Chancellor for a commission of bankruptcy or a fiat. Commissioners decided if a debtor was eligible to be declared bankrupt and would oversee the distribution of assets.
Official assignees were appointed and were responsible for depositing the proceeds from the sale of a bankrupt's estates into the Bank of England. When sufficient creditors were satisfied and had signed a request for a Certificate of Conformity (a statement that the bankrupt had satisfied all the legal requirements), the Commissioners could issue the certificate which effectively discharged him, although dividends might continue to be paid.
After 1849 creditors petitioned for an 'Adjudication in Bankruptcy.' The Commissioners took statements from the bankrupt and his creditors. The creditors would then elect trustees to value his assets and distribute them as dividends.
From 1849 to 1861, there were 3 classes of certificate of conformity which distinguished between

• blameless bankrupts
• bankrupts partially at fault
• bankrupts fully at fault

After 1861, orders of discharge were issued instead. 

Possibly on the recommendation of other family members who had already emigrated, and to make a new start, William, Hephzibah, and six of their eight children, the eldest, William junior and the five youngest, Arthur, Jessie, Albert, John and Jeremiah, sailed for Australia on board the ship "Blue Jacket". 

The second, Mary, and third eldest (my great-great grandfather, Joseph HULME)  followed later.

William and Hephzibah settled in North East Victoria where all but two of their children continued to live.  

Hephzibah died in 1887 and William in 1895, both at Oxley.

  52 Ancestors Challenge 
  by Amy Johnson Crow at "No Story Too Small"

Hulme family History - St Pancras and Fulham, United Kingdom.

On the first of January 1810 my 4 x great grandparents, Daniel Hulme, a grocer of Henry Street, and Mary Wood were married in the old church at St Pancras, UK.

Daniel and Mary had seven children.  The first four were all baptised at the St Pancras old church but I haven't found baptism records for Daniel, Edward or George.

Mary Ann (1810-1810)
William Clough/Cluff (1811-1895)
Caroline (1812-1886)
Isabella (1814-1885)
Daniel (1816-1837)
Edward (1818-1904)
George (1820-1902)

On April the eighteenth 1813 their son William Clough/Cluff Hulme (my 3 x great grandfather) and his sister Caroline were baptised at the church.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Pancras_Old_Church_in_1815.jpg

Another old picture of the church can be seen Here >

By 1847 the old church was derelict and was heavily restored with the old tower being replaced.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:St_Pancras_Old_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_757784.jpg

From Wikipedia
St Pancras Old Church is a Church of England parish church in Somers Town, central London. It is dedicated to the Roman martyr Saint Pancras, and is believed by many to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England. The church is situated on Pancras Road in the London Borough of Camden, with the surrounding area and its international railway station taking its name. St Pancras Old Church, which was largely rebuilt in the Victorian era, should not be confused with St Pancras New Church about a kilometre away, on the Euston Road.  read more >

 I love to find and look at places my ancestors lived on google maps but I wasn't able to find Henry Street.  My very helpful cousin Shelagh (not Hulme connection) was able to find an old map and further information which allowed us to pinpoint where it was.  Thanks Shelagh!

http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/1859map/map1859_i_17.html

Shelagh found this web page,  inner London street name changes
which shows that what was formerly Henry Street is now Roger Street.  According to Google maps the street is about a 20 minute walk from the St. Pancras old church.

                   

 View Larger Map

Daniel Hulme senior died in 1823.  One family story passed down is that Daniel fought with Nelsons fleet as a midshipman and was badly wounded.
As a result he became a very heavy drinker .. an alchoholic which is why his son Edward became such a dedicated "Blue Ribboner" - an active member of the temperance movement.

It isn't known when the family moved to Fulham but Mary's death certificate says she was a Grocer and she died at High Street, Fulham. Her youngest son George was informant.

A Fulham council archivist searched the burial register of All Saints, Fulham, and found an entry for the burial of Daniel Hulme of Fulham, aged 40 years, on 3 July 1823.  Mary never remarried and died on the thirteenth of March 1875 at High Street Fulham.


A register of memorial stones in Fulham churchyard was compiled in 1887 by Thomas James Woodhouse.  One of the headstones he listed was that inscribed "In Memory of Daniel & Mary Hulme & several of the Family". No dates or further names were given.


The burial register of All Saints, Fulham, dating from 1863 onwards is missing. By 1895 no new graves were being excavated in the churchyard.
Fulham Cemetery, Fulham Palace Road, was opened in 1865.

A search of the cemetery register found no entry for Mary Hulme.
In view of  the reference to the family memorial and the missing burial register it is most likely that Mary Hulme was buried in Fulham churchyard in the same grave as her husband.

My very dear and very helpful cousin Cathy (again no Hulme connection) visited the UK and on her travels very kindly took these photos at Fulham for me.

Thanks Cathy!

Three of Daniel and Mary's children had married and emigrated to Australia before Mary's death.

Edward "King" Hulme emigrated with his wife Jemima Land and their first seven children in 1856 on the ship Sultana.

William and his wife Hephzibah Land and their children; although not all on the same voyage, in 1862 on the ship Blue Jacket.
(Yes Jemima and Hephzibah were sisters)

Isabella, her husband William Humphrey and their children in 1865.

Youngest son George took over at the shop in High Street.  He died in 1902 at the age of 81.

George's son,  Frederick Hulme, is listed at 63 High Street, Fulham, in the twentieth century Kelly's local directories, from 1901 to 1931/2 where he is described variously as domestic machinery dealer, grocer and general store keeper. He is not listed in the next directory of 1937/8.
However, he is last listed at that address in the Fulham register of electors for October 1935.
Frederick died in 1939 at the age of 80.

I am proud and happy to say that, along with my own research, information has been shared with and by quite a few descendants of Daniel and Mary Hulme both from here in Australia and other parts of the world.

Many thanks to you all and let's hope we can continue adding information.