Anna Ivall (1827-1899)

Anna Ivall was a granddaughter of Charles Ivall (1779-1832) who was a brother of my ancestor Thomas Ivall (1781-1835). Her baptism record gives her name as Ann, as does a Court of Chancery document in 1867. Her name is given as Anne in the 1851 census and in the record of her second marriage. All other records that I have found (the censuses of 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, her first marriage and her death) give her name as Anna.

She was born on 11 September 1827 in St Pancras, London and baptised on 15 November 1827 at Normandy Street Independent Chapel (a non conformist church), Alton, Hampshire. Anna was the eldest of three children born to John Ivall (b 1802 in Wield, Hampshire) who had married Mary Collier on 24 July 1825 at St Andrews, Holborn. Anna’s siblings were Susan (1829-54) and Charles (1833-81). John was a coachmaker, an occupation that several members of the Ivall family followed. It is quite likely that John worked for his uncle David Ivall (1795-1850), who had a highly successful coachmaking business at 158 Tottenham Court Road (near St Pancras).

Anna’s father John Ivall seems to have died sometime between 1833 and 1837. The census in 1841 shows Mary Ivall with her children Susannah and Charles living with Mary’s parents John and Hannah Collier at Poultry House, Ingestre, which is four miles east of Stafford. I have not found a record of Anna in the census.

The 1851 census lists Anne (aged 23) as a house servant at Ingestre Hall in Staffordshire. An 1851 Directory of Staffordshire says that Earl Talbot was living at Ingestre Hall “a large ancient mansion standing in the midst of a verdant park of 300 acres”. It is now a residential arts centre.

In 1854 Anna (aged 26) married William Goodfellow  in St Peter’s Church, Pimlico in London. The marriage record shows that William was a widower and he worked as a servant. They moved to Reading where their son William was born in 1855 followed by a daughter Mary Susanna in 1856. Anna’s husband William died in 1858 at Cookham, Berkshire.

The census of 1861 shows Anna Goodfellow, a widow aged 34 living at 3 Victoria Hill, St Giles, Reading with her son William aged 6, daughter Mary aged 4 and a house servant. Anna’s occupation is given as “Proprietor of houses”. Next door at 2 Victoria Hill was Thomas Aust (aged 42, an upholsterer), his wife Sarah and their 5 children. Anna’s son William died in 1865 aged 10.

On 12 July 1867, Ann filed a “Bill of Complaint” (a misleading name) at the Court of Chancery. The document can be viewed at the National Archives at Kew. It describes Ann as the widow of William Goodfellow, late of White Waltham, Berkshire, farmer, and explains that William Goodfellow’s will (made in 1857) appointed Charles James Butler, William Gillett and Charles Ivall (Ann’s brother) as executors and trustees. The will left the rents and profits from his real estate (houses in Reading and in the hamlet of Whitley near Reading) to his wife Ann during her life but did not allow her to sell the properties. William Goodfellow was liable at his death “under a recognisance dated 5^th of April 1854 entered into by him as surety for Alfred Hobbs Lovegrove.” As a result, £143 10s 5d was due from William’s estate.  The executors did not have assets to pay this sum so Anna paid it herself. Hence it was owing to her from the late husband’s estate and it would be necessary to sell the house at Whitley to raise the money. Anna’s “Bill of Complaint” requested that the estate of William Goodfellow be administered by the Court of Chancery in order that the debt to her be settled. The case was heard on 22 July 1867. The court instructed that inquiries be made to establish the assets and debts due on William’s estate. It gave approval for property to be sold to meet the debt due to Anna.

On 16 July 1868 Anna (aged 40) married her next door neighbour Thomas Aust (aged 49) whose wife had died in 1867. They married in St Giles church in Reading and had a son, Henry Ivall Aust, in 1869.

The 1871 census shows Thomas and Anna living at 4 Whitely Rd, Reading. The household consisted of Thomas Aust (52, an upholsterer), his wife Anna (43), daughter Kate (25, a governess), stepdaughter Mary S Goodfellow (14), son Henry (1) and mother-in-law Mary Ivall (64, formerly a poultry keeper). Anna’s mother Mary Ivall died in 1879 aged 72 in Reading.

Thomas (61, an upholsterer’s assistant) and Anna (53) Aust were still at 4 Whitely Rd in 1881. Also living there were Thomas’s son Henry Aust (11), step daughter Mary Goodfellow (24, a teacher), his grandson Henry Webster (3) and a domestic servant.

In 1891 Thomas (72, living on own means) and Anna Aust (63) were living at 4 Whitely Place, Reading with Thomas’s widowed sister Elizabeth Nightingale (80).

Anna died in 1899 aged 72 in Reading. The Probate Index for 1900 has the following entry

“Aust Anna of 4 Whitely Place, Reading (wife of Thomas Aust) died 31 December 1899. Administration Oxford 15 February to the said Thomas Aust, retired upholsterer. Effects £108 14s 9d.”

Her second husband Thomas died in 1903 aged 84. The Probate Index for 1903 says

“Aust Thomas of 1 Grand Parade Portsmouth, retired upholsterer died 1 May 1903. Probate Winchester 12 June to Thomas Aust, commercial traveller. Effects £657 6s 3d.”