Anna Barber

Anna was born in Peasenhall to Charles and Penelope Barber 23 October 1847 and baptised in January the following year.

At nineteen Mary, Anna’s elder sister, gave birth to a daughter, Amelia, out of wedlock. Mary moved to London, likely in search of employment, leaving her daughter behind in the care of her parents, Charles and Penelope and Anna. With a mere six-year gap between Anna and Amelia, I imagined them sharing a home and a room, forging a deep bond.

In 1869, Anna, now aged nineteen, moved to London, settling in Camden. It was there that she met and married her first husband, John Joseph Hale. They had a son soon after, whom they named John Joseph Hale. To avoid confusion, I will refer to him as Jay.

Between 1870 and 1880, Anna's life was marked by tragedy when her husband passed away. This unfortunate event left her with raising their young son, Jay, alone. The unexpected loss would have been a tremendous ordeal, pushing her to navigate the challenges of parenting in an era when social support systems were non-existent.

In my ongoing quest, I made a significant discovery. Anna had relocated to Tranmere, Cheshire, situated on the opposite side of the country where she remarried, this time to a Welsh widower, Robert Roberts, in 1880. The census records from that period also show that her son, Jay, now eleven, was living with them.

In 1887, Anna and Robert welcomed a daughter, Phoebe, and in 1890, they had a son whom they named Charles Barber Roberts. The choice to name her son after her father was a further insight into her. This naming decision could indicate that she had a strong relationship with her father, Charles, who died in 1873.

In 1896, Jay Hale married Alice Hughes, a widow with six children from her previous marriage. Together, Jay and Alice expanded their brood with five more children. However, misfortune befell the family once more when Jay, at the age of thirty-three, suffered a fatal aneurysm. His death occurred on a day that should have been a celebration – Anna's fifty-seventh birthday, 23 September 1903.

In 1906, Phoebe married Richard Salisbury Rigg, a merchant navy engineer seventeen years her senior. Evidence from old correspondence and Richard's diary entries indicated Anna disagreed with this union. She had an aversion to Richard, a sentiment he reciprocated.

The reasons behind their mutual dislike remains unclear, but it significantly complicated life for Phoebe. Delving into his diary, it became abundantly clear that Richard's love for Phoebe was profound. Among the pages, I discovered a love poem he had penned for her, declaring the depth of his affection.

I was fortunate to connect with a relative who had numerous letters and keepsakes once belonging to Phoebe. She generously scanned and emailed me these documents, and I dedicated weeks to poring over them. While much of the content detailed everyday life, hidden within the routine were several gems that provided further insight into Anna's world.

Phoebe's recollections reveal her father, Robert, as a man with a severe and volatile temper who often vented his anger on his family. She and her brother frequently found themselves on the receiving end of his verbal and physical outbursts.

Living with a man prone to such explosive episodes would have been a frightening ordeal for Anna and her children. She would have had to tread carefully, safeguarding her own well-being while also striving to shield her children from Robert's tirades. One wonders if she ever entertained the thought of fleeing with her son and daughter, seeking refuge in the familiar embrace of Peasenhall.

A mere eighteen months following the end of World War I, a period that saw her son, Charles Barber Roberts, safely return from serving on the front lines, Anna was confronted with grief once again. It was in May 1920 that she laid to rest her second husband, Robert. This event marked another chapter of loss in her life, coming at a time when the world was beginning to heal from the scars of war.

Phoebe and Richard's marriage was fruitful, resulting in a large family of eleven children. However, in 1925, tragedy struck when Richard passed away, leaving Phoebe to face the daunting task of raising their young children alone.

During this difficult time, Anna, who lived nearby with her son Charles, became an invaluable source of support for Phoebe and a frequent visitor. She assisted with the endless daily chores and provided much-needed emotional comfort. Anna was no stranger to grief. Her understanding and empathy made her a steadfast pillar of strength for Phoebe, helping bring stability to the household.

A year following Richard's death, Anna's memory began to falter, her thoughts clouded with confusion. Her condition rapidly worsened, compelling her son and daughter to seek care for her at St Catherine's Infirmary in Tranmere as her needs surpassed what they could provide at home. Anna passed away in St Catherine's in the quiet early hours of the morning at the age of eighty.