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3rd Generation
Edward Murrell ( 1824 - 1903 )
~ The only son to survive to adulthood ~
16. EDWARD MURRELL was born in 1824 in Hadleigh, Essex and was baptized October 3, 1824 in St. James the Less church in Hadleigh.
He was known as “Buck” Murrell to his friends.
Father: James Murrell (No. 2)
Mother: Elizabeth ----?----
From the Bishop’s transcripts of St. James the Less church in Hadleigh:
Baptisms 1824 - Page 20 No. [ ]
When Baptized. – Child’s Christian Name. – Parents Names, Christian & Surname – Abode. – Profession. – By whom the ceremony was performed.
Oct: 3rd / Edward S. of / James and Elizabeth / Murrells / Hadleigh / Shoemaker / J: F: Squire
In 1841, Edward Marrell, age 11, was living with his father in Hadleigh, Essex.
From the 1841 Census of Hadleigh:
Name - Age Sex - Profession - Born in County ?
James
Marrell 51 M
Shoemaker
Y
Eliza do 20 F
Y
Matilda do
18
F
Y
Edward do
11 M
Y
Eleanor do
4 F
Y
The image from the 1841 Census:
Click on picture or here: for larger and clearer picture
In 1851, Edward Murrills, age 26, was living with his father in Hadleigh, Essex. Edward was an Agricultural Laborer.
From the 1851 Census of Hadleigh:
Name - Relationship – Married or Single – Age – Sex – Profession – Birthplace
James
Murrills Head Widr 66
M Shoemaker Essex
Rochford
Edward do
Son
U 26 M
Ag Lab
“ Hadleigh
Louisa Spendall Daur mar 20 F
“
“
Eleanor Murrills do
U 16 F
“
“
William Spendle Grandson
6m M
“ Canewdon
The image from the 1851 census:
Click on picture or here: for larger and clearer picture
In 1861, Edward Murrill, age 36, was a lodger in the home of James and Ann Pitts in Hadleigh, Essex. Edward was an Agricultural Laborer.
From the 1861 Census of Hadleigh:
Name - Relationship – Married or Single – Age – Sex – Profession – Birthplace
End way
James Pitts
head Mar
43 M Agr Laborer
Essex Benfleet
Ann do
wife
do 56 F
do
Hockley
James do
son
10
M
do
Benfleet
Sarah do
daur
8
F
do
do
Eliza do
do
5 F Scholar
do
do
Edward Murrill Lodger Un 36
M
Agr Laborer
do Hadleigh
Henry Pitts
son
5 months M
do
do
The image of the 1861 census
Click on picture or here: for larger and clearer picture
In 1871, Edward Murrells was a lodger in the home of James and Eliza Leggett at 4 End Way in Hadleigh, Essex. They were Edward’s sister and brother-in-law. Edward was an Agricultural Laborer.
From the 1871 Census of Hadleigh:
Name - Relationship – Married or Single – Age – Sex – Profession – Birthplace
4 End Way
James
Leggett
Head Mar 55 M Ag. Lab.
Essex Steeple
Eliza Do.
Wife
Mar 50 F
“ Hadleigh
Isaac Leggett
Son
17 M Ag.
Lab.
Essex Hadleigh
Mary A. Do.
Daur
15 F
Scholar
“
Hadleigh
Phoebe Do.
Daur
13 F Scholar
“ Hadleigh
Louisa Do.
Daur
11 F
Scholar
“ Hadleigh
Edward Murrells Lodger Unm
44 M Ag. Lab
“
Hadleigh
In 1891, Edward Murrell, age 66, was living alone at Heath Road in Hadleigh, Essex. Edward was a General Laborer.
From the 1891 Census of Hadleigh:
Name - Relationship – Married or Single – Age – Sex – Profession – Birthplace
Heath Road
Edward Murrell Head S 66 M General Laborer Employed Essex Hadleigh
In 1900, The Strand Magazine put out a long article called “A Wizard of Yesterday” by Arthur Morrison. The article is in volume 20, pages 433-442. From contents said in the article, the trip to Hadleigh took place ten years before, so this is ca. 1890.
In this article, Arthur Morrison is mentioning in detail about his trip to Hadleigh, Essex to find out information about James Murrell. He brought an illustrator and they interviewed the town’s blacksmith, Stephen Choppin, and then found the aged Edward “Buck” Murrell the son of the Cunning man.
Buck Murrell tells in detail about his father’s life as a Wizard. And then let the author, Arthur Morrison, see the contents of James Murrell’s chest.
Some excerpts of the article:
Page 436
“In Mr. Cracknell’s trap we drove to Thundersley to find Buck Murrell, and there, after something of a hunt, we sighted him at last, working in a field. He was a short, sturdy old fellow, with a shock head of loose, white hair, and nothing about him to betoken so near relationship to the formidable mystic who had held a county in awe for a long lifetime.
He was not a bit haughty, moreover; on the contrary, a hint of a pint of “mild” brought him away from his work with great alacrity, and soon Buck Murrell was the most important person in Thundersley, surrounded by admiring friends, and waxing eloquent on the exploits of his father…”
Page 442
“We closed the chest and turned to Buck - the simple heir to all the glamour and mystery, to a certain amount of the awe. There he sat, good simple soul, with his pipe and his mug of ale, and his shock head of white hair, placidly happy in the importance of his redoubtable father, and proud in the interest shown in him long after his death.
Buck Murrell told us of this death, and still with pride. On his deathbed his father held learned disputations with the Reverend John Godson, the curate, and maintained the reality of his mystic powers to the last. He triumphed over spiritual advisers with Talmudic and cabalistic questions, and to his daughter he prophesied the moment of his death precisely, a day and a few hours before it came to pass.
There at the east side of the little Norman church of Hadleigh Cunning Murrell lay, with twenty of his children about him, and Buck Murrell showed us the place; for it was marked by no stone - not even by the humblest wooden memorial….”
It is a very interesting read and you get the feel of the time, like a window to the past.
Edward Murrell died at the age of 79 in 1903.
From the England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes, we find the following Death entry from the Indexes:
Name: Edward
Murrell
Year: 1903
Age:
79
Quarter: Apr-May-Jun (2nd Quarter)
District: Rochford
County: Essex
Volume: 4a
Page: 289
Sources:
1. St. James the Less church, Hadleigh, Essex, England. Bishop’s transcripts 1800-1868, D/CR 160, FHL British Film 1702317 Item 3. Baptisms: 1824 Edward Murrells. Searched and extracted starting February 20, 2010 Saturday 10:00 AM.
2. 1841 Census of England, Essex, Hadleigh, District 9, Image No. 1, Ancestry.com. Public Record Office Reference: HO 107 / 337 / 8, Original Page No. 2, Stamped Page No. 4, Household of James Marrell. March 5, 2008 Wednesday 3:04 PM.
3. 1851 Census of England, Essex, Hadleigh, District 9a, Image No. 3, Ancestry.com. Public Record Office Reference: H.O. 107 / 1777, Original Page No. 3, No. of Householder’s Schedule 9, Household of James Murrills. March 5, 2008 Wednesday 2:51 PM.
4. 1861 Census of England, Essex, Hadleigh, District 9, Image No. 4, Ancestry.com. Public Record Office Reference: R.G. 9 1083, Original Page No. 4, No. of Schedule 22, Edward Murrill in the household of James Pitts. March 2, 2009 Monday 3:37 PM.
5. 1871 Census of England, Essex, Hadleigh, District 9, Image Nos. 15 & 16, Ancestry.com. Public Record Office Reference: R.G. 10 16[6]7, Original Page Nos. 15 & 16, Stamped Page No. 120, No. of Schedule 83, Edward Murrells in the household of James Leggett. March 2, 2009 Monday 3:49 PM.
6. 1891 Census of England, Essex, Hadleigh, District 9, Image No. 18, Ancestry.com. Public Record Office Reference: RG 12 / 1390, Original Page No. 18, No. of Schedule 90, Household of Edward Murrell. October 5, 2009 Monday 3:02 PM.
7. 1900, “A Wizard of Yesterday” by Arthur Morrison. The Strand Magazine, Volume 20, pages 433-442. Google Books, Original from The University of Michigan, Digitized April 3, 2007. Searched August 24, 2009 Monday 8:59 PM.
8. Civil Registration Index, Death of Edward Murrell, 2nd Quarter (Apr-May-Jun), Year 1903, Age 79, District Rochford, County Essex, Volume 4a, Page 289. Searched October 4, 2009 Sunday 8:58 PM.
Last updated June 6, 2010 Sunday 4:21 PM
Researched and Compiled by William Wallworth
With contributions from:
1. Jeremy Trewin Dixon of Australia - Thanks for the finding and letting me know about the 1900 Strand Magazine article.
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