Thomas James Sayer was born in 1838 in Sherston, Wiltshire. The son of John and Elizabeth Sayer, he grew up in a household of women - by the age of three, his father had died (we suspect - whilst there is no death record, there's also no record of him anywhere after the birth of his children) and the Sayer family was living in Sherston with the Chappell family - that is, Thomas' uncle and aunt, Elijah and Sarah. At the age of six, Thomas' uncle passed away, and so Thomas was brought up by his mother and aunt without a male influence in his young life. By the age of 13 he set to work as an agricultural labourer, bringing in an income along with his older cousin, John Bryant, who worked as a master cordwainer (a skilled shoemaker) in the 1840s. This income was supplemented by the rent received from a farmer called Daniel Norris (who farmed 46 acres and employed one person - possibly Thomas James) and his house servant.
The next ten years are something of a mystery, as Thomas James Sayer appears to vanish from the historic record, reappearing at the age of 24. By this time he had made the relatively short move a Gloucester, where he married Sarah Ann Barnes on 8 June 1862 in the city. Sarah Ann was one of seven children born to William and Hannah Barnes, who were originally from Bath, but moved to Gloucester where they started a painting and decorating business. Following marriage, Thomas James and Sarah Ann began their own family, moving to Barnwood Road in Gloucester, where five children were born. By his late 20s, Thomas had trained as a cooper - one who makes wooden casks, barrels, vats, buckets, tubs, troughs and other containers, from timber that was usually heated or steamed to make it pliable. This skill went hand-in-hand with the development of Gloucester as a commercial and manufacturing centre in the mid-to-late 19th century. The mid-Victorian period saw an increase in foreign imports through Gloucester and other ports, and to cope with this, a new dock at Sharpness on the mouth of the River Severn was constructed, capable of accepting the largest ships of the day. Add to this the increasing importance of the railways to distribute imports into other reasons, and it's not difficult to understand the high demands for barrels, required to store and transport all manner of goods such as corn, cereals, nails, tobacco, fruits, and even gunpowder, as well as to hold liquids (such as using a barrel for beer, butter or as a wash basin.) Throughout his career, Thomas wasn't self-employed, but rather worked for somebody else, providing barrels for these purposes. He was so good at his trade, that by his 40s he was afforded the status of master cooper.
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| Sharpness docks in 1900 |
One thing quite noticeable about Thomas and Sarah is that their children stayed living at home, well into their adult lives. In 1891, the couple had three children of adult age living under their roof, which by now was at 15 Henry Road in Gloucester - 32-year-old Alfred Charles Sayer was at this point working as a plumber; Louisa Sarah was a milliner's apprentice; and William was working as a junior clerk. It seems to have been quite a close family group, and one can only imagine the sorrow when the family lost two children in 1882 - Annie Lavinia died at the age of two, whilst Evelyn caught scarlet fever and died aged four. Indeed, Thomas and Sarah would outlive four of their own children, and come within a year of outliving a fifth - the Sayers do not appear to have been a very lucky family.
Thomas was able to spend the rest of his working life making barrels, before he was able to retire in the early 1900s. At this point he and Sarah left the city, settling in Newnham, on the west shore of the River Severn. Here the couple lived out the rest of their lives, passing within 19 days of each other, in October and November 1917.
It's funny when you research your family history, to find that although you only have fleeting glimpses of your ancestors, there are some characters who just seem to chime with you. I like Thomas and Sarah Sayer, not least because of their fancy choice of hats. So Happy Birthday Thomas!
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| Thomas James and Sarah Ann Sayer in later life, photo probably take at Newnham |
This is amazing! And they live on, on this blog!
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