Rigmaiden Family History Blog: James Smith Rigmaiden and Catherine Almond

James Smith Rigmaiden and Catherine Almond married on the 17th June 1861 at St James' Church, Walton-on-the-Hill, Liverpool, England. Their address was 4 Pickering Street, Liverpool. It was not uncommon for bride and groom to give the same address as this would mean only one set of banns had to be published. She was 19 years of age and he was "of full age". In fact, he was 21, the eldest son of Edward Rigmaiden who, at that time, was described as a law clerk - in fact he worked for HM Customs and Excise.

St James's, 1823

James's mother was Mary Ann Rigmaiden (formerly James), daughter of a publican. James was born on the 16th November 1839 at 8 Audley Street, Liverpool.
Catherine was the daughter of William Almond, gardener. The witnesses were James and Esther Davies, Catherine's sister and brother-in-law. James' occupation was given as veterinary surgeon.

Only five days later Catherine gave birth to their baby, Elizabeth, on the 22nd June 1861. The birth is registered by Catherine on the 9th July. On this birth certificate James is described as a farriers' assistant and their address is Pye Street, Wavertree. Tragedy struck when the infant Elizabeth died on the 1st January 1863, aged only 18 months, of convulsions (2 days). On the death certificate James' occupation was now given as veterinary surgeon and their address, Luke's Place, Wavertree. The death was registered by Catherine (present at death).

A second child, William, was born on the 13th January 1863, only days after the death of Elizabeth, but born in the Union Workhouse, Mill Road, Everton. The birth is registered by Catherine on the 22nd January, still in the workhouse.

Union Workhouse, Mill Road

By the 1860s this workhouse was being used as a hospital, the schools of the old workhouse had been removed and there were 15 paid nurses. The cost of medicines was met by the Guardians of the Poor but there were complaints that is was not adequate for the numbers housed. The workhouse was first established in 1838.

William's father is registered as James Smith Rigmaiden, veterinary surgeon, but this is the last paper record we have of him. No death record has been found. [NB: I can now add that I have found references to James in Trove, an online index to Australian newspapers, see my post for the 21st January, 2014]

The next we know about Catherine Rigmaiden is in the 1871 census where she is recorded as living at 4 Rock Street, Old Swan, Liverpool with William, aged eight, a scholar. She is described as a widow and laundress; she is boarding with Ellen McGarry (widow) and her family. 

Royal Standard on the corner of Rock Street and Oswald Street

On the 28th October 1874 my great grandmother was born, birth registered as Catherine Drury; father James Drury, labourer. The birth is registered by James, marked with a cross. The address is 2 Etna Street, Old Swan, Liverpool. The mother is recorded as Catherine Drury, formerly Rigmaiden.

There is no record of another marriage for Catherine senior to James Drury or anybody else, between 1863 and 1874.

The baptismal entry for Catherine junior at St Oswalds, Old Swan is puzzling as it is incomplete and the father only recorded as "James", with no mother's name mentioned. Despite this, my great grandmother always called herself Catherine Rigmaiden, and it is only through papers kept by my grandmother that this birth certificate was found.

On her marriage certificate in 1893, when she married John Percy whose occupation was police constable, she is recorded as Catherine Rigmaiden, father James Rigmaiden (deceased). Did she know for certain that James Rigmaiden was actually her father after all? From descriptions of her, later recorded by family members, it would seem unlike her to have falsified her marriage records in this way. She was remembered as being quite stern and of strong character.

We can only wonder what happened to James Smith Rigmaiden - did he disappear, his tracks covered over. Did he get into some sort of trouble which made it imperative for him to change his name. We may never know 

Perhaps it is a coincidence that his grandfather died in 1866 in suspicious circumstances, after being hit over the head and robbed in his own home.

Catherine's situation would seem to have gone from bad to worse after this - in 1877, 15th May, she registers the birth of another infant, Elizabeth Rigmaiden, born on the 2nd April but this time there is no father named. She is living at 3, Back Etna Street. Tragedy repeats itself as this infant Elizabeth also dies aged nine months (pneumonia six days) daughter of Kate Rigmaiden, char woman. The address is 54 Etna Street, but the death is registered by C[atherine] Lawless, present at death. Catherine Rigmaiden would have been 35.

We know that Catherine was to have at least one other child in 1881, recorded in the 1881 census as Mary, aged 2 months, but the birth certificate has yet to found. No death or burial record has been found for Catherine Rigmaiden, senior.
Misleadingly, she is recorded in the 1881 census as being 57 years ,of age, when in fact she would have been 39. She is living at 16 Etna Street as Kate Rigmaiden (misspelt on the census) with daughters Kate (6) and Mary (2 months), lodging with the Evans family, working as a laundress and described as a widow.

Like her husband James, she vanishes into the mists of time.