 |
|
| Samuel
Whiting was born in 1840 or
1841 at Cock Street Green in the village of Diss, Norfolk, the third
of six children of a confectioner William Whiting (c1813-) and his wife
Sarah (née Webster) - see the provisional family outline
below. When he was about ten, the family moved to Norwich, where they
lived on Water Lane. Then in the early 1860s, they moved again, this
time to Furnace Hill in Walton, a village just north of Chesterfield in
Derbyshire. In 1863, Samuel married Hannah Hoult, originally from
Worcester,
and their first child Elizabeth was born in Chesterfield in about
August 1864. It is not known when Samuel Whiting first set up in business as a photographer, but Adamson (1997) shows him with premises in Vicar Lane, Chesterfield as early as 1868. Harrod's 1870 trade directory, probably compiled in late 1869, shows Samuel Whiting, photographer, with premises in Church lane, Chesterfield. The census of April 1871 showed him described as a photographer and living with Hannah, their slightly larger family of three children, and a domestic servant, at 34 West Row, while directory entries indicate that he may have had additional premises at West Bars. Later trade directories demonstrate that he moved house to 18 Derby Road prior to 1879. By April 1881 he and Hannah had moved house again, to 2 Bottom Lane, Newbold & Dunston. Samuel Whiting had three brothers, all of whom had spent their later childhood in Derbyshire. William was the eldest, and settled in Newbold, where he worked as a coal miner and, in his later years, as a farm labourer. Samuel was next, then came Thomas. He was deaf from childhood, but after marrying he moved to West Stockwith and Walkeringham, on the Notts/Lincs border, where he worked as a cordwainer and general labourer, and became a local Methodist preacher. |
|
| John Whiting was the youngest brother, and when in his early twenties worked as a carter in Walton. However, some time in the late 1870s, he became involved in the travelling show business, and became associated with Randall Williams, the "King of Showmen". In April 1881 he described himself as a traveller/hawker, and was staying in Ashley Lane, Manchester. Close by were several other members of the travelling show groups, including the Williams family. In August 1882 he was at the Preston Guild Festival, as is evidenced by a photo (at right) reproduced on Pauline Gashinski's web page, The Williams Travelling Show Family. Some time in the 1880s, Samuel Whiting switched careers to join his younger brother in the show business, and became the proprietor of a "swing boat". At the time of the April 1891 Census, he and Hannah and son John were living in a caravan at Morledge, Derby St Peter. Interestlingly, his neighbour, also in a caravan, was Charles Isler, another photographer. His two eldest sons Charles, describing himself as a travelling showman, and Samuel, were also living in a caravan although just off Chatsworth Road in Brampton. | 
John
Whiting
|
| Samuel Whiting senior died some time between 1891 and 1901, and by the time of the census in April 1901, his widow Hannah, and sons Gervase and John - living in a caravan at the Bull & Butcher Croft in Selston, Nottinghamshire - all described themselves as travelling showpeople. Charles had taken over proprietorship of the swing boat, and was boarding at The White Hart Hotel, 10 Church St in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. | |
| Provisional
Family Outline William WHITING b. c1814 Roydon NFK m: 30 Aug 1835 St Martin-at-Oak, Norwich NFK Sarah WEBSTER b. c1813 Norwich NFK |- Elizabeth WHITING bapt. 3 Feb 1837 Diss NFK |- William WHITING b. c1838 Diss NFK m: Hannah b. c1842 Chesterfield DBY ...|- John WHITING b. c1879 Newbold DBY |- Samuel WHITING b. c1840-41 Diss NFK m. Hannah b. c1844 Worcester WOR ...|- Elizabeth WHITING b. c1863 Chesterfield DBY ...|- Charles William WHITING b. c1864-66 Chesterfield DBY m1: Sarah b. c1867 Blackheath STS m2: Susan b. c1863 Pilsley DBY ...|- Mary Ann WHITING b. c1868 Chesterfield DBY ...|- Harriet WHITING b. 1871 Chesterfield DBY ...|- Samuel WHITING b. 1874 Chesterfield DBY ...|- Robert WHITING b. 1877 Chesterfield DBY ...|- James WHITING b. 1879 Chesterfield DBY ...|- Jarvis/Gervase WHITING b. cFeb 1881 Chesterfield DBY ...|- John WHITING b. c1883 Chesterfield DBY |- Thomas WHITING b. c1841 Diss NFK m: Mary b. c1840 Leicester LEI ...|- William WHITING b. c1864 Chesterfield DBY ...|- Ada WHITING b. c1868 Doncaster YKS ...|- Thomas WHITING b. c1872 West Strockwith NTT ...|- Mary WHITING b. c1873 West Strockwith NTT ...|- Charles WHITING b. c1875 Walkeringham NTT ...|- Lizzie WHITING b. c1876 Walkeringham NTT ...|- Florence WHITING b. c1878 Walkeringham NTT ...|- Emily WHITING b. c1881 Walkeringham NTT ...|- Sarah A. WHITING b. c1882 Walkeringham NTT ...|- Henry WHITING b. c1886 Walkeringham NTT |- John WHITING b. c1847-48 Diss NFK m: Elizabeth b. c1853 Ollerton YKS |- Mary WHITING b. c1850 Diss NFK |
| Portfolio |
 |
Joseph
Roper (1791-1868) by S. Whiting of Vicar Lane, Chesterfield Undated, but probably taken shortly before his death in 1868 Format: Carte-de-visite Image © & collection of Brett Payne Notes: Inscribed "Joseph Roper"
on the reverse. Joseph Roper (1791-1868) was born in
Brampton, Derbyshire. He and two wives, both named Anne, had
at least ten children, mostly in Chesterfield, where worked as a master
plasterer. Several of his sons followed him into this
profession. One of his sons was also named Joseph, but this
Joseph Roper (1818-1895) would only have been aged 50 at the time this
photograph was taken, and is therefore not a likely candidate for the
subject. |
 |
 |
Unidentified
woman with young man by S. Whiting of Vicar Lane, near the Market Place, Chesterfield Undated, but probably taken c. 1868-1874 Format: Carte-de-visite Size: Mount 63 x 104.5 mm Photo 56 x 89.5 mm Image © & collection of Brett Payne Notes: |
 |
 |
Unidentified
woman with young child by S. Whiting of Vicar Lane, near the Market Place, Chesterfield Undated, but probably taken c. 1868-1874 Format: Carte-de-visite Size: Mount 62.5 x 106 mm Photo 56.5 x 95.5 mm Image © & collection of Brett Payne Notes: |
 |
 |
Grandma
Platts (c.1799-c.1879) of Windwhistle Farm, Grassmoor, Hasland by S. Whiting of Vicar Lane (near the Market Place), Chesterfield Undated, but probably taken in the early 1870s Format: Cabinet card? Image © & courtesy of Lesley Anderson Notes |
 |
| References
Images and information provided by Liz Newberry, John Bradley, Pauline Gashinski, Lesley Anderson & Brett Payne 1841-1901 UK Census - online from Ancestry.com FreeBMD International Genealogical Index - online from the LDS church Anon (1870) Harrod & Co.'s Postal & Commercial Directory of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland & Staffordshire. - from University of Leicester - Digital Library of Historical Directories. Wright C.N. (1874) Directory of South Derbyshire, Third Edition, October 1874, Derby. Anon (1881) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Kelly & Co., London. Anon (1887) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Kelly & Co., London. Anon (1891) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland & Nottinghamshire, Kelly & Co., London. University of Leicester's Digital Library of Historical Directories Anon (1895) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Kelly & Co. Limited, London. Anon (1895) History, Topography, and Directory of Derbyshire, T. Bulmer & Co. - by kind courtesy of Sonia Addis-Smith Adamson, Keith I.P. (1997) Professional Photographers in Derbyshire 1843 - 1914, The PhotoHistorian, No. 118 Supplement, September 1997, ISSN 0957-0209. Courtesy of John Bradley. Craven, Maxwell (ed.) (1993) Keene's Derby, Breedon Books, Derby, pp. 200-202. - by kind courtesy of Sonia Addis-Smith |
|
|
|
|
|
|
