Peter Foden Chartist

[duckweed]

I am trying to find out what happened to Peter Foden after he was imprisoned at York Castle & then sentenced to Hard Labour for 1 yr and 9 months.

What I do know was he was 30 years of age when sentenced in 1841 and a Baker and Confectioner in Bank Street Sheffield (exact place unknown but said to have become the building where Henry Vickers had an office) He had 2 children but 1 died while he was in prison Fergus O'Connor Foden died at the age of 18 months.
I can't find Foden in Sheffield in any later records or any Directories Anyone find a trace of him? I assume like Samuel Holberry he was sent to Wakefield to serve his prison sentence.

There is also a mention of other Chartists trying to break him free from prison before he was tried. Wondering which prison because surely no one would try to break him out of York Castle Gaol.

 

[oznannie]

Hi there is a Peter Foden Acquittal in 5th July 1853 Yorkshire East Riding.

Not sure if of any help.
Ozn

 

[duckweed]

May not be same person. I'm quite excited I have found the house he lived in. It is 28 Bank Street and is grade 2 listed. Unfortunately it was remodelled so no bay windows as in an account I read. Wonder if there is a bakehouse at the back.

 

[stockpot]

The Sheffield Independent newspaper (British Newspaper Archive and also FMP) has a lot about Peter Foden, both at the time of the Chartist riots and for many years later in articles about "old Sheffield". Lots of very good information about his appearance, character, etc - including that he skipped bail and an Ebanezer Elliott lost his surety!
The most pertinent article I read was on 16 May 1873, looking back on old Sheffield. It gives a very good description of his time in prison and says he was born in Lancashire and his father was an overlooker in Stalybridge. On release from prison he went to Stalybridge and commenced business but couldn't settle and moved from Doncaster. He then sold up and moved to St Louis, Missouri, in America where he died about 2 years ago (i.e.~1871) He was given a public funeral and his wife was presented with a framed document.

He is in the 1860 and 1870 U.S. census with wife Sarah, born England, son Wallace born England 1842 and a child Mary born Missouri 1857. (Also possibly a child William but it is difficult to be sure without paying)

I wish he had been a relative of mine, so much about him in the newspaper.
Elaine

 

[juliejtp]

Hi Duckweed,

1851 has Peter and his family living in Doncaster.

Civil parish Doncaster

Peter Foden age 40 occ confectioner born Kidderminster
Sarah wife age 35 born Sheffield
Joseph son age 13 occ. salesman born Sheffield
Wallace son born Ashton under Lyme
Lycurgus? son age 5 born Ashton under Lyme
Sarah dau age 4 born Ashton under Lyme

Class H0107
Piece 2347
Folio 29
Page 6

 

[duckweed]

That definitely looks like him as right age right profession and Sheffield wife and son. I shall see if there was any payout to the wife which may give her first name and her sons name. He mentions on initial arrest his wife was in final stages of pregnancy & that was 1839 so that would match son's age.

 

[juliejtp]

Oops I missed off Wallaces age should read age 7

 

[juliejtp]

A Peter Foden married a Sarah Woolfenden 3 July 1836 Cathedral Manchester.

 

[juliejtp]

Sarah is just with young Joseph age 3 in 1841 living at Lee Croft civil parish Sheffield.

 

[duckweed]

Peter was in jail in 1841 in Wakefield so she would be on her own. Presumably had to give up Bank Street because she couldn't run business on her own. The Crofts are a far cry from the beautiful Bank Street. Houses were built very quickly there and not the best quality so it was a big step down for her.

 

[gibbo]

United States Census, 1870

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4FM-W5S

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11771-81555-89?cc=1438024

 

[duckweed]

Reading about the actual incident that Peter Foden was arrested for in 1839 it was a Chartist General Strike in effect and one of the places that led this Industrial action was Stalybridge where Peter's father was so that is interesting as nowhere is there any mention that Peter's father might be the leader of this but strange coincidence if not. Think would be interesting to find out more about his father.