Henry Dugay
1824 - 1914
Henry Dugay was mentioned in newspaper reports many times over the years. This account uses those newspapers to illuminate his life story.
Henry was the cousin of our GGGrandfather David Dugay, born in Wherwell in 1824. His father John was a carpenter. Henry worked as an agricultural labour until 1842 when he appears as a merchant seaman in Liverpool, until about 1847 when he came back to Hampshire. He went back to being an agricultural labourer and later took up carpentry like his father.
At the age of 32 in 1856 he married Sarah Dugey. It's unusual to find a marriage between two people of the same surname, especially an uncommon name like Dugey. It turns out that Sarah was the widow of Henry's brother John who had died three years earlier. At the time of the marriage it was forbidden for a man to marry his brother's wife. Marriages in non conformist chapels had to have the local Registrar in attendance, which in this case he was because he signed the marriage register. It seems unlikely that both the minister and the registrar didn't query what their relationship was given the identical surnames. We can only assume that Henry and Sarah claimed they were cousins or some other relationship that was permitted.
They had four children (George, Helena, Edwin, and Walter) and moved to Andover, and in common with Dugay tradition Henry ran a pub called the Wheatsheaf in East Street from 1861 to 1869. He became bankrupt in 1867, but continued working as a carpenter and beer seller until 1869.
Hampshire Advertiser 15th June 1867
Hampshire Advertiser 22nd June 1867
Salisbury and Winchester Journal 10th April 1869
Hampshire Chronicle 4th September 1869
A few years later in 1878 he appears briefly in Winchester running another pub called the Bat and Ball.. Three years after that in 1881 the family are down in Southampton and Henry takes over yet another pub, the Olive Branch in Godfrey Street. It was a back street beer house similar to this one. The map shows Godfrey street just above the gasworks.
And now things start to go wrong. In March 1883 Henry's wife Sarah died from bronchitis. Henry started up a relationship with another woman, Annie Martin, and transferred the Olive Branch licence to his son George who was a soldier in the Royal Engineers.
Hampshire Advertiser 19th September 1883
Hampshire Advertiser 12th September 1883
So the writing is on the wall. The licensing magistrates wouldn't allow the father Henry to have a licence, and the two children are unsuitable for different reasons. Then a few days later: (this is surely not just a coincidence)!
Hampshire Advertiser 15th September 1883
This is quite bizarre. He withdrew the assault charge in the magistrates court after getting his assailant to promise not to do it again. Henry must have known that another beating was on the cards. No doubt his assailant and others knew of the family circumstances, possibly being friends with the children. Shortly afterwards Henry moved in with Annie Martin and married her on 7th October.
His son Walter joined the army almost immediately and named his next of kin as his brother George - not his father Henry. A clear indication that Henry is not held in high regard.
By the end of the year the inevitable happens and the remaining family have to leave the Olive Branch:
Hampshire Advertiser 1st December 1883
Eighteen months later:
Hampshire Advertiser 4th March 1885
This one is difficult to read so here is as transcription:
THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE - An inquest was held yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon at the Black Swan, licensed house, St. Mary street, touching the death of Florence Maud Dugay, an infant, nearly three months old, whose mother lives in Craven-street. Annie Dugay, wife of Henry Dugay, a carpenter, said her husband had deserted her since the 24th of May last. The child was very small from birth, and did not to seem to have improved. The deceased had fed well and for the last two days she had had a slight hacking cough. Between 6 o'clock and half past that morning witness got up to see the time and laid the child on the pillow of her arm. When she went to take hold of the infant again, almost directly, witness found that the child's legs were drawn up. She went to her next door neighbours and said that she believed her baby was dead, and a little girl was sent for Dr Archer. She returned with a message that the doctor had been up part of the night and she must get someone else. She went across to the Police station. Witness took in washing for her livelihood, earning on an average 2s 6d per week, and she had a son working at Woolston for 6s a week, and another son sold salt and hearthstone. Her oldest daughter allowed her £1 a month, which paid the rent. Her husband was her second and left her because she would not turn her boys out. The deceased had not been kept short of food. She had no support from the parish minister or the Guardians, and when she applied to the relieving office for relief she was told to go into the Work house, but she would not break up her home on account of her boys. She had seven dependent on her, and her son, who sold salt, was the principal bread winner. Annie Fisher, a widow living next door to the mother of the deceased, said she fed the child at half past 10 the previous night, and the child seemed all right. She fed the infant with soaked biscuit. About half past six Mrs Dugay came and told witness that her child was dead. One leg and one arm were contracted. Mrs Dugay had always well fed the child and was a kind mother. Before the child was born Mrs. Dugay asked for medical attendance, but it was refused because her husband was away. The husband left on the 23rd May, and the child was born the 17th December. By the jury : Mrs. Dugay was only married to the second husband about two months before he went away, and she was widow about four years. The jury could not come to any conclusion, and the inquiry was adjourned till Thursday afternoon to enable for a post mortem examination to be made.
Portsmouth Evening News 6th March 1885
Henry then disappears for more than ten years. Has he gone into hiding ?
He reappears in 1897 in Reading.
Berkshire Chronicle 23rd Oct 1897
Then a couple of years later - another pub - also called the Olive Branch!
Reading Mercury 26th August 1899
Recently returned from America? Maybe he went back into the Merchant Navy but we haven't found any trace of him in this missing period.
Reading Mercury 2nd September 1899
Henry's tenure of the second Olive Branch lasted only for a few months:
Reading Mercury 27th January 1900
Henry died in Andover workhouse in 1914.