Basingstoke in the early 1800s

This picture shows a view of Basingstoke looking towards the south. We can see the railway and judging from the style of the train this picture dates from about the early 1840s. At that time Hugh lived in Chapel Street, which was the road going through the arch that the train is crossing. It ran down to the centre of Basingstoke.

This map of Basingstoke dates from about 1880.  The red arrow shows the viewpoint for the picture above.

Sheriff's Officer

We don't know what Hugh's occupation was in the early years of his marriage. But from about the age of 50 in the 1820s,  he was employed as a sheriff's officer, a quite unusual occupation. So what was a sheriff's officer? In those days the sheriff of Hampshire was responsible for dealing with civil law cases, and minor criminal cases. There was a regular sheriff's court, which had its own magistrates for dealing with disputes, libel cases, breaches of promise, bankruptcy and debt, and so on. The sheriff's officer was responsible for carrying out the instructions of the court, serving writs, arresting debtors and so on.

Arresting debtors was dangerous  - there are many accounts in the newspapers of violence against sheriff's officers. In one case the debtor pulled out a revolver and shot at the officers. Not only was it dangerous but sheriff's officers were unpopular because of this aspect of their job. Charles Dickens in Bleak House illustrates that unpopularity after the death of a sheriff's officer known as Coavinses, whose orphaned children are left to fend for themselves, ignored by their neighbours because of their father's occupation.

Hugh was himself the victim of an assault in 1855 which was reported in the newspapers. There might have been more.

Later Years

Hugh lived in Basingstoke all his life, and his son Stephen lived near him in another house in Chapel Street. Kate Dugay's mother Ann Lawes was born here.

Hugh died in 1861 in Basingstoke.