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Richard Thomas Wickes
Coach Alley, Deal 192
Middle Street, Deal
1 Short Street Deal
25 Middle Street
85 High Street
5 Chapel Street
Occupation: Mariner
Deal, Walmer and Sandwich Mercury of December 8 1877
According to the Deal, Walmer and Sandwich Mercury of December 8 1877, ‘the recent gales of late November 1877 resulted in a serious loss of life with seamen taking the brunt of them.’ Many perished at sea, including some of the men on board the ‘Gauntlett’.
A man named Richard Thomas Wickes from Deal survived the sinking of this vessel and relayed his harrowing story of the ship breaking up and how he, with a few of the crew, managed to set out in a small boat, away from the floundering ‘Gauntlet’. They had no provisions of any kind but remained in their tiny vessel for three days. Richard described to the reporter how he was washed overboard but dragged back into the boat half half-drowned. Eventually, they reached the shores of France, from where they were rescued. From France, Richard was transported to Southampton, then up to London, from where he finally travelled back to Deal. He had a lucky escape.
A few days later, he was mentioned in another article. Richard had been awarded £2 and 5 shillings, which is roughly equivalent to £300 today, to replace the clothes he’d lost in the storm. We are not talking about him replacing a shirt, trousers and jumper. Most likely, this was all his seaman’s clothing, such as his wool shirts, canvas trousers, and his oil-treated cloth jacket or wool coat, that had been deposited at the bottom of the sea. That’s a bit like a construction worker having to replace his steel-capped boots, hard hat and donkey jacket. Essential and very expensive. Richard would have been immensely grateful that he was a member of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society.
A few days later, he was mentioned in another article. Richard had been awarded £2 and 5 shillings, which is roughly equivalent to £300 today, to replace the clothes he’d lost in the storm. We are not talking about him replacing a shirt, trousers and jumper. Most likely, this was all his seaman’s clothing, such as his wool shirts, canvas trousers, and his oil-treated cloth jacket or wool coat, that had been deposited at the bottom of the sea. That’s a bit like a construction worker having to replace his steel-capped boots, hard hat and donkey jacket. Essential and very expensive. Richard would have been immensely grateful that he was a member of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society.
This society was founded in 1839 to give assistance to those shipwrecked and to the widows and orphans of those lost at sea. Today, the Society still exists to provide help in the event of a shipwreck; however, its main function is to pay discretionary grants to retired seafarers and their widows.
Deal, Walmer and Sandwich Mercury of December 15 1877
The Wickes Family
So, what do we know about Richard Thomas Wickes? He was born in The Coach Yard (now the Car Park behind Deal library) in 1836, to mariner John James Wickes and his wife Sarah née Kite. Richard was baptised on 30 September of that year at St George’s Church in Deal. He was the third of a family of five: Sarah, Susannah, Richard, Elizabeth and Mary. On a later census return, another child joins the family; although registered as ‘son’, it seems James Charles was born to Richard’s sister, Elizabeth. James was blind from birth, but after attending the ‘School for the Indigent Blind’ based in St George’s Fields, London, he returned to Deal, married, and became an organ player and Professor of Music.
One of Richard’s older sisters, Susannah Boyce Wickes, born in Deal in 1833, married a soldier, George Roggers, in 1857 in Blean, Kent. By 1861, Susannah was working as a servant in Folkestone and living at home with her family. George had been posted to China, where, after a term of service, he left the army and joined the Police in Shanghai. At this point, Susannah leaves her family behind to travel across the world to Shanghai, where she settled and started a family with George. Sadly, George died, but she remained in China, marrying Charles Edbrook, a Livery Stable Keeper, in November 1878. Susannah, it appears, never returned to England.
Richard continued to follow his father’s occupation and earned his living as a mariner. It wasn’t until 1889, when he was 50 years old, that Richard married Elizabeth née Ladd. Born in Ham, she was the daughter of an agricultural labourer, but residing in Stonar, near Sandwich. Elizabeth brought with her to the marriage a young daughter, who appears to have been illegitimate. Elizabeth was 22 years younger than Richard, and they soon began to establish their own family. Alice Jessie was born in 1894, and Ethel Florence arrived in 1896. Twins, James John and Rosa Emily, arrived in 1898, followed by Edward George in 1901.
Vaccinations and Small Pox
Searching through the local newspapers threw light on Richard Wickes and, perhaps more interestingly, the discovery of him presenting himself in October 1898 before the Mayor of Deal, C W Thompson, assembled Aldermen Bird, Cottew, and Hayman together with Captain Coleman, Captain Mourilyan, Dr Lyddon and Mr W H Rammell, at the local Petty Sessions, to plead this first case in Deal under the new ‘conscience clause’ which had been introduced in the newly passed 1898 Vaccination Act, allowing parents who did not believe vaccination was efficacious or safe to obtain a certificate of exemption. Richard presented his case on behalf of his newborn twins, James and Rose.
Searching through the local newspapers threw light on Richard Wickes and, perhaps more interestingly, the discovery of him presenting himself in October 1898 before the Mayor of Deal, C W Thompson, assembled Aldermen Bird, Cottew, and Hayman together with Captain Coleman, Captain Mourilyan, Dr Lyddon and Mr W H Rammell, at the local Petty Sessions, to plead this first case in Deal under the new ‘conscience clause’ which had been introduced in the newly passed 1898 Vaccination Act, allowing parents who did not believe vaccination was efficacious or safe to obtain a certificate of exemption. Richard presented his case on behalf of his newborn twins, James and Rose.
To be honest, we were not aware that a law had been passed for compulsory vaccination against smallpox in 1898. Some rapid research told us there were, in fact, seven Acts passed by the government, beginning with the first in 1840. Having never come across these Acts before, and always ready and excited to learn something new about the social history of Deal and Walmer, we set ourselves the task of discovering more.
Dr Edward Jenner (1749-1823)
The control of this deadly disease had been attempted by several people in the past using a method known as ‘Variolation’. This was where humans known to be carrying the disease would have a pustule scraped, and the liquid collected would then be scratched into the arms of people suffering from the disease. Although this method did have a positive effect on some sufferers, it failed for others. During the latter part of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, while smallpox was killing millions all over the world, here in England, Dr Edward Jenner was developing the world’s first successful vaccination in 1796. After his initial success, Jenner petitioned the Government for a reward for his discovery and affirmed his belief that ‘the annihilation of smallpox must be the final result of the practice of vaccination.’ The Government awarded him £10,000, and Jenner continued his push for vaccination to be spread throughout the country. Finally, in 1853, vaccination against smallpox became compulsory in England and Wales by an Act of Parliament. This Act included fines for non-compliance.
How were the requirements of this Act controlled in communities like Deal and Walmer? They followed the simple method that had been devised and used throughout the country. When a baby was born, parents had three months or, if the child was in an orphanage, four months to present the child for vaccination.
At the registration of a newborn, a form would have been provided that the medical professional administering the vaccine signed to say the child was protected. The form was then returned to the registrar, whose job it was to check that every newborn had been inoculated. If the registrar discovered a discrepancy, he would have been required to report the parent, or those responsible for the child, to the local magistrates.
Parents required a convincing argument if they were to prove that the administering of the smallpox vaccination would endanger their child’s health. The magistrates had the power to either accept the parents’ argument or, having refused their plea, fine them (usually 10s plus 9s costs) and, if they couldn’t pay, send them to prison for 10 days, sometimes longer. This was all totally at the discretion of the Magistrate.
Acts of Parliament
In 1867, another Act was passed through Parliament, which both consolidated and updated the existing laws. The initial Act had instigated an impressive improvement in the health of the country, with the incidence of the deadly disease dropping significantly.The 1871 Vaccination Act appointed a Vaccination Officer and confirmed the principle of compulsion, which evidently sparked even more hostility amongst the anti-vaxxers and conscientious objectors.
Of course, as today, some parents, and indeed the public generally, were still very sceptical about the efficacy of this vaccination, and many were afraid it would damage their child. Anti-vaxxers were as prevalent then as they are now. Ashford was an anti-vaxxer’s Hot Spot. Demonstrations against the Act were held, and one father, who persistently refused to have each child, as it came along, vaccinated, ran up huge debts of over £80.
We cannot say that Richard Wickes was an anti-vaxxer, but he did go to obtain a certificate of exemption with the Magistrates, as was his right by the new Vaccination Act of 1898, for his newborn twins to be exempt from the vaccine. The first time he attended, Richard was sent away to return the following week when the Clerk would have the appropriate, newly issued forms, giving permission for children to be exempt from vaccination.
Standing before the Court the following week with the Clerk now in possession of two forms, Richard is asked by the Mayor to explain his objections to the vaccination being administered to his children. Richard is always polite but obviously nervous, and being flustered seems not to remember the date of the twins’ birth. Unkindly, the Mayor retorts, ‘What! Have you forgotten so soon such an important event in the history of your life?’ Poor Richard eventually overcomes his nerves and explains that the twins were born on 10 September. He is then requested to relay to the court why he objects to the children being vaccinated. Richard explains that his previous child,Ethel, after having the vaccine administered, ‘burst out full of sores’ after being taken to Canterbury Hospital and ‘she had beautiful blue eyes and clear skin, which were not affected, but now she was nearly blind.’ He continues to tell the court how worried he is because, as his newborn twins have the same ‘beautiful blue eyes’, they may suffer the same fate as their older sister. Richard is then questioned about his other children’s reaction to the vaccination. He answers, ‘They were both very, very ill.’
At this point in the court proceedings, Captain Mourilyan asks him, ‘Don’t you think prevention is better than cure?’ Richard now confuses the issue. He tells the Aldermen that he was the attendant, ‘…down at the North Wall…’ ‘I am subject to smallpox, and I can cure any man. ’ We believe Richard is referring to the small Isolation Hospital situated in North Deal, where, in earlier days, before Variolation was outlawed in the 1840 Vaccination Act, members of the public, such as Richard, who had survived smallpox or were carrying the disease, were requested to attend Isolation Hospitals. They were then used in an attempt to transfer fluid from the arm of a volunteer, by scraping the skin, to the infected patient. At this point, the Mayor interjects with the information that the man Richard has mentioned still died. Richard continues to maintain that he cured him when the attending Doctor at the Isolation Hospital had given up!
By now, it seems the Mayor has had enough of Richard’s ramblings and asks the Clerk to tell him what fees will need to be paid for a Certificate of Exemption. ‘It’s two shillings’, responded the Clerk. When the Town Sergeant declared, ‘he had better pay now!’ Richard tells the Mayor, ‘I don’t have a penny in my pocket’. Alderman Cottew now joins in with the discussion, reminding the Mayor that the children were both born at the same time. The Mayor, who must have given up all hope of completing their morning session in time for luncheon, says, ’Yes! But the form only refers to one child!’ After consultation between the Aldermen, they decided to alter the wording of the form Richard had presented to them at the previous hearing, to make it read for two children and to grant a certificate once the fees were paid, hoping, we suspect, that that would be the end of this case. Richard, however, hadn’t quite finished. He put forward to the assembled gentlemen that if he now had one piece of paper with both children’s names on it, then he should only pay one fee. The Bench, possibly due to sheer frustration, agreed, and Richard left the court a very satisfied man!
Later that week, the report of the case in the papers suggested that the twins could not have come off better if they’d had a Q.C. to plead their case! The writer went on to say that even Charles Dickens’s Mr Micawber, with all the resources at his command, could not have done more for the twins who were the companions of David Copperfield’s youth!
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A Sad Ending
Sadly, after all his efforts to protect his twins, little James died the following year in December 1899, and Rose Emily in April 1900.
Some time in 1903, Richard became seriously ill with what must have been a severe chest infection that developed into pneumonia. He was admitted to the Deal, Walmer & District Victoria Hospital in Wellington Road (originally called Cottage Row), Deal, where he died on 18 May 1903. From his death certificate, we know that Elizabeth was with him. He is buried in Hamilton Road Cemetery.
Elizabeth remarries a widower, Elbridge Bowles, who works for G. H. Denne, the builders, as a house painter. They lived in Great Mongeham, where Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter, a step-sister for Jessie and Ethel, the remaining children from her marriage after the death of her son Edward. She died in 1921 and is buried in Hamilton Road Cemetery.
| Name | Born | Baptised | Married | Died | Buried |
| Richard Thomas Wickes | 1836 Deal |
September 30 1836 St Georges Church, Deal. |
Elizabeth Ladd November 2 1889 St Georges Church, DealBorn 1857 Died 1921 |
May 1903 Deal, Walmer & District Victoria Hospital |
18 May 1903 Hamilton Road Cemetery |
The Children of Richard Thomas Wickes & Elizabeth Ladd
| Name | Born | Baptised | Married | Died | Buried |
| Mary Ellen
________________ Alice Jessie |
1890
___________________ 1894 |
December 23 1890 St Andrews Church, Deal ___________________ March 7 1894 St. George’s Church, Deal |
. .___________________William J Gloster January 1917 Camberwell. London. |
. _____________1930 Camberwell, London |
_________________ Camberwell New Cemetery |
| Ethel Florence | 10 July 1896 | September 4 1896 St. George’s Church, Deal |
February 2 1984 The Knoll, Dover Road, Walmer |
||
| John James | September 10 1898 | October 9 1898 St. George’s Church, Deal |
December 1899 5 Chapel Street, Deal |
December 13 1899 Hamilton Road Cemetery |
|
| Rose Emily | September 10 1898 | October 9 1898 St. George’s Church, Deal |
April 1900 5 Chapel Street, Deal |
April 4 1900 Hamilton Road Cemetery |
|
| Edward George | May 1901 | June 9 1901 | July 1903 Jews Harp Alley |
July 13 1903 Hamilton Road Cemetery |
Census
| Year | Address | Name | Relationship | Occupation |
| 1841 | Coach Alley | James Weekes (Wickes ) | Head | Mariner |
| Sarah | Wife | |||
| Sarah | Daughter | |||
| Susannah | Daughter | |||
| Richard | Son | |||
| Elizabeth | Daughter | |||
| Frances | Daughter |
Census
| Year | Address | Name | Relationship | Occupation |
| 1851 | 192 Middle Street, Deal | John James Wickes | Head | Mariner |
| Sarah | Wife | |||
| Richard Thomas | Son | Scholar | ||
| Elizabeth | Daughter | Scholar | ||
| Mary A | Daughter | Scholar |
Census
| Year | Address | Name | Relationship | Occupation |
| 1861 | 1 Short Street, Deal | John James Wickes | Head | Mariner |
| Sarah
Susannah Roggers |
Wife
Married Daughter |
Charwoman | ||
| Richard Thomas | Son | Boatman | ||
| Mary Ann | Daughter | Servant | ||
| James C | Son | Scholar |
Census
| Year | Address | Name | Relationship | Occupation |
| 1871 | 25 Middle Street, Deal | John James Wickes | Head | Waterman |
| Sarah | Wife | |||
| Richard Thomas | Son | Waterman | ||
| Alice May | Granddaughter | Scholar |
Census
| Year | Address | Name | Relationship | Occupation |
| 1881 | Not Found — At Sea |
Census
| Year | Address | Name | Relationship | Occupation |
| 1891 | 85 High Street, Deal | Richard Thomas Wickes | Head | Seaman |
| Elizabeth | Wife | |||
| Annie Ladd | Step Daughter | |||
| Mary E | Daughter |