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Thomas James Dair Tapley

1 Primrose Hill, Deal
18 Middle Street, Deal
31 Church Place, Ramsgate
3 Kent Terrace, Thornton Road, Ramsgate
7 Newcastle Hill, Ramsgate
3 Portland Court Cottage, King Street, Ramsgate

Occupation: Bricklayer’s Labourer

Thomas James Dair Tapley was born in Deal in 1848. His Father John James Tapley was the second youngest son of James Tapley who had moved into Deal from Folkestone some time around 1799, and his wife Ann Wilkins setting up home in Crown Court. Thomas’ father followed his forbears and made his living from the sea. Thomas though was to take a different occupation and became a bricklayer or at least a bricklayers labourer.

According to his baptism record he was born in South Street but by the time of the 1851 census the family were living in 1 Primrose Hill but were to move to Middle Street where John James was to die on May 17 1865; he was buried in Hamilton Road Cemetery. 

Primrose Hill then (1871) and now

Thomas was then seventeen years of age so was by then probably already working for a builder. By 1871 Thomas was a bricklayer and living in Ramsgate. He married Maria Pittock (sometimes written as Pidduck) in Holy Trinity Church, St. Lawrence in 1868 when Maria stated that she was a spinster and that her father, Benjamin, was a Carpenter. Master Bricklayer Thomas William Stokes and Sarah Jane Deadman were both witnesses to the marriage and they too in 1871 were to marry. The marriage of Thomas and Maria though proved to be an unhappy one and sometime before 1879 they separated. What happened after that time we have gleaned from the local newspapers. 

Thomas continued to live in Ramsgate but Maria was to move to Dover. On August 1 1879 she met George Henry Oaks and, just four months later, on 1st December, she was to commit bigamy by marrying him in St. Mary the Virgin Church in Dover’s Cannon Street. 

Before their marriage Maria sent George a letter telling him of her previous marriage and that she had not seen her former husbands in years, who she had divorced. Then ten days before she and George married she told him that her brother in law had given her the news that Thomas had two weeks before fallen from scaffolding and was dead.

George in June 1880 became aware that his wife was still married to another man and began proceedings against her. How he found out was not recorded by the court reporter but Maria was arrested on June 24 by Police Sergeant Harman. In court he reported that on being read the charge she said to him “this is worse than all, for I heard a short time ago that my former husband was dead.” Sergeant Harman then took her to the Police Station where she was brought before the Magistrate who sent her for trial at the next Assizes. On hearing this Maria fainted in the dock and had to be carried out.

At her court hearing at the Assizes Thomas William Stokes was called as a witness and asked to  confirm that he knew Maria as the person to whose marriage he had witnessed and that he had that week seen Thomas James who was still working in Ramsgate. Sarah Jane Stokes, nee Deadman  was also sworn in and confirmed she knew Maria and that she had seen Thomas James only the night before.

George Henry’s father was then called stating that he had been at his son’s marriage to Maria. Both he and his wife were witnesses so signed the register when he noticed that Maria had signed as “Pittock”?? When he knew her as Tapley!

Perhaps it was his suspicions that alerted his son to his wife’s lies and her subsequently being charged with bigamy and sentenced to three months with hard labour.

Thomas obviously knew about his wife’s deceit and imprisonment, it was after all in all the newspapers and the gossips, then as now, would have spread the story. Thomas though, as the injured party, weathered the storm and continued to live in Ramsgate where it seems he found happiness. The 1881 census shows us that he was living in 3 Kent Terrace, St. Lawrence and that he now had a housekeeper Norah Philpott and her daughter living with him. This relationship was obviously more than that as in 1891 more daughters were born and all were baptised with the name of Tapley. 

On her release from prison Maria moved back to Ramsgate where, according to the 1881 census,  she was a dressmaker and lodging with Matthew Draper a widowed Mariner. Three months later, on June 7th, Matthew Draper married spinster Maria Foreman whose father, Benjamin was a carver and gilder. It seems highly likely that this was Maria committing bigamy once more this time using her mother’s maiden of Foreman.

Maria’s mother, Jane Foreman had married carpenter Benjamin Pidduck in St. Lawrence in 1845. Here they had five children, Maria being second youngest. How she got away with this last marriage is not known but it is to be hoped that she found some happiness herself before her death in 1885.

Thomas and Norah did eventually marry in 1889 and a year later their last child Norah Charlotte was born.

Thomas James Dair Tapley

Norah Maria Tapley, nee Philpott