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Mary Ann SOLLY
Abt 1836 - 1892 (~ 56 years)
Has 4 ancestors and 15 descendants in this family tree.
Set As Default Person 
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Name Mary Ann SOLLY Relationship 
with Teresa Ann GOATHAM Born Abt 1836 Yorkshire, Northdown, St. Peters, Broadstairs, Kent, England 
- Abt 1840 from the 1881 census where shown as aged 40, but about 1837 from age on marriage PR entry, shown as 25.
Shown as born St. Peter's in the 1861 and 1871 censuses, but Margate in 1881 and Yorkshire in 1871! Was Yorkshire to hide her identity due to a bigamous marriage? - I think it was probably a misunderstanding by the enumerator. In 1891 she appears as born 'York, Northdown' - with 'York' struck through. Looking at an old map shows a 'Yorkshire Farm' within the hamlet of North Down. Significantly, whilst most of Northdown was within the parish of St. John's (Margate), Yorkshire Farm was the other side of the parish boundary, i.e. within St. Peter's parish - where the earlier censuses show Mary as born. I think it is safe to conclude that all the censuses point to the same place: Yorkshire in the hamlet of Northdown, within St. Peter's Parish.
Baptised 30 Oct 1836 St. Peter’s Church, St. Peters, Broadstairs, Kent, England - From PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 17 Jul 2019)
Gender Female Died Jun Q 1892 Eastry Reg Dist, Kent, England - Found in the 1891 census, but not in later ones. Her husband had remarried by 1901, suggesting she had died.
She was living in Eastry RD in 1891, there are two deaths there of a Mary Ann of the right age to be her, but only one before 1901:
GRO ref: Griggs, Mary Ann q2 1892 aged 56 Eastry RD 2a 525
Siblings1 sister Patriarch & Matriarch 
Michael SOLLY, b. Abt 1806, Northdown, Margate, Kent, England, d. Dec Q 1888, Thanet Reg Dist, Kent, England (Age ~ 82 years) (Father) 
Elizabeth, d. Yes, date unknown (Grandmother)Person ID I28971 All | England: Kent Group (in Go(a)tham One-Name Study), All in the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study Last Modified 31 Jan 2020
Father Michael SOLLY, b. Abt 1806, Northdown, Margate, Kent, England , d. Dec Q 1888, Thanet Reg Dist, Kent, England (Age ~ 82 years) Mother Mary Ann HERITAGE, b. 4 May 1809, Reading Street, St. Peters, Broadstairs, Kent, England , d. Yes, date unknown Married - Both the censuses and the baptism registers suggest Michael and Mary Ann had just the two children, or at least just two who were baptised. Given the long gap between Sarah's birth and baptism and the high rates of infant mortality it is possible they had others who died without being baptised. (I have not checked the burial register)
Family ID F11178 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 1 Stephen EPPS, d. Yes, date unknown Married 28 Jan 1855 St. Peter’s Church, St. Peters, Broadstairs, Kent, England - GRO ref: EPPS, Stephen to SOLLY, Mary Ann q1 1855 Thanet RD 2a 682
Details from PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 16 Jul 2019)
Children 1. Emily Elizabeth EPPS, b. Jun Q 1855, Thanet Reg Dist, Kent, England , d. Yes, date unknownLast Modified 16 Jul 2019 Family ID F11174 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 2 James GRIGGS, b. Dec Q 1837, Mutrix, Margate, Kent, England , d. 9 Aug 1912, Holly Lodge, Lower Whitfield, Dover, Kent, England (Age ~ 75 years)
Other Partners: Louisa m. Mar Q 1893Married 11 Apr 1862 St. John the Baptist Church, Margate, Kent, England - GRO ref: Griggs, James to Epps, Mary Elizabeth q2 1862 Thanet RD 2a 993
Details from PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 16 July 2019)
With a mother's maiden name of Solly recorded in the birth registration for their children, I searched for the marriage of a James Griggs to a Mary Ann Solly, and similar. I found none, suggesting Mary had married under a different surname. Fortunately the 1881 census shows a daughter not found by searching for Griggs with a mother's maiden name of Solly. In her case the mother's maiden name was recorded as Epps. It is not uncommon for a woman's previous married name to be recorded instead of her maiden name, or if she was known by two names before marrying for both to be used on the registrations of birth of different children. With Mary most likely having married James as a widow I looked for a Mary Ann SOLLY to an EPPS and found the one shown here. This not only fits what I was looking for, but Stephen and Mary Ann are not found in the 1861 or subsequent censuses, suggesting the marriage was not a coincidence involving a different Mary Ann SOLLY. Also, looking for EPPS birth registrations with a mother's maiden name of SOLLY found just the one, so nothing to rule out Mary Ann as the one who married James. At the time of the 1861 census Mary Ann and her daughter were with her parents, in 1871 her daughter was still (or again) with them; again nothing to rule out Mary Ann wife of Stephen as the one who married James. The death of a suitably aged Stephen EPPS between 1855 and 1862 would add weight to my theory that the two Mary Anns are one and the same. However, there is none in the death registration index. At first I thought he was probably a marineror fisherman or similar and had died at sea - no body, no death registration (or burial). However, when he married Mary Ann he was recorded as a thatcher. So had he died? - that is, was Mary Ann free to remarry?
I returned to looking for the marriage of James Griggs, this time to a widow Mary Epps rather than a spinster Mary Solly. I found one which half fits: it records spinster Mary Elizabeth EPPS, daughter of Michael EPPS. Was this coincidence, the marriage of a different James Griggs (there were quite a few in the area). I don't think it was.
If the priest had mistakenly thought she was a spinster and recorded her as such and therefore assumed her father's surname this would not explain the middle name. Was she marrying bigamously and changing small details to hide this? I think she was.
My reasons for thinking Mary Ann who
1. Father's Christian name of Michael for both brides; not the commonest of names (both also record him as a labourer but this is so common it adds little weight to the argument)
2. A witness at both marriages was a Sarah Elizabeth Solly - Mary Ann Solly had a sister with this name, and most often witnesses were siblings.
3. In the 1861 census Mary Ann EPPS née SOLLY is living in Northdown Road; when she married 'Mary Elizabeth EPPS' place of residence is shown as Northdown.
3. I can find no other marriage of a James Griggs to a Mary Ann to fit.
4. I can find no baptism of an Mary Elizabeth Epps to fit.
5. If this marriage is the right one but spinster Mary Elizabeth EPPS is not really widow Mary Ann EPPS née SOLLY then why does she appear as Mary A in the 1871, 1881 and 1891 censuses?
Children5 children Last Modified 17 Jul 2019 Family ID F11166 Family Group Page | Family Chart
- Abt 1840 from the 1881 census where shown as aged 40, but about 1837 from age on marriage PR entry, shown as 25.
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Event Map Click to hide 
Born - Abt 1836 - Yorkshire, Northdown, St. Peters, Broadstairs, Kent, England 
Baptised - 30 Oct 1836 - St. Peter’s Church, St. Peters, Broadstairs, Kent, England 
Child - Emily Elizabeth EPPS - Jun Q 1855 - Thanet Reg Dist, Kent, England Married - 28 Jan 1855 - St. Peter’s Church, St. Peters, Broadstairs, Kent, England 
Married - 11 Apr 1862 - St. John the Baptist Church, Margate, Kent, England 
Child - William James GRIGGS - Sep Q 1865 - Northdown, Margate, Kent, England 
Child - Verona Martha GRIGGS - Mar Q 1869 - Margate, Kent, England Child - George Michael GRIGGS - Sep Q 1871 - Margate, Kent, England Child - John GRIGGS - Dec Q 1873 - Thanet Reg Dist, Kent, England 
Child - Maud Mary GRIGGS - Mar Q 1877 - Ramsgate, Kent, England = Link to Google Earth (if installed; see link below to install) Pin Legend 
