Mary Ann Searle 1834-1891

Mary Ann Searle (13 September 1834 – 25 May 1891)

Mary Ann Searle was born on 13 September 1834* in Brighton, Sussex, England, the daughter of Thomas Searle and Lucy Searle. She was baptised on 30 November 1834 at St Nicholas Church, Brighton, Sussex, England.

*13 September 1834 – Date comes from “The Little Black Book of William Henry Locke”

BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of BRIGHTHELMSTON, in the County of SUSSEX, in the Year 1834
When Baptised.	Child’s Christian Name.	Parents’ Name. Christian.	Parents’ Name. Surname.	Abode.	Quality, Trade, or Profession.	By whom the Ceremony was performed.
1834 Novr 30 No. 1427	Mary Ann dr of	Thomas & Lucy	Searle	Little George St	Servant	H M Wagner Vicar

The first record of Mary appears in the 1841 England Census, where, at the age of seven, she was living in Littlehampton, Sussex with her family.

On 2 April 1861, Mary married John Locke at St John’s Church, Paddington, Middlesex.

The marriage certificate of John Locke and Mary Ann Searle records Mary’s father as Richard Searle. However, the available evidence indicates that Richard was actually her grandfather, not her father.

Mary Ann’s baptism records her as the daughter of Thomas and Lucy Searle, suggesting that she was born out of wedlock. As she was born in 1834, three years before civil registration began in England and Wales in 1837, no birth certificate exists to confirm the details of her parentage.

Additional evidence comes from her younger sister, Agnes Searle, who was born after the introduction of civil registration. Agnes’s birth certificate explicitly records her as illegitimate, while her baptism, like Mary’s, names Thomas and Lucy Searle as her parents. Taken together, these records provide strong evidence that Mary Ann was also illegitimate.

Against this background, it seems likely that Mary Ann named her grandfather, Richard Searle, as her father on her marriage certificate as a means of preserving social respectability. This was not an uncommon practice during the Victorian period, when the stigma attached to illegitimacy was considerable.

An interesting family connection is that Agnes Searle, Mary’s sister, was later buried in the Locke family grave alongside several members of the family, including Charles James Locke and Herbert William Locke.

It is also noteworthy that Walter Crundell, one of the witnesses to the marriage of John Locke and Mary Ann Searle, was Mary’s stepfather. He had married Lucy Searle, Mary’s mother, at Brighton on 23 October 1850, further reinforcing the close family connections surrounding the marriage.

Page 210 1861.		Marriage solemnized at Saint John’s Church in the Parish of Paddington in the County of Middlesex
No.	When Married.	Name and Surname.	Age.	Condition.	Rank or Profession.	Residence at the time of Marriage.	Father’s Name and Surname.	Rank or Profession of Father.
419	1861. April Second.	John Locke.	Full.	Bachelor.	Wine Merchants Clerk.	Albion Mews East.	John Locke.	Carpenter.
		Mary Ann Searle.	Full.	Spinster.		Albion Mews East.	Richard Searle.	Carpenter.
Married in the Saint John’s Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church, by or after banns by me, M. S. Brench [?]
This Marriage was solemnized between us, John Locke Mary Ann Searle in the Presence of us, Walter Crundell, Mary Porter

Together John Locke and Mary Ann Searle raised a family of six children:

• Emily Locke
• Albert William Locke
• Herbert John Locke
• Charles James Locke
• Rosalie Locke
• William Henry Locke

The family appears in the 1871 England Census, living at 89 Bramah Road, Lambeth, London where Mary is recorded as John’s wife. By the time of the 1881 England Census, Mary had been widowed and was the head of the household at 1 Merrow Cottage, Avondale Road, Camberwell, London. Ten years later, in the 1891 England Census, she was living at 35 Avondale Road, Camberwell, London with two of her children, Rosalie and William Henry.

Shortly after the 1891 census, Mary embarked on a voyage to Australia aboard the S.S. Orizaba, departing England on 8 May 1891. Sadly, she died during the voyage on 25 May 1891, aged 58. Her death was officially recorded in the GRO Marine Death Index.

According to notes written by her son, William Henry Locke, Mary was buried at sea in the Red Sea on 26 May 1891 at approximately 5:10 a.m., at latitude 14°10’N and longitude 42°45’E.

Mary’s story spans from her childhood in Brighton to her final journey across the seas, leaving behind a family whose descendants continue to preserve her memory through these records.

1. Name and Surname of Deceased.	2. Sex.	3. Age.	4. Rank, Profession, or Occupation.	5. Nationality or Birthplace.	6. Last Place of Abode.	7. Cause.	8. Date.	9. Place.	10. Name of Ship.	11. Official Number.	12. Port of Registry.	13. Trade.	14. Regr. Genl. of Deaths to whom Reported.	15. Source of Information.
Locke, Mary Ann	F	58	wife	Brighton	London	Heat Apoplexy	25.5.91	Sea 14.10 N 42.45 E.	Orizaba	93688	Liverpool	Aust	L	L.B.

The above transcribed document is a British marine register of deaths, specifically recording a death that occurred at sea.

• Purpose and Authority: It was likely compiled by the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen based on the official logbook (“L.B.”) of the vessel. British law required ship captains to record births and deaths at sea and report them upon arrival at a port.
• Historical Context: The ship Orizaba was a passenger vessel on the Australian trade route (“Aust”). The coordinates provided (14°10’N, 42°45’E) place the ship in the southern part of the Red Sea. This perfectly aligns with the cause of death, “Heat Apoplexy” (an archaic term for heatstroke), which was a common and tragic occurrence for passengers traveling through the sweltering Red Sea en route to Australia via the Suez Canal during the late 19th century.
• Date of Death: May 25, 1891 (written as 25.5.91)
• Place of Death: At sea, coordinates 14.10 N, 42.45 E (which corresponds to the Red Sea)
• Source of Information: L.B. (Log Book)

Curious Points Regarding Mary Ann Locke

There are two particularly intriguing aspects concerning Mary Ann Locke’s death during the family’s voyage to Australia aboard the Orizaba in 1891.

1. William Henry Locke’s Voyage Notes

William Henry Locke left a brief account of the voyage aboard the Orizaba. Curiously, he makes no mention of his mother’s death or the circumstances surrounding it. Instead, he records only the date of her burial at sea together with a set of geographical coordinates indicating the approximate location where the burial took place. Given the significance of such an event, the absence of any further comment is noteworthy.

2. Mary Ann Locke’s Arrival Record

According to the records of the Public Record Office Victoria, Mary Ann Locke appears to have arrived in Australia with the rest of her family on 1 June 1891 aboard the Orizaba. The entry reads:

Mrs LOCKE; Arrival Year: 1891; Origin Code: B; Ship: ORIZABA; Arrival Date: 1 June 1891; Age: 49; Ship’s Master: G. F. Dixon; Fiche: 545; Page: 2.

At first glance, this appears inconsistent with the evidence that Mary Ann died during the voyage and was buried at sea. However, passenger arrival lists were commonly prepared from the ship’s original passenger manifest and were not always amended to reflect deaths that occurred during the journey. Consequently, it is not unusual for a passenger who died at sea to still appear on the official arrival list, and the record should not necessarily be interpreted as evidence that Mary Ann reached Australia alive.

3. Who was Thomas Searle?

Thomas Searle is shown in baptism records as the father of Mary Ann and Agnes but so far no indication as to who he was can be found.