Catherine Metcalf 

Married to a chimney sweep

Died Sept 30th 1849

 

Catherine was born and baptised, in All Saints Church, Newcastle in 1818. She was the daughter of John and Christian Campbell. Catherine married in the same church, on 20th March, 1837. She was 19 when she married Cornelius “Mitcalf”  (b1819), a chimney sweep from Norham, Northumberland. He was one of the sons of Cornelius Metcalf (1791-1860) and Martha Railton, grocer.

On the 1841 census Cornelius and Catherine were living in Alnwick, on the north side of Pottergate. They had two boys staying with them who were the younger brothers of Cornelius. He was then aged approximately 25, Catherine was  said to be 20, Benjamin Mitcalf was 15 and Thomas was 9.

 

They had a daughter of their own, Catherine Elizabeth, born on 14th October 1845, then Catherine died in the Cholera epidemic on 30th September in 1849 when they were living in Union Court. This was one of the most run-down places in Alnwick. She was buried on 2nd October in a mass grave, at the rear of St Michael’s Church.

By the 1851 census, Cornelius was still a chimney sweep and living in Canongate with his new wife Elizabeth, aged 22. Also living there was 10 year old Mary Ann Medcalf, born in 1840, in Togston (and called a relative by the census recorder) and 1 Year old Robert Kelly born in Alnwick, also a relative. Robert died later that year in Union Court still aged one. Mary Ann was the daughter of Luke Medcalf, born 1796, and possibly a brother of Cornelius Snr.

 

Cornelius, the chimney sweep died in Alnwick in 1856, aged just 37.
Brother Benjamin Mitcalf who lived with Cornelius when young, returned to Durham and trained as a solicitor’s clerk. He then became an auctioneer and part time Inn keeper in Barnard Castle.
Brother Thomas stayed in Alnwick and by 1891 was lodging in Clayport Street and working as a general labourer.