Rebecca's life

Rebecca was born in 1816. We can see her baptism recorded in the Wombridge Parish Register on 10th March 1816. The register also tells us that her parents were called Anthony and Sarah, that Anthony was a collier and that they lived at the Bank. Rebecca was baptised by the Rev. Charles Cameron and his wife also has a part to play in the story.

Rebecca's family lived in a cottage which was part of the Lilleshall Estate. In 1835 the estate carried out an audit into the condition of all its properties, the results were recorded in this book; it also records fascinating information about the tenants, their jobs, families, health and habits. The entry for Anthony Bailey says that he rents a house and large garden, he is a collier and that there are 6 in the family. His habits are described as very industrious and the state of repair of the house is very good in front but the back part damaged by the pits. This probably means that the house is affected by subsidence due to the mining in the area.