Henry Hance, Wheelwright and Carpenter of Cox Green, his First Wife Mary Ann, and the Suicide of his Second Wife Kate

Monument to Mary Ann and Henry Hance, All Saints Churchyard, Boyne Hill, Maidenhead, Berkshire, England.

"In Loving Memory 

of 

Mary Ann Hance

 beloved wife of 

Henry Hance 

of Cox Green.  

Died February 6th 1900 aged 80 years.  

Also of 

Henry Hance.  

Died January 8th 1914 aged 85 years

 - Rest In Peace-"

*Author's Note: This was a difficult and frustrating monument to research because there were two Henry Hances, both born in White Waltham around the same time, who both married a Mary Ann around the same time, and both lived in Maidenhead. The other Henry and Mary Ann Hance ran the Craufurd Arms, Gringer Hill.*

Mary Ann Hance was born Mary Ann Mantle in 1820 in Hurley, Berkshire to James Mantle a bricklayer and his wife Mary. Mary first appears on the 1841 Census aged 21 living in Flint Grove, White Waltham, Berkshire with her parents and siblings. Sometime between the 1841 and 1851 census Mary's father passed away. In 1851 she can be found living with her widowed mother and her siblings at Flint House, Maidenhead Thicket. By 1861 Mary and her family had moved to Woolley Road, Woolley Green, White Waltham. Mary's sisters are working as school mistresses and she is assisting them.

On the 1871 census Mary has moved back to Flint House and is living with her sisters Matilda, Emily and Ellen. Her occupation is given as a school manager. In 1876 Mary married Henry Hance in Maidenhead Berkshire.

Henry Hance was born in White Waltham, Berkshire in 1828 to John Castle Hance, a grocer and fruiterer, and his wife Martha Hatch.

Henry first appears on the 1841 census listed as Henry House , aged 14 living with his parents and siblings in White Waltham. In 1851 the family were living on the Bath Road, White Waltham and Henry was assisting his father in the grocery business.  

Strangely Henry is listed on the 1871 census as living in Holloway, White Waltham with Mary listed as his wife. Some funny business must have been afoot because in 1871 Mary is listed under her maiden name f Mantle, living with her sisters in Flint House, White Waltham, and of course Henry and Mary didn't officially marry until 1876. It is not uncommon to find people appearing on census returns twice in different locations. The 1871 census was recorded on the night of Sunday 2nd April 1871, however in some areas with large populations some enumerators started filling their returns out the previous evening.  This as well as enumerator error, people unsure of their exact age, place of birth, and even the spelling of their name, this can make research frustrating.

In 1881 Henry and Mary were now living in Cox Green, Maidenhead. Living with them at the time is Keiza Gilding, an elderly widow who has been incorrectly recorded as the mother-in-law to the head of the household.

We find Henry and Mary again on the 1891 census living at Fern Villas, Cox Green, Maidenhead. In fact Henry and Mary lived at a property called Fern Cottage and owned and rented out several properties called Fern Villas. Sadly Mary was to pass away on 6th February 1900.

1901 finds the recently widowed Henry still living at Fern Villas in Cox Green along with his domestic servant Jane Cambray.  

In 1902 Henry was remarried to Kate Mortimore, daughter of William Henry Mortimore and agricultural labourer, and his wife Mary Headington. Sadly the marriage was to be short as Kate committed suicide Thursday 6th July 1905.

On Wednesday 12th July 1905 the Maidenhead Advertiser reported:

"Tragedy At Cox Green

Wife Cuts Her Throat Behind The Chapel

On Friday last, the body of Mrs. Kate Hance, the wife of Mr. Henry Hance, who owns several houses at Cox Green, was discovered by her husband at the rear of the little Primitive Methodist Chapel at Cox Green, with a big gash in her throat. She was quite dead, and there was every appearance that the body had been laying there all night. There was a pool of blood near, and also a black-handled razor - which the husband explained at the inquest was deceased's property, and used by her for cutting corns and nails.

It is evident from what transpired at the inquest, that for the past few weeks the poor woman, who was 51 years of age, had been strange in her manner. The alteration in this respect was noticed by her brother-in-law (Mr. Fletcher), and a neighbour (Mrs. Weller) On Thursday evening Mrs. Hance went into the greenhouse attached to her house, where her husband was engaged mixing up some paint, which he intended using at one of his houses. Nothing particular was passed between them, and there was nothing unusual about the deceased's condition or appearance to excite the least suspicion on the part of the husband. After her visit to the greenhouse, the deceased appeared not to have gone indoors, as her husband supposed she had done, bit evidently proceeded to the rear of the chapel, and during a fit of insanity took her life.

Deceased was not missed until between 8 and 9. Her husband made a search for her, and was assisted by Mr. Fletcher and others, but they failed to trace her whereabouts. The next morning the search was resumed , and acting on the suggestion of Mrs. Weller, Mr. Hance paid a visit to the chapel grounds, and was horrified to find his wife dead, and lying in a pool of blood, with a deep wound in her throat.

It was mentioned at the inquest that the deceased appeared to have worried a great deal - and she was naturally of a worrying disposition - over some additions that her husband was carrying out at one of his houses. She thought he would never get his money back on the outlay. Beyond this she appeared to have no other worry. Much sympathy is felt with Mr. Hance, who is an old and much respected resident of Cox Green, and  who is just recovering from an accident, which he received a short while ago. *He fell from some scaffolding* The police having been communicated with, the body was removed from the chapel grounds to the deceased's residence to await the inquest."

Painting of the Primitive Methodist Chapel,
Cox Green Lane, Cox Green, Maidenhead

The Inquest was held the day after Kate's body was found, at The Foresters public house, Cox Green, by Coroner Mr. W. Weedon. The Foresters was a very short distance from Fern Cottage, the home of Henry and Kate. The grounds of the Primitive Methodist Chapel were separated from Fern Cottage and Fern Villas, where witness Mrs Weller lived, by a fence.

Just three years before his passing Henry can be found on the 1911 census living at Fern Villa, Cox Green, with his housekeeper and nurse Jane Longhurst.