Following the death of her husband John Coe in November 1874 Maria Elizabeth Coe and her children moved from Stannets to Southend where she ran a Lodging House. We do not know exactly when she moved from the farm in Paglesham but it is clear from the fact that the lease on the farm expired at Michaelmas 1878 that she had left the area on or before that date. It is my belief that she and the remaining family probably continued to occupy the farmhouse until the lease expired. As can be seen from the details of a sale by auction on 28th February 1879 the contents of Stannets had not been removed before the expiry of the lease. All the contents were available to view at the Old Ship Inn Rochford.
The census for 1881 shows that the family are running a lodging house at 7 Alexandra Street Southend. However an article in the Chelmsford Chronicle of February 7th 1879 has her recorded as living in Queens Road which is on the northern outskirts of Southend
The census for 1881 shows that the family are running a lodging house at 7 Alexandra Street Southend. However an article in the Chelmsford Chronicle of February 7th 1879 has her recorded as living in Queens Road which is on the northern outskirts of Southend
The proceedings of a Hearing held in Chelmsford on February 1st 1879 show that the contents of Stannets South Hall were the subject of a dispute between the trustees of Maria Coe and others.
I believe the implications of the proceedings are that following John Coe's death the fortunes of the Coe family had gone downhill.
Maria had moved from Stannets either to the Rectory in Little Stambridge or to Queens Road Southend at Michaelmas 1878
Some furniture and other items were removed from Stannets to the Rectory at Little Stambridge while what should have been the larger part of the furniture and property was left at Stannets. Little Stambridge is some 3 miles south west of Paglesham.
This property left in the farmhouse was claimed by Henry Cross a farmer from Barling which is another 7 miles away by road but only a mile and a half across the oyster layings, as the crow flies.
In 1871 and 1881 Henry Cross is the occupant of Mucking Hall Farm Barling. I do not know his connection to the Coe family if any. It is clear however that he stepped in to help Maria Coe financially in1877. Given the value of the estate left to her in 1874 it seems that things must have taken a turn for the worse over the next three years.
The following extract from the Chelmsford Chronicle gives details of a hearing at Chelmsford Bankruptcy Court in 1879. I have interpreted the events discussed in a form which puts them into a more easily understood timeline.
Participants
Mrs Maria Coe Debtor Queens Road Southend
Reverend Henry J Hatch Rector of Little Stambridge
William Vincent Willson Auctioneer and Trustee
Henry Cross Farmer Mucking Hall Barling
John F T Wiseman Freeholder of Stannets South Hall
Mr Brough Solicitor for Mr Willson
Mr W W Duffield Solicitor for Mr Cross
Mr T Dixon Solicitor for Mr Hatch and Mr Wiseman
Mr Offin Auctioneer Rochford
Timeline
20/04/1874
John Coe dies. Letters of Administration granted to Maria Coe
Maria Coe and family continue to live at Stannets where she is the relict of John Coe and as main beneficiary of his estate continues the lease which is due to expire in 1878.
For whatever reason she decides it is necessary to take out a loan for an unspecified amount secured against the furniture and other property at the farm.
29/11/1877
A bill of sale is given by Mrs Maria Coe to Mr Henry Cross in which she grants all live and dead farming stock, implements, fixtures &c and all goods, chattels, personal estate and effects then at the farm at South Hall in consideration of certain monies advanced to her by Mr Cross.
28/09/1878
The Leasehold of the farm expires. The Freehold of the farm is owned by Mr John Wiseman. The freehold of the leased property of Stannets South Hall which was originally taken out by John Coe in 1858 for 20 years was bought John Wiseman at a sale in London in August 1863.
Maria Coe gives up the farm and moves to an unknown location which may have been the Rectory Little Stambridge or Queens Road Southend.
A man is put in charge of the farm by Mr Cross
11/10/1878
Mr Henry Cross takes possession of the farm and some of the furniture. This furniture was sold by Mr Cross for £27 13s 10d. Mr Cross instructed Mr Offin an auctioneer in Rochford to obtain and sell the furniture being stored at Little Stambridge but this did not happen and Mr Cross believed the furniture was still at the rectory.
Mr Cross's affidavit to the later hearing said that Mrs Coe had taken away from the farm a large portion of the furniture and left only a small portion of the furniture at the farm. This small portion did not represent the value of the bill of sale. Mrs Coe described to him what she wanted to take and as nothing of value was included he had agreed.
In statements made at the subsequent liquidation hearing in 1879 it was stated that Mr Cross had given Mrs Coe permission to remove furniture from 2 or 3 rooms at Stannets but when he came to sell what was left there was very little there. Mr Cross consented to the request for removal and this portion was removed to Little Stambridge rectory. According to Mr Willson at the hearing Mr Cross told him that he was surprised Mrs Coe had taken so much furniture away.
24/10/1878
Mr Willson auctioneer at Rochford and trustee received instructions from Mr Cross to sell the furniture taken away by Mrs Coe, most of which was at the Rectory Little Stambridge then occupied by the rector Mr Hatch's servant (I assume Mr Hatch has by now moved from Little Stambridge to Southend as he appears in Southend on the 1881 census). Mrs Maria Coe was not resident at the rectory.
Mr Cross had signed an authority to remove and sell the furniture held at the rectory but the furniture was never removed nor sold and Mr Willson believed it to still be there. Mr Willson did not go to the rectory to try and take possession and did not tell Mr Cross that he had done so.
Mr Willson claimed to have written to Mrs Coe telling her he had instructions to sell the furniture and asked her to give up possession. She replied that the Reverend Hatch had some claim to the furniture in recognition of his warehousing it for her
Mr Willson said that Mrs Coes statement that most of the furniture had already been sold by Mr Offin at auction in Rochford was untrue.
When asked by Mr Duffield solicitor for Mr Cross if he did not think that it was rather strange that having been employed by Mr Cross for the purpose of securing his rights (namely recovery of the furniture) that he should be appointed as trustee to defeat those rights? Mr Willson said that if he (Cross) is entitled to the furniture he ought to have it.
12/11/1878
Maria Coe filed petition for liquidation of her assets. The remainder of the furniture of Stannets is now being claimed by Mr Willson the trustee seemingly at the request of the debtor Maria Coe.
29/11/1878
Mr Willson was appointed trustee
01/02/1879
At Chelmsford Bankruptcy Court before J T Adby Esq Judge a motion was considered, submitted by the trustee on behalf of Maria Coe asking for the court to order Reverend Hatch to deliver the furniture in his possession to her and asking that Mr Wiseman also be ordered to pay her trustees £134 10s which was the balance owing to her from the sale of some of her furniture after he had deducted the outstanding rent she owed to him. The furniture in question and also this amount of cash was now being claimed by Mr Henry Cross at the hearing.
Mr Brough solicitor for Mr Willson the trustee said the claim for ownership by Maria Coe was based on the Bills of Sale Act on the grounds that at the time of the petition for liquidation the goods were in the possession of Mrs Coe as the bill of sale between her and Mr Cross had not been registered. In compliance with the act the furniture was capable of being used by Mrs Coe even though she was not resident at the Rectory where the furniture was being stored.
The Judge said that Mr Brough would need to prove that Mrs Coe was actually enjoying the furniture at the Rectory when it actually appeared she was living in Southend.
Judgement was that as Mrs Coe could not prove to be actually using the furniture then it belonged to Mr Cross.
Mr Cross's costs were allowed as were those of Mr Hatch although the judge did not state whether Mrs Coe would be personally liable or whether they should be paid from the estate.The Judge refused Mr Dixon's claim for Mr Wiseman's costs as he felt that Mr Wiseman had received £134 10s by selling certain goods taken after a valuation by Mrs Coe in payment of outstanding rent. "If he had paid this amount into the court then he would have rid himself of all trouble and liability".
I believe the implications of the proceedings are that following John Coe's death the fortunes of the Coe family had gone downhill.
Maria had moved from Stannets either to the Rectory in Little Stambridge or to Queens Road Southend at Michaelmas 1878
Some furniture and other items were removed from Stannets to the Rectory at Little Stambridge while what should have been the larger part of the furniture and property was left at Stannets. Little Stambridge is some 3 miles south west of Paglesham.
This property left in the farmhouse was claimed by Henry Cross a farmer from Barling which is another 7 miles away by road but only a mile and a half across the oyster layings, as the crow flies.
In 1871 and 1881 Henry Cross is the occupant of Mucking Hall Farm Barling. I do not know his connection to the Coe family if any. It is clear however that he stepped in to help Maria Coe financially in1877. Given the value of the estate left to her in 1874 it seems that things must have taken a turn for the worse over the next three years.
The following extract from the Chelmsford Chronicle gives details of a hearing at Chelmsford Bankruptcy Court in 1879. I have interpreted the events discussed in a form which puts them into a more easily understood timeline.
Participants
Mrs Maria Coe Debtor Queens Road Southend
Reverend Henry J Hatch Rector of Little Stambridge
William Vincent Willson Auctioneer and Trustee
Henry Cross Farmer Mucking Hall Barling
John F T Wiseman Freeholder of Stannets South Hall
Mr Brough Solicitor for Mr Willson
Mr W W Duffield Solicitor for Mr Cross
Mr T Dixon Solicitor for Mr Hatch and Mr Wiseman
Mr Offin Auctioneer Rochford
Timeline
20/04/1874
John Coe dies. Letters of Administration granted to Maria Coe
Maria Coe and family continue to live at Stannets where she is the relict of John Coe and as main beneficiary of his estate continues the lease which is due to expire in 1878.
For whatever reason she decides it is necessary to take out a loan for an unspecified amount secured against the furniture and other property at the farm.
29/11/1877
A bill of sale is given by Mrs Maria Coe to Mr Henry Cross in which she grants all live and dead farming stock, implements, fixtures &c and all goods, chattels, personal estate and effects then at the farm at South Hall in consideration of certain monies advanced to her by Mr Cross.
28/09/1878
The Leasehold of the farm expires. The Freehold of the farm is owned by Mr John Wiseman. The freehold of the leased property of Stannets South Hall which was originally taken out by John Coe in 1858 for 20 years was bought John Wiseman at a sale in London in August 1863.
Maria Coe gives up the farm and moves to an unknown location which may have been the Rectory Little Stambridge or Queens Road Southend.
A man is put in charge of the farm by Mr Cross
11/10/1878
Mr Henry Cross takes possession of the farm and some of the furniture. This furniture was sold by Mr Cross for £27 13s 10d. Mr Cross instructed Mr Offin an auctioneer in Rochford to obtain and sell the furniture being stored at Little Stambridge but this did not happen and Mr Cross believed the furniture was still at the rectory.
Mr Cross's affidavit to the later hearing said that Mrs Coe had taken away from the farm a large portion of the furniture and left only a small portion of the furniture at the farm. This small portion did not represent the value of the bill of sale. Mrs Coe described to him what she wanted to take and as nothing of value was included he had agreed.
In statements made at the subsequent liquidation hearing in 1879 it was stated that Mr Cross had given Mrs Coe permission to remove furniture from 2 or 3 rooms at Stannets but when he came to sell what was left there was very little there. Mr Cross consented to the request for removal and this portion was removed to Little Stambridge rectory. According to Mr Willson at the hearing Mr Cross told him that he was surprised Mrs Coe had taken so much furniture away.
24/10/1878
Mr Willson auctioneer at Rochford and trustee received instructions from Mr Cross to sell the furniture taken away by Mrs Coe, most of which was at the Rectory Little Stambridge then occupied by the rector Mr Hatch's servant (I assume Mr Hatch has by now moved from Little Stambridge to Southend as he appears in Southend on the 1881 census). Mrs Maria Coe was not resident at the rectory.
Mr Cross had signed an authority to remove and sell the furniture held at the rectory but the furniture was never removed nor sold and Mr Willson believed it to still be there. Mr Willson did not go to the rectory to try and take possession and did not tell Mr Cross that he had done so.
Mr Willson claimed to have written to Mrs Coe telling her he had instructions to sell the furniture and asked her to give up possession. She replied that the Reverend Hatch had some claim to the furniture in recognition of his warehousing it for her
Mr Willson said that Mrs Coes statement that most of the furniture had already been sold by Mr Offin at auction in Rochford was untrue.
When asked by Mr Duffield solicitor for Mr Cross if he did not think that it was rather strange that having been employed by Mr Cross for the purpose of securing his rights (namely recovery of the furniture) that he should be appointed as trustee to defeat those rights? Mr Willson said that if he (Cross) is entitled to the furniture he ought to have it.
12/11/1878
Maria Coe filed petition for liquidation of her assets. The remainder of the furniture of Stannets is now being claimed by Mr Willson the trustee seemingly at the request of the debtor Maria Coe.
29/11/1878
Mr Willson was appointed trustee
01/02/1879
At Chelmsford Bankruptcy Court before J T Adby Esq Judge a motion was considered, submitted by the trustee on behalf of Maria Coe asking for the court to order Reverend Hatch to deliver the furniture in his possession to her and asking that Mr Wiseman also be ordered to pay her trustees £134 10s which was the balance owing to her from the sale of some of her furniture after he had deducted the outstanding rent she owed to him. The furniture in question and also this amount of cash was now being claimed by Mr Henry Cross at the hearing.
Mr Brough solicitor for Mr Willson the trustee said the claim for ownership by Maria Coe was based on the Bills of Sale Act on the grounds that at the time of the petition for liquidation the goods were in the possession of Mrs Coe as the bill of sale between her and Mr Cross had not been registered. In compliance with the act the furniture was capable of being used by Mrs Coe even though she was not resident at the Rectory where the furniture was being stored.
The Judge said that Mr Brough would need to prove that Mrs Coe was actually enjoying the furniture at the Rectory when it actually appeared she was living in Southend.
Judgement was that as Mrs Coe could not prove to be actually using the furniture then it belonged to Mr Cross.
Mr Cross's costs were allowed as were those of Mr Hatch although the judge did not state whether Mrs Coe would be personally liable or whether they should be paid from the estate.The Judge refused Mr Dixon's claim for Mr Wiseman's costs as he felt that Mr Wiseman had received £134 10s by selling certain goods taken after a valuation by Mrs Coe in payment of outstanding rent. "If he had paid this amount into the court then he would have rid himself of all trouble and liability".
Following the outcome of the liquidation hearing at the beginning of February, the remaining furniture as detailed in the following entry from the Chelmsford Chronicle, was disposed of at Rochford at the end of the month. It must be presumed that the proceeds all went to Mr Cross. As for Maria Coe's success or otherwise as a Lodging House Keeper we can only assume that she did not make her fortune in the venture. But by 1891 she is living in Lambeth with her daughter Winifred and the census shows that they are living "on own means" so she was not reduced to penury. This financial state seems to have continued until her death in 1919.