Left: photograph of Hull harbour, 1864. Reproduced with permission - © www.yorkshirehistory.com and Mr C Ketchell.
John Lamb was my great-great-great-great grandfather. He lived in Hull all his life, and gives his trade as "shipwright" on all the census returns, meaning he would have been working at the docks in Hull, making and mending ships like those pictured here in a wonderful old photograph taken in 1864.
John Lamb - summary of dates, places and occupations
The IGI records a John Lamb baptised on 10 October 1796 at St Mary, Hull.
John Lamb married Charlotte Martin in 1837, just as civil registration was beginning. This wasn't his first marriage, as the census records show he had several sons prior to 1837.
Martin James Lamb, my ancestor, seems to have been the only son born in his second marriage.
The marriage certificate arrived with four other certificates. This was the first time I'd ordered any certificates and so it was all very exciting. More so as this was a "nonconformist" marriage.
The marriage took place on 23 December 1837, at Salem Chapel, Cogan Street, Hull, "according to the Rites and ceremonies of the Congregational Dissenters". The minister was James Sibree, and registrar John Hill was also in attendance (as I believe a registrar had to be at nonconformist weddings at this time). The witnesses were Martha Good Sibree - the minister's wife, and Sarah Portors Dennison. (For more on the chapel and the Sibrees, see the page on Salem Chapel.)
The ages of the couple aren't given - they're just said to be "of full age". John Lamb, a widower, is living at 2 Roper Street (off Waterhouse Lane), and Charlotte, a spinster, is at number 3. The certificate states that John's father is William Lamb, a sawyer.
The marriage certificate states that Charlotte's father's name was James Martin. It's obvious then where the name of their son Martin James Lamb comes from.
The IGI has a baptism record for a Charlotte Martin born in Saleby in Lincolnshire in 1802, which matches the age and birthplace information on the census. But the IGI record gives no father's name. So it's not clear whether Charlotte's father really was a James Martin. The combination of names was however taken into family naming traditions, as Martin's grandson - Marcus's son - was also named Martin James. As was a cousin of his. Alfred, Marcus's brother, also had a son named Martin James.
John Lamb wasn't hard to find - he's living at Stubbs Buildings, with Charlotte. They have several sons living with them - John's sons from his earlier marriage - George, John and Robert. There's a rather a large age gap between them and the youngest son, Martin James Lamb, my 3x great grandfather, born in 1838.
The 1851 census shows John Lamb and family living at 11 Stubbs Buildings, Holy Trinity Parish, Hull, near to where the old Queen's Dock used to be.
In very beautiful handwriting (thank goodness for beautiful - and clear - handwriting), John Lamb is recorded as aged 54, born in Hull , working as a "Shipwright Journeyman". (This is so much more romantic sounding than a job title recorded further down the page - his next-door neighbour is a "Soap Boiler".)
He is still married to Charlotte, aged 48. Martin Lamb, their son, aged 12, is an "Errand Boy". (There are a lot of Errand Boys on the census in this period, I've noticed - I guess there must have been a lot of errands to run.)
By 1861 their son Martin James Lamb was married to Elizabeth Fox. John Lamb took some finding, because of a transcription error in the database, which had him as 85 years old instead of 65. He is living at 1 Union Court (then off Spencer St, north of Paragon Station), and is now a widower.
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The indexes suggest that Charlotte died in 1860, in Hull, aged 58, and John Lamb died in 1867, in Hull, aged 71.