Heenan In The News: Henrietta Heenan, Durham, England 1902
The latest episode of “Heenan in the News” is a sad tale of a desperate woman.
AN UNHAPPY WOMAN
ATTEMPTS TO COMMIT SUICIDE
Yesterday at west Hartlepool a young married woman named Henrietta Heenan was charged with attempting to commit suicide by taking carbolic acid. Her mother said she had been driven to it, as her husband took drink and ill-treated her. Heenan was called, and promised to be kinder to his wife than he had been. Defendant was then discharged.
Who Was Henrietta Heenan?
There is scant information in this report to help identify this poor woman. Fortunately Henrietta isn’t a common name and we do have a clue about her location.
The 1901 census records a Henrietta Heenan, aged 21, living in West Hartlepool, Durham. She is a married woman, born in West Hartlepool and is boarding in the house of a shipyard blacksmith called Thomas Pearson and his family. Also in the property at 17 Queen Street, West Hartlepool is Robert Heenan, aged 22, married, born in Billquay, Durham. His occupation is that of “holder up” at a shipyard
I think it’s highly likely that this is the Henrietta Heenan mentioned in the court report. There are no other individuals with the Heenan surname in West Hartlepool in the census.
The couple had been married for less than two years at the time of the court case. The marriage of Robert Henry Heenan and Henrietta Laws having been registered in Hartlepool in Q3 of 1900.
What Happened to Henrietta Heenan?
In the 1911 census, Henrietta is recorded living in a three room property at 9 Alfred Street in West Hartlepool. She is 30 years old, has been married 10 years and has given birth to four children, all of whom are alive. She is working as a charwoman.
Henrietta Heenan, wife, aged 30, born West Hatlepool, occupation of charwoman. She has been married 10 years and had 4 children, all of whom are alive.
In the same property are her four children:
Thomas Heenan, son, aged 12 born West Hartlepool
J Robert Heenan, son, aged 9 born West Hartlepool
Florence Heenan, daughter, age 7 born West Hartlepool
Margaret Heenan, daughter aged 5 born West Hartlepool
She continued to live in West Hartlepool, moving to number 15 Alfred Street by the time of the 1921 census. Successive electoral registers show her at this address. In the 1939 National Register, she is living at the same address with her son Thomas Heenan, still described as married.
Henrietta died in West Hartlepool in 1956.
Who Was Robert Henry Heenan?
He was one of nine children born to John Bailey Heenan, a labourer from County Tyrone and Margaret Bennett from Northumberland. This is Family Group 157. His early years were spent in Dawdon and Hedworth Monkton, both in the county of Durham.
After 1901 he does not appear in any census records up to and including 1939. Henrietta continued to describe her self as “wife” which indicates that he was still alive. His absence from the household might suggest that his work took him away from the house or there had been a marital separation.
The couple did appear to have maintained a relationship — the electoral register for 1930 for 15 Alfred Street lists both Henrietta Heenan and Robert Henry Heenan.
It’s possible he then moved from the area to Liverpool though I can’t be certain he is the same Robert Heenan who is living with a widow and working as a boilermaker in 1939. It will take further research to confirm this and also to establish if he is the same RobertH Henry whose death was registered in Liverpool in 1948.
Update: Jan 13, 2023: A further news item dated 1929 provides additional information about this couple. See “Heenan in the News: A Wife’s Despair”
Sources
Census Records, England. West Hartlepool, Durham. 1901. RG13 piece 4642 folio 58 page 48 via findmypast.com
Census records, England. West Hartlepool, Durham. 1911. RG14 piece 29634. wwwfindmypast.co.uk 1
Marriages index, England (CR). Hartlepool, Durham. Robert Henry Heenan and Henrietta Laws. Q3 1900. General Register Office
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