Hills, James

Singer

Collection date: Sept 1912

Area: Essex

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(Nathaniel) James Hills at Great Dunmow: age 64, 2 songs ‘Old Man came courting’ and ‘Henry Martin’ (FT2800,1) on 15 Sept 1912: Although the 1911 census for Great Dunmow workhouse listed ‘James Hill’ aged 63, single, farm labourer born White Roothing in Essex, it looks like Sharp was correct in writing ‘James Hills’. The surname with the extra ‘s’ crops up a few times in connection with the workhouse: White Roothing was an alternative name for 'White Roding' - it's 9 miles SW of Great Dunmow.

In 1901 an inmate ‘Nathaniel James Hills’ was listed, a pauper aged 52, labourer born White Roothing. It looks like the same fellow. In 1881 Nathaniel James Hills was a boarder aged 32 in a house in White Roothing. In 1861 at Dunmow workhouse (again) there was a boy James Hills, aged 12, born White Roothing but no mother in sight. Finally there’s a baptism 13/8/1848 of Nathaniel James Hills, son of Sarah Hills but no father. So it looks like (Nathaniel) James Hills had a difficult start in life and never really recovered. His date of death is yet to be determined.