Burrows, Mrs Julia

Also known as: Mrs Burroughs

Singer

Collection date: Aug 1906

Area: Somerset - Bridgwater Surrounds

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Mrs Julia Burrows (Burroughs) of Puriton (1840-1912): age 64, 1 song 'Blow the winds I Ho' (FT1016) on 14 Aug 1906: Julia appears in the 1841 census for Woolavington, a couple of miles east of Puriton. She was listed as age 1, the 6th child of John Hooper, aged 35 a labourer, and his wife Hannah. She was not in fact baptised until 22/3/1846 at Woolavington church.

On 24/7/1858 (as a minor, aged 17 perhaps) she married Richard Burrows, son of William Burrows, labourer. Neither could sign their name. In the 4 censuses that followed, Richard’s surname was spelt Burrows 3 times and Burroughs once. Sharp wrote ‘Burroughs’. In 1901 Richard Burrows was listed as a Quarryman aged 66 (RG13/2286 f22 p13). There was blue lias stone along the Polden ridge but limestone to the south, so that a cement works was in operation by 1871, employing 24 people.

Julia Burrows lost her husband in Oct 1905 and was a sorry figure in the 1911 census, on her own, aged 72, a bag mender at the cement works. Sadly she recorded that she had had 12 children, 8 of whom had not survived. She was buried at Puriton church on 4/3/1912.