Wiggett, Mrs

Also known as: Mrs Wickett

Singer

Collection date: Apr 1909

Area: Gloucestershire

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Mrs Lavinia Wiggett at Ford, Glos (1840-1916): age 69, 4 songs on 9 Apr 1909 + 2 songs on 13 Aug 1909: Ford is 8 miles S of Broadway: The most interesting of the 6 songs is probably ‘Young Banker’ (FT2271 Roud 3321), which is often sung today (albeit to Kate Thompson’s tune collected by Frank Kidson in Knaresborough FK/3/62). Click vwml link above. The song had already been published in Journal of the Folk-Song Society 2 (1905). But Sharp only noted 2 versions in all his collecting days - Louisa Barratt from Cannington in Somerset (FT919) and Mrs Wiggett’s version.

In his various notes Sharp wrote ‘Mrs P. Wiggett’ (as well as ‘Wickett’). Her husband’s initial was 'P' (Percy) - it was quite usual then to call women by their husband’s initials.

Lavinia Wiggett’s maiden name was Waring and she was baptised on 17/4/1840 at Lower Swell, 3rd child of Richard Waring, agricultural labourer and his wife Ann. At a young age (17) Lavinia Waring had an illegitimate baby at Stow workhouse, a son who was baptised at Stow ‘William George Waren’ on 18/2/1847. That corrupt spelling of ‘Waring’ became ‘Warren’ in the censuses to follow. In 1911, for example, William George Warren had become Head of the household, working as a farmer at Ford and looking after his widowed mother Lavinia. William never married and died in 1919.

Lavinia Waring married Percy Wiggett on 2/3/1861 at Lower Swell and the couple moved to Ford village (5 miles west). They had 7 children that survived infancy. Percy was an agricultural labourer, then a small farmer who did some road contracting. He died in 1897 aged 56. Lavinia kept the farm going with the help of son and relatives (1901 census RG13/2456 f39 p2). She was buried at Temple Guiting 9/5/1916 aged 76.