Charles Stables
(1830-1891, Wath)
Jug owned by Charles Stables
Charles was only 10 years old when his mother died and his father then married Mary Firth, a widow from Rotherham.
After the death of his father in 1847, when he was just 16, Charles and his sister Mary Ann lived at Newhill with their step-mother, along with children and a grandchild from her previous marriage. He being employed as a potter at this time.
In 1853, he married Mary Ann Stephenson at All Saints' Church in Rotherham. She was born at Bodmin in Cornwall and was 7 years his junior. Their first child, Daniel, was born when she was just 16 years of age.
They continued to live in Newhill and Charles continued work as a potter but towards the end of the 1860s he became a publican and moved to The Star Inn on Church Street in Wath.
One of his sons, Samuel, became a publican and is known to have had The Manvers Main Inn at Wath when he was 23 years old.
Another son, Arthur, started work as an apprentice cabinet maker but then became assistant publican to his father at The Star Inn, taking over the license from 1893 to 1904.
A third son, Frank, took over the running of The Star Inn after his father's death, but left when he got married in 1893.
Charles died in October 1891 at the age of 61, his wife Mary Ann living for a further 17 years until her death in 1908 at the age of 70. She was living at Beech Villas in Wath when she died. Both Charles and Mary Ann left Wills.
This biography is based on an original that was written by Victor Stables and included amongst his research notes.
The Will of Charles Stables
This is a full transcript of the Will of Charles Stables that is held at First Avenue House.
It was kindly provided by Michael Chance.
This is the last Will & Testament of me Charles Stables of Wath upon Dearne in the County of York Innkeeper. I give & bequeath unto my sons Arthur Stables & Frank Stables All my household goods & furniture tenant right & Valuation in the Star Inn now occupied by me, money in the House debts due & owing to me & all other my personal estate whatsoever & wheresoever Upon trust in the first place to pay my just debts funeral & testamentary expenses And then Upon trust to permit my Wife Mary Ann Stables to occupy the said Inn & have use & enjoy all my said personal estate & effects for & during the term of her natural life if she shall so long continue my unmarried Widow And immediately upon the decease or second marriage of my said Wife which shall first happen or in the absolute discretion of the Trustees & Trustee for the time being of my Will during the life & Widowhood of my said Wife I declare my Will to be that the said Arthur Stables & Frank Stables their executors administrators & assigns & other the Trustees & Trustee for the time being of my Will shall Let & Transfer the said Inn & premises to a suitable Tenant for as much Valuation & Goodwill as such Trustees or Trustee shall be enabled to procure & shall also sell & dispose of & call in the whole of my personal estate & shall stand possessed of the monies to arise thereby & also all my Residuary personal estate Upon trust to pay off any Mortgage that may be on my Real Estate hereinafter devised at The time of my decease, & to invest the residue in Real or Government securities & apply the interest dividends & annual proceeds thereof unto my said Wife during her life & Widowhood & from & immediately after the decease or second marriage of my said Wife Upon trust to divide & distribute the whole of the principal sum or sums comprising such investments equally between & amongst my four children Arthur Stables Sam Stables Ellen the Wife of Joseph Gomersall & Frank Stables & the survivors & survivor of them, their his & her executors administrators & assigns. I give & devise All those my eight several Dwellinghouses or Tenements with their appurtenances situate at West Melton in the Township of Brampton Bierlow in the Parish of Wath upon Dearne aforesaid And all those my six dwellinghouses or tenements situate in Cemetery Road in Wath upon Dearne aforesaid with the appurtenances And all other my Real estate whatsoever & wheresoever unto the said Arthur Stables & Frank Stables their heirs & assigns Upon trust in the first place to pay all rates & Taxes & Fire Insurance to become due in respect of the said Real Estate & also such sum & sums as may be necessary for keeping such real estate in proper repair & then Upon trust to pay unto my said son Frank Stables for & during the term of his natural life an annuity or Annual sum of Twenty six pounds such Annuity to be paid weekly (namely) Ten Shillings upon every Tuesday during the term of his natural life the first weekly payment of Ten shillings to become due & paid upon the first Tuesday that shall happen next after my decease & then Upon trust to pay unto or allow my said Wife to receive the residue of such Rents & profits of my said Real Estate (after payment of the said Annuity of ten shillings per week unto my said son Frank Stables & Rates Taxes Insurance & repairs) pay & allow unto my said Wife the Annuity or annual sum of Thirty two pounds ten shillings for the residue of her natural life such sum to be paid unto her by the said Trustees or Trustee for the time being of my Will at the rate of twelve shillings & sixpence per week Upon the Tuesday in every week independently of any husband & her receipt alone to be a sufficient discharge for the same & the first weekly payment of the said sum of twelve shillings & sixpence to be made upon the first Tuesday that shall happen next after her second marriage of my said Wife And Upon further trust to pay the remainder of such Rents & profits of my said Real estate unto & equally between & amongst my said four children Arthur Stables Sam Stables Ellen Gomersall & Frank Stables & the survivors & survivor of them. And also in case of the death of any such children leaving issue to pay the share or shares of such deceased child or children unto such issue equally, such issue only taking its deceased parents share. I give & bequeath unto my said son Arthur Stables my Twenty shares in the Wath Market Company & direct & declare that such shares shall not be included in the bequest of my personal estate made to the said Arthur Stables & Frank Stables Upon the trusts as in this my said Will hereinbefore mentioned. And from & after the decease of my said Wife I give & devise All those my said eight Dwellinghouses or Tenements at West Melton aforesaid And all those my said six Dwellinghouses or Tenements at Cemetery Road Wath upon Dearne And all other my Real Estate whatsoever & wheresoever (subject to the said Annuity of Twenty six pounds to my said son Frank Stables as aforesaid & chargeable therewith as aforesaid) unto my said children Arthur Stables Sam Stables Ellen Gomersall & Frank Stables or such of them who at the decease of my said Wife shall be then living their his & her heirs & assigns as tenants in common & not as joint tenants for & during the term of their natural lives & the life of the survivor of them (except in the case of the death of any of my said children during the life of my Wife leaving issue then I declare that such issue shall take their his or her deceased parents or parent share of & in such Real estate. And I declare it to be my Will & mind that any or either of them my said Children Arthur Stables Sam Stables Ellen Gomersall & Frank Stables shall have power by his or her last Will & Testament only either before or after the death of my Wife to dispose of their his or her share of & in my said Real Estate to such person or persons as they he or she shall see fit but they shall not have power to otherwise dispose of the same And in default of such disposition by Will & failure of issue of any or either of them my said children It is my Will & mind that such share or shares shall revert to & become the estate of the survivors & survivor of my said four children Arthur Stables Sam Stables Ellen Gomersall & Frank Stables & from & after the decease of the survivor of my said Children I give & devise the whole of my said Real Estate unto & equally between & amongst the heirs & assigns for ever of my said children Arthur Stables Sam Stables Ellen Gomersall & Frank Stables I declare that the share or shares of my said daughter of & in my said Real & personal estate shall be enjoyed by her as her own private property & shall not be subject to any husband or husbands debts control or engagements & that the receipt & receipts of my said daughter shall notwithstanding Coverture be good & effectual receipts & discharges to my said Trustees & Trustee. I empower the Trustees or Trustee for the time being of this my Will to give receipts for all moneys to be paid to them or him by virtue of this my Will & declare that such receipts or receipt shall effectually exonerate the person or persons taking the same from liability to see to the application thereof I declare that on the death refusal or incapacity to act of the said Arthur Stables & Frank Stables or either of them or of any Trustee or Trustees for the time being of this my Will or the Executors or administrators of the last deceased Trustee to appoint a new Trustee or Trustees in the place or stead of such Trustee or Trustees so dying refusing or becoming incapable to act as aforesaid & thereupon the said trust premises shall be assigned so that the same may vest in such new Trustees or Trustee jointly with the surviving or continuing Trustees or Trustee as the case may require for the purposes hereinbefore declared I exempt every Trustee of my Will from liability for losses occuring without his own Wilful default & authorize him & them to retain all expenses to be incurred by them or either of them in the execution of the trusts of this my Will I devise all trust estates (if any) which may be vested in me unto the said Arthur Stables & Frank Stables their executors administrators & assigns Upon the trusts & equities affecting the same I appoint the said Arthur Stables & Frank Stables joint Executors of this my Will
In witness whereof I have hereunder & to the three preceding sheets hereof set my hand this twelfth day of November one thousand eight hundred & ninety.
Charles Stables (signed)
The Will of Mary Ann Stables (née Stephenson)
This is a full transcript of the Will of Mary Ann, widow of Charles Stables, that is held at First Avenue House.
It was kindly provided by Michael Chance.
This is the last Will & Testament of me Mary Ann Stables of Beech Villas Wath upon Dearne in the County of York Widow. I appoint my son Arthur Stables & my daughter Ellen Gomersall (hereinafter called "my Trustees") to be the Executors & Trustees of this my Will. I give the contents (except wearing apparel & money) of my front bedroom & cellar Kitchen to my said son Arthur Stables absolutely. I give the contents (except wearing apparel & money) of my Kitchen & servants bed room to my son Sam Stables absolutely. I give my watch & chain jewellery & wearing apparel & the contents of my drawing room & bedroom over the Kitchen (except money) & my shares in the Wath upon Dearne Public Market Company Limited to my daughter the said Ellen Gomersall absolutely. I give the contents of my dining room bathroom landings passages cellars & outbuildings (except wearing apparel & money) to my son Frank Stables absolutely. I devise & bequeath All my real & personal estate not hereby otherwise disposed of unto my Trustees upon trust that my Trustees shall within three calendar months after my decease sell call in & convert into money the same or such part thereof as shall not consist of money & shall with & out of the monies produced by such sale calling in & conversion & with & out of my ready money pay my funeral & testamentary expenses & debts & shall stand possessed of the said residuary trust monies In trust for all my children in equal shares Provided always that if any child of mine shall die in my lifetime leaving a child or children who shall survive me & being a son or sons shall attain the age of twenty one years or being a daughter or daughters shall attain that age or marry under that age then & in every such case the last mentioned child or children shall take (& if more than one equally between them) the share which his her or their parent would have taken of & in the residuary trust funds if such child had survived me & attained the age of twenty one years. And lastly I revoke all former wills & testamentary dispositions made by me. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand the seventeenth day of December One thousand nine hundred & six.
Mary Ann Stables (signed)
Granted at Wakefield on 17th September 1908 to Arthur Stables of Beech Villas aforesaid, Gentleman, the Son & Ellen Gomersall (Wife of Joseph Gomersall) of Hemsworth in the said County, the Daughter of the said deceased, the Executors named in the said Will.
Gross value £1010 0s 3d
Net value £951 8s 9d
Extract from The South Yorkshire Times. Dated October 30th, 1891.
This transcript was taken from the research notes of Victor Stables.
On 25/10/1891. Thomas Stables died, aged 61, at Star Inn, Wath.
(Note: This obviously refers to Charles not Thomas).
Extract from The Swinton & Mexborough Times. Dated 3rd June 1908.
This transcript was taken from the research notes of Victor Stables.
Mary Ann Stables died this date at Beech Villas, Wath. Aged 70. Widow of late Charles Stables.