John and Honor Iles – a little life

And then there are the little lives, the quiet lives, the people who leave little trace. No children, no legacy, no letters, no diaries. No death notice in the local newspaper, no lengthy obituary.

John Iles was born in 1820, possibly in Broad Blunsdon, maybe in Lydiard Tregoze. Born before the introduction of civil registration, there is no birth certificate for him. Neither can I find a baptism entry but we know that by 1841 he was living in the parish of Lydiard Tregoze where he worked as a labourer.

Honor was baptised at the parish church in Lyneham on May 18, 1817, the daughter of John and Mary Burchell, and grew up in the Preston area of Lyneham.

John and Honor were married at St Mary’s Church, Lydiard Tregoze on November 12, 1844. John signed his name in the parish register, Honor made her mark. They both gave their address as Mannington, Lydiard Tregoze. John was a labourer, Honor a servant. Perhaps they worked for Richard Strange, farmer at Mannington Farm. There was little else there in that part of the parish. Or was John working at the recently built GWR Maintenance and Repair Works in New Swindon, just a short walk across the fields? Or maybe he was a builders’ labourer employed by J & C Rigby who were building the GWR company houses.

In 1851 they were living in Moredon, Rodbourne Cheney – John worked as a ‘rail labourer’. Seven years married and no children. Children were not planned in the mid-19^th century – they were either conceived or they weren’t. There was little choice. There were old wives’ tales and potions and prayers, to encourage or prevent a birth. Perhaps Honor tried them all. Perhaps there was a child, born between 1844 and 1851, maybe more than one, but they failed to thrive and appear on subsequent census returns. By 1861 the couple were living in Even Swindon. John and Honor had been married 17 years and Honor was 44, perhaps the likelihood of a child was now remote.

In 1861 they were living in Even Swindon, lodging with William and Jane Handy. In 1871 they were living in Cow Lane and in 1881 they were at 22 Eastcott Villas, still in the same area. Then suddenly it was all over. John died in January 1889 aged 69 years. He was buried on January 26 in grave plot E8467. Honor died that same year, aged 72 years and was buried with him.

And marking their grave is this substantial memorial. Who paid for it? Who installed it? Perhaps the lives of John and Honor were not so little, not so quiet, after all. Perhaps there is a whole lot about them left to be discovered.