"On Wednesday February 20th, 1884, Henry Crawford, painter of Totnes, Devon was summoned to the Totnes Guildhall (court and prison) by the Urban Sanitary Authority for keeping an unlicensed common lodging-house. The defendant's wife (Sarah) appeared and produced a medical certificate stating that the defendant was not in a fit state of health to appear.
Totnes Guildhall
James Clark, Inspector of Nuisances, deposed to visit the defendant's house on High Street on 26th January, and in the kitchen saw four men of the travelling class. The room was used in common by the four. He had known for some time that travelers of the lower order were taken into the house. He spoke to the four men and they all said they had paid 4d (4 pence) each night for their bed there. Two of them had slept there for three nights and the other two for one night.
High Street, Totnes
Mr Clark spoke to the defendant and his wife and Mrs Crawford said she did not consider she was keeping a common lodging-house by taking in that class of people. Mrs Crawford in defense said the people she took in were respectable middle class working people.
The Bench fined the defendant 10s, and 10s 6d costs, and advised Mrs Crawford to have the house registered as a common lodging-house.
Mrs Crawford said she should not do so, as she did not take in common lodgers."
-The Western Times, Thursday, February 21, 1884
Sarah Nichols (b 1824 to Samuel Nichols and Sarah Frost)
- the sister of my 2x Great Grandmother, Elizabeth Nichols.
Sarah Nichols married Henry Robert Crawford, 1846.
You will hear more about Sarah, she has a few stories to tell.
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