My paternal great grandmother was Bridget Glynn. All I knew about her growing up was that she was Irish but had married my great grandfather, Thomas Potter Oyler, in England in 1873 in a Protestant Church.  It took a long time and a lot of research to find her roots.

The first record I had of Bridget Glynn was her 1873 marriage certificate where her name was spelled Glyn. She gave her age as 23; address - South St., Ponder's End; Father: Thomas Glyn, a commercial traveller; Witnesses: Thomas Redburn, Alice Oyler and Mary Ann Oyler. Because Bridget married in a Protestant Church I assumed that she was an Irish Protestant, born in 1850.

A search of both Protestant and Catholic records from in and around 1850 in Ireland yielded no record of a birth of a Bridget Glyn or Glynn.

A search of English census records did have families with a father Thomas Glynn and daughter Bridget Glynn (born in 1846 in Galway) I did not think this was a match because firstly, the year of birth was wrong (1846 not 1850) and secondly, in 1881 Bridget Glynn in this census record was still living with her parents whereas my great grandmother Bridget, had married and had changed her name to Oyler in 1873.

Also, in the English census of 1881 there was a Bridget Oyler, living alone in Leyton Essex, birthplace was Dublin in 1850. As I knew that Bridget had separated from her husband, Thomas Potter Oyler, I believed that this Bridget Oyler was my great grandmother.

Bridget Glyn and Thomas Potter Oyler had three children:

• Thomas Potter Oyler (Jun) born and died in early 1875 (probably at, or shortly after birth). He was not baptized

• Alice Oyler born 24th day of October 1876. Alice married Thomas Porter Grayson.

• Jessie Oyler daughter, born 13th December 1878. Christened Jan 5th 1879. Address given was 113 Commercial St. (the home of her grandmother Mary Ann (Hales) Oyler.  Jessie Oyler died 15, Jan 1881 of acute hydrocephalus.
  

The marriage of T.P. Oyler and Bridget Glynn did not last. In 1880 Bridget Oyler petitioned for a separation, custody of the two children still living and for alimony. She must have been very brave to file a petition as this was uncommon in the 1880s and she was already threatened by violence from her husband. The records were found in the National Archives.  No record of the results of the petition were found.


It is interesting to note that this notice was sworn two days before Bridget Oyler left their house to avoid personal violence and took refuge in the house of a friend. When she returned home Thomas Potter Oyler shut the door on her and refused to allow her to enter the house and then  refused  to allow her to return.  See clause 7 of the Petition.

As Bridget had filed for divorce this compounded my belief that she was a Protestant not a Roman Catholic.
When Bridget's baptismal record was found I was surprised to discover she was born in Annaghdown Galway, a Catholic, baptized January 21st 1846. Daughter of Thomas Glynn and Sabina Costello

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The address on Bridget Glynn's Divorce Petition was #13 Grey Eagle Street, Spitalfields Market. This is the same address at which Thomas Glynn (56), Sabina Glynn (56) and their children Bridget Glynn (34), John Glynn (22) and Thomas Glynn (19) were living in 1881, as recorded in the 1881 English census.  It was only after an alert from a fellow researcher and 4th cousin (Julie Kane) and careful examination of the details that I noticed that in the column next to Bridget's name was the entry "Mar" indicating that she was married. It was probable that the enumerator did not record her married name but assumed it was Glynn as she was the daughter of Thomas Glynn. Bridget's age in this census (34) would mean that she was born in 1847 not 1850.

# 13 Grey Eagle St, Christchurch, Spitalfields, London.

In the far right-hand column there is an entry under "Whether: Deaf & dumb, Blind, Imbecile or idiot, Lunatic".  I later determined that Sabina had asthma and this appears to be what was entered in this column.

Bridget Glynn's parents were Thomas and Sabina Glynn from Co. Galway, Ireland.

After determining that this Bridget Glynn was my great grandmother and Thomas Glynn was my great, great grandfather I went back to earlier censuses to determine when the family had arrived in England. The first entry is in 1851. Bridget's age is given as five year's old which means she was born about 1846, during the "Potato Famine", a time when many Irish from the west coast fled to America or Britain.

#2 Vine Yard, Christchurch, Spitalfields, London

#256 Grey Eagle St, Christchurch, Spitalfields

#13 Grey Eagle St, Christchurch, Spitalfields

By 1871 Bridget had left home. I could not find her in any other 1871 census in England.

Although Bridget was back  living with her parents in 1881 Annie, her younger sister, had left home.

Annie had married in 1873 to John Samuel Redburn.   On her marriage certificate Annie Glynn's father Thomas is described as a traveller. The witnesses are Thomas Redburn (his brother), Bridget Glynn (her sister) and Thomas Potter Oyler (Bridget's future husband).

Thomas Redburn, witness at his brother John's marriage, was married to Alice Oyler, sister of Thomas Potter Oyler. Thomas Redburn was a wine and beer retailer living at South St., Ponders End, Enfield, Middlesex. This was the same address given by Bridget Glynn on her marriage certificate.

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The humble petition of Bridget Oyler of #13 Grey Eagle Street, Spitalfields Market, the lawful wife of Thomas Potter Oyler of Spitalfields Market in the County of Middlesex

  Herewith:

1)      On the 28th day of October 1873 your petitioner then Bridget Glynn, spinster was lawfully married to the said Thomas Potter Oyler in the Church in the Parish of St James, Enfield Highway, in the county of Middlesex.

2)      That after the said marriage your petitioner lived and cohabited with the said husband at No. 113 Commercial Street East up to that month of November 1879 and there are now living issue of the said marriage, two children, to wit Alice Oyler born the 24th day of October 1876 and Jessie Oyler born the 13th day of December 1878.

3)      That in or about the month of May 1875 the said Thomas Potter Oyler communicated to your petitioner a venereal disease.

4)      That on the 15th day of May 1878 the said Thomas Potter Oyler assaulted and wounded your petitioner and that afterwards on the 6th day of September 1878 he violently struck and injured her.

5)      That on the 22nd day of April 1879 the said Thomas Potter Oyler seized the arm of your petitioner and twisted the same and broke it and your petitioner in consequence was for a long time ill and suffered great pain.

6)      That in the month of September 1879 the said Thomas Potter Oyler secretly removed from your petitioner said children from her custody and control and has since kept them away from your petitioner prevented her from having access to them.

7)      That on the 26^th day of February 1880 your petitioner was so alarmed by the violent manner and threatening conduct of the said Thomas Potter Oyler that she left his house to avoid personal violence and took refuge in the house of a friend and when she returned home the said Thomas Potter Oyler shut the door upon her and refused to allow her to enter the house and has since that time refused and still refuses to allow your petitioner to return.

8)      That the said Thomas Potter Oyler has constantly treated your petitioner with great unkindness, neglect and cruelty frequently abusing and assaulting her and keeping her without money and the common necessities of life.

Your petitioner therefore humbly prays that the court will be pleased to decree that your petitioner may be judicially separated from the said Thomas Potter Oyler and that the custody of the children of the said marriage be given to her and that the said Thomas Potter Oyler pay the costs and incident to this petition and that your petitioner have such other and further relief in the premises as to the court may seem meet

Filed 24^th July 1880 by John Curtis, Solicitor, Union Ct. Old Broad Street, for judicial separation and alimony.

Turner and Son, 78 Leadenhall St., Solicitors entered an appearance for the respondent.

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