Miss Ruth Charlotte Prudames
Charlie's Mother
Page updated 20 October,2006
Mrs Cass was born Ruth Charlotte Prudames in 1862 in Filey, along with her sister Mary Jane; their actual dates of birth are not yet ascertained but they were both registered 24 together so they were most likely twins:
Mrs Ruth Charlotte Cass, Charlie and Mr William Henry Cass,
in 1947 annual photograph
Ruth’s grandfather was born in 1799 (or perhaps 1801) and her grandmother in 1806. Her mother and father were born in 1839 and 1837. By the time Ruth was a little girl the family was living at no.6 The Crescent in Filey and by the age of nine could play the organ. Perhaps their house was established from the start as a boarding house but the 1891 Census confirms that Ruth’s mother was the Lodginghouse Keeper.
By now, Ruth was an organist and may have met the young William Henry Cass though their mutual involvement in music. The Pudames family had relatives living four door away from William’s home in Scarborough. Amazingly, the Census records that William was at Ruth’s house on 31 March,1891. They married in Scarborough in the following year and set up home at 11 Avenue Road, Scarborough where William was a Teacher of Violin. Ruth was engaged in work with children, founding a Band of Hope movement, and became deputy organist at St Andrews United Reform Church.
Their son, Gordon William George, “Charlie” was born on 16 April,1898, and Ruth and William continued to live in Avenue Road until into the 1930s. By this time Charlie had established his school, Norwood College, and it was to here that his parents moved to live on the premises. Both played a very active part in the running of their son’s school, particularly in music.
Ruth died in 1947 at the age of 85 and was buried at the Stonefall Cemetery in Harrogate. Charlie’s father continued to support his son at Norwood but died at the age of 94 in 1962, to be buried in the same grave as his wife. Charlie died in 1976 at the age of 78 and he too was buried in his parent’s grave.
I can, as yet, find no record about Ruth’s twin, Mary Jane, nor of William’s sister Edith.
The National Census of 1851 47 shows that Ruth's grandparents, Samuel Prudames, born in Pickering in about 1801, and his wife Mary Ann, born in Filey about 1806, lived in Filey, together with their son, William W., Ruth's father, born here in Filey in about 1836. Ruth's grandfather and her father were both shown as being Gardeners albeit the latter was only 15.
The address was Queen Street, probably number 3. Also included was Ann Williamson, born in about 1767, "Mother" and on "Parochial Relief". As the term Mother was used this suggests that she was Mary Ann's mother - Ruth's Maternal Great Grandmother.
All of the years of birth are shown as "about"; this was simply because the individuals may not have been aware of their exact date of birth - or because people young women had been "economical with the truth" when courting! The year of birth in the 1851 Census for Samuel changed in the Census of 1861.
In the year prior to the birth of Ruth and her sister, the National Census of 1861 17 shows Ruth's grandfather, Samuel Prudames, born in 1799, (not 1801) and his wife Mary A. Their son, William W., Ruth's father, is now married to Mary J. who was born in Brawby in 1839. Ruth's grandfather and her father were both shown as being Gardeners in the Census return that was taken on the night of 7th April.
• The surname for all members in the transcription was spelt as prudOmes,
So, when Ruth was born, her father and mother were 24 and 22 respectively whilst her grandfather and grandmother were about 62 and 55. The Census return is a little unclear about the address but it appears to have been Crescent Mews, Stable Coach House Cottage.
It is worth mentioning the methodology; forms were distributed by emumerators to households a few days before the Census and it was the responsibility of the head of the household to complete the details showing who was present on the night of the Census - 7th April in this case. The age to be recorded was the age at last birthday but the responses provided can sometimes be taken with a pinch of salt. The next day the forms were colected by the enumerator and his job was to transcribe the details into his Census Sheets. It is these sheets and their Index that are now open to public scrutiny. It is acknowledged there there are many errors; the head of household could have written details incorrectly, particularly in the case of those people who were not direct family members: the enumerator had to decipher the handwriting on the form: the person eventually making the Index had to decipher the enumerators' handwriting. It is also worth mentioning that the form that the head of household completed required that only those persons on the premises on the Census night must be recorded. The 1881 Census records that Ruth was residing in Roseadale Abbey but we have no way of telling, from the Census, whether she was away from home for just the night of 3rd April,1881, or a longer period.
most likely a simple error in the transcription process
• Samuel's Birthplace is shown as "Wickamy" in the Census transcript
but the manuscript entry is for Pickering.
• Brawby is 5 miles from Kirbymoorside; the Census incorrectly shows "Brawdy".
Over the following few years, Ruth's grandparents must have died as they do not appear in the 1871 Census 18 but by this time her parents have moved home and are now recorded as living at 6 The Crescent in Filey. The Census was taken on the night of the 2nd April.The Census records their ages as: Wiiliam, 36: Mary, 32: Ruth and her sister Mary as being 9. Ruth's father continues to be a Gardener and, in the usual terminology of the Census, Ruth and her sister are shown as "Scholars". The Crescent is described on another page.
• The Census records the age as stated by the occupants
Filey had three Enumerator Districts and The Crescent was included in District 2, whose Enumerator was John Hullock, a 58-year old Auctioneer living at 6 Cliff Terrace.
Writing in the school magazine, The Rocket, no.5, January,1948, T J Forsyth said:
of a household or at least by the person giving the information;
the YEAR of birth is not recorded.
Instead of two years difference, there is now four years between the parents.
"It is with deep regret that we have to record the passing of Mrs Cass who. From the time of its inception, took a keen and active part in the life of Norwood College. Born in Filey, she evinced a decided talent for music, played the organ at the early age of nine, and was later appointed church organist."
By 1881, when Ruth was 19, she appears in the Census 19 again but this time the circumstances are quite different. Whether for one day or many is not indicated, but Ruth is shown as being a "Visitor" with the occupation of Organist Musician on the night of 3rd April when the 1881 Census taken in the Rosedale Abbey area termed Rosedale East Side. The other occupants of the household, whatever it may have been, are a curious mixture, as follows:-
• the "Head of household" was a 20-year old Grocer's Assistant, William "Uichol...d" (the manuscript Census return is very difficult to decipher and the official interpretation is as shown here). He was born in Rosedale.
The 1881 Census 21 records Ruth's family of mother (age 42), father (45) and sister (19), still residing at 6 The Crescent though their surname has been incorrectly transcribed as Prudence. This is the first Census that has included mother and daughter's second forename, both being Jane. Mother and father's occupation is shown as "Lodginghouse Keeper"; you will recall that early Census returns had shown them as "Gardener" and "Wife". No occupation is recorded for Ruth's sister Mary Jane.
• Miah Watson, 15, a Grocer's Apprentice, born in Hartoft End some 3 miles south of Rosedale.
• Isaac J Watson, 19, a Draper's Apprentice also from Hartoft End and could have been Miah's brother.
• Garbutt Dowson, 20, a Draper's Assistant born in Rosedale; "Gartbutt" was a surname quite common in the area.
• Richard W Jones, 17, a Draper's Apprentice from Wendron near Helston in Cornwall.
and two domestic staff,
• Ruth Thackray, 64, Housekeeper from Pickering and
• Margaret Knaggs, 21, Domestic Servant from Westerdale, 8 miles to the north of Rosedale.
The 1891 Census 22 taken on the night of 31 March records the Head of Household at 6 The Crescent as being Mrs Mary J Prudames, age 58, as Lodginghouse Keeper; Ruth, age 29 is shown as a Teacher of Music and her sister, Mary Jane, also 29, as "living on her own means".
Ruth's father, William, may now have died as he is no longer listed. He was born in about 1837 and was shown as being 42 at the 1881 Census; therefore even if he had died close to the 1891 Census date of 31 March, he would have been only about 52, stiil relatively youngish for those days. Writing in the school magazine, The Rocket, no.5, January,1948, T J Forsyth said:
An exceedingly interesting "Visitor" is included in this 1891 Census; 23-year old, William H Cass, a "Teacher of Violin" - with "Music" added in a different handwriting. So, we now have William Henry Cass lodging at Ruth's house, 6 The Crescent. We may never find out when the pair became engaged to be married but whether by accident or design, they knew one another in the early part of 1891.
The 1891 Census sheet that records William's mother, father and sister in Scarborough shows that, living at 15 Esplanade was Ann Prudames, age 70, a Lodging Housekeeper (sic), with her sister, Mary, aged 68. These two had previously been included in the 1871 when the Head of Household was shown as Elizabeth Prudames, then aged 84, a Retired Lodging House Keeper (sic). This address is four away from that of Wiliam's parents in Esplanade Back and so poses yet another intriguing question - did William get to know Ruth by her visits to her (what surely were) relatives a few doors away from where he lived with his parents?
The UK & Ireland Genealogy web site lists "The Misses A. & M. Prudames, 15 Esplanade" in the category of Lodgings and Apartments in the 1890 Bulmer's Directory of Scarborough. That Directory is well worth looking at; amongst the unusal is "Phrenologist,
Wells R. B. D., Westbank". There are 22 "Professors of Music" but William Cass is not listed here.
"Her father, who took a wide interest in public life, was at one time Chairman of the Filey Urban District Council, and it owing to his initiative that the foundation stones of the old Roman Signal Station on Carr Naze were removed to the Crescent gardens and so preserved for posterity."
Crescent gardens are across the road from The Crescent. The FUDC was formed on 1 January,1895, so this poses some descrepancy over the year of Ruth's father's death. The Brief History of Filey web site expands on the information contained in Tommy Forsyth's words in The Rocket:
"In the late 4th Century the Romans built a signal station on Carr Naze where the soldiers watched for Saxon raiders. The station was excavated in 1857 when base stones were found. Later on in 1993 The York Archaeological Trust as well as English Heritage carried out some extensive excavations and you can find a full report in the local library."
The UK & Ireland Genealogy web site includes a transcript of the entry for the Post Office, professions and trades in Bulmer's Filey Directory of 1892. In this we find that "Mrs Mary Prudames", of 6 The Crescent, is listed under the category of "Lodgings" and that "Miss Ruth Prudames" is included under "Organists and Teachers of Music" at the same address. A list of the other residents of The Cresent, and extracted from the above web site, is included on the page for The Crescent.
Ruth married William Henry Cass in the September quarter of 1892 20 and their son, Gordon William George was born on 16 April,1898. Their story continues with that of William Henry Cass.
Writing in the school magazine, The Rocket, no.5, January,1948, T J Forsyth said:
Catherine Jackson of the East Yorkshire Family History Society reported on a talk given by Trish McNaughton on 25 May,2004. Trish, who had been actively engaged in researching the background of one of Scarborough’s most famous residents, the Revd Robert Balgarnie, said that he was he was born on 1st January, 1826, in the farmhouse at Whitehaugh, Peebleshire and was a leading light in Scarborough in the mid 19th century.
His legacy to Scarborough may now be reduced to one magnificent church, St Andrews United Reform on Ramshill or Filey Road known as Balgarnie’s church, but for the people he encountered in the 36 years he preached in the town he was a man of understanding, patience, deep sensitivity and above all faith who preached and lived a Christian life.
St James' Church, in Seamer Road, was just a couple of minutes walk away from the Cass' house in Avenue Road and a photograph can be seeon the UK & Ireland Genealogy web site.
The same web site, on the page for Scarborough 1890 Bulmer's Directory lists the Scarborough Temperance and Band of Hope Union officials though this does not include Ruth.
"On her removal to Scarborough Mrs Cass became deputy organist at Balgarnies Church, and threw herself wholeheartedly into the work on behalf of the children of St James' Church and was responsible for the founding of a vigorous Band of Hope movement."
However, what of Ruth's mother and sister? The 1901 Census 23 includes nos. 5 and 7 The Crescent but for no.6 the entry simply has a mark in the column, "Uninhabited, In Occupation" - this presumably means that the house was "on the market" and the owners elsewhere. In 1901 Ruth's mother would have been about 68 so she may have died or perhaps accompanied her other daughter, Mary Jane, elsewhere. Since Mary Jane is not traceable on the Census under the surname of Prudames, she may have married and been recorded under her new surname.
Tracing a surname is not as easy as you would think as there are many, many records in the various Census' made in the 19th century and which are now available for scrutiny. There seems to be two groups of Prudames, one in the Hertfordshire area and the other in the eastern side of Yorkshire and in Durham. The information provided by individuals or Heads of Households was transcribed on to forms and then again on to record sheets. It is the latter which have been recorded on the official database but at each transcription stage errors can creep in, particuarly as one person has to read another's handwriting. So, no matter what the originator said, the ultimate interpretation can be anyone's guess. For example, the 1881 record in the computerised database shows the surname of Ruth's mother, father and daughter as Prudence. With the millions of names recorded, the fact that names can be traced is remarkable.
The 1911 Census will not be made public until 2012 so any further details will be reviewed then.
The obituary notice in the Harrogate Herald of 14 May,1947, read:
Photographs of her grave are included on the page entitled After Norwood
Mrs Ruth Charlotte Cass was born in Filey. in 1862 and died on 10 May,1947, at the age of 85; she was part of the team at Norwood, assisting with music and the general running of her son's school.
(FRC ref. Death 2Q/1947 Claro 2c 94)
"CASS - May 10th, at Norwood College, Harrogate, Ruth Charlotte, the very dear wife of W H Cass. Service at St Mark's Church today, at 11am, followed by interments at Stonefall Cemetery."
The editorial of the Norwood school magazine, The Rocket, no.5, January,1948, said of Charlie's mother,
"By the death of Mrs Cass we lost one of our greatest supporters, and one who always took the keenest interest in every aspect of the school's activities, especially in connection with this magazine, and we feel the loss of a friend."
SOURCE MATERIAL
17. source: 1861 National Census, RG9 3615, Scarborough, Filey,
18. source: 1871 National Census, RG10 4814, Scarborough, Filey,
19. source: 1881 National Census, RG11 4827, Pickering, Rosedale East Side,
20. source: England & Wales, Civil Registration Index:
1837 - 1983. 21. source: 1881 National Census, RG11 4801, Filey,
22. source: 1891 National Census, RG12 3962, Filey,
23. source: 1901 National Census, RG13 4528, Filey, Buckrose Division
24. England & Wales, Civil Registration Index: 1837-1983.
47. source: 1851 National Census, HO107, Filey,
Folio 42, Page 37 Household sch no. 201
Folio 61, Page 42 Household sch no. 235
Folio 27, Page 4 Household sch no. 17
District, Scarborough: Vol 9d: page 566, September Quarter,1892
Folio 53, Page 45 Household sch no.255
Folio 42, Page 25 Household sch no.165
Folio 64, Page 21 between Household sch no.116 & 117
District, Scarborough: Vol.9d, page 269, March Quarter,1862
Folio 18, Page 1 Household sch no. 3
at the left hand side of your screen, press Norwood College to go to the web site.