Adelaide Emily DESBOROUGH

1853 -

• Name	Adelaide Emily DESBOROUGH
  Birth	26 Dec 1853	Chiswell St., Camberwell, Surrey   [1, 2]
  Baptism	25 Jun 1854	Emmanuel, Camberwell, Surrey   [2]
  Gender	Female
  1861 Census	Absalom Place, South Street, Camberwell, Surrey   [1]
  	At 1861 Census, she is 6
  1871 Census	148, Cobourg Road, Camberwell, Surrey   [3]
  	At 1871 Census, she is 17, occ "Servant"
  1881 Census	268, Long Lane, Bermondsey, Surrey   [4]
  	At 1881 Census, she is 27
  1891 Census	Waldron, Uckfield, Sussex   [5]
  	At 1891 Census, she is 37
  1901 Census	30, Decima St., Bermondsey, Surrey   [6]
  	At 1901 Census, she is 47
  1911 Census	11, A Block, Guinness Buildings, Pages Walk, Bermondsey, Surrey   [7]
  	At 1911 Census, she is 58, occ "Charwoman", 4 surviving children, with 3 who have died
  1921 Census	L Block flat 307, Guinness Buildings, Snowsfields, Bermondsey, Surrey   [8]
  	At 1921 Census, she is 67y 6m, occ "Office Cleaner", and a widow
  Individual Note	best match on death is Jul qtr 1937, Romford, vol 4a, p403, aged 83
  Person ID	I251	Webb
  Last Modified	19 Mar 2026

  
  

  Father	Arthur DESBOROUGH,   b. Abt 1834, Middlesex
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Sarah Anne KNIGHTS,   b. 1836, Carlton-Colville, Suffolk
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	31 May 1880	St. John's, Walworth, Surrey   [9]
  Notes	It is not clear if all the details here are right or not, and so the story may change. The only available marriage details for Arthur, are the ones here, and so the implication is that they were living together for more than 25 years before deciding to get married. Tracking back to the 1871 Census, we find Arthur with his wife Sarah Ann, identified as husband and wife, with Sarah's birth location given as Lowestoft. This coupled with the name of Sarah's father suggests that we do have the right Sarah Ann KNIGHTS. Note the witness at the wedding could be, though clearly not for certain, Sarah's mother. However Arthur states he is a widower at his marriage in 1880, and also in the 1861 Census. In addition the baptism of his children gives the mother as "Sarah", though of course this is a common name. It is not clear where Sarah Anne was at the 1861 Census. I have not found any marriage for Arthur around 1851-3 with a Sarah, but there is a Sarah Desborough buried in Camberwell in Oct 1857. The FindAGrave transcript says she was aged 34 (ie born around 1823). My current suspicion is that this "other" Sarah is the children's mother, and that at some point after 1861, Sarah Anne Knights came to live with them, perhaps as some form of home help. But I cannot locate anything that provides more information about this (new) Sarah.
  Family ID	F197	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 26 Dec 1853 - Chiswell St., Camberwell, Surrey Baptism - 25 Jun 1854 - Emmanuel, Camberwell, Surrey 1861 Census - At 1861 Census, she is 6 - - Absalom Place, South Street, Camberwell, Surrey 1871 Census - At 1871 Census, she is 17, occ "Servant" - - 148, Cobourg Road, Camberwell, Surrey 1881 Census - At 1881 Census, she is 27 - - 268, Long Lane, Bermondsey, Surrey 1891 Census - At 1891 Census, she is 37 - - Waldron, Uckfield, Sussex 1901 Census - At 1901 Census, she is 47 - - 30, Decima St., Bermondsey, Surrey 1911 Census - At 1911 Census, she is 58, occ "Charwoman", 4 surviving children, with 3 who have died - - 11, A Block, Guinness Buildings, Pages Walk, Bermondsey, Surrey 1921 Census - At 1921 Census, she is 67y 6m, occ "Office Cleaner", and a widow - - L Block flat 307, Guinness Buildings, Snowsfields, Bermondsey, Surrey  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  Married George Thomas BOXALL (1850-1919) 10/1/1875, St Johns Walworth. She appears to be in the Electoral Rolls in Bermondsey for much of the period 1918-1936, and therefore her likely death location is slightly surprising.

  
  

• Sources

  [S535] 1861 Census :- Absalom Place, South Street, Camberwell, Surrey. [S542] Baptism register :- Emmanuel, Camberwell (1854). [S546] 1871 Census :- 148, Cobourg Road, Camberwell, Surrey. [S2859] 1881 Census :- 268, Long Lane, Bermondsey, Surrey. [S545] 1891 Census :- Waldron, Uckfield, Sussex. [S543] 1901 Census :- 30, Decima St., Bermondsey, Surrey. [S544] 1911 Census :- 11, A Block, Guinness Buildings, Pages Walk, Bermondsey, Surrey. [S2858] 1921 Census :- L Block flat 307, Guinness Buildings, Snowsfields, Bermondsey, Surrey. [S1117] Marriage register entry :- Arthur Desborough - Sarah Ann Knights (1880).