The Life of Margaret Boocock

Margaret Boocock never married and had no known children. She apparently lived her in the Preston area for most of her life, although I haven't been able to find her in the 1881 Census. I did find the 1881 Census entry listed below that may be Margaret but the surname is spelled incorrectly and, at this point, I can't be sure that it is her.

According to my late cousin Elsie (Swarbrick) Banks, Margaret was a Money Lender and had a shop near Winkley Square in the centre of Preston. Elsie and her cousin Beatrice Boocock visited Margaret in the shop on one or two occasions when they were shopping in town, but Elsie never really knew Margaret.

1881 CENSUS OF CLITHEROE, LANCASHIRE:
NAME:	RELATION:	CONDITION:	SEX:	AGE:	OCCUPATION:	BIRTHPLACE:
Margaret Bulcock	Servant	Unm.	F	23	Domestic Servant	Preston, Lancashire

NOTES:
1:	Living and working at 21 Church Street, Clitheroe, the home of Edward Hodgson, a cotton spinner and manufacturer employing 480 people. (RG11-4171, folio 115)

1891 CENSUS OF SOUTHPORT, LANCASHIRE:
NAME:	RELATION:	CONDITION:	SEX:	AGE:	OCCUPATION:	BIRTHPLACE:
Margaret Boocock	Servant	Unm.	F	-	Domestic Servant	Preston, Lancashire
Gertrude Boocock	Servant	Unm.	F	-	Domestic Servant	Preston, Lancashire

NOTES:
1:	Living and working at 20 Hawkshead Street, Southport, the home of Anna West. Gertrude remained in the employ of the West family for the rest of her life. (RG12-3035, folio 106, page 19)
2:	For the full Census entry see the page regarding Gertrude Boocock's life Here

1901 CENSUS OF PRESTON, LANCASHIRE:
NAME:	RELATION:	CONDITION:	SEX:	AGE:	OCCUPATION:	BIRTHPLACE:
Margaret Boocock	Head	Unm.	F	42	Living on Own Means	Preston, Lancashire

NOTES:
1:	Living at 22 Dove Avenue, Preston. (RG13-3947, folio 149/1)
2:	Whatever Margaret did for a living she must have been fairly successful to be financially independent at the age of 42.

Margaret Boocock, of 22 Dove Street, Preston, died on 29 April 1945 at the age of 87 years and was buried on 3 May 1945 in an unmarked private grave, DD-371, in the Roman Catholic section of Preston Cemetery.

DEATH NOTICE:

"Boocock - On the 29th Ult., Margaret Boocock, late of 22 Dove Street, aged 86 years. R.I.P. Requiem Mass St. Gregory's, Thursday, 9:30 a.m. Interment Preston New Cemetery, 10:30 a.m. 26 Moor Hall St. Preston"

(From `The Lancashire Daily Post, Tuesday, 1 May 1945)

PROBATE INFORMATION:

Margaret Boocock	Of Preston Institution, Fulwood, near Preston, Lancashire, spinster, died 29 April 1945. Probate Lancaster 21 July to Patrick Joseph Moore, retired farmer. Effects £389 1s 10d.

NOTES:
1:	26 Moor Hall Street was the home of Margaret's brother Thomas Aloysius Boocock.
2:	Ult. was the abbreviation for Ultimate, which meant "of last month".
3:	I have not yet seen a copy of Margaret's Will.
4:	The above information is taken from various records held at the Lancashire Record Office, including Census returns held on microfiche; from microfilmed copies of newspapers held at the Harris Library; and from information related to me by the late Elsie (Swarbrick) Banks.