Financial Difficulties

We haven’t visited the Peterborough Casbons in a while, so let’s check in on them. For a refresher, this branch of the family arose in the area of Littleport, Cambridgeshire, and over the course of two generations, ended up in Peterborough sometime before 1851.^[1] By 1870, the third generation of gardeners consisted of two brothers, John (1832–1885) and Thomas (1840–1887) Casbon.^[2] Thomas was living in Peterborough, and John was in nearby Spalding.^[3]

Apparently, John wasn’t doing as well as his brother, as evidenced by this article in The Lincoln, Rutland, and Stamford Mercury of October 14, 1870.^[4]

We don’t know what events preceded John’s bankruptcy. It seems from the tone of the article that the proceedings were somewhat amicable, with the creditors meeting in a hotel and agreeing to settle the affair “by arrangement” rather than through bankruptcy court. The fact that John’s brother Thomas was involved in the process also suggests to me that the creditors were willing to settle the matter in as friendly a manner as possible. Of course, being a fellow gardener, Thomas had the right expertise to assess the value of John’s business holdings and to ensure that fair prices were paid as those holdings were liquidated. John was also fortunate in that imprisonment for debt had been abolished in the United Kingdom in 1869.^[5]

The bankruptcy explains why it was necessary for John’s business to be sold at auction in 1871.^[6]

The auction would have been a pretty traumatic event for John, his wife Rebecca (Speechly) and their five children, especially as the household furnishings were sold off.

My curiosity got the best of me when I read that they were also selling one-half acre of “Mangel Wurzels.” I had to look this one up. A mangelwurzel or mangold wurzel is a large white, yellow or orange-yellow beet, used “as a fodder crop for feeding livestock.”^[7]

Wikipedia also informs us that “the mangelwurzel has a history in England of being used for sport.”^[8] Somehow this seems like a very British thing to do. Interested readers are highly encouraged to visit The Mangold Hurling Association webpage for further enlightenment.

Humor aside, John recovered from his financial woes. He moved back to Peterborough and established a new gardening business, as evidenced by these 1876 ads.^[9],^[10]

After John’s death on August 18, 1885, his estate was valued at £212 9s. 10d.^[11] Today that would be equivalent to about £25,725.^[12] He had been given a second chance, and made the best of it.

^[1] Jon Casbon, “How doth your garden grow? Part 1,” Our Casbon Journey, 22 Sep 2016 (https://casbonjourney.wordpress.com/2016/09/22/how-doth-your-garden-grow-part-1/ : accessed 25 September 2017).
^[2] Casbon, “How doth your garden grow? Part 2,” Our Casbon Journey, 27 Sep 2016 (https://casbonjourney.wordpress.com/2016/09/27/how-doth-your-garden-grow-part-2/ : accessed 25 September 2017).
^[3] Casbon, “How doth your garden grow? Part 2,” Our Casbon Journey.
^[4] “Peterborough Bankruptcy Court,” The Lincoln, Rutland, and Stamford (England) Mercury, 14 Oct 1870, p. 5, col. 4; accessed through “British Newspapers,” database with images, findmypast (https://search.findmypast.com/bna/ViewArticle?id=BL%2F0000237%2F18701014%2F052%2F0005&browse=true : accessed 25 September 2017).
^[5] “United Kingdom insolvency law,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_insolvency_law : accessed 26 September 2017), rev. 14:27, 7 Sep 2017.
^[6] “Sales by Auction,” The Lincoln, Rutland, and Stamford (England) Mercury, 8 Dec 1871, p. 1, col. 7, 4^th listing; accessed through “British Newspapers,” database with images, findmypast (https://search.findmypast.com/bna/viewarticle?id=bl%2f0000237%2f18711208%2f038 : accessed 25 September 2017).
^[7] “Mangelwurzel,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangelwurzel : accessed 25 September 2017), rev. 08:05, 9 Jul 2017.
^[8] “Mangelwurzel,” Wikipedia.
^[9] Advertisement, “Surplus Stock of Fruit Trees,” The Peterborough (England) Advertiser, and South Midland Times, 26 Feb 1876, p. 2, col. 3, 8^th listing; accessed through “British Newspapers,” database with images, findmypast (https://search.findmypast.com/bna/ViewArticle?id=BL%2F0001629%2F18760226%2F064%2F0002&browse=true : accessed 25 September 2017).
^[10] Advertisement, “Plants! Plants!! Novelties in Plants,” The Peterborough Advertiser, 3 Jun 1876, p. 2, col. 4, 29^th listing; findmypast (https://search.findmypast.com/bna/viewarticle?id=bl%2f0001629%2f18760603%2f066 : accessed 25 September 2017).
^[11] “Find a Will,” accessed as “Wills and Probate 1858-1996,” database, GOV.UK (https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar#calendar : accessed 26 September 2017), 2d page, John Casbon.
^[12] “UK Inflation Calculator,” (http://www.in2013dollars.com/1885-GBP-in-2017?amount=212.50 : accessed 26 September 2017).