On 15 April 1815, the volcano Tambora erupted. This resulted in a massive ash cloud which circulated the globe in the following years, restricting sun light. 1816 became known as the Year Without a Summer and this led to crop failures and food shortages – details can be found on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer

Anyway, it is possible the old lady was driven to theft by rising prices, food shortages and ultimately hunger; meanwhile the authorities probably took a hard line because they feared widespread civil disorder – this is the sort of thing that fuels revolution.

What you have is all correct, except that William Long was a blacksmith in 1861 (the job description is actually recorded on the line for his siter in the original census return). He only became a Licensed Victualler sometime after the family returned from Turkey, around 1874/5. The pub they ran was the Black Bull in Lewisham High Street (now called the Fox and Firkin and viewable on Google Street view). William Long, however, appears to have been more than just a simple blacksmith. He had moved with his family to the Plumstead area by 1851. His father, Robert, was a saddler and collar maker at Woolwich Arsenal. It seems that William also worked at the Arsenal and was probably something of an engineer, not just a simple blacksmith. He may have gone to Turkey to work at an armaments manufacturing plant in Zeytinburnu (where Arthur Edwin Long my GGrandfather claims he was born). I only know this because I found an old map which shows Zeytinburnu as a tiny village on the shores of the Bosphorus dominated by a “cartridge factory and shot works”.

I think the family made a good deal of money out there and were able to get involved in the pub trade when they returned to England. The family went on to own/manage a large number of London pubs over the following century. This may have been Harriet’s influence as the Riddifords had a also been landlords in the past. Aaron Riddiford ran the inn at North Nibley in 1800 – again you can see this on Google Streetview – today it is the Black Horse.

William died soon after Harriet because he was in general bad health and the shock was too much. She seems to have had a stroke or heart attack. The death certificate is not too specific.

Harriet’s father, Edwin, is an interesting character. He was a policeman and eventually became a Superintendent. A number of his sons followed in his footsteps, the most notable being John Raymond who was with the Surrey police at the time the celebrated Victorian detective Jack Whicher carried out one of his investigations in the Reigate area (nothing to do with the Kent case for which he is most famous).

Edwin, too had his moments – he investigated the death of Sarah Moss, who had her throat cut by William Mealing in Rendcombe, Gloucestershire in 1862. According to the newspaper reports, Sarah had asked Mr Riddiford to get more maintenance money from the father of her 3-year-old illegitimate daughter. It says Mr Riddiford was in the habit of receiving the money from the father and handing it over to Sarah. At the time of her death, Sarah was heavily pregnant with William’s child. He was found innocent on the grounds of insanity (although he’s named as murderer on Sarah’s death cert) and spent the rest of his life in Broadmoor Asylum for the criminally insane.

Edwin’s sons – Aaron, Thomas White, James and Arthur Walter – also became policemen. James, like John Raymond, died young, while Arthur disappeared from the public record (in UK at least) in 1871. Aaron and Thomas retire from the police and move to Birmingham where they work for the council as Assistant Parish Overseers. However, Aaron Riddiford defrauded Birmingham City Council of £500 in 1876 during his employment as a rate collector and then absconded. He disappears entirely from the public record in UK, but re-emerges on his death in 1897 – in Canada. Thomas had been brought to court on a similar charge to Aaron in 1873, but was acquitted. He then disappeared from the public record too.

Another son, Edwin similarly disappears after 1851 as does Nigel the fifth son, post 1853. He was accused of pilfering a few pence (at age 11) but was acquitted. However, he may have died in 1856; but I have assumed this recorded death of “Nigel Riddiford” (with no age stated) is his uncle who was also a convicted felon from 1833. It could be that the 1853 criminal charges were actually against this man as no age is recorded here either. Anyway, in 1853 there were two Nigel Riddifords but there is only one subsequent death record – at least in UK. So to sum up, Thomas White, Edwin, Nigel and Arthur Walter all disappear from the UK without any death record (or census record, or marriage or children) that I’ve been able to find.

With the exception of Harriet the daughters of Edwin (the Superintendent) all die young. The saddest is Emma who appears to have been a kleptomaniac. She gets four sentences for fraud and larceny and spends several years doing hard labour. She dies soon after release in 1859. Sarah Ann seems to die in child birth aged 22 while the other sisters both die in their teens.

More information at:

http://stjohnstreet.thornburyroots.co.uk/no9%20HSL%20occupants.htm

and

http://theplain.thornburyroots.co.uk/police.htm

First I’ll declare my relationship. My GGGrandmother was Harriet Riddiford b1840. Her GGGrandparents were Thomas Riddeford and Arabella Trottman, whom you mention in the trivia section.

So noting that your line of descent is also through Arabella I thought you might be interested to know that she has a very interesting and illustrious ancestry (assuming you didn’t already know). I have traced her line back a further 8 generations to the Lords of Berkeley Castle – the Hardings. They are one of the great medieval families of Britain, who origins disappear into the realms of Viking myth around 200 AD. In addition, these early Hardings married into the de Somery line (amongst others), whose origins trace back to Charlemagne, Alfred the Great and before.