Captain Orton and Ms Bassett... Part 2 "Who was Ms Bassett?"

 The postcard intrigued me so I thought I would try and find out a little more about these Victorians. 

Ann Amelia Bassett nee Chapman

Stage name... Mademoiselle Adelaide Bassett

According to Census entries Ann or Annie appears to have been born in the Bromley area of  London, and according to her baptism record she was born on April the 30th 1863...but was baptised with several siblings at Poplar (in London) in 1873 when the family address was 3 Northumberland street.

Her parents were James Harvey Chaplin and his wife Mary Ann.

In 1871 he was Painter (Artisan not Artist) and daughter Ann aged 8 was at school. (The 1891 &1901 census add a little more detail "Ship painter")

In 1881 he was still "Painter" and the family still at Northumberland street but Ann had left home to work as a servant "house girl" at the King and Queen pub in Bethnal Green address 89 Hare street (now known as Cheshire street and the Pub has now a residential use)

On the 5th August 1888 Ann married Labourer William Henry Bassett in the Tower Hamlets district.

Mademoiselle Adelaide Bassett seems to have been the Stage/performance name of Ann Amelia (nee Chaplin*)  wife of William Henry Bassett .

All the News reports I've seen so far agree that Mrs Bassett was exclusively the Parachute Partner of  "Captain" Alfred Orton. That she had performed with him for around six years. 

Other facts stated were that The Bassett's were very distantly related to Captain Orton. That Ms Bassett came from London and that she and her husband lived in London with/by the Orton's .

In the 1891 Census Alfred Orton "Aeronaut" and his family were living in 7 Venue Street, the next entry in Census being William Henry Bassett 29 Engineer's labourer and his Wife Anne, A Bassett 27 both born London. 

Snippet of Booth's map of London ,,that indicates that they were living in a mixed "poor and comfortable" area.
 

By 1895 they appear to have moved with a Newspaper report of the Tragedy stating that  Ms Bassett lived with the Ortons at 67 North rd Plaistow, London (which is not that far from Venue street) 

At the inquest Captain Orton said that Ms Bassett lived with his family and that she had been separated from her husband for three and a half years, that he didn't know the address of Mr Bassett only that he lived in the East End (of London)

After Annie's death in 1895 her husband remarried in 1897 and started a family. (or at least a Widower of the same name, age, birthplace and location did)

Annie's death was registered in Peterborough (where the accident occurred)  as Ann Bassett aged 36 . I believe the age registered was incorrect and she was in fact 32  Captain Orton was said to have been distraught at her death (indeed he seems never to have Ballooned or Parachuted again) so mistaking her age seems understandable. 

If the newspaper reports are accurate around 1889/1890 Ann's professional career as Parachutist with Aeronaut Captain Orton began.  

To be continued ...

*after her death it was reported that her Mother went to Thames police court in an attempt to gain possession of her daughter "Ann Amelia Bassett Lady Parachutist" effects that were held by the the family she had been living with.

 

More info on Booth's map here and here