I'm in awe of this courageous Sunderland woman who risked drowning to protect her family at all costs
One of Sunderland’s most remarkable unsung heroes passed away 120 years ago this month.
The incredible story of Rebecca Samuel is one that deserves to be told once more.
Sunderland bonfire was held at the Battle of Waterloo
She may not be a household name. She deserves to be.
Rebecca, one of 12 children, was born in Burleigh Street in November 1808, to Isaac, a silversmith, and Martha.
But the story does not start in England.
Rebecca’s family – including Rebecca’s grandfather, and his brother Abraham – left Holland in around 1768.
They settled in Sunderland, set up a silversmith business on the corner of High Street and Burleigh Street and are considered to be the first Jewish settlers in the North.
She was left as a widow when she was 34
"Rebecca lived through the times of the Napoleonic wars," said Beverley Ruffell, a member of the Sunderland Antiquarian Society who shared the story with us.
One of her most vivid childhood memories was the bonfire on the Town Moor to celebrate victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 when she was seven.
When Rebecca was 23 she married Henry Burnham - a potter by trade.
They had five children and lived in Hope Street in the Malings Rigg area of town, which was known for its deprivation. Sadly Henry died of typhus fever in 1842, leaving Rebecca a widow at the age of just 34.
With five small mouths to feed she had no choice but to find work.
She rowed out to sea to buy fish from sailors
Rebecca became a fishmonger, but not content with buying fish from the fish quay, she got a small boat and rowed offshore to the cobles on their way back to harbour and bought direct from the fishermen.
She would then return and carry the fish in large baskets to the marketplace.
“It was a dangerous occupation - on one occasion she almost drowned when her boat overturned," said Beverley.
Two years after Henry’s death, Rebecca married again to blacksmith John Bennett. They had a son together but Rebecca was widowed again and had to return to work once more.
By 1881 she was selling old clothes from a property in Hinds Bridge.
‘She did all she could to raise her children’
"Rebecca was a survivor, " Beverley said. "She did all she could to raise her children, struggling on despite the devastating heartache that life threw at her."
Rebecca died February 2, 1906, aged 97. She is buried in Grangetown cemetery.
Beverley added: "I am very proud to be able to say that I am descended from such an incredible and inspirational woman.
“And I have a feeling those genes have been passed on through the other strong women in my family.”
Anyone who thinks they may also be related to Beverley can contact her at [email protected].
To find out more about the history of Sunderland, visit the Antiquarian Society’s Facebook page or its website at http://www.sunderland-antiquarians.org
If you’ve got memories of Sunderland’s past, or you have researched your ancestry and found some fascinating tales, contact Chris Cordner by emailing [email protected]
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