A Shore Thing

The inspiration for this story is the #52Ancestors prompt “Unexpected”. I have come across many unexpected and surprising stories while researching my family history, so there is plenty of choice.

I discovered my ancestor Elizabeth Shore many years ago, but I only recently discovered her birth and the story of her childhood family because it did not take place where I expected.

A Somerset Family

Elizabeth Shore married Jesse Flower on 14 June 1770 at the parish church of Farmborough, Somerset, by licence.  One of the witnesses was James Tidcombe; when I first found this record, the name did not seem significant.  Elizabeth put a mark in the marriage register, whereas Jesse signed his name.

James Tidcombe's significant signature

Family Connections

The prompt for this post is “A Breakthrough Moment”.

A few weeks ago, I decided to investigate my somewhat mysterious ancestor, Susannah Hobson.  Susannah Hobson married Eden Davies* in 1781, in Passenham, Northamptonshire, England.  It was the second marriage for both.  I am descended from their daughter Elizabeth. 

One method for investigating family history is to look at their family, associates and neighbours (known as the FAN club), so I had a closer look at Susannah’s son from her first marriage (to Francis Cull), Richard Cull.  I discovered that Richard Cull moved from Passenham to Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire, which distracted me away from Susannah Hobson.

Vintage Map Collage, Copilot generated 27 Jan 2026

Reputation

AI Generated image of records
to represent my research

The prompt for this post is “Legal Troubles” and I have decided to look at a civil matter, rather than a criminal one (and yes, I had a choice).

One Saturday, way back in 1590, in Winstone, Gloucestershire, England, a Hugh Coles allegedly announced to around 20 parishioners that he would “spur” the priest, Mr John Haviland*, my ancestor.  Hugh Coles had also at some point called John Haviland a blood sucker and had shaken fists at him. Consequently, John Haviland sued Hugh Coles and a Thomas Combes for defamation.  A witness statement from Richard Daffy of Winstone, age 23, survives. I do not know the outcome of the case and it was only the beginning of John’s legal problems.

A Comfortable Name

 The prompt for this blog is “favourite name”.

I have a few favourite names in my family tree, Parthenia Wines Flower being one, but Parthenia was not my direct ancestor. So, I have chosen to write about my ancestor Comfort Maisey*.

Comfort Maisey was born around 1713, in Bagendon, Gloucestershire, England, and was baptised in the parish church on 21 June 1713.  Bagendon is a picturesque Cotswold village.  

DNA Discovery

The prompt for this blog post is “DNA”.

For many years, my ancestor, William McDonald of Glasgow, was something of a mystery to me.

What I did know was that William McDonald married Margaret Bowie of Hutchesontown, Glasgow, on 11 December 1824 in Gorbals. William and Margaret had three children: Elizabeth Harvey* McDonald (my ancestor), Salis Schwabe McDonald and Margaret McDonald.  Salis Schwabe was named after a German Industrialist who had businesses in Glasgow and Manchester.  Sadly, Margaret McDonald nee Bowie died sometime between 1833 and 1838, leaving William a widower with three young children.

Yorkshire to Sydney by Clipper

This story is inspired by the 52 Ancestors prompt “Migration”, and it also covers the recent prompt “Surprise”.

Yorkshire

Joseph Lees was born 23 August 1830 in the village of Gomersal, in Yorkshire, England.  Baptised on 10 October 1830, in Birstall Parish Church, he was the son of William Lees, a clothier, and his wife Rachel nee Gomersal.  A clothier was someone who made and sold cloth and it was a common occupation in West Yorkshire; I have several clothier ancestors.  With the growth of mechanised mills, William eventually moved to working in a mill as a billy spinner.

Joseph Lees was the youngest of six known children of William and Rachel.  His older siblings were Mary, William, Samuel, Rachel Gomersal and Sarah.  Joseph would not have known any of his grandparents, three died before he was born and the fourth died when he was less than a year old.

The Lees children all appear to have been educated, those who married signed the marriage register with a confident signature.

In 1841, Joseph and his brother Samuel were living in the household of a Thomas Sigston, a retired Cloth Manufacture. Next door was their uncle, Edward Gomersal, Rachel’s only known surviving sibling.  The rest of the Lees family, except for brother William, lived on the other side of Uncle Edward.  Brother William was newly married to Martha Firth.

How do you spell that?

 

This post is inspired by the 52 Ancestors prompt “Challenge”.

Early life

Martha Guntrip and her family have been a challenge to research because of an uncommon difficult to spell surname.  I have come across quite a few variations including Gunthrip, Gunttripp, Gunthorpe, Gantrip and others.  Also complicating matters, the family lived near the border of two English counties, Oxford and Buckinghamshire, so record in both locations need to be searched.

Martha Guntrip was born around the end of 1772 or early 1773 in Bicester, Oxford, England.  She was baptised on 27 January 1773 in Bicester Parish Church.  Her baptismal record was indexed under the name “Cundiff”, although I think it is fairly clear that it is indeed “Guntrip” in the original record.

Martha was the daughter of Thomas Guntrip and Elizabeth Rhodes (or Roads), one of four known children.  The other three were Thomas, Elizabeth and Richard.  I have not yet found Elizabeth’s baptismal record and I wonder if the spelling or indexing is problematic.

Bicester was and is a busy market town and it was developed extensively during Martha’s lifetime, including the building of the New Buildings where she lived. The town was also important for horse racing and hunting, so would likely have had the rich and famous of the time passing through.

Marriage and Family

On 1 May 1797, Martha Guntrip married Joseph Elston in Bicester.  Martha signed the marriage register with a confident signature, so she must have had some education and was used to writing.  I have previously written about the evolution of the Elston surname.

Joseph Elston was either a sawyer (according to the 1851 Census and his newspaper death notice) or a surveyor (Martha’s newspaper death notice).  I can see that the two occupations would look similar in cursive writing, I am not sure which is correct – another challenge.

Martha and Joseph had at least 4 children, Joseph, Elizabeth (my ancestor), Ann and Harriet.  All four survived infancy, married and had children.

In the 1841 Census, Martha and her husband Joseph appear to be living apart.  Whether that was because they were separated, or for family, health or financial reasons, I don’t know.  It is challenging and frustrating to find records that give a hint of an intriguing story but no more than that.

Martha was living with her 4-year-old granddaughter Theresa East, daughter of Harriet, in New Buildings, Bicester Market End.  They were part of a larger household that included her daughter Elizabeth and her husband glazier John Smith, along with their children Charles, John (my ancestor), Thomas, Elizabeth, and baby Emma.  So, Martha may not have been living with her husband, but she was surrounded by family.

Joseph Elston was also living with a granddaughter, Harriet Smith, aged 13, and was surrounded by family in 1841.  They lived in Launton, a village near Bicester, next door to his and Martha’s daughter Harriet, her husband butcher Henry East, son Caleb and baby daughter Rhoda.

Marth Elston nee Guntrip died on 22 Dec 1844, age 71 and was buried a Bicester.

Joseph Elston outlived his wife by nearly 10 years, dying 22 June 1852, age 80.

In spite of the challenges, I have been able to piece together some highlights from Martha’s life.

 

Notes on linage: Me > Mum > Daphne Madge Smith > John Henry Smith > Harry Smith > John Smith > Elizabeth Elston > Marth Guntrip

Travelling Brothers

This post is inspired by the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt “immigration”.  In addition, I have been investigating the Shephard family recently after finding some DNA Matches with some distance cousins.

My ancestor George Shephard was born in Charleton, Devon, England on 4 September 1835.  He was the fifth child of John Camp Shephard and Priscilla Goodyear.  I have previously written about Priscilla.  John and Priscilla’s other children were Jane, Susan, George (who died age 2 in 1829, so the name was reused), Mary Ann and Samuel.  Prior to marrying Priscilla, John was married to her sister Susanna.  Marrying a dead spouses sibling was a forbidden degree of affinity at the time but it happened, anyway.  John had 5 children with Susanna, John, Maria (died age 2 in 1817), Maria (born shortly after her sister of the same name died), William and Phillip.

A DNA Connection

It is a while since I have posted a story and this ones comes with thanks to close relatives who have done DNA tests.

Mary Head’s origins were unknown to me until I solved the puzzle using DNA*.

May Head was born about 1768 in Willingdon, Sussex, a village just north of Eastbourne. Willingdon is thought to be the setting of George Orwell’s novel “Animal Farm”.  Mary was the daughter, and oldest child, of Edward Head and Elizabeth Balcomb**.  Her siblings, also born in Willingdon, were Edward, James, William, Henry (or Harry), John and Elizabeth. My uncle and I share DNA with descendants of Edward and John.  Curiously, Edward and his family lived very close to where I now live.

14 Children

 As it is Women’s History Month and was International Women’s Day this week, I thought I would share stories about a couple of my more prolific female ancestors.  My first subject is Caroline Rideout, another will follow in a week or so.

Caroline was the eighth of nine know children of James Rideout and Caroline Bennett. Caroline was born 4 April 1844 in Menangle near Camden, New South Wales, Australia.  Her parents had arrived in Australia six years earlier and I have written about them previously.  Her oldest surviving sister, Martha, married when Caroline was just 2 years old.

The Bowie Family

My ancestor William Bowie was born about 1761 in New Kilpatrick, Dunbartonshire, Scotland.  He was the ninth of ten known children of James Bowie, originally of Denny, Stirlingshire, and his wife, Margaret Tyre.  William Bowie’s siblings were John, Margaret, Janet, Agnes, Christian, James, Elizabeth, William (born c. 1757, died as an infant) and Robert.

Brothers John and James Bowie both migrated to the Americas.  John Bowie was an officer, a Major, in the US Revolutionary Army.  He married Rosa Reid, the daughter of another officer.  John Bowie settled in Abbeville, South Carolina, where he owned land and other property, including an enslaved Negro woman named Cate, who was left along with any issue she had to his daughter Rosa in his will.  It is uncomfortable to think of a not-so-distant relative being a slave owner, however I felt that it was right to share what little I know of Cate’s story.

Too Many Too Young

This post is prompted by the #52ancestors prompt “Negatives”.  One of the negatives of researching family history or, indeed, any history, is high infant and childhood mortality. I thought I would write about one family who suffered more than their fair share of such loss.

Robert Charley was born around 1734 in Combe Martin, Devon, a picturesque town on the north Devon coast.  He was baptised in the parish church on 11 September 1734. Robert was a younger child on Richard Charley and his wife Joan Willis.  Unfortunately, the baptism registers have a gap from 1725 to 1731, so I don’t know about any children born in that period.  Robert’s known siblings were Elizabeth, Richard, William, Mary and another Mary.  The first Mary died in infancy and it was common practice to reuse the names of dead children.  Brother Richard also appears to have died young in 1737, aged about 20; I don’t know about Elizabeth and the second Mary.

Neighbours

This post is inspired by the 52 Ancestors prompt “Courting”.  It is the story of a couple who were neighbours in London before they married, Samuel Joseph George Elliston and Elfrida Mary Buss.  Yes, they both had names that are a bit of a mouthful, but appear to have been more commonly known as George and Ella or Ellen.

A Painter and Decorator

 It is a while since I have written about one of my male paternal ancestors, so I picked Thomas Tomlinson.

Thomas Tomlinson was born around 1819 at Bracken Hill, in Ackworth, Yorkshire.  He was the eighth child of John Tomlinson and Mary Brownbridge. His siblings were William, Elizabeth, John, George, Ann, Joseph, Jane, Charles, Sarah and Maria.  He was baptised on 7 November 1819 at Ackworth Parish Church.

Ackworth was and is a rural area. Record show that father John Tomlinson mostly worked as a farmer or farmer labourer, apart from a brief stint as a labourer just before Thomas was born.

I don’t know much about Thomas Tomlinson’s childhood but he signed his marriage certificates with a fluent signature, so at some point he got an education.  He may also have had the opportunity to learn some music as later in life he played violin well enough to play in public.

In his teens, Thomas must have learned his trade as a painter, gilder and decorator.  I haven’t found an apprenticeship record yet.

On 3 December 1840, Thomas Tomlinson married Martha Denton.  Thomas and Martha had at least four children: Sarah, Jane, Henry and Eliza Ann, before Martha died in February 1853.  There is a seven-year gap between Henry and Eliza Ann, so there may have been other children who I haven’t found yet.

Sometime between 1844 and 1851, Thomas and his family moved to Batley, where his brother John was already living.  Batley was a bustling industrial town so may have offered more opportunities for a young house painter.

In the 1851 Census, Thomas and family were living in Commercial Street in Batley.  The household included Stephen Briggs, an apprentice painter, who I think was Thomas’s nephew.  At this time, Thomas employed one man in his painting business.

Somehow, not long after his first wife died, Thomas met Jane Pearson, who was from Kirkland near Penrith, Cumberland, and in 1851 was a servant in Cheshire.  Thomas and Jane married in Dacre, Cumberland on 21 November 1853.  Thomas and Jane had five children in quick succession: Hannah Maria, John, Ann, Mary Brownbridge and Frances Elizabeth (my ancestor).  Frances was born on 11 March 1860 and Jane died on 27 March 1860 from haemorrhaging following her daughter’s birth.

Thomas Tomlinson’s spinster sister Maria was evidently available to help look after her nieces and nephews when needed.  In the 1861 census, she was part of the household, along with her and Thomas’s nephew George who was an apprentice learning the painter trade from his uncle.  By this time, Thomas employed two men and two boys, so was doing well.

By the time of the 1871, Thomas ruled over a household of 11 people, including his niece Sarah Ann Dunn who was a servant and sister Maria still providing child care.  He now employed 10 men and one boy, so business was booming.

In 1879, Thomas acquired a third wife, Mary Ineson nee Brook, who brought four more children into the family from her first marriage: William, Frederick, Julian and Gertrude.

By 1881, Thomas was employing 8 men and 5 boys, so still doing well.

In addition to him playing the violin, I have found further information about Thomas Tomlinson from Newspapers.  Thomas was actively involved with Zion Methodist Church in Batley musically, socially and financially. One of his close friends, also a member of the church for some time, was Reuben Blakeley.  Reuben migrated to New Zealand where he was a notable musician and composer.  He composed a hymn for Thomas’ funeral.

On 18 Dec 1898, Thomas Tomlinson died, age nearly 70.  From humble circumstances, he became a very successful painter and decorator in Batley.  When probate was granted, his effects were valued at £17809 8s 1d.  I am sure that one penny was important.

Thomas was buried at Batley Cemetery.

Notes on lineage: Me > Dad > Helen Akeroyd > Percy Tomlinson Akeroyd > Frances Elizabeth Tomlinson > Thomas Tomlinson

A Tailor of Wicken

This story is inspired by the 52 Ancestors prompt “Fashion”, which made me think of clothes and those who make them.  William Henshaw was a tailor the village of Wicken in Northamptonshire, England.

William was born on 2 March 1713* the fourth child and first son of Jonathan Henshaw, a carpenter, and his wife Amy Bloncke**.   He was baptised in the local parish church six days later on 8 March.  His siblings were: Anne, Mary, Alice, Amy and Elizabeth (twins who died in infancy), Judeth (died in infancy), Elizabeth (died in infancy), Sarah (died in infancy), Martha, Charity (died in infancy), Major, Keziah and John.  William’s early life was filled with the tragic deaths of 6 of his fourteen siblings, followed by the death of his father, Jonathan, in Mar 1729*.  Mother Amy was left a young widow with eight children to look after.  The older daughters may have helped out and there may be been support from Amy’s siblings and Jonathan’s brother Thomas.  Children Anne and Major Henshaw both died young, in 1746, before their mother who died in 1749.  Anne from small pox.

Finding William Jenkins

William Jenkins life story was my first big discovery after getting my DNA results a couple of months ago.

William Jenkins was born on 9 December 1783 in Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire, not far from Birmingham.  He was the oldest known child (at the time of writing) of William Jenkins, a sawyer, and his wife Sarah.  I have yet to find a marriage for William (senior) and Sarah; they may have married in nearby Worcestershire, which is not well covered online and not so easy to research.  William and Sarah’s other children were Thomas, Jacob, Sarah and John. 

William Jenkins was baptised on 25 July 1784 in the Tanworth-in-Arden parish church.

I don’t have any information about his childhood.  However, William was educated enough to be able to sign his name and his signature looks well practiced.

William, along with his brothers Thomas and John, followed in their father’s footsteps, becoming sawyers.  A sawyer is someone who cuts wood with a saw.  Tanworth-in-Arden is a rural area that still has some forests, which presumably provided the wood that they cut.  Brother Jacob was a builder, so may have used the wood that the rest of his family sawed.

On 31 December 1804, William Jenkins married Mary Spicer in St Martin’s church in Birmingham.  William’s address on the marriage record is given as living in the parish but he may have only been living in the area temporarily.  Thomas Spicer and Martha Spicer were witness on the marriage record.

William and Mary Jenkins went to live in Wellesbourne, Warwickshire, where the Spicer family lived, more than 15 miles south of Tanworth-in-Arden.  There they had four children: Sarah, William (my Ancestor), Ann and Maria. 

Mary died in January 1811, likely a few weeks after Maria was born.  Mother’s dying from complications or infection soon after birth was all too common.  Sadly, Maria died only a few years later in February 1814.  I don’t know what happened to the other daughter’s, Sarah and Ann.

Also in 1811, William’s brother Thomas Jenkins married Mary’s sister Elizabeth Spicer.  Thomas and Elizabeth lived in Birmingham after their marriage.

It seems that soon after the death of his wife, William moved to Aston in Birmingham.  He appears to have left at least one child behind in Wellesbourne, as Maria died there.  In Birmingham, William met Charlotte Hough and they married on 4 October 1813 in Handsworth Parish Church.  William’s signature in the Handsworth Parish Register is a close match to his 1804 marriage signature.  Sarah Jenkins was a witness on the marriage record but I am not sure if it was William’s mother or sister.

William and Charlotte had six children, taking William’s total to ten.  Their children were: Eliza, Maria*, Lucy, John, Jacob and Jane. 

Life may not have been easy for the Jenkins family.  William’s son William was a juvenile delinquent who was caught stealing a couple of times.  He was transported to New South Wales, Australia, for his crimes in 1827, where he became a farmer and had 14 children.

William’s parents, William and Sarah, were long lived, both dying in the 1830s.  His father lived to 93.

In the 1841 Census, William, Charlotte and their younger children were still living in Aston, in Moseley Street.

William worked at Crowley’s Timber Yard, Cheapside, Aston.  On 2 November 1846, William had apoplexy (possibly a stroke) while at the timber yard and died instantly, aged 62.  The coroner found that he died by a visitation from God.  William was buried on 8 November at St Philip’s Church, Birmingham.

His wife Charlotte only survived him by a few weeks and was buried at the same church on 28 November 1746, leaving behind a young family.

I have a DNA match who is a descendant of William’s daughter Maria Jenkins (the younger one), and this was my big breakthrough for finding out about William Jenkins life.  Previously, I only knew about his marriage to Mary Spicer. I also have a possible DNA match with a descendant of William’s sister Sarah that needs further investigation.  I am impressed with how much DNA has helped to reveal.

*Re-using the names of dead children was a common practice.

 

Notes on lineage: Me > Mum > Daphne Madge Smith > John Henry Smith > Louisa Jane Jenkins > William Jenkins (b. 1839) > William Jenkins (b. abt 1807) > William Jenkins (b. 1783)

One Mother’s Story

This story is inspired by the 52 Ancestors prompt “Mother’s Day” in honour of Mother’s Day on 9 May in some parts of the world, including Australia.  I picked Mary Brownbridge because she had eleven children and she has an unusual surname.

Mary Brownbridge was born about 1783, in Pollington, a rural village in the parish of Snaith in Yorkshire.  She was baptised on 28 November 1783 in Snaith parish church.  Her parents were John Brownbridge and Mary Eastgate.  Mary was the sixth of their ten children.  Her siblings were John, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Bathia, Ephraim, Manassah, Anne, Isaac and Frances.  The unusual biblical names came from the Eastgate side of the family.

Father John Brownbridge was a wheel wright, so a tradesman.  I think life was not always easy for the Brownbridge family as three of the children died in early childhood: Ephrain, Manassah and Isaac.

I don’t know if Mary Brownbridge was educated.  She did not sign the marriage register on her wedding day.

Mary Brownbridge married John Tomlinson, a farmer or farm labourer from nearby Ackworth on 2 January 1803 in Snaith.  Mary was likely only 20, so a minor and her father appears to have signed the register to give his consent.

For Mary, becoming a mother may not have been straight forward.  The first child I have found for Mary and John was William, who was born on 24 February 1805, more than two years after the wedding.  I wonder if Mary miscarried or just failed to get pregnant in her first year of marriage.  Anyway, once she started having children, she had no problems with one successful pregnancy every two or three years for the next 21 years. John and Mary’s children were: Willam, Elizabeth, John, George, Ann, Joseph, Jane, Thomas (my ancestor), Charles, Sarah and Maria.  Through all her years of childbirth, she likely had support from her own mother, Mary Brownbridge nee Eastgate, who died in 1827.

Mary lost one child, Jane, in infancy.  I am not sure about two of her other daughters, Elizabeth and Ann.  Her other children lived to good ages, with Sarah dying 1912, so almost within living memory.  I share DNA with one of her son Joseph’s descendants.

In 1841, Mary and John were still living in Ackworth.  In the census, their household included Mary aged about 35, Ann age about 25, Martha aged 3, George aged 5 months and William aged 35.  The relationships are not listed but my guess is that William is their oldest son and I think Mary was his wife and possibly the mother of Martha and George.  Ann may have been John and Mary’s daughter.  John and William were listed as agricultural workers, so likely doing unskilled seasonal work on a farm, which was long hours and poorly paid.  At about 65, John must have been struggling.

Many of Mary’s children moved from Ackworth to Batley during the 1830s and 1840s.  I wonder if they were drawn by the better opportunities in an industrial town compared to the more rural are where they grew up.

Mary Brownbridge died in 1845 and was buried on 2 Jul somewhere in the churchyard of St Cuthbert’s, Ackworth, aged 62.  By this time, several of her children had married and she was a grandmother to at least seven children, as well as a mother.

While I don’t know much about Mary’s life, I do know that she brought up her children to be respectable and successful people.  Her son Thomas, my ancestor died with a fortune of nearly £18000, earned as a house painter and gilder, a long way from being an agricultural labourer. 

I carry a little of Mary’s children’s DNA so her legacy lives on.

 

Notes on lineage: Me > Dad > Helen Francis Ruth Akeroyd > Percy Tomlinson Akeroyd > Frances Tomlinson > Thomas Tomlinson > Mary Brownbridge

A Cousin Reveals All

I have known of William Thompson almost since I started my family tree over thirty years, however until recent weeks he wasn’t much more than a name and an occupation.  Searching for the name William Thompson in London is a challenge.  However, not long ago, I found a clue that led to some interesting discoveries.

William Thompson was born around 1793 in Southwark, Surrey, just south of the River Thames in what is now inner London.  He was baptised as St Saviour’s church on 9 Jun 1793.  His parents were Thomas and Esther Thompson.  William was the third of their six known children, although I suspect there could be others I haven’t found yet.   His siblings were John Thomas, Thomas (possibly died young), Esther, Thomas Henry and Sarah Elizabeth. Yes, they did like the name “Thomas”.

"St. Saviour's Church, Southwark, Surrey"
Copper engraved print published in The Beauties of England and Wales, 1815. Recent hand colouring. Size 15 x 11.5 cms including title, plus margins. Ref F1639 (obtained from Ancestry Images)

On 5 Jul 1809, when William Thompson was about 16 years old, he was apprenticed to John Eldridge, a Citizen (freeman of the city) and member of the Haberdasher’s Guild, one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies in London.  By the 1800s, there was not necessarily a link between actual occupation and the guild a person was a member of.  In William’s case, he trained as a chair maker.

The apprenticeship indenture says that William was the son of Thomas Thompson of the Catherine Wheel, Kent Street, Southwark, Victualler.   While Thomas had started off as a Dyer, he changed careers a few times, working as a labourer, a victualler (licenced to sell alcohol), a carman (carrying goods) and a coachman.  The Catherine Wheel was a coaching inn and yard on Borough High Street, which ran into Kent Street.  It was not far from the famous and still standing George Inn.  If my map reading is correct, I think it is now a KFC.

"Catherine Wheel, Southwark"
lithograph after J.C.Maggs, published in Old English Coaching Inns, 1910. Slight foxing, otherwise good condition. Overall size 43 x 27.5 cms, no margins. Ref H6393 (obtained from Ancestry Images)

One of the terms of William’s apprenticeship was that he was not supposed to “contract matrimony” during the seven years it lasted for.  William did not comply with this condition.  He was also not allowed to “play at Cards, Dice, Tables or any other unlawful Games” and “He shall not haunt Taverns nor Play houses”.  I have no evidence either way regarding his compliance, but he did live in an area full of coaching inns and there must have been many temptations for a young man living in Regency London.

On 30 May 1815, William Thompson married Catherine Foskett as St Mary’s Lambeth, also south of the River in London. Their first child, Harriet Sarah Thompson was born on 12 February 1816, barely 9 months later.  Harriet went on to marry an Irishman named Thomas Archbold. Thomas Archbold seems to have been the family patriarch for a time as he was witness on several family marriage certificates.

"St.Mary, Lambeth"
engraved by T.Higham after a picture by T.H.Shepherd, published in London in the Nineteenth Century, 1831. Steel engraved antique print with recent hand colouring. Good condition. Size 14.5 x 10.5 cms including title, plus margins. Ref G9297 (obtained from Ancestry Images)

William and Catherine had at least 10 more children between 1817 and 1837: Catherine (presumably died young), William, Thomas, Joseph, John, James, Catherine (my ancestor), Frederick, Alfred and George.

In 1818, William’s sister Esther married Thomas Lodge.  She had several children, including Esther Jane and Sarah.  The two girls are key to revealing this story.

By around 1820, the Thompson family had moved north of the River.  Son William was reportedly born in Bishopsgate and the subsequent children were born in or near Shoreditch.  While William Thompson’s family lived in Southwark, wife Catherine’s family lived in the East End.

In 1826, William Thompson, chair maker and son of Thomas, was made free of the Haberdashers Company by oath, so because a Citizen and Freeman of the City of London.  He was sponsored by John Eldridge, his master, so there must not have been any hard feelings regarding the marriage before his apprenticeship was completed.  At this time, the Thompson’s lived at 57 Curtain Road, Shoreditch.

By 1840, a London Directory gives the family’s address as 3 Raven Road, which is next to The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.  They were still at this address at the time of the 1841 Census.

Many of the family were involved in the chair making trade alongside William.  His wife Catherine was a caner, weaving seats for the chairs. Sons James and Alfred were chair makers.  George was a caner in 1851.  Son William was a cabinet maker.

In 1839, son William Thompson married Esther Jane Lodge, his first cousin, the daughter of Esther Thompson, mentioned previously.

The last record I have for William Thompson is the 1841 census.  By the time of the 1851 census, Catherine is listed as a widow, living in Mulberry Cottage. She lived there until her death in 1856.  There are a number of possible death and burial records in the area for William Thompson but it is difficult working out which, if any, is the correct one.

In 1851, daughter Catherine Thompson was living with her sister Harriet Archbold.  Also in the household was thier 16-year-old cousin, Sarah Lodge, working as a caner.  When I saw this, I remembered that son William Thompson married a “Lodge”.  Once I discovered that Esther Jane Lodge was the daughter of Esther Thompson and sister of Sarah, the rest of the puzzle pieces quickly fell into place.  Researching Esther Jane Lodge and Esther Thompson was much easier than researching a popular name like William Thompson.  Finally, last weekend I found William Thompson’s baptism, indexed as Wm and Thos Thompson to make it extra difficult.

Several of William Thompson’s children left London and migrated to the other side of the world.  My ancestor, Catherine, moved to Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, in 1855 soon after she married Philip Charley. Her brother William with wife Esther also went to Ballarat.  Alfred migrated to Australia.  Harriet and Thomas Archbold ended up in New Zealand.

Thanks to a clue in the 1851 census, I have been able to build quite a story of William Thompson’s life and there is still more to discover.

 

Notes on Lineage: Me > Mum > John Macdonald Charley > Walter George Charley > John Joseph Charley > Catherine Thompson > William Thompson

A Master Cook

This shorter post is inspired by the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt “In the Kitchen”.  My ancestor, Gabriel Cracknell, was a successful master cook at University Colleague, Oxford. 

University College is the oldest college in Oxford or Cambridge.  At the time Gabriel worked there, it was all still medieval buildings.  It wasn’t “modernised” until the 1630s.

I don’t know anything about Gabriel’s early life, where he was born or how he trained as a cook.  In the early 1600s and possibly before that, he was employed as a Master Cook at University College Oxford.  The Account Rolls of University College list Gabriel as a cook in 1608 and 1614.

Some details about the life of an Oxford University Cook can be found in the article “Oxford College Cooks, 1400-1800” by Helen Clifford in “Cooks & Other People: Proceeding of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 1995”.  As well as cooking, the cook was responsible for purchasing the food and arranging feasts for the academic staff and students.

As well as being a cook, Gabriel Cracknell was a man of property.  He was known to have owned at least four houses in Oxford, two in the High street.  He also appears to have had a pub called The Queen’s Arms, in Oxford.  When he died in 1620, Gabriel had £350 in cash and his estate was valued at over £1210, which was a vast sum of money for that time.  He can’t have earned all of this money with his job as a cook, as the annual salary was likely around £20.  I wonder if he came from a wealthy family but I can’t find any trace of him prior to 1604, in spite of his unusual name.

By 1604, Gabriel Cracknell was married to Katherine.  I have not yet found a record of their marriage.  In September 1604, their daughter Anne was baptised at St Peter’s in the East, Oxford.  As far as I know, she was their only child.  The family evidently had close ties to St Peter’s in the East, as Anne left a bequest to the church in her 1671 will.

Gabriel Cracknell died in October 1620 and was buried at St Peter’s in the East, Oxford.  His widow, Katherine, remained connected to University College, as she appears in the Account Rolls of University College as a widow in 1629.  She died in 1637 and was also buried at St Peter’s in the East.

Only months after Gabriel died, his daughter Anne married the Reverend William Hastings, a former Oxford University student and grandson of the Earl of Huntingdon.   Anne inherited at least two of her father’s four houses, as William Hastings very kindly left them to her in his will in 1635.  At that time, a woman’s property became her husband’s property when she married.

The origin of the name Cracknell may be a person who made cracknels, which were crisp breads, so it is an occupational name associated with cooking.  Perhaps Gabriel was descended from cooks.

I would like to find out more about Gabriel and the source of his fortune as I am sure it didn’t all come from his work in the kitchen.

 

Lineage:

1. Me
2. Mum
3. Daphne Smith
4. Esther Ilma Lees
5. Fanny Sarah Eliza Briggs
6. Frederick Henderson Briggs
7. Henry Sparrow Briggs
8. Jehu Briggs
9. Lettice Preston
10. Mary Hastings
11. Henry Hastings
12. Anne Cracknell
13. Gabriel Cracknell

Bounty Immigrants

This story is inspired by the prompt “beginnings”.  James Rideout made a new beginning when he and his family migrated to Australia.

In England

James Rideout was the third son of Ambrose Rideout and his wife, Charlotte Bennett.  James was born around 1801 and was baptised in the parish church of Tollard Royal, Wiltshire on 13 May 1801. His brothers were Ambrose, John Bennet and Philip.

Mother Charlotte died in January 1803 following the birth of son Philip. Ambrose appears to have left his four sons with family or friends in Tollard Royal and moved away. I have previously written Ambrose’s story.