Ag. Lab. or Pawnbrokers Apprentice

 

Peter HERRON has several questions to answer concerning his families of interest. The father was Albert Henry NICHOLLS who died in 1961 aged 77 was therefore born around the year 1884 and his wife was a BUTTERY who is believed to have originated from the Bourne area. The first of the children was born in 1912. With this information we can say that it is likely that Albert would have married not earlier than 1901 and before 1912. Albert's wife was younger than him by a few years so the marriage dates can be narrowed down to between 1904 and 1912. According to the 1901 census there are 30 individuals called Albert born between 1882 and 1886. Discarding those with an initial that is not 'H' and all those from 'down south' we end up with two people. Albert born 1882 in Leven who was a waggoner and Albert from York born 1886 who was a pawnbrokers apprentice. The most likely candidate here is Albert the waggoner as he ended life working on the land. Leven is not far from Beverley and Albert is living, according to the 1901 census at Durington. Could this be a mis-spelling for Dunnington which is less than 5 miles from Leven? Using FreeBMD to check out the births there is just the one Albert Henry registered in 1882 and this was in the Rotherham district. Just to make things a little more interesting there is a parish near Rotherham called Dinnington.

I think that the only thing to do is to try and find the marriage certificate which would answer so many of the questions and give that all important link back to the census materials. FreeBMD gives two possibles for the marriage one in Rotherham and one in York.

Another name that has come to light during the week is that of Howsley. Although this one does not turn up in the dictionary it does split nicely in two. The –LEY element is from the Old English leah, a wood or clearing while the first part HOW- can easily be the personal name of the owner which is a form of Hugh. Just as simple could the Old English hoh, a hill, spur of land etc.

One of the things that the LDS is famous for amongst the genealogical fraternity is the amount of data that is held by them. Many of the larger towns have a Family History Centre at the Mormon Church and here you can view virtually everything that they hold. But what do they hold? With a little spare time you could go to London and look through the catalogue at the Hyde Park Family History Centre. This is the largest centre outside North America. Luckily for us there is an on-line link to it at www.hydeparkfhc.org/home.php and you will find what can be ordered for viewing. There is also a list of all the talks on genealogy that will be given and in a number of instances the talks are available as an article to download and read at your leisure.

Bits and Bobs

Grimsby Guardian – 26^th August 1858 – William Appleby was charged by Samuel Parker Story with depasturing cattle in West Marsh Lane on the 24^th inst. Contrary to the Bye Laws of the Borough. It appeared that Appleby, who is an old offender, was watching his cows in the lane and Story had got secreted in a cart that was driving past and sprang out for the purpose of taking them to the pound, but the beasts were forced over a drain into a field. Fined 5s and costs

Lincoln Linx

Working with the Wolds Learning Network in Horncastle gives me the opportunity to go to their offices which is situated in Joseph BANKS House. The house has been totally rebuilt it appears from the outside but being staff I am able to root about in the top floor where the original parts of the house are still in view. This is a fascinating house. The name of the house tells of its claim to fame. Sir Joseph BANKS, 1st Baronet, (1743-1820) was an English naturalist, botanist and science patron. He took part in Captain James COOK'S first great voyage and around 80 species bear BANKS' name. He is credited with the introduction to the West of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa, and the genus named after him, Banksia. BANKS' father died in 1761, and when Joseph turned 21 he inherited the estate of Revesby Abbey, becoming the local Squire and Magistrate, and sharing his time between Lincolnshire and London. Pop in under any pretext to have a look at the house. Sympathetically renovated, modern and ancient building gives it a surprisingly welcoming feel to it. The abbey had had few owners in its lifetime. In 1142, William De ROMARA, Earl of Lincoln and lord of the manor at Revesby, founded an Abbey there for the Cistertian monks. In 1538 it was granted to Charles BRANDON, Duke of Suffolk, and it thence passed from his family to the HOWARDs, Dukes of Berkshire, and from them to the BANKS family.

This week the names I shall look at come from my visit to Horncastle and the Linx Housing Trust. The first name I shall look at is ALLENDER. There are very few examples of this in Lincolnshire. In general the name appears in the middle of the country with the highest concentration in 1881 being in Wolverhampton. By 1998 the centre has shifted to Sheffield and it is here that Jack ALLENDERs mother was born around 115 years ago with the maiden name HARRINGTON. Without research going back as far as the changes in spelling it is difficult to say what the origin of ALLENDER is. However a very similar name is that of ALLENDE and the Old Spanish allende meaning someone who lived some distance from the main habitation.

The name BRUCKSHAW is as you will have noticed a variation on BROOKSHAW. Again this is a name that is not originally from Lincolnshire. Mainly from the Crewe in 1881 we find the Lincolnshire variation BIRKENSHAW throughout the county. This comes from BRUKENSHAW and the two words have the Old English origin of bruc being a brook and scaga that became shaw and was a copse and so we get the dweller living by the copse near a brook. One interesting thing about the name is that when I put the surname into the census search engine it returned not one single Ag. Lab. I am sure that this was purely due to the places that the families lived. A few farmers were listed but in the main the occupations were town based and the type of thing that we now associate with a factory. Put in any Lincolnshire name and 90% would be returned as labouring on a farm.

 

Bits and Bobs

1341 Royal Inquest in Lincolnshire – Gilbert de LEDRED, sheriff of Lincolnshire, in 14 Edward III had a royal commission to collect wool and took 20s from Thomas de LEKYNGFELD of Barton upon Humber not to take his wool. Likewise on the same day similarly took 20s from Thomas del BANK. – Lincoln Record Society Vol 78.

There is very little today that is new. Shouts about sleaze are likely to go back to Noah building the ark and whether the timber bought was kosher.

Allis in Wonderland

 

This week it was my pleasure to attend the confirmation of a friend in Brigg. Amongst the couple of dozen or so candidates were the usual names that turn up everywhere such as MARSHALL and MILLER. There were also the few that are particular to local areas such as PETCH and BRUMBY plus those that originate with place names such as FEATHERSTONE, SHIPLEY and WALKEDON. The other main supply of surnames is from Christian names and these were well represented along with those such as MURCH which I recently wrote about.

Anyone who has looked through the really old registers will have seen my first name to look at. It would appear as Als or Allis and is to be found in Wonderland as Alice. The Brigg surname is ALLISS. In its original form of Adalhaidis it was then contracted down to Alis and a variation of its original form is to be found today as Adelaide.

The Christian name Giles may end up as a surname but this is an odd one with several very similar surnames having different roots. Taking it's start as the name of a saint and the hermit St Ǽgidius becomes Gile and Gille. However the surname GILL was to be found in the Domesday book but came from a dweller by the ravine and the word is still used today. A diminutive of GILL is GILLEAT which along with its numerous spellings is a name that can be found in this area of Lincolnshire.

The name PETCH is one of those local names and was listed by GUPPY as peculiar to Yorkshire. The name came from a nickname and was used, I feel, in a similar way that some one who was short would be called lofty. The word originates from the Latin peccatum evolved to the Old French peche and pechie, a sin. Way back in 1123 Robert PECCEO, the Bishop of Coventry, was nicknamed Peche; another name that comes from the same root is PEACHEY.

Those nice people the Latter Day Saints have a new website where you can say thank you for all their work that resulted in the IGI. If you sign up to do some indexing for them you will get a single page of work to transcribe along with a small program in which to type your transcript. All projects being administered by FamilySearch Indexing and participating genealogical and historical societies are listed. Each project is posted with a unique set of indexing guidelines and interesting facts. To do your bit visit http://labs.familysearch.org/ and say thank you. There are lists of the projects completed, underway and to come. These are mainly in the Americas but there are a few Irish items to work on and a Glamorgan that I couldn't access.

Bits and Bobs

LRSM - 23rd May 1800 - If the Legal Representatives of Charles FOWLER, Son of Joseph FOWLER, formerly of Goltho in the County of Lincoln. Gent, deceased and of Selina FOWLER, daughter of the same Joseph FOWLER, will apply to Mr BALDWIN, Attorney at Law in Lincoln, they will hear of something to their advantage. The said Charles FOWLER was bound Apprentice in the Year 1773 from Christ´s Hospital, London to a Captain RATCLIFFE, who then traded to Jamaica: was afterwards in the Year 1777, a Midshipman on Board one of His Majesty´s Ships then lying at Spithead; and in the month of February 1779, was in Quebec in Canada. The said Selina FOWLER married a Mr SPENCER, supposed to be a Sea-faring Man, and died about the Year 1769.

.

 

Sauce for the Goose

 

 

There was a recent exchange on the internet concerning the PERRIN surname. I, like many others, instantly think of LEA & PERRINS sauce when the surname is used and have often wondered who they were. The story goes that Worcestershire sauce itself is of cross-cultural origins.  In 1835, Lord Marcus SANDYS, who was the ex-governor of Bengal, approached chemists John Wheeley LEA and William PERRINS, whose business in Broad Street, Worcester, handled pharmaceutical's and toiletries as well as groceries.  He asked them to make up a sauce from a recipe which he brought back from India.  While his lordship was apparently satisfied with the results, Messrs LEA and PERRINS considered it to be an "unpalatable, red-hot fire-water" and left the quantity they had made for themselves in the cellars. During the stocktaking and spring clean the following year, they came across the barrel and decided to taste it before discarding it.  To their amazement, the mixture had mellowed into an aromatic, piquant and appetizing liquid.  They hastily purchased the recipe from Lord SANDYS and, in 1838, the Anglo-Indian LEA & PERRINS Worcestershire sauce was launched commercially.  So now you know.

The surname PERRINS has a number of origins and all the spellings interchange with each other so that the only way to find the exact origin is to follow the line back to its beginning. The various spelling of PERRIN, PERRON and PEROWNE are respectively the diminutive of the French Perre (Peter) and this works with the various endings such as –in, -el or –un and appears in PARRELL and PERRIN. The name PEROWNE belongs to the Huguenots. A Lincolnshire example is that of Geoffrey PERRUN who was linked to the Templars in 1185.

Lincolnshire has its own origin for LEA. With the various spelling of LEE, LEIGH, LYE and LAYE one can assume that there are numerous beginnings for this surname. A search through any gazetteer gives you any number of villages that include the surname. The Old English word leah was used for one who dwells in the area by a wood or in a clearing. The same word by the time of the Middle English became leye or lye and it is from this that some of the other variations come. The same origin, same meaning but of a later date.

I have received an e-mail from Cynthia TUPHOLME in Canada. Further to her request last week on the surname it seems from her email that it was just one family that had left Lincolnshire years ago and settle in the Ontario area. This is another of those instances where history comes full circle. Tupholme was the island of sheep down in the fens originally. Cynthia and her family "live on one of the most amazing islands in the world, known for it's quality of lamb and we are breeders of registered Suffolk sheep!" If TUPHOLME is your name then get in touch with your long lost cousins at www.geocities.com/cerdinen4stock/

 Bits and Bobs

Lincoln Lindsey Petty Sessions 2 May 1851 - Hannah DENMAN, of Torksey, applied for an order of affiliation on Alfred DALTON, of Wiseton, Notts: the frail fair one, however, admitted that her favours had been bestowed on three different men; and one wit said, "Thou knowest, Hannah, thou was very enticing, and that he did not know that the child was not his".

Anne on the 'net.

CARR HOLME

 

This is as Lincolnshire as a surname can be and it belongs to Cynthia TUPHOLME who lives in Salt Spring Island, Canada. Back at the time of the first millennium the area around the fens and up to Lincoln was large swamp with small islands by the dozen. These could be Carrs or Holmes and generally meant a bit of dry land in a swampy area. The first part of the name - TUP - is still in use. Have a chat to your local shepherd. At some stage during his year he will be putting the Tup in with the sheep and when you see a blue or red mark on a sheep's rear then you know that the Tup has done his work. The Tup is the ram. Tupholme was the island that had sheep on it. A good place to check this out is the LincsHeritage site which has a very nice article on the Abbey. "In the middle of the twelfth century, a newly elected Abbot and twelve canons set out from Newsham in North Lincolnshire to found a new Premonstratensian Abbey on the 'island of the sheep' at Tupholme." Many of the holders of the name are to be found in the south of the county with the earliest register entry I found being the baptism of William TUPHOLME in 1565 in Boston. In 1175 it was spelt TUPEHOLM so really hasn't changed a great deal over the years. Mind you due to the accent there are a few TUPHAM families about. In the Whites 1856 Directory the township of Tupholme had 73 people living there and there is no church listed.

A name that I put in the column last year is that of HADDELSEY. I have been known to put the column onto the Grasby.blogspot occasionally and it is here that Brian HADDLESEY came across it. It was Mrs Armstrong who had first brought up the subject of the HADDELSEY surname and if either she or anyone else researching it would like to contact Brian on hzr3zr@yahoo.com he would be delighted to hear from you. He has a large database on the family and is interested in sharing his data.

One of the things that was needed was someone to take on the restoration of the stone monuments in churchyards and one that has taken it up and contacted me recently is Stephen TOOP of Grimsby. The name I thought sounds Dutch to me but when I had a look at the National Trust Surname site I found that the main concentration for the name in 1881 was in Devon, Dorset and Somerset. By 1998 an enclave was to be found in Lincolnshire and the name could now be found throughout the southern counties. A quick peek at the Family Search website confirmed the findings with hundreds of TOOP individuals to be found in the south west from the 16^th century onwards. Some of the very earliest use of the name are to be found in the Domesday Book and are in Lincolnshire. The Domesday Book mentions one Ulf TOPE. The name most likely comes from the Old Danish name Topi.

Bits and Bobs

THE LOUTH & NORTH LlNCOLNSHIRE ADVERTISER - 1st June 1872 - A meeting of the friends of Mr Thomas KIRKHAM of Biscathorpe House, near Louth, the celebrated ram breeder, was held at Lincoln yesterday (Friday) week. when it was resolved to present that gentleman with a portrait of himself. A subscription has been entered into for carrying out the purpose. and when completed. will be presented as a token of esteem for the services he has rendered to agriculturalists in having so successfully devoted himself to the importance of the breed of Lincolnshire sheep, and as a testimonial of the regard in which he is held.

Bye Rod

Way back in March 2000 Rod NEEP had a bright idea; now that the technology was available why not scan in rare books, directories and census returns and put then onto CD; before Rod knew where he was the CDs were being produced in the UK and soon in USA, Canada, Australia, Holland and Ireland. There are now over 2,500
old and rare books on CD for sale to historians and genealogists. Sadly as Rod NEEP has decided to retire – again - Archive CD Books will cease taking new orders and the company will be closed down. The company is not being sold. I mentioned in this column recently that the company had a closing down sale and the profits from this are being used in the Archive CD Books Kenyan project; as Rod says "I am donating £20,000.00 from the proceeds of the GB closing down sale to the funds to build another new school in Kenya. (Would I like to keep that as profit? Sure! But there are others who can gain immense benefit from it). Everyone who has purchased our CDs can take some pleasure in that too". I for one shall really miss this resource but we will still be able to get disks from the other countries still working and Ireland is not so far away. Looking at one set of disks that I recently bought I notice that the Isle Wight census of 1861 is available for €17.17 plus €2.25 postage etc instead of £12.93 plus £2 p&p which at today's exchange rate looks like a bargain to me.

While on the subject of the Archive CD Books there are a series of indexes that you can download from the site. Along with Lincolnshire 1841 Pigots Directory and a number of other counties directories, there are seven 1841 censuses place indexes, numerous Visitation books, but not Lincolnshire. You will have to buy one from the Lincolnshire Family History Society who has indexed all the censuses plus just about everything else.

We have just rung a quarter peal at Elsham and wandering around the churchyard I came across the Yorkshire name ETTY. This one occurred mostly in the East Riding but by 1998 the highest concentration moves from York to Lincoln. The Lincolnshire families seem to come from the Sleaford area in 1881. A very similar name is that of ATTY and where ETTY came from the Old English word eata and Yorkshire, ATTY is from further north and from Old English teag, an enclosure.

Bits and Bobs THE BRITISH FREEHOLDER & SATURDAY EVENING JOURNAL - 18th January 1823 - DEPLORABLE OCCURRENCE - On Friday last, 10th inst., a melancholy circumstance occurred in the neighbourhood of Broadholme near Lincoln. Mr. COCKING, a respectable farmer of that place, in company with a visitor went out for the purpose of shooting rabbits. Whilst in pursuit of their game, a rabbit offered a good opportunity for a shot, by passing in a direction which, however, was obstructed by Mr. COCKING´S friend standing in that quarter. Mr. COCKING presented his piece over the head of his friend, who accordingly crouched down a few paces off - the trigger was pulled - the powder flashed in the pan, - and as the gun did not instantly go off, the young man who stooped conceived that the piece had missed fire, and arose from his bended position, when, shocking to relate, the contents of the gun were exploded within a few yards of his head, which was so dreadfully shattered, as to cause his immediate death.

An Interesting Snippet

The Parish Registers of Whaplode - Memorandem - January 27th 1820 - At the last summer assizes, John BIMROSE, of this parish, was capitally convicted of wilfully firing a gun about midnight, into the chamber window of William Wilders, of the Star public house. He supposed that his wife, whom he had turned out, was there: for which offence the said John BIMROSE received sentence of death, & was left for execution on Friday the 6th day of August 1819. But on Sunday: August 1st, myself, the Churchwardens, Overseers of the Poor, & almost every Parishioner, signed a petition for commutation of punishment: at the same time setting on foot a subscription to defray the expenses of sending a special messenger after the Judge, to Derby, for that purpose, which was happily effected: & the messenger arrived back at Lincoln Castle with a reprieve on Wednesday Aug 4th at about 10 o'clock at night... Ultimately he was transported for life N.B. The whole expense was £21

It ought not, by any means, to be omitted recording that, among the principal people of this Parish, shooting into houses, breaking open doors, demolishing windows & such like transactions, in the night, has been, for some years, a common drunken frolic: which was always made up in a day or two, by paying for the damage done, & spending a few shillings, by way of a treat!!!....It might have been reasonably supposed that the narrow escape of this poor culprit would have proved a wholesome example: & effected a moral reformation in the Parish, but, alas, the grosser acts of violence are only restrained! The same spirit of notorious impiety, profligacy & licentiousness continues to prevail. And a great many are triumphantly bringing up their children in the same contumacious manner!!! That God Almighty may turn the heads of the disobedient, into the wisdom of the just, thro Jesus Christ our Lord Saml OLIVER. It was in the registers of Samuel OLIVER that the fact was noted that the parents of the child were 'stark raging Ranters'. The name BEMROSE seems to have started out in the Lincolnshire area wsere it was highly concentrated in the 1881 census. It is thought to have originated from the name of a now vanished village.

Whilst on the subject of prison. The archive books CDs are at half price and I have just purchased the 1861 census for the Isle of Wight. On one disk is the prison and if one of your ancestors was here then you will have trouble pinpointing him as they are only listed as for instance - J. B. – Prisoner – U – 17 – Tailor – Lincolnshire – Boston or J. B. – Prisoner - U – 12 – Labourer – Lincolnshire – Frampton and these two do exist as above. Best of luck.

Bits and Bobs

The Times (London) 17 Jul 1908 - Prizes for large families - At the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society's annual show, opened yesterday at Sleaford, prizes were offered to the agricultural labourers who had brought up and placed out the largest numbers of children, without having received parochial relief. The first prize of £4 went to George FARMERY, of Hemswell, Lincoln, who had 23 children, 17 of whom were brought up, and 14 placed out. The second prize went to John ELSEY, of Lusby, near Spilsby, who had 14 children, 14 of whom were brought up, and 11 placed out. The third prize-winner was William BELL, of Croxby, Caistor, with 14 children born, 11 brought up, and the same number placed out. The five men competing in the class had a total of 78 children.

A couple of months later it was listed in the New Zealand newspapers. He won again the next year and received another £4. With wages being 15 shillings a week the winnings would have been a nice addition to the family budget.

Posted by Alan MOORHOUSE

 

A Hidden Agenda

There is a new list on the block; well it sounds good and street wise but they are calling it the hidden BMD index. Typical newspaper type talk and ever so slightly exaggerated. They are talking about the new site set up using data from the National Archives. The data that is included is from the Non-parochial and Dissenters Registers to be found under the National Archives reference numbers RG4 & RG5. The aim of this site is to provide you with access to various unpublished registries from 1534 to 1865, which can usually provide records of three generations of a family or more. Usually proving to be the only record of the event, these previously unpublished records are a fantastic resource for the family historian. The site says that birth, marriage and death records are the most important way of tracking down your ancestors. The trouble is the BMD records in the General Record Office main index only go back as far as 1837 and even then many events are missing from these records due to the nature of the material. The hidden birth, marriage and death records have been compiled from various unpublished registries and many unusually include records of three generations of a family. These are a fantastic resource for the family historian and often prove to be the only record of the events. But they are not all the BMD entries to be found what of those in the C of E registers? At the end of the day the vast majority of people that lived in the UK were and still are today nominally CofE and their records are to be found (if at all) in the church registers which means that generally you will have to go to the local archives and trawl through unindexed registers until something of interest turns up. I hate to be a kill joy but until the rest of the country is working as hard as Gordon on the Lincolnshire parish registers and the Lincolnshire Family History Society in getting everything in the Lincoln Archives indexed then we still have to do some work for ourselves. Thank goodness. It is rather boring when it is all laid out for you. Work on the Isle of Wight branch of my family tree consists of going to Newport Archive office and opening a large drawer full of index cards, getting out the Barton section, this is my research carried out because everything I need is there. All the parish registers have been copied and entries put into alphabetical order. In addition, never take anyone’s word for anything, always check it out for yourselves. Take a look at www.bmdindex.co.uk/ it does have some interesting links to other sites connected with genealogical suppliers. Oh and I almost forgot. As usual you do have to pay to view most of the details. Before you do pay up though have a quick check of the IGI because many of the entries have already been put on line by the LDS and are available for you to look at for free.
Bits and Bobs
The Old Bailey – 17th July 1728 - Ann Hatfield, alias Pack, alias Selby , was indicted for feloniously marrying William Pack , her former Husband Francis Selby , being alive . It appeared that the Prosecutor came from Stamford in Lincolnshire to look for his Wife, and found her at the Horns in Rosemary-Lane, where he was informed she was married to another Husband, but the latter Marriage not appearing plain, she was acquitted.

It’s a New one on Me

Becoming involved with a new set of clients and one comes into contact with new names. Occasionally one finds something new and this last week I was lucky enough to meet Joanne ISSOTT. This is not a surname that I have ever come across in Lincolnshire and a search of the 1901 census shows why it is so rare. While the various family members seem to have been born in a number of places they were all to be found in St Peter at Gowts or St Swithins. Could these be the start of the Lincolnshire family of today? Hardy ISSOTT is born at Hitchin and putting Hitchen as place of birth into the search of the 1901 census a number of other family members turn up. This time there seems to be several links among the people. Some are tailors and includes another that is living in Kent is a tailoress. Most interesting is the fact that the eldest person in the list is that of Joseph the tailor and he was born in Normanby. Another unusual occupation is that of Louise in Lincoln who is a manageress of a penny bazaar. I wonder where that was. The name ISSOTT is one of a great many variations of a name that dates back to the Domesday Book. Generally the first vowel is always the letter I but the SS can also be Z while the O might be E, A or I and finally the TT might be RD or LT. Permutate any of these and you will find a spelling for the surname ISSOTT. The name comes from the Old French Isalt, Isaut or Ysole
My local history programme has arrived from the Nottingham University. Some of the Day Schools will be held in Lincoln at Edward King House. Did you know that 2007 marks the 850th anniversary of Henry II wearing his crown at Wigford? The event was commemorated by a banquet at St Mary’s Guildhall. To follow on from this a Day School which starts at 9.15am has been set up to take a closer look at the 12th century and its effect on Lincolnshire’s history. The civil war coming to an end and St Hugh of Avalon will take up the morning then after a buffet lunch the Day School will focus on architecture and a detailed examination of (it says here) the ‘Crazy Vault’ in the cathedral and a look at Bishop Hugh’s master mason. The final part of the day which finishes at 5pm is a reconsideration of the role of Lincoln Castle in the years after the Norman Conquest. To book a place or check out the lectures at Jubilee Campus in Nottingham contact the office at 01159514390.

Bits and Bobs

LRSM - 10th November 1809 - On Wednesday the 1st instant JOHN CODD, groundkeeper to Mr Ald GIBBESON of Lincoln, having been at Newark Fair, left the White Swan Inn in that town about three o’clock in the afternoon on his return home: his horse was found about a mile from Newark with one stirrup gone and the bridle broken: the rider has not been heard of since.
Lincolnshire Family History Society Extracts

Coming Your Way

The Lincolnshire Family History Society has set up a series of workshops that start from the very beginning of your research. These workshops have a limited number of places so I suggest that you get in quickly if you would like to attend. All the events will be held at the society research room at Unit 6 Monks Way, Monks Road. For those that attend all five sessions there will be a very large reduction in the price. The Beginners’ Workshop on Sept 22nd lasts from 9.45 ‘til 3.15 and will tell you all you need to know to get started. Giving you enough time to digest all that you learnt here - the next session is on Oct 21st from 9.45 – 1.00 when you can get you hands onto the Internet side of things. The next sessions will build on this by looking at the National Archives and the Lincolnshire Family History Society website and more on-line on Nov 17th at the same times as the previous session. The Internet workshops may be repeated in the New Year if the demand is high enough. There will also be further workshops that will include Poor Law and the Workhouses. I will put out more details in November on this.

Jan from New Zealand put a query onto the internet and it was one of his family surnames that caught my eye especially after the recent column on the names to be found in Charles DICKENS books. The message was fairly plain with Jan saying “my relative Ethel May PACEY married George Arnold in New Zealand. She was born in Hemswell, Lincs in about 1880”. Ethel can be found in the 1881 census along with the rest of the family living in Hemswell. Several of the people living in the house were born in Osbournby. I wonder if any of these had been familiar with the gentleman mention below in Bits and Bobs? But I digress as one does. However the name that had caught my eye was the GRINDROD family name. The family is thought to have emigrated to New Zealand from the Louth or Sleaford areas. The reason for this though seems to be that each member of the PACEY family married in New Zealand the person they married came from families they seemed to have a connection with in UK. The main concentration of the GRINDROD surname is on the west of the country in the area of Lancashire with a small outpost in both Suffolk and Cornwall. The index for 1881 backs this up with most of the names being linked to Lancashire so it seems that if they did go to New Zealand from Lincolnshire they may have only been passing through on their way to somewhere else. The PACEY origin is from the Pacy-sur-Eure in Normandy and no doubt we have William the Conqueror to thank for the arrival. GRINDROD is thought to be a locational name that is in the locality of Rochdale and started out as GRENEROADE. A plainer version of this is the surname GREENROAD and it would have been near this green road that the person lived.

Bits and Bobs
LRSM 13 December 1850
Grantham County Petty Sessions 6 December
Chas. TOWNSHEND, of Osbournby, was brought up on a charge of not contributing towards the maintenance of the illegitimate child of Ann MUSSON, of Pickworth. The parties stated they had agreed to settle the dispute by getting married: the case was adjourned for a month, to see if Townshend fulfilled his promise.
No sign of a marriage in FreeBMD but in the 1881 census there is a Charles Townsend of around the right age and born in Sewstern, Leicestershire who is married to Hester from Exton and all of the places mentioned are in the same general area. Could this be he? Let me know if you know different.

Our Rodney

I have just had the delightful opportunity to get to know – slightly – some of the travelling ladies of Gainsborough. Preconceived ideas went out of the window and a unique way of looking at life came in. The event was a workshop to look at family trees with the emphasis on the Romany/Gipsy/Traveller records. Most people will say that there would be little that can be found on the traveller but when I looked up the only gypsy that I know – Gypsy SMITH born in 1860 – he said in his book that gipsies always had their children baptised as it was a matter of business and so are recorded. After a short pause one of the ladies mentioned, in a matter of fact way, that Gypsy SMITH had come up with the “Gypsy Gospel Wagon” as part of the Salvation Army into which he had been invited by General BOOTH and was her great-great-Uncle. The event was set up by Elizabeth TAYLOR and Paul BOUCHER. Both of these are occupational names. The TAILOR we all know but BOUCHER comes from the Old French bouchier and thence to Middle English boucher and the more familiar butcher. Another occupational name is that of BIDDLE. This is a just a change in the spelling of the official known as the Beadle. The job was made famous through Charles DICKENS books.
Some of the names that came up were highly concentrated into specific areas. One of the least spread out was that of RICKER. Found in one small area in the middle of England this is a variation on the Christian name Richard which makes it odd that there are so few. Another centralised name is that of CALLADINE. Found mainly in the Nottingham and Derby areas this name is of unknown origin but thought to be connected in some way to CARWARDINE. CARWARDINE does have an origin from the place in Cheshire called Carden which in the 13th century was spelt Kawrdin.
One of the things I noticed was the Irish accent that was prevalent. Not really surprising really as most of the travellers have Irish links of one kind or another but some of these links are many years ago. Two names of Irish ancestry turned up even though one of these was a helper and not a client. The first was DUFFY. This has links to Scotland as well as Ireland with dubh - duff being the gaelic word for black. The Gaelic O’DUBHTHAIGH would have been a descendant of someone with the name Dubhthach and this was borne by a 6th century saint from Armagh. The name we now have as O’FARRELL also comes from a forename and the ‘correct’ spelling was O’ FEARGHAIL and this time was the descendant of Fearghal .
A locational name next. HALLAM which is in a regional name around southern Yorkshire is thought to be of the same type root at ALLAM and the name ALLUM. These two come from the south of the country and the place name Alham which is in Somerset.
And finally a nickname. The Old Norse frio meant seed and this evolved into offspring, child or small person. In fact just a small FRY.
Bits and Bobs
Thanks to the Internet the information that there is a Lincolnshire burial to be found in Tuddenham St.Mary Suffolk parish registers - 10 August 1628 John WALKER of Wigstoft Lincs, a traveller – and is passed on to interested parties by Margaret Taylor who lives in Toronto.
The ease with which data can be found and passed around the world continues to astonish me.

Where Has All The Money Gone?

The question everyone wants to know the answer to is what happened to John ROLLITT who disappeared with a load of money in 1808? Perhaps not everyone but Helen ASH would be interested as he is on one of the branches in her family tree. I believe that John was eventually found for he is recorded in the 1841 census. Aged around 80 years of age (the 1841 census rounds the age of adults down to the nearest 5 years) this would put is birth date at approx 1761. The newspaper said that he was aged 45 years old in 1808 which gives a birth date of 1763. This looks like the man we want. He is listed as being of Independent Means on the census so this indicates money from somewhere. It does not say whether the Elizabeth aged 53 years who is living at the same house was his wife or daughter. It is unlikely that any of us will take our wealth with us when we pop our clogs so a search of the Lincolnshire Archives Wills should say what is left behind. The only John ROLLITT Will I found was dated 1905 and he was a grocer in Navenby. The surname has a somewhat complicated history. Beginning with the spelling ROELET in 1280 in Hampshire it was a variation on the Christian name Rowland. The similar sounding surname variation RAULOT in Sussex has originated from Raul or Ralph. The thinking is that due to the popularity of Rolland and instead of the English version developing as RAWLETT it ended up at ROLLETT

The Petty Session at Lincoln in 1850 showed the rather anti-traveller bias that was felt in 19^th century Lincolnshire. This was partly due to the fact that if a parish was not careful it could find itself liable for the upkeep of poor people from other parts of the country. Lincoln City Petty Sessions - 12
September 1850 - Joseph TURNEY, fellmonger, of Ashby de la Zouch, was ordered to pay 2s weekly towards the support of the illegitimate child of Eliz. FORMAN. It was stated that the poor woman had been under the necessity of pawning her clothing to raise the means of fetching the man up to Lincoln. TURNEY said he had to pay nearly 2s weekly to the fund of his own trade towards the maintenance of tramps. The Mayor said he had better give over paying, as it was only encouraging an idle set of scamps to prowl about the country, and there would always be tramps while people supported them.

Bits and Bobs

Have you lost a relative – you just never know when they will turn up.

From a Waukesha newspaper, Wisconsin, USA - ROBERT BRAY, Pewaukee; is a native of Lincolnshire, Eng.; was born in the town of Winterton, Jan. 10, 1853. In his native town he learned the mason's trade; Sept. 6, 1872, he married, in Lincolnshire, Emily KENDALL They emigrated to this country in 1873; located in Pewaukee, Waukesha Co., Wis., where they have since resided; they have three children. Mr. Bray takes contracts in brick and stone work, and, being a thorough mechanic, he is steadily engaged. He was Village Marshal in 1879.

Robert returned to England with their three US born sons in 1884 and they are to be found on the Yorkshire 1901 census. However they did not stay and in 1808 they entered the US at Ellis Island on their way "home" to Winnipeg which suggests that they came to Canada earlier. Certainly one of Robert's sons, George Matthew Bray, arrived in Canada in 1905. George Matthew died in Los Angeles.

Have Horse Will Travel

 

 

Neil read the column recently concerning the CHAMBERS family at Wragby. This family connects into his family tree with George and Henry being the elder brothers of his great-great-great-grandfather Robert. Sadly this is where the trail goes cold for Neil; this is his brickwall. If you have any links please let me know and I will pass them on. Another name that comes into the conversation at this point is that of BOOTH with Elizabeth CHAMBERS marrying George BOOTH the son of John & Mary. Brickwall number two. In 1856 there were 466 souls living in the parish of Benniworth which is just six miles north east of Wragby and although Neil just says Holton I assume that he means Holton cum Beckering, with its 185 souls, which is two and half miles to the north west. The family does seem to be nicely compact and grouped into a single area. One of Neil's family lines is that of CREASEY. The CREASEY family came from Heckington and the story goes that they owned a number of horses and that these were stolen sometime before 1739. The thief was no other than Dick TURPIN and the theft was part of the trail that led to York where he was living under the name of John PALMER. After 'Googling' Dick TURPIN and reading some of the websites dedicated to him it seems that the tales of daring-do carried out by TURPIN were actually rather squalid affairs. What should Neil do next? He has traced some of his branches back to 1547 and so one can assume that he will know his way around the parish registers; it is here that the digging takes place. One aid in the search can be found on the BENNETT Family website at www.parloc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Download the freeware parish locator to be found there. Using this very useful little program enter a central parish in your search area then print out the parishes within ten miles or so. Then it's off to the archives to start the trawling of the registers.

The name CHAMBERS is from the same root and meaning the same as the official called the CHAMBERLAIN. The chamber would have been in a rather grand residence. The BOOTH name on the other hand was decidedly further down market. Still used further north the booth comes from the Old Danish word bōth which was a herdsman's hut. Today it would be called a bothey and what would probably have been used as a shepherd's hut has been restored and is now used by walkers.

CREASEY was very much a name belonging to the eastern coast of England. Very common in Lincolnshire and the fens and could be found right through to parts of Kent. The name is of French origin and no doubt everyone will have heard of the battle of Crecy and it is from this location that the name comes. By the 1180s Alexander de CRECY could be found in Lincolnshire and his name recorded in the Gilbertine Charters.

Bits and Bobs

LRSM -1st July 1808 - On Saturday se´nnight died at Sutton near Hull, aged 94, George RYSTON, an out-pensioner of Chelsea Hospital, who was in the Battles of Dettingen and Culloden, and at the taking of Belleisle. He twice gave up his pension to be actively serviceable to his King and Country. He was married thirteen times, and six of his wives were alive at one time.

A veritable glutton for punishment with thirteen mothers-in-law!!

 

Look at it this way.

Why is it that whatever the name someone can come up with a new way of using it? Whenever you look at the census you have to be aware that the name you are looking for might not be the one that is listed. The change might be down to the daughter of the house having the name Margaret but being known to all as Peggy. Mind you my mother was a Peggy but she was christened as such. Names of today are being used rather differently to those of the past. In many cases what was once a nickname is now the given name. If your ancestor was an Elizabeth then she could be listed as Betty, Liz, Lizzie or Eliza. It's not just the Rev. Samuel OLIVER who didn't know the names. He made it clear that he was unsure by putting down all the variation at his disposal. However I am unsure how he managed to guess at the name being HEWERDINE or CASTLEDINE or even HAWKIN or SOUTHERN or SOUTHERAL. And you think you have a problem because you have a couple of Williams in the family.

A name that I have been looking for recently is that of BLYTHIN. A variation can be arrived at by putting a 'g' on the end and making BLYTHING. The surname concentration for BLYTHIN is in the Flint and Wrexham area. BLYTHIN is considered to be the English version. The Celtic version is BLYTHING and has the same concentration plus the Merseyside area. In 1881 there were just 311 individuals with the name and almost without exception they all have links to this area. I am unsure of the meaning for this surname but there seems to be a possible change to BLEDDYN and into the mysteries of the welsh language. A search on the internet produces the site www.surnamedb.com. This interesting site gives the information that "Recorded as BLETHIN, BLEYTHIN, BLEYTHING, BLYTHIN, and others, this is a surname which has Welsh royal connections. It derives from the Ancient British personal name "Bleddyn," translating as the son of Little Wolf. The name is much associated with early Welsh royalty, Bleddyn ap CYNFAN, being the prince of Gwynedd in the 11th century. The early recordings are all associated with Wales, although the variant spellings have often been English. Meredith ap BLETHYN was given as being a Welshman or Briton, who in what was then known as "The Survey" but later became the famous Domesday Book, is recorded as holding the manor of Oswestry."

Bits and Bobs

LRSM - 2nd October 1801 - Marriage: On Tuesday, the 15th instant at Bottesford, Lincolnshire, John KIRK an occasional preacher in the Methodist Connexion, to Susanna SEATON of Burringham, a Mantua Maker. The patient Bride had kept company near two years with a Blacksmith of the same place, and was actually Published with him in the Church (Banns) the very Sunday preceding her marriage; but for reasons best known to herself, eloped next day with the Preacher; so true it is that we know not what a day may bring forth.

 

 

It’s a Grave Situation

 

Did you read the recent article on old graves? It seems that many of the older graves are going to be reused due to the shortage of burial plots. The largest cemetery in the country is the one at the City of London where at least 1000 graves have been reused with, in some cases, the old gravestones being put face down and inscribed with the new occupants details. The New Scientist has pointed out that the problem is even worse in Singapore where the graves site is only guaranteed for 15 years before the resident is dug up and the grave reused. Occasionally the occupants of two graves are combined. What would your thoughts be on finding that your relative is now buried with a total stranger? The visitors to the City of London cemetery are now coming across notices which read "This memorial has been identified for possible reclamation. If you visit this grave please contact the Conservation Team." Keep a watch on your family monuments for they could end up being recycled.

I noticed that the General Registry Office at Southport is reaching its goals 100% of the time. When this is 2,000,000 certificates in one year I find that impressive. If you would like to know how it is done then you could always visit the office on the Open Days in June just contact the Public Relations Unit on 0151 471 4530.

During some research on the registers of Folkingham I found an item of interest. The entry said "The Most Noble John Marquis of Granby & Peer of Folkingham buried May 17^th 1790. A Pauper & died by Dancing once a slack rope." Any idea what the slack rope was? It wasn't dancing on the end of a rope by any chance?

For sale on eBay recently was a document for WIGTOFF for the Lease of two parcels of land John NEWZAM of Wigtoff, Farmer and George CASSWELL of Wigtoff, Grasier and is dated 16 August 1809 in the 49th year of the reign of King George III. It refers to All that piece of pasture land in Wigtoff called Low Catherine or Low Cattering Toft of 5 acres, abutting on Staggot's Lane. Also a piece of pasture land in Wigtoff called High Catherine Toft and Davis Green of 7 acres abutting on a Division drain between Wigtoff and Swineshead. The name NEWZAM is fairly local and a variation of NEWSHAM. Originally coming from places such as Newsham, Newham or Newholme. CASSWELL has a great many variations from KERSWILL to CRASWELL to CRESSELL and any combination you can think of. The original holder of the name was a dweller by the water-cress stream and comes from the Old English cærse wiella and survives today as the name of many villages throughout England.

Bits and Bobs

LRSM - 5th October 1821 - Whereas, William MIDDLETON, late of East Kirkby in the county of Lincoln, labourer, did about 4 or 5 weeks ago, desert his wife, who is since become chargeable to the Parish of Spalding, in the said county. Whoever will apprehend the said William MIDDLETON, and give notice to Mr. Thos. NORTH, Assistant Overseer of the Parish of Spalding, shall receive Two Guineas Reward. NB. William MIDDLETON is a jollyish man, about 5 feet 6 or 8 inches high, with dark hair inclined to grey and is upwards of 50 years of age.

Still at School

 

Having spent the afternoon working at Grasby Primary School building 'affordable homes for birds' I was beginning to wonder about the subject for this week. Then Julie came to the rescue with a request to look at her name of interest – URWIN. This is an ancient name that goes back to the time of the Conqueror's invasion and the Domesday Book. EUERUINUS was living in Hampshire in 1066 and twenty years later when the Domesday Book was written Gilchrist filius ERUINI could be found in Norfolk. Although the name had its origins down south the main concentration for it in 1881 was in the area of Durham. During the next hundred years plus the main concentration moved just a few miles up the road to Newcastle although there are pockets of URWINS throughout the country, it is from Newcastle that Julie's family came. Not a very numerous name and in the 1901 census there were less than 140 individuals in Newcastle. The greater number of these lived in Elswick. Not many were straight forward labourers but were clerks of one sort or another. They worked for banks, builders, ironmongers, railways and the Cooperative. One piece of information that Julie gave me was the family tale that the URWINs came from Ireland. In the 1901 census there is but one person with Irish ancestry and this is Margaret aged 63 and born in Ireland. Her husband, Thomas H, was a Dental Surgeon. I wonder if this is the family. The name is derived from the Old English Eoforwine which means a boar-friend although I must admit I am unsure what that means but I think that sincerity and trustworthiness comes into it.

The name I have been working on just recently is that of HARMSTON. The family comes from the Folkingham area and the search is on at the moment for the marriage of John & Mary. Thus far there has been a distinct lack of success for there is no mention of the marriage in the Lincolnshire Family History Society fiche for 1754-1812. The mention of John being married to Mary comes from the baptism of James so there is always a possibility that there is an error in the register if the priest filled it in at a later date. A look at the Bishop's Transcripts might resolve this. The problem here is that you do not know if the BT was taken from the register thus perpetuating the mistake. A check of the registers for another birth could help especially if there is no burial of a Mary but this is a burial at some stage of the wife of John.

Bits and Bobs

LRSM -1st January 1875 - Public Notice; Whereas I, John NUNDY, of Wispington, Farmer, have raised a report calculated to injure the characters of the Sons of Mr Joseph WALTER of Barsey Walk, Farmer, and Mr Andrew EVISON of Wispington, Farmer, by charging Mr WALTER´s Sons with taking my Pigeons, and Mr EVISON with receiving them, knowing them to have been so taken. Now I do hereby publically declare that such charges are utterly untrue and without foundation, and I regret having said anything that could reflect on the honesty of either Mr. WALTER, his Sons, or Mr. EVISON, all of whom I believe to be perfectly honest and honourable men. Signed this 29th day of December, 1874. John NUNDY; Witness R. CLITHEROW, Solicitor, Horncastle.

NEWTON was Here

 

Sondra HALLIDAY emailed me at Ifor@familyroots.org.uk asking for information on a windmill at Colsterworth. In 1772, when Samuel PICCAVER died, his will mentions the fact that he is the owner of the village mill. Is there any evidence of this mill today? Arthur MEE's Lincolnshire doesn't mention any mill but if you take a look at old-maps.co.uk you will find evidence of three mills in the vicinity two of which are quite near Woolsthorpe manor. In the church at Colsterworth there is a memorial to Sir Isaac NEWTON who was the lord of the manor of nearby Woolsthorpe and baptised in Colsterworth church. This is also the burial place of the NEWTON ancestors. One item of interest that was at the church in 1919 was the sundial that NEWTON made when 9 years old and the penknife he used for whittling wood. In an article I found on NEWTON there is mention of a windmill being built near his school. He watched day by day with great interest the workmen engaged in constructing a windmill in the neighbourhood of the school, the result of which was that the boy made a working model of the windmill and of its machinery, which seems to have been much admired, as indicating his aptitude for mechanics. Could this have been the building of the mill later owned by Samuel? By 1919 however the miller is listed as being Ralph Henry NETHERCLIFT – miller (steam) so it looks as though the village has kept pace with modernity and the windmill was no more. HALLIDAY the surname comes from the fact that at one time this would be given to those born on a Holy Day such as Easter or Christmas. NEW-TON however is from one who lived in a New Town of which there were many and this also applies to NEW-PORT and NEW-CASTLE.

The surname CRAMPTON, which is the one that Sheila FROST is interested in, is not very common around Lincoln and is concentrated more towards Nottinghamshire. William CRAMPTON can be found on the 1841 census and he was born in 1817 in the parish of Washingborough but where did he come from? One of the best aids to research you can get is the series of indexes on microfiche that are produced by the Lincolnshire Family History Society. These cover just about everything in the marriage line from 1700 and work is going on to complete baptisms and burials for the county. There are few entries for CRAMPTON but one that might fit the bill is that of John who marries Ann TALKS in 1807 at Canwick the next door parish. The origin of CRAMPTON is unsure. With the –TON ending one must assume that it derives from a place name. This would be OK except that there is no place listed. The same can be said for CROMPTON as this is a variation. If one adds in the accent then there could be a candidate in CRUMPTON and then the explanation is from the Old English crump. Have you heard of the musical instrument - a crumphorn? There is also the rhyme which mentions the cow with the crumpled horn. This is named so because the meaning of crump is something which is bent or crooked. A town with a bend or corner in the middle.

Did you pick up on the item in Bits and Bobs last week? Was the item put into the original newspaper as a hoax? If you don't know what I mean just try writing out the inscription that was found on the bowl and then alter the spacing a slightly.

Bits and Bobs

Friday 21^st April 1809 – On Tuesday the 11^th inst. as William BOROUGHS of Marston near Grantham, was passing through the Churchyard there, he was struck to the ground by lightning, and it was a considerable time before he recovered his senses. His clothes were much scorched, but he was not personally injured.

Lincolnshire Family History Society Journal February 07

What Does One Do?

 

I have a little book, a Ready Reckoner, dated 1807 which I bought for a few shillings some time ago and realise that I should really sell it on as it is part of someone's tree. The name inside is George WILES, Louth, and at the time of his acquiring it I feel that he was about 13 years of age. My reason for thinking this is that there is a date inside for the year 1823 and on the inside at the back there is written July 28^th 1810. He also wrote, as one does at that age, on the inside. "The Rose is Read, the Grass is green, the days is past That I have seen and when I am dead Go toul the bell and Take This Book and use it well." This has been written several times. Other items of interest are the name Francis SPENCER on the same line as is written Horkstow and another name that might be, although it is difficult to say for sure as it is mixed in with other writings, Martha HOED or HOOD or HOCKNEY. A quick search has turned up George, I think, in the 1881 census. He is aged 71 and born in 1810 which links in to the date in the book and lives with his wife Jane, born Bigby. He was born in Little Carlton and farmed in Ludborough and both of these places are in the Louth Registration District. The name WILES is thought to come from an occupation such as a trapper of fish or especially eels. The Middle English wyle was a wicker trap.

Jayne SUMMERS lives in Telford and has a Lincolnshire ancestry. Her maiden name is ELDRED and through her research has managed to get back to a James at around 1762 in Thurlby. The name ELDRED goes right back to at least 1066 and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The origin of the name is as a counsel either Ealdræd as the old counsel or Ǽoelræd and a noble counsel. If this family is one on your tree then get in touch with Jayne at jasummers@btconnect.com who is waiting with bated keyboard for your email.

 

Bits and Bobs

4th November 1882 - Louth Advertisers - Mr Editor: The object of this letter is to inform you of a curious fact which I think will be interesting to many of your readers. The Sexton of our Church was engaged a day, or two ago, digging a grave in the Churchyard. When at a depth of four feet his spade struck something which repelled it. He at first thought it was a stone, but he discovered the object was round and had a rim of dark colour; in shape something like that of a pudding basin. The Sexton carefully dug around the object and at last succeeded in disclosing a large round vase, of ancient design, more than two inches thick and of a very brown earthy colour. Around the vase were a great many cabalistic signs picturing men in armour etc. The vase must be Roman, from the following inscription in half-worn letters around the rim: ´ITI SAPIS SPOTANDITIS AB IGONE´. The vase has been sent to a Gentleman in Louth interested in antiquarian relics for his opinion. I am, etc J.B., Laceby, 30 Oct 1882.

Where is it now and what was it?

Do Your Bit For The Environment

This week sees the start in Grasby of a series of mini-projects financed by CSV Action Earth and Morrisons. The amount of money is small but it is just enough to put on an event that can make a large difference. The criteria are that it must be environmental so could be bird cakes, boxes, feeding stations or planting wildflowers. If you are interested then go to the website and get an application form and enjoy the community work.
The names that came up during the first mini project consist of font-names and locations. BENNETT for example comes from the Old French Beneit that became the quite common Christian name Benedict in the 12th century. ROBERTSON along with the hundreds of other names ending in -SON very nearly all come from a Christian name such as Robert, Richard or William whose male offspring became ROBERTSON, RICHARDSON and WILLIAMSON and so on down through the centuries. Still on the subject of William as a Christian name we have in Grasby the name GILLMAN. Although it does not look much like it the name William is the origin here. The French for William we twinners know from Sillè le Guillaume which is the town next to our twin village in France. The surnames from the same root are many and various and include such as WELLMAN, WILLIMAN and the one nearest to the original, GUILLERMAN. On the other hand HASWELL is a locational name and comes from the dweller whose home was at a well that had lots of hazels around it. Similarly a prime site on which to live was one that was good enough to be labelled a fair field and naturally enough that resulted in the surname of FAIRFIELD. A slightly different type of location is that of LAYCOCK for this is a parish by the same name. In this case it is most likely to be Laycock in the west riding of Yorkshire.
A question of interest that appeared recently on the ‘net is that of Kath HEYWOOD who is looking for the youngest children of Mary & Robert GOLLING of Grantham. The mystery comes about by the death of the parents in 1842. William aged 10 years just disappears and is never seen again it seems for neither the death nor marriage can be found. Susannah age 6 years is thought to have lived in Lancashire for some time and where she had an illegitimate daughter in 1864. Where did they disappear too? Drop me a line if you know. The name GOLLING is another of those with a Christian name origin. This has the same origin as JOLLANDS and GOLLANDS. All these are from Joel-in which is the diminutive of Joel.
Bits and Bobs
THE GRIMSBY GUARDIAN AND GENERAL ADVERTISER - 25th September 1855 - Christopher HARPER, apprentice to Joseph APPLEYARD of Cleethorpes, tailor, John ROBINSON of Cleethorpes, fisherman, Thomas GRANT of Cleethorpes, fisherman and George DABB, carrier between Cleethorpes and Grimsby, were summoned at the instance of Superintendent CAMPBELL, who caught them in a garden in the parish of Scartho, on Sunday night, the 16th instant, stealing apples. They were each fined 10s and the costs, in each case amounted to 12s

Immigration is not new

Win FEARNLEY has written to me on the subject of her maiden name. PICKAVER is a very rare name in Lincolnshire with just the one family in 1881. Win’s grandfather came from the village of Wymondham in Leicestershire and a check of the census shows that this village had links to several of the families. A rather nice touch was the finding of George Robert PICKOVER who was living in Derbyshire which showed the manner in which the locals pronounced the village name. His place of birth is listed as being Wyeham in Leicestershire. The PICKAVER family history includes the possibility that the name might be Huguenot in origin. This I feel is unlikely for the following reason. The main flood of Huguenot immigrants came at the middle of the 17th century when something like 50,000 arrived. These had to fit in with an English population that is estimated at six million people. At that time the population had already set out the surnames that we use today. The origin of the name PICKOVER according to the dictionary is as a nickname meaning to pick oats from the Middle English pikken. The name was in use in England in around the year 1255. Try ‘Googling’ the word Huguenot. For more information on the Huguenots there are some good links at the National Huguenot Society web page. The nearest surname to PICKAVER you can find on the web page is PICKENS and PICKON. FEARNLEY has a nice simple history. There has been little change over the several hundred years that it has been in use. Back in 1200 it was spelt simply FERNLEE and came from the ‘dweller in the fern covered clearing’ and the possible village that grew up there that took the name Farnley.
David WILKINS emailed me via ifor@familyroots.org and mentioned that he had two unusual names in the family tree. The first mentioned is that of BAZLINGTON. This changes easily to BASLINGTON and one would think that this is simply a village somewhere or other. Sadly this is not the case as there is no sign of a village by this name even though there are people with the BASLINGTON name all across the world. The national index for 1881 census gives just five families throughout England and Wales. Could it be from the same root as Basing and Basingstoke which are connected to the man called Basa who first lived there. Lastly there is the name GABBITAS and a similar one which I have found locally to the Caistor area. This Yorkshire name comes, I believe, from a font name. The pet form of the name Gabriel is GABB and the diminutive version of this is GABBOT or GABBUT. The local version is GORBUTT. One of the first mentions of this name is with John GABYTUS in Newark at the end of the 15th century. For everything you ever wanted to know about the GABBITAS family go to www.gabbitasgenealogy.com/ and take a look at the family tree.
Bits and Bobs
The Times - 9th September 1808 - General News: The mysterious disappearance of Mr John DEWHIRST, of Sothy, Lincolnshire, who left his family on Saturday the 17th of October last, (1807), and was supposed to have been murdered on his return to Horncastle Market, is at length accounted for. His friends have lately received a letter from him, wherein he states that he is in good health, in the Island of Jamaica, that he has got a place of £160 per year, and he hopes his wife will go to him. He adds, that he ´left his family to acquire property enough to support old age´. The letter was read to many persons on Saturday in Horncastle Market. Two men were in Louth prison last week, charged with the murder of Mr DEWHIRST.

One Fat Pig

During the week I came across a leaflet which was a purchase agreement from December 1928 between D J Dodds who agreed to sell to G W Robinson one fat pig weighing in at about 30 stones dead weight. G W R was buying the pig on what seems to be hire purchase of six shilling per week payable every Friday. This was witnessed by C Portess. Some conversions for those reading this column that don’t understand real weights and money. The 30 stones the pig weighed will convert to around 190 Kg and this was paid for at 30p per week. The shape of pigs has changed somewhat since 1926. One website gives the following information. Pigs are also referred to as growing pigs (40 - 125 pounds), and finishing pigs, weighing from 125 pounds to market weight--usually about 230 pounds. Probably because of the liking for a leaner meat the weight is now nearer 100kg almost half that of 1926.

My quest this week has been to link a marriage certificate from Liverpool in the name of bomford to an entry in the 1881 census for bamford in the parish of Windle. Many of the people concerned could not be found in several of the other censuses available and had not yet been entered into the FreeBMD database. The husband on the certificate is Alfred Barry Bomford – a grocer. The head of household on the 1881 census is Alfred B Bamford, born Cheltenham, who is the manager of a Cocoa Room, plus his wife and his children who were born in St Helens. The ages and christian names are about right but how does one prove a link between the two? Firstly, and for no apparent reason, it does not look as though the couple signed their certificate because the handwriting seems to be that of the minister and there is no evidence of ‘their mark’ so it could be that the minister just made a mistake as to the spelling. A search for the children was more successful. The youngest that turned up was Edith who was registered in the district of Prescott. The Alfred Joseph B Bamford was also to be found in Prescott and the likelihood of this combination of Christian names turning up is remote. The clincher is that of last name I found being registered. William Barry Bamford was registered in Prescott in 1863 and this was the third age that agreed with the data I had and the middle name coincided nicely with that of his father. So one can be fairly sure that the bomford is just a misspelling of the name bamford. The district of Prescott includes St Helens and Windle which was later transferred to St Helens. The Bamford name can be found in Lincolnshire but the main concentration is from the Midlands level with the Wash in a line up to Liverpool. The name comes from the ford that had a beam as a footbridge over the stream.

Bits and Bobs

To be found at www.ancestordocs.co.uk/lincolnshire - 160/4 Atkinson, James of Snitterby dated 1877. A probated copy of a Will in parchment along with certificate of Probate which has a wafer seal attached. Listed are the daughters Mary Jane (w/o Joseph Thomas of Snitterby), Martha (w/o Matthew Swallow), Elizabeth deceased (w/o George Wilkins of Lewisham, Kent) and her children Charlotte Elizabeth, George, James, Mary Ann, Emma, Martha Matilda, Harry & Jane. Several pieces are missing (having the appearance of burns) from the bottom edge which does not affect the text. There is one small hole in text with loss of 2 letters. £17

Unknown Unknowns

Anne of internet fame along with a small group of Lincolnshire Family History Society members has a new mission. Once a month they congregate at the archives and check through the BTs. BT is short for Bishop’s Transcript, which is a copy of the parish register that was sent annually to the Bishop. They can be on parchment of various shapes and sizes, illegibility and condition. There are over a thousand pages of BTs sitting in the Lincolnshire Archives which do not have a name of a parish on them. The group is attempting to identify the parish to which they belong and in fact there are a few that don’t have a date either. This work will benefit all those with Lincolnshire ancestors. None of these BTs have been filmed and consequently the events in them may not appear on the IGI. They have so far positively identified about 50 different BTs. For more detailed information Dr Mike Rogers, Archivist in charge of this project, has written a short piece for the next Lincolnshire Family History Society journal about the project and what will happen to the BTs once identified. Anne came up with the bright idea of passing the transcript of some of the BTs that they are stuck on to the Lincolnshire List. She explains that “Where there is a burial of a child on a BT, but no baptism, the IGI is invaluable - finding the baptism usually leads to the correct parish, but not always. The census can be used for place of birth from BTs after about 1770, assuming that the child baptised lived to a good age. We are also using the marriage indexes (but need further verification from Parish Registers of Baptism & Burial on the same BT), Wills indexes, marriage bonds, names of vicars, curates etc. However, your combined personal knowledge may lead to short cuts.” To further the work she is sending details of some of the BTs for everyone to work on. An example BT is this - The year is 1765/6 and there are only two events on the BT. Ann daughter of Antony & Izatt Spur baptised 29 December 1765; Ann wife of William Barsley buried 4 Jan 1766.
The only one that I can find on the IGI is the baptism of an Anthony son of Daniel & Elizabeth spurr at High Toynton in November 1738. On the next item I have found the baptism of a William barrsely the son of William & Ann in 1748 at High Toynton. Could this be it? Or do you know better!! To carry these further I would need to check out the parish registers.
The main concentration of the SPURR surname can be found in Cornwall. There is a secondary concentration in the Doncaster area. I wonder why these two areas are so far apart? The surname comes from the holder who was making spurs for sale.
Barsley is more local with most of the people living in the fens. The indications are that it originates from a place name but I have been unable to find any likely candidates.
Bits and Bobs
THE TUESDAY EXPRESS – Kent - 7th January 1908 - A JANUARY HARVEST: The almost unprecedented sight of harvesting corn crops in January was seen in Lincolnshire on Saturday. Several fields of wheat, barley and oats in the Branston Fen, have been sold by auction as they stood in the fields. A Heckington miller purchased the cropping, and the frozen condition of the land enabled him to use the reaper with such good effect that the bulk of corn was gathered in on Saturday. It is proposed to celebrate the novel event with a harvest supper to the men engaged in the unseasonable work.
An early sign of global warming perhaps!!

Interested in the Loft

The new Lincolnshire Family History Society magazine has arrived and one of the items I liked this time was the article on General Loft who had visited Grasby. This is written by Tinribs in addition to which there is the view from the family side written by John Henry Lofts great great grandson. The articles remind us that the Lincolnshire Family History Society has transcribed the notebooks of General Loft and published them on a CD. Loft’s claim to fame for the genealogist or village historian of Lincolnshire is through his travels in the county between 1826 and 1844. He recorded anything and everything that took his fancy and noted both the churches and families. Many of the items he recorded have now disappeared and some of them never existed but were just the local gossip. Items such at the “I was told at Barton St Mary that Elizabeth Walker was a Lady of easy virtue who raised a good property by that means”. If she is in your family tree then she is definitely worth investigation. A second item that is worth a mention is that of the robber named bailey who was one of the outlaws of ‘Kippy Koppy Wood.’ Where did that name come from? This is just one of several extremely interesting articles but you will have to get the Journal to read the rest.

Helen dodd, who lives in Woodall Spa is looking to put on a workshop for the children and to take a look at surnames. One of the names that she mentioned is that of priestner. Now every one of the names that has priest in the word is linked to a man of the cloth. Priestman is a servant of a priest, priestland lives on a piece of land that belongs to the priest and priestley dwells in the clearing in the priests woods, except that I can’t find priestner in the dictionary. Could it be that the word was just a corruption at some time in the past? It might be from Prester which is thought to be a nickname for someone that was either priest like in bearing or the complete opposite somewhat along the lines of calling someone that was BIG by the name LITTLE.

Dodd was a personal name that seems to have been used throughout the whole of the country.

Bits and Bobs

Tuesday Oct 25^th 1898 – Long Sutton – On Wednesday last Mr Charles biggadike drove into the White Lion Yard with a load of pigs from Spalding; and as soon as he had jumped out the horse bolted. The cart was upset and the pigs scattered in all directions. The animals, very young ones, went scampering all over the Market Place and the search for them lasted most of the night. One pig was found in Mr neaverson’s at the Crown and Woolpack Hotel sitting against the back kitchen fire!

Lincolnshire Family History Society Journal

Hammerton of Hammerton

Last week, if you remember, I mentioned documents concerning Messingham then Richard hammerton contacted me for some further data as he has family tree links to the WASS family. One of the things we talked about was his tree that goes back to 1781 and I must wonder if this is a specific item because a search of the Latter Day Saints’ website familysearch also gives a family tree going back to the same date. A coincidence? Perhaps. While I keep repeating myself by saying don’t believe everything said or written because we are only human I did find a family tree on the site that went back to the origin of the name and the village of Hamerton in Yorkshire. The earliest entry in the tree is that of Richard Hamerton of Hamerton Yorkshire born around 1141 according to the Familysearch submitter. The line goes through a number of generations getting to Aukburgh (Alkborough), and Gervase Hammerton born 1597 who is assumed, according to the entry, to have married Jane gildas of Barton “abt 1627”. At around this point people carrying out research should have access to the registers and can verify the facts. By the 19^th century the hammerton family had settle in Wragby. George was born there in 1836 and was a bricklayer but lived in Melville St, Lincoln with eight children. There was a lot of travel undertaken by this family for his wife was from Warwickshire and two of the children had been born in Sheffield. A likely brother, John, was born Wragby in 1834 but was now a builder living in Buckingham with his family of six children and listed on the birthplaces are again some links to Yorkshire. The surname profiler puts the highest concentration of hammertons in London but there are a large number just to the west of the Humber in 1881. By 1998 the name has spread throughout the country. The village of Hammerton gets its name from the town or tun being near or on an Old English hamor or hill.

The name gildas later became regularised as gilders or gelders. A similar looking spelling is that is difficult to separate is gilder for the name could be either. One answer to the origin is that of the occupation of gilder and to gild and the other is also an occupation this time as the caretaker of a guildhall. As we all know it is so easy to leave off or put on an‘s’ that it would be hard to say which is which.

On March 17^th at Bracebridge village hall will be the event you have waited all year for. The Lincolnshire Family History Society Family History day and it starts at 0945. the varied program will be looking at Gravestones, a history of dialects and the history of newspapers. As if that is not enough there will also be the bookstall which will have an index for just about everything. Contact Mrs Robson, 135 Balderton Gate, Newark, NG24 1RY to book your seat as there are a limited number of places available.

Bits and Bobs

LRSM - 2nd December 1825 - Awful Instances of Mortality - On Sunday evening last, 27th November, aged 36 years, Mr. William HANSON, grazier of Butterwick. On Monday evening, 28th November, aged 62 years, Mrs. HANSON, wife of Mr. R. HANSON, a very respectable wool-buyer, grazier, etc., of that place, and Mother of Mr William HANSON: And on Tuesday evening, the 29th November, aged 40 years, Elizabeth, wife of the above Mr William HANSON, leaving seven orphans to lament their loss. All died after a short illness.

Legal Eagle

While it is highly likely that there will be a long queue to check out the following documents it might be an idea to get your name down now for a viewing. Rex Johnson had put the following information onto the internet forum concerning the deposit of documents into Grimsby Archives because the Scunthorpe Museum has insufficient room for the mass of documents involved. A Scunthorpe solicitor, Mr Hett had decided to have a clear out and instead of throwing away 17^th documents, something that I know has taken place in the past by others, had offered them to the museum service. A large pat on the back to the solicitor and will other holders of documents please take note. When a friend of Rex asked him to look at a sample of the documents to see what was available he ended up with four large boxes relating to Messingham and it is supposed that this is a fraction of what is being held. The opening of the boxes revealed a treasure trove of documents that included original Wills, Deeds, Conveyances, Mortgages, Land Disputes etc. and Rex reported that he had “never seen such a collection of vellum, parchment, original papers”. It is supposed that there will be as wide a coverage of many other villages. The papers are not indexed so who knows, this might be a job for the Lincolnshire Family History Society and I am sure that an index on fiche may eventually be produced by their valiant volunteers. If you would like to know more about access to these documents then contact Grimsby Archives and John.Wilson@nelincs.gov.uk. Rex has put a list in his email of some of the people mentioned in the documents that he saw. There were Wills for John Martyn gent., 1628-9; Ralphe Rowbottom, 1638; Francis Rowbottom of East Ferry, Yeoman, 1655/6; Wm. Hood 1658; Jane Hood, 1658; Helen Little wid., 1662; Wm. Atkinson 1794. An original will of William Smith 1763. Will of James Holland 1808. Administration of Goods of William Clarke, late of Ashby, 1834. Lease of Abraham Stocks. Wm. Kendall and others, land to Wm. Walker 1834. John Hall mortgage 1834. Abraham Stocks mortgage to Frances Pilfoot 1849. Elizabeth Wright 1851. Copy of Amelia Sowerby's baptism certificate. Will of Thomas Sowerby proved 31 July 1818. Names in other documents related to: Samuel Simpson, John Dauber, Hannah Nicholson, Hannah Mason, Edward Hannath, John Bennet, Thomas Freer, William Whaplate, Mary Toft, John Wray, Edward Westoby, George Benson, John Cawkwell, Thomas Mundy, Mary Hammond, Charlotte Richardson, Robert Hide, Thomas Bird etc. etc. What a fantastic spread of data. Over two hundred years of history saved. Alan Wass who originally found out about the deposit did so because he asked the Archive if there was any information about Windmills. He, and several other Messingham residents, have just produced a booklet called “A Brief History of Messingham”. Rex is currently transcribing Messingham parish records to put online at FreeREG which a site is collecting parish material for people to trace ancestors at the parish level without having to subscribe or pay for the data.

One name that is new to me is that of pilfoot. It is not in the dictionary and neither is it on the surname profile website. By 1901 just one holder of the name is listed. Charles pilfoot was born in Goxhill and lived in Sculcoates. John Sherwood pilfoot is listed as living in Hull with his wife in 1881 but there are no other entries for this family. As John and Elizabeth didn’t died until around 1910 just where were they in 1901?

Bits and bobs

LRSM - 17th February 1832 - Marriage: At Spilsby on Wednesday the 8th February, Mr COUPLAND of Skendleby to Mrs DALES of the former place. - The Bridegroom became dissatisfied with his bargain before midnight and shortly after supper left his Bride to mourn her absent Lord.