A Name with STYLE
Winifred STEGGALL has written from Reepham and thinks that the time is ripe for me to check out her unusual surname which has its local dialect to thank for the spelling. This is not a Lincolnshire name but neither has not travelled very far over the years. Originating in the Suffolk area it is a locational name. There are somewhere in the region of twenty different spellings for STEGGALL and the only thing all these have in common is that they all start with ST and have an L in them. The spellings include STEGGLE, STECKEL, STYGLE and finally the one that it all started with, STILE. One of the first references to the surname is in the 13th century and we find Reginald atte STIGHEL when the Old English stigol was the word for a stile but took a century or three to get to the Middle English stegele and eventually the surnames STYGLE and STYLE. Reginald therefore was a dweller by the stile or steep ascent. As you can see from the example I have given above, with a broad accent, they can all sound very similar and G is easily changed to a C sound. However as usual there is an alternative explanation. The surname STILE might originally come from the Old English stiell which was a dweller near the place to catch fish..
The arrival of the new Lincolnshire Family History Society magazine brings with it the information that Mrs Smith of Lincoln has come across the family bible belonging to the SONDOR family. Try as I might I can’t find this in my books. Originally from Great Rissington which is not far from Oxford there can’t be many families with this name in Lincolnshire. A search of the Surname Profiler gives no indication of where they came from because, as there are less than 100 in the country, they are nor picked up. Still, a look at the 1881 should give a hint, however I was out of luck here as well for there were none listed. I shall have to have a more thorough search during the week. Watch this space.
The surname PINDARD below is a corruption of the occupational surname PINDER. This was necessary work in the villages when the fields were less enclosed than they are today. The stray animals would be rounded up and put into the pinfold under the care of the pinder who was a village officer and he would then charge for their release. The name comes from the Old English word pyndan which was to impound or shut up.
Bits and Bobs
PINDARD, of Boston, plumber, for payment of 2s 6d a week and costs towards the maintenance of a bastard child belonging to Barnett SMITH......The case occupied the court for a considerable time, and involved a nice point, the woman having been married, and it was unknown whether her husband was living or dead. [A witness claimed he had seen the husband in Grimsby more than a year ago, and at the last Boston fair, but BS swore she hadn't seen him for two years & she had been informed he was killed on the railway near Syston] etc.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Saturday, August 05, 2006
OUSE
?OUSE
Passed on via the internet was the following information that I thought interesting having never come across the MOUSE family name. Family bible undated but first family entry is 1846 belonging to the GROOBY family from around the Long Sutton area. It is a bit worn and a few pages are torn but most of it is intact as are most of the colour plates which are very nice in their own right. The entries for the GROOBY family date back to 1846 starting with the birth of William GROOBY he married Emma MOUSE [I think it is "M"] on Oct. 20th 1870 at Long Sutton church. However some research into the GROOBY family tree turns up the information that William is in fact from Helpstone in Northamptonshire according to the 1881 census and his wife is from Gedney Dike. Who was Mrs GROOBY? There is a number of MOUSE family members but these all live in Bedfordshire. Using the wildcard ‘?’ search we have as a result DOUSE, HOUSE and ROUSE individuals and of these only William and Mary ROUSE are living in Gedney and they have children born in Long Sutton. Also from Helpstone and living in Spalding with Spalding wives are a couple more GROOBY families and the oldest of all these is Solomon who was born in Spalding. The family liked biblical names for this was the son of Zachariah GROOBY. There must be a story here as to why the family flits backs and forth apart from the fact that there would be relatives in both places. Almost all occurrences of the GROOBY name are around the Fens and it is of a locational origin. The village in Leicestershire that goes by the name Groby is pronounced as Groobi and it is here that they all came from.
MOUSE is unusual and found almost exclusively in Bedfordshire. It is not in the dictionary but of those that had mouse in the word seem to be linked to the colour grey. ROUSE on the other hand is numerous and found south of a line drawn between the Bristol Channel and the Humber. Again its origin is from the colour and the Ancient French word rous or red.
The name HOUSE was concentrated in the Dorset area with an outcrop in the highlands of Scotland. It is believed that the name came from the person concerned being employed at ‘the’ house which was most likely of a religious nature.
Finally the name DOUSE or DOWSE or one of the other variations. The Old French dous or doux meant pleasant or sweetly smelling and was also used a female Christian name. It was also used occasionally as a male name along the lines of Hilary and Leslie.
The National Archives who run a family history service at Myddleton Street in London has decided that the time is right for the whole of its service to come together at Kew. However the Office of National Statistics has no plans at present to close or move its part of the Family Records Centre. What difference will this make to the family tree researcher? I suppose it all depends on your reason to visit Myddleton Street. If it is for the certificates then no change but if its for the census then Kew will be the place.
For those of you who are just starting out on the family history trail and would like to know more about how to go about it and the data sources that are available to the family researcher then the workshop being held at Grasby Village Hall on Sept 10th is just for you. For more information please give me a ring on 01652 628337 or send an email to ifor@familyroots.org.uk
Bits and Bobs
What the Papers Said - Sept 28th 1792 Marriage - On Thursday se’nnight was married at Carlby in this county, Mr James GLENN, farmer, to Mrs HODGKIN, a most disconsolate widow for 20 days.
Passed on via the internet was the following information that I thought interesting having never come across the MOUSE family name. Family bible undated but first family entry is 1846 belonging to the GROOBY family from around the Long Sutton area. It is a bit worn and a few pages are torn but most of it is intact as are most of the colour plates which are very nice in their own right. The entries for the GROOBY family date back to 1846 starting with the birth of William GROOBY he married Emma MOUSE [I think it is "M"] on Oct. 20th 1870 at Long Sutton church. However some research into the GROOBY family tree turns up the information that William is in fact from Helpstone in Northamptonshire according to the 1881 census and his wife is from Gedney Dike. Who was Mrs GROOBY? There is a number of MOUSE family members but these all live in Bedfordshire. Using the wildcard ‘?’ search we have as a result DOUSE, HOUSE and ROUSE individuals and of these only William and Mary ROUSE are living in Gedney and they have children born in Long Sutton. Also from Helpstone and living in Spalding with Spalding wives are a couple more GROOBY families and the oldest of all these is Solomon who was born in Spalding. The family liked biblical names for this was the son of Zachariah GROOBY. There must be a story here as to why the family flits backs and forth apart from the fact that there would be relatives in both places. Almost all occurrences of the GROOBY name are around the Fens and it is of a locational origin. The village in Leicestershire that goes by the name Groby is pronounced as Groobi and it is here that they all came from.
MOUSE is unusual and found almost exclusively in Bedfordshire. It is not in the dictionary but of those that had mouse in the word seem to be linked to the colour grey. ROUSE on the other hand is numerous and found south of a line drawn between the Bristol Channel and the Humber. Again its origin is from the colour and the Ancient French word rous or red.
The name HOUSE was concentrated in the Dorset area with an outcrop in the highlands of Scotland. It is believed that the name came from the person concerned being employed at ‘the’ house which was most likely of a religious nature.
Finally the name DOUSE or DOWSE or one of the other variations. The Old French dous or doux meant pleasant or sweetly smelling and was also used a female Christian name. It was also used occasionally as a male name along the lines of Hilary and Leslie.
The National Archives who run a family history service at Myddleton Street in London has decided that the time is right for the whole of its service to come together at Kew. However the Office of National Statistics has no plans at present to close or move its part of the Family Records Centre. What difference will this make to the family tree researcher? I suppose it all depends on your reason to visit Myddleton Street. If it is for the certificates then no change but if its for the census then Kew will be the place.
For those of you who are just starting out on the family history trail and would like to know more about how to go about it and the data sources that are available to the family researcher then the workshop being held at Grasby Village Hall on Sept 10th is just for you. For more information please give me a ring on 01652 628337 or send an email to ifor@familyroots.org.uk
Bits and Bobs
What the Papers Said - Sept 28th 1792 Marriage - On Thursday se’nnight was married at Carlby in this county, Mr James GLENN, farmer, to Mrs HODGKIN, a most disconsolate widow for 20 days.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
American Trail
American Trail
During a search this week for a COCHRAN individual who was born in Canada and lived for many years in Massachusetts I rediscovered the problem of countries holding the census at different times. The first time I find George F he is married to Ada and in the US 1910 Census they had been married 10 years. It is easy enough to work out that they therefore married in around 1900. According to the census Ada, who was born in Beverley, Yorkshire and entered the States in 1898, so why are they not to be found on the US 1900 census? Could it be they were away in Canada on honeymoon? By the time they come back the census is over and it is another year before the census takes place in Canada where they can’t be found either. One of the handy items to be found on the US census is the nationality of the parents and of the individual. In George’s case this is Canada on all three and this allows (assuming that the nationality doesn’t change) one to discount those that do not fit. They both were naturalised in 1916 and this is listed on the 1920 census. If you use Ancestry.com you can sign up for a trial period for free. The name COCHRAN and its many variations all come from Cochrane the place in Scotland
The first COCHRANE recorded in Scotland was one Waldeve de COVERAN who witnessed a charter in favour of the 5th Earl of Menteith in 1262. Tradition traces the COCHRANE ancestry to a Viking warrior who settled in Renfrewshire where his descendants took their name from the lands of Cochrane near Paisley. The 10th Earl of Cochrane pursued a naval career during the Napoleonic Wars and became popular due to his expertise in capturing larger ships, and his ingenuity for discomfiting the enemy. Later, as MP for Westminster, he became a victim of party politics, and with his services largely unrecognised, in 1817 he accepted command of the Chilean Navy and assisted that country gain its freedom from Spain.
A new name came my way this week with a letter from Stephen ALLEN who is working on the name FENN. The name as it suggests does come from the fenlands. In the 12th century it could be found as Ralph de FENNE or Thomas atte FENNE. As you can see the name has quite a long history. It originated from the Old English fenn, which was a marsh or fen. If you were living in the far southwest of the country it might be a corruption of the place name Venn.
Bits and Bobs
Vellum indenture dated November 28th 1588, being a grant of messuages and lands at 'Strabbie' (now Strubby), as well as a manor, grange, etc., called 'Shepewasshe' in Sheepwash and Canwick, Lincolnshire, signed amongst others by Sir Julius CEASAR, written in a remarkably legible hand, lacking seal but otherwise in fine condition. An extremely interesting document which makes it clear that the grant, to William HENNEGE of Benniworth, by Nicholas WILLSON of Sturton,., was in settlement of a £1,000 debt following a King's Bench judgement against WILLSON, after he had breached the terms of a marriage settlement. The colourfully named Sir Julius CEASAR (1558-1635) rose to Chancellor of the Exchequer under James I
Sold by Auction 2002
During a search this week for a COCHRAN individual who was born in Canada and lived for many years in Massachusetts I rediscovered the problem of countries holding the census at different times. The first time I find George F he is married to Ada and in the US 1910 Census they had been married 10 years. It is easy enough to work out that they therefore married in around 1900. According to the census Ada, who was born in Beverley, Yorkshire and entered the States in 1898, so why are they not to be found on the US 1900 census? Could it be they were away in Canada on honeymoon? By the time they come back the census is over and it is another year before the census takes place in Canada where they can’t be found either. One of the handy items to be found on the US census is the nationality of the parents and of the individual. In George’s case this is Canada on all three and this allows (assuming that the nationality doesn’t change) one to discount those that do not fit. They both were naturalised in 1916 and this is listed on the 1920 census. If you use Ancestry.com you can sign up for a trial period for free. The name COCHRAN and its many variations all come from Cochrane the place in Scotland
The first COCHRANE recorded in Scotland was one Waldeve de COVERAN who witnessed a charter in favour of the 5th Earl of Menteith in 1262. Tradition traces the COCHRANE ancestry to a Viking warrior who settled in Renfrewshire where his descendants took their name from the lands of Cochrane near Paisley. The 10th Earl of Cochrane pursued a naval career during the Napoleonic Wars and became popular due to his expertise in capturing larger ships, and his ingenuity for discomfiting the enemy. Later, as MP for Westminster, he became a victim of party politics, and with his services largely unrecognised, in 1817 he accepted command of the Chilean Navy and assisted that country gain its freedom from Spain.
A new name came my way this week with a letter from Stephen ALLEN who is working on the name FENN. The name as it suggests does come from the fenlands. In the 12th century it could be found as Ralph de FENNE or Thomas atte FENNE. As you can see the name has quite a long history. It originated from the Old English fenn, which was a marsh or fen. If you were living in the far southwest of the country it might be a corruption of the place name Venn.
Bits and Bobs
Vellum indenture dated November 28th 1588, being a grant of messuages and lands at 'Strabbie' (now Strubby), as well as a manor, grange, etc., called 'Shepewasshe' in Sheepwash and Canwick, Lincolnshire, signed amongst others by Sir Julius CEASAR, written in a remarkably legible hand, lacking seal but otherwise in fine condition. An extremely interesting document which makes it clear that the grant, to William HENNEGE of Benniworth, by Nicholas WILLSON of Sturton,., was in settlement of a £1,000 debt following a King's Bench judgement against WILLSON, after he had breached the terms of a marriage settlement. The colourfully named Sir Julius CEASAR (1558-1635) rose to Chancellor of the Exchequer under James I
Sold by Auction 2002
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Much Ado About Nothi
Much Ado About Nothing
There are just two returns given when Lincolnshire is put into the search engine for the Victorian Prisoners Photographs at the National Archives site. Louisa MITCHELL who was born in 1844 in Grimsby stole a watch in Surrey and was given three months hard labour in 1873 for doing it. In 1872 John ARCHER was given six months hard labour for stealing three brass balls from his master. The descendants of these can get a copy of the photo from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ using their visa. While we consider it a bit of luck to find such things I am fairly certain that the ancestors concerned would not have viewed it in this light.
The surname MITCHELL was rarely used as a Christian name for this was normally Michael but it is from this that many MITCHELLS have come. However there is a link in one family back in the 12th century when Michael de Middleton was the Keeper of the Kings Wolfhounds. Twenty years later the keeper was William MICHEL and later still Richard MICHEL. It is thought that this was the father passing on the post to his sons. The second possible origin is from the Old English mycel and the Middle English michel and muchel. These translate to the word big. Most of us have heard of this one without realising it. One of the outlaws with Robin Hood was Much the Millers son. We know John nicknamed Little was big and so it is likely that the Millers son nicknamed Much was little.
It is coincidental that the second photo is of John ARCHER and who knows perhaps he is descended from one of the archers with Robin HOOD. Some of the earliest instances of the surname were spelt L’ARCHER with it being an occupation.
Another very interesting site I came across recently is that of www.durtnall.org.uk/. This is the family site of Mike Durtnall. What Mike has done is to collect the details of ancient documents and put them on his web site. Some are for sale now while others have been on eBay. The following is the sort of item I found 63/7 Searby - 1827 - Disposal of Half of Manor of Searby by Mary Ann Roadley to John Walter Dudding and John Iles. 4 sheets parchment - signed and sealed by Mary Ann Roadley and witnessed by John Ferraby and Chas. Smith. Contains details of all properties and land included in the sale, and the tenants. Names mentioned - Berry, Bristow, Brown, Clark, Cousin, Dauvatt, Day, Dixon, Drewry, Duislake, Ferraby, Field, Gibson, Hall, Hargrave, Hilton, Jacklin(g), Jackson, James, King, Kirkland, Medley, Mumby, Nicholson, Petch, Platt, Portas, Radley, Rands, Scutterby, Sharp, Smith, Taylor, Trow, Walker, Wakefield, Weston, Wildbore. £58.
If you do not know the area then something along the lines of the next item that was for sale in 2002 can happen. Archive of fifteen indentures on paper, 1750-1803, dealing with land and property transactions in the Manor of Somerby and Searby , Lincolnshire, all in fine condition. An important archive of documents for local historians and genealogist. Somerby is today the village of Somersby and Searby is the village of Swabey, both lying between Horncastle and Alford. They have just moved the village of Somerby 30 miles south.
The last one I do not have a date for. Did anyone see this item? Up for sale were the marriage registers for 1812 -1837 for the villages of Saxby and what seems to be Firsby. How did they become saleable items? I checked the Archives list of deposited Registers and there is no mention of any being missing. The Saxby register has one page used and the Firsby has eight. Not an earth shattering omission to the data available unless it is a marriage of your family. Where did they go to, does anyone know?
Bits and Bobs
Court Report – Tuesday Oct 5th 1858 – William Plaskitt of Cabourne was charged with refusing to attend and be sworn as a parish constable. Discharged on his consenting to be sworn into office.
A policeman’s lot never was an ’appy one Lincolnshire Family History Society 1997
There are just two returns given when Lincolnshire is put into the search engine for the Victorian Prisoners Photographs at the National Archives site. Louisa MITCHELL who was born in 1844 in Grimsby stole a watch in Surrey and was given three months hard labour in 1873 for doing it. In 1872 John ARCHER was given six months hard labour for stealing three brass balls from his master. The descendants of these can get a copy of the photo from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ using their visa. While we consider it a bit of luck to find such things I am fairly certain that the ancestors concerned would not have viewed it in this light.
The surname MITCHELL was rarely used as a Christian name for this was normally Michael but it is from this that many MITCHELLS have come. However there is a link in one family back in the 12th century when Michael de Middleton was the Keeper of the Kings Wolfhounds. Twenty years later the keeper was William MICHEL and later still Richard MICHEL. It is thought that this was the father passing on the post to his sons. The second possible origin is from the Old English mycel and the Middle English michel and muchel. These translate to the word big. Most of us have heard of this one without realising it. One of the outlaws with Robin Hood was Much the Millers son. We know John nicknamed Little was big and so it is likely that the Millers son nicknamed Much was little.
It is coincidental that the second photo is of John ARCHER and who knows perhaps he is descended from one of the archers with Robin HOOD. Some of the earliest instances of the surname were spelt L’ARCHER with it being an occupation.
Another very interesting site I came across recently is that of www.durtnall.org.uk/. This is the family site of Mike Durtnall. What Mike has done is to collect the details of ancient documents and put them on his web site. Some are for sale now while others have been on eBay. The following is the sort of item I found 63/7 Searby - 1827 - Disposal of Half of Manor of Searby by Mary Ann Roadley to John Walter Dudding and John Iles. 4 sheets parchment - signed and sealed by Mary Ann Roadley and witnessed by John Ferraby and Chas. Smith. Contains details of all properties and land included in the sale, and the tenants. Names mentioned - Berry, Bristow, Brown, Clark, Cousin, Dauvatt, Day, Dixon, Drewry, Duislake, Ferraby, Field, Gibson, Hall, Hargrave, Hilton, Jacklin(g), Jackson, James, King, Kirkland, Medley, Mumby, Nicholson, Petch, Platt, Portas, Radley, Rands, Scutterby, Sharp, Smith, Taylor, Trow, Walker, Wakefield, Weston, Wildbore. £58.
If you do not know the area then something along the lines of the next item that was for sale in 2002 can happen. Archive of fifteen indentures on paper, 1750-1803, dealing with land and property transactions in the Manor of Somerby and Searby , Lincolnshire, all in fine condition. An important archive of documents for local historians and genealogist. Somerby is today the village of Somersby and Searby is the village of Swabey, both lying between Horncastle and Alford. They have just moved the village of Somerby 30 miles south.
The last one I do not have a date for. Did anyone see this item? Up for sale were the marriage registers for 1812 -1837 for the villages of Saxby and what seems to be Firsby. How did they become saleable items? I checked the Archives list of deposited Registers and there is no mention of any being missing. The Saxby register has one page used and the Firsby has eight. Not an earth shattering omission to the data available unless it is a marriage of your family. Where did they go to, does anyone know?
Bits and Bobs
Court Report – Tuesday Oct 5th 1858 – William Plaskitt of Cabourne was charged with refusing to attend and be sworn as a parish constable. Discharged on his consenting to be sworn into office.
A policeman’s lot never was an ’appy one Lincolnshire Family History Society 1997
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Research al Fresco
Research al Fresco
Wendy PANKHURST sent in the following information that St. Peter's Church at East Halton will be holding an Open Day for family history researchers. They will get the opportunity of looking at the Parish Records and Bishops Transcripts where they were written and a map of the graveyard will also be available. The great day is on Saturday 19th August and at the same time you can enjoy the refreshments that will be available. Perhaps other churches will follow East Haltons lead. The surname PANKHURST along with PENTYCROSS and PERRYCOST all come from the Old French Pentecost and were generally born during that festival.
Sold recently was a Mortgage of an estate in Winterton, Lincolnshire, between John THOMPSON of Winterton, plumber and glazier, and Isaac LEVI of Barton upon Humber, silversmith. It was dated 25th March 1818 in the 58th year of the reign of King George III. The LEVI surname was not regularly found in Lincolnshire. By 1881 there were just two and these were both immigrants. One is from Russia and the other from Poland. The name LEVI means "attached" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Levi was the third son of Jacob and Leah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of the Israelites (the tribe that eventually became the priests of the Israelites). In the New Testament this is another name for the apostle Matthew. Tending to be of Jewish origin the occupation also hints at the same conclusion. I wonder what happened to him? Isn’t it odd how one can get sidetracked? I looked up George III in Wikipedia as I was unsure as the veracity of his reported 58-year reign. Then I moved back in time to the Jacobite Rebellion of the 18th century and thought about who, if anyone, was claiming the English throne today through their descent from Bonny Prince Charlie; and there is someone. I found that Francis II of Bavaria is the present claimant. The heir presumptive of Franz, Duke of Bavaria, is his younger brother Prince Max of Bavaria. Then his daughter Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein, and then her eldest son Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein, born 24 May 1995 in London. Prince Joseph is first heir in the Jacobite line born in the British Isles since James III and VIII, The Old Pretender in 1688. Well I found it interesting and by the way George III was on the English throne from 1738 until his death in 1820.
Bits and Bobs
Humberstone (more recently spelled Humberston) is from the Old English Humbre+stone for "the boundary stone in the River Humber". In the 1086 Domesday Book, it is rendered in its original form as Humbrestone. May 5th 1815 – Death – Lately at Humberstone, near Grimsby, aged 83 years, Ann KILLOCK: she had performed the duty of Clerk to the Parish church for 20 years and followed four husbands to their grave, and left 60 children and grandchildren behind her. Lincolnshire Family History Society Magazine 1997.
This must be an unusual occurrence for a woman to have been the Parish Clerk in the 19th century. Her surname is thought to have originated from the village of Kilnwick in Yorkshire.
Wendy PANKHURST sent in the following information that St. Peter's Church at East Halton will be holding an Open Day for family history researchers. They will get the opportunity of looking at the Parish Records and Bishops Transcripts where they were written and a map of the graveyard will also be available. The great day is on Saturday 19th August and at the same time you can enjoy the refreshments that will be available. Perhaps other churches will follow East Haltons lead. The surname PANKHURST along with PENTYCROSS and PERRYCOST all come from the Old French Pentecost and were generally born during that festival.
Sold recently was a Mortgage of an estate in Winterton, Lincolnshire, between John THOMPSON of Winterton, plumber and glazier, and Isaac LEVI of Barton upon Humber, silversmith. It was dated 25th March 1818 in the 58th year of the reign of King George III. The LEVI surname was not regularly found in Lincolnshire. By 1881 there were just two and these were both immigrants. One is from Russia and the other from Poland. The name LEVI means "attached" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Levi was the third son of Jacob and Leah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of the Israelites (the tribe that eventually became the priests of the Israelites). In the New Testament this is another name for the apostle Matthew. Tending to be of Jewish origin the occupation also hints at the same conclusion. I wonder what happened to him? Isn’t it odd how one can get sidetracked? I looked up George III in Wikipedia as I was unsure as the veracity of his reported 58-year reign. Then I moved back in time to the Jacobite Rebellion of the 18th century and thought about who, if anyone, was claiming the English throne today through their descent from Bonny Prince Charlie; and there is someone. I found that Francis II of Bavaria is the present claimant. The heir presumptive of Franz, Duke of Bavaria, is his younger brother Prince Max of Bavaria. Then his daughter Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein, and then her eldest son Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein, born 24 May 1995 in London. Prince Joseph is first heir in the Jacobite line born in the British Isles since James III and VIII, The Old Pretender in 1688. Well I found it interesting and by the way George III was on the English throne from 1738 until his death in 1820.
Bits and Bobs
Humberstone (more recently spelled Humberston) is from the Old English Humbre+stone for "the boundary stone in the River Humber". In the 1086 Domesday Book, it is rendered in its original form as Humbrestone. May 5th 1815 – Death – Lately at Humberstone, near Grimsby, aged 83 years, Ann KILLOCK: she had performed the duty of Clerk to the Parish church for 20 years and followed four husbands to their grave, and left 60 children and grandchildren behind her. Lincolnshire Family History Society Magazine 1997.
This must be an unusual occurrence for a woman to have been the Parish Clerk in the 19th century. Her surname is thought to have originated from the village of Kilnwick in Yorkshire.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
What's It Worth
What's It Worth?
Back in 1680, employing a craftsman for 13 days would cost you the equivalent of just one hour for a modern plumber. In 1270, for the same amount, you could add five extra days of craftsman work, 14 lbs of wool and a bale of wheat. How do I know this? Well I found the converter on www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency At The National Archives the new currency conversion program where you can convert old money into new equivalent values, and at the same time you can also see what the relative buying power of money was in days gone by. For example, did you know that Jane Austen left £50 in her will in 1817? That sum is approximately equal to the spending power of £2,096 today. It would have bought her beneficiary: 318 days of craftsman labour or,53 stones of wool or, 8 quarters of wheat or, 9 cows or, 4 horses.
Grasby had a visit from a gentleman who lives in Hykeham and more years ago than he would like to remember his address here was the same as mine is today. He was kind enough to let me scan a postcard he had with him which was of our house in the very early part of the 20th century. What is it about these old postcards that makes them so much more evocative than the coloured ones of today? When these visits occur always try to get a name and contact number. Me? I forgot! Hopefully he will get in touch again.
A document recently for sale dated 6 April 1773 in the 13th year of the reign of King George III and for the Release of land in Wigtoff, Lincolnshire, between John GAINSBOROUGH of Swineshead, Lincolnshire, yeoman and Mary his wife (nee WATERS) and Samuel FOSTER of Swineshead, yeoman. The property is All that piece of land in Wigtoff called the Fore Fen of 4 acres lying South East of the turnpike road from Boston to Donington (No 49 on the Inclosure Map).
By 1881 the FOSTER family seems to have disappeared for the FOSTER that is living in Swineshead comes from Stamford and has his father in law Levi DAYBALL staying with him. The name FOSTER, so the book says, might come from Middle English foster as in cild-foster, a foster parent or nurse. However having seen the name FORSTER, FOSTER and FORESTER being used for the same family I feel that it is more likely to be the occupational name of a person who works in a forest.
The Mormons with the IGI lump all the DIBBLE, DYBELL, DAYBALL, and DABBLE together as having the same root. Just about all of the elder members of these families came from Norfolk according to the 1881 census. I seem to spend this week disagreeing with the book; it says that DAYBELL is a nick name that came from the practise of ringing a bell at dawn which was called imaginatively enough the day-bell. The alternative, and the one I prefer, is the ease with which some words can be changed by using a D instead of a T. The name Tibbald was represented in Old Saxon as Dibald which started off as the font name Theobald. It is not very far to go to get DIBBLE or DAYBELL from DIBALD.
Bits and Bobs
LRSM 8 December 1848 - Spilsby Petty Sessions 27 November - Ruth DAWSON, of Bolingbroke, applied for an order upon Wm. STENNETT, of Revesby, to prove that the defendant (who is cousin to the plaintiff) had sent her money not to swear the child, plaintiff had called a second Wm. Stennett, also a cousin; but upon examination he swore positively that he had never spoken to the plaintiff upon the subject, and so prevaricated in his statements that it was clear he had been tampered with. The magistrates expressed their strong disapprobation of the witness' conduct, and of the defence which was attempted to be set up. Order granted for 2s 6d weekly and expenses.
Back in 1680, employing a craftsman for 13 days would cost you the equivalent of just one hour for a modern plumber. In 1270, for the same amount, you could add five extra days of craftsman work, 14 lbs of wool and a bale of wheat. How do I know this? Well I found the converter on www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency At The National Archives the new currency conversion program where you can convert old money into new equivalent values, and at the same time you can also see what the relative buying power of money was in days gone by. For example, did you know that Jane Austen left £50 in her will in 1817? That sum is approximately equal to the spending power of £2,096 today. It would have bought her beneficiary: 318 days of craftsman labour or,53 stones of wool or, 8 quarters of wheat or, 9 cows or, 4 horses.
Grasby had a visit from a gentleman who lives in Hykeham and more years ago than he would like to remember his address here was the same as mine is today. He was kind enough to let me scan a postcard he had with him which was of our house in the very early part of the 20th century. What is it about these old postcards that makes them so much more evocative than the coloured ones of today? When these visits occur always try to get a name and contact number. Me? I forgot! Hopefully he will get in touch again.
A document recently for sale dated 6 April 1773 in the 13th year of the reign of King George III and for the Release of land in Wigtoff, Lincolnshire, between John GAINSBOROUGH of Swineshead, Lincolnshire, yeoman and Mary his wife (nee WATERS) and Samuel FOSTER of Swineshead, yeoman. The property is All that piece of land in Wigtoff called the Fore Fen of 4 acres lying South East of the turnpike road from Boston to Donington (No 49 on the Inclosure Map).
By 1881 the FOSTER family seems to have disappeared for the FOSTER that is living in Swineshead comes from Stamford and has his father in law Levi DAYBALL staying with him. The name FOSTER, so the book says, might come from Middle English foster as in cild-foster, a foster parent or nurse. However having seen the name FORSTER, FOSTER and FORESTER being used for the same family I feel that it is more likely to be the occupational name of a person who works in a forest.
The Mormons with the IGI lump all the DIBBLE, DYBELL, DAYBALL, and DABBLE together as having the same root. Just about all of the elder members of these families came from Norfolk according to the 1881 census. I seem to spend this week disagreeing with the book; it says that DAYBELL is a nick name that came from the practise of ringing a bell at dawn which was called imaginatively enough the day-bell. The alternative, and the one I prefer, is the ease with which some words can be changed by using a D instead of a T. The name Tibbald was represented in Old Saxon as Dibald which started off as the font name Theobald. It is not very far to go to get DIBBLE or DAYBELL from DIBALD.
Bits and Bobs
LRSM 8 December 1848 - Spilsby Petty Sessions 27 November - Ruth DAWSON, of Bolingbroke, applied for an order upon Wm. STENNETT, of Revesby, to prove that the defendant (who is cousin to the plaintiff) had sent her money not to swear the child, plaintiff had called a second Wm. Stennett, also a cousin; but upon examination he swore positively that he had never spoken to the plaintiff upon the subject, and so prevaricated in his statements that it was clear he had been tampered with. The magistrates expressed their strong disapprobation of the witness' conduct, and of the defence which was attempted to be set up. Order granted for 2s 6d weekly and expenses.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Its The Accent What
It’s The Accent What Does It
My searches just recently have been for the PETT family of Spalding who left the county to live in the Doncaster area in the early part of the 19th century. In the parish registers we only have the PITT surname and the occasional PIDD. Usually this can be explained by the fact that the PETT that is giving his/her name to the vicar has a strong accent which the vicar then translates as PITT. The books agree with me here (which doesn’t help) for under PETT they say to ‘See PITT’. So the question is how do you prove that they are one and the same. What one hopes for here is a change in the vicar and hopefully a change in the name. To illustrate this take that of the gentleman who discovered a comet; most people pronounce the name as HAYLEY or HALIE but is this right for I have seen in one register the name spelt HALLEY and HAULEY. This indicates that the first element is pronounced HALL. Where does this leave PETT research? To be as sure as one can be the only thing one can hope for is to carry on looking for an entry with a change of spelling where the two can be linked together. In addition to the spellings above the book also has putt and they all come from a location. It is the dweller by the pits or hollows and is from the Old English pytt. There is village with the name Pett in Kent and one called Pitt in Hampshire.
A phone call set me on the trail of GUENIGAULT & COSFORD of London. What an opportunity we have to get the spelling wrong when it comes to a French name and an English accent. These are Huguenots that had been here a while but in the 1881 census there is but one head of house and that is Charles who was born in London. Could this be the one and only link to today’s families? A swift rummage on Google and up comes the www.tolliss.com/ site where can be found 84 GUENIGAULT individuals. A number of these should be living in London during 1881 so why aren’t they listed? The father of Charles, Louis Stephen GUENIGAULT, can be found on the Tollis site along with half a dozen of Charles uncles. Many of these had children. A French genealogical site also has GUENIGAUD as a spelling. Swapping a few letters around gives a few more individuals by the surname GUEINGAULE living in Battersea. The family is still there today with Mary GUENIGAULT working with the Liberal Democrats in Southwark. There is a hero in their midst for during the First World War amongst those lost on the raid on Zeebrugge was Able Seaman GUINIGAULT. Charles William GUENIGAULT was 19 years old and the son of Frederick William and Hannah of Essex Road. My books are deficient as to a meaning. The second however is a place name and comes from the person called Cossa who had control of the ford over a river.
Bits and Bobs
Fiona of the Grimsby FHS was at the Lincolnshire Family History Society AGM and was one of those lucky enough to hear John Wilson, archivist at the North-east Lincolnshire Archives speak on the Lottery funded project which involves indexing the Crew Lists held at Grimsby and Hull. While there is a lot more Grimsby data the Hull index has beaten them to the punch and they are on line at www.hullcc.gov.uk/. Go to the online catalogue and using DPF as a reference type in your name. She will let those on the internet know when Grimsby is up and running.
My searches just recently have been for the PETT family of Spalding who left the county to live in the Doncaster area in the early part of the 19th century. In the parish registers we only have the PITT surname and the occasional PIDD. Usually this can be explained by the fact that the PETT that is giving his/her name to the vicar has a strong accent which the vicar then translates as PITT. The books agree with me here (which doesn’t help) for under PETT they say to ‘See PITT’. So the question is how do you prove that they are one and the same. What one hopes for here is a change in the vicar and hopefully a change in the name. To illustrate this take that of the gentleman who discovered a comet; most people pronounce the name as HAYLEY or HALIE but is this right for I have seen in one register the name spelt HALLEY and HAULEY. This indicates that the first element is pronounced HALL. Where does this leave PETT research? To be as sure as one can be the only thing one can hope for is to carry on looking for an entry with a change of spelling where the two can be linked together. In addition to the spellings above the book also has putt and they all come from a location. It is the dweller by the pits or hollows and is from the Old English pytt. There is village with the name Pett in Kent and one called Pitt in Hampshire.
A phone call set me on the trail of GUENIGAULT & COSFORD of London. What an opportunity we have to get the spelling wrong when it comes to a French name and an English accent. These are Huguenots that had been here a while but in the 1881 census there is but one head of house and that is Charles who was born in London. Could this be the one and only link to today’s families? A swift rummage on Google and up comes the www.tolliss.com/ site where can be found 84 GUENIGAULT individuals. A number of these should be living in London during 1881 so why aren’t they listed? The father of Charles, Louis Stephen GUENIGAULT, can be found on the Tollis site along with half a dozen of Charles uncles. Many of these had children. A French genealogical site also has GUENIGAUD as a spelling. Swapping a few letters around gives a few more individuals by the surname GUEINGAULE living in Battersea. The family is still there today with Mary GUENIGAULT working with the Liberal Democrats in Southwark. There is a hero in their midst for during the First World War amongst those lost on the raid on Zeebrugge was Able Seaman GUINIGAULT. Charles William GUENIGAULT was 19 years old and the son of Frederick William and Hannah of Essex Road. My books are deficient as to a meaning. The second however is a place name and comes from the person called Cossa who had control of the ford over a river.
Bits and Bobs
Fiona of the Grimsby FHS was at the Lincolnshire Family History Society AGM and was one of those lucky enough to hear John Wilson, archivist at the North-east Lincolnshire Archives speak on the Lottery funded project which involves indexing the Crew Lists held at Grimsby and Hull. While there is a lot more Grimsby data the Hull index has beaten them to the punch and they are on line at www.hullcc.gov.uk/. Go to the online catalogue and using DPF as a reference type in your name. She will let those on the internet know when Grimsby is up and running.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Greetings from New Z
Greetings from New Zealand
Pauline Allen from New Zealand has an aunt that lives in Lincolnshire. Just to show you what good taste aunt has she sends Pauline cuttings from the Lincolnshire Echo. The name she is interested in is that of MORPHUS. Apart from the origin of the name she is trying to find out what happened to George William who was born in Bulwell in 1899. The only family detail that she has is that he might have died in 1947 but where. In 1881 there were just three families in the whole of the country with this name so there is a good chance that this is a change of spelling due to the accent used. The website FreeBMD although not yet finished gave me the information that there was a George aged 0 who died in September Quarter of 1902 in Nottingham District. A few months later there is the death of Emma aged 35. The mother perhaps dying due to infection. Marriages on FreeBMD of which there are few gave me Emma PIDDUCK marrying Samuel MORPHUS in 1889 in Basford. There are a total of 8 births in Nottinghamshire - all boys. However three of these are after the death of Emma. Did Samuel marry again? The name is most likely to be MALPASS and as the name is most prevalent in the west country my guess is that as the two Nottinghamshire MALPASS heads of family came from Gloucestershire this could be the original area for the family. Malpass arrived around the 13th century as the French gave places that were difficult to travel over the name. The Old French mal pas is a bad passage.
A book recently sold on eBay that I would have liked to buy is that of the life of Thomas LIDGETT printed in 1908. It is described as One of Lincolnshire's best known men as written by himself. Modest too! LIDGETT was born in Rothwell, a village near Caistor in 1844, and wrote this book shortly before his death in 1908. This is a wonderful historical account of Lincolnshire life in Victoria times. He became a preacher and travelled widely, including to Switzerland. "About the age of three and a half, I went with my mother to Moortown station to go to Hull. I thought when in the train we were not moving, but that the stacks, trees etc., were running past us in a desperate hurry". "At sixteen years of age I went to live with a farmer in Thoresway Parish named Surfleet". This 55 page book has 5 b/w photographs of LIDGETT. I’ll bet there aren’t many copies of this one about. The early references to the LIDGETT name all use the additional de or atte. This confirms the idea that it is from someone who lived near a swing gate from the Old English hlidgeat.
Bits and Bobs
Spilsby Petty Sessions - 25 September 1848 - Sarah HOUGHTON, of Wainfleet All Saints, applied for an order in bastardy against Luke WALKER of Ingoldmells. Mr. MERRIFIELD appeared for the defendant, and Mr. THIMBLEBY for the plaintiff: after hearing the case (which evinced considerable depravity on the part of the defendant, who is a widower with a family of nine children, while the plaintiff is a poor half-witted girl of seventeen), the bench made an order for 2s weekly and expenses.
Pauline Allen from New Zealand has an aunt that lives in Lincolnshire. Just to show you what good taste aunt has she sends Pauline cuttings from the Lincolnshire Echo. The name she is interested in is that of MORPHUS. Apart from the origin of the name she is trying to find out what happened to George William who was born in Bulwell in 1899. The only family detail that she has is that he might have died in 1947 but where. In 1881 there were just three families in the whole of the country with this name so there is a good chance that this is a change of spelling due to the accent used. The website FreeBMD although not yet finished gave me the information that there was a George aged 0 who died in September Quarter of 1902 in Nottingham District. A few months later there is the death of Emma aged 35. The mother perhaps dying due to infection. Marriages on FreeBMD of which there are few gave me Emma PIDDUCK marrying Samuel MORPHUS in 1889 in Basford. There are a total of 8 births in Nottinghamshire - all boys. However three of these are after the death of Emma. Did Samuel marry again? The name is most likely to be MALPASS and as the name is most prevalent in the west country my guess is that as the two Nottinghamshire MALPASS heads of family came from Gloucestershire this could be the original area for the family. Malpass arrived around the 13th century as the French gave places that were difficult to travel over the name. The Old French mal pas is a bad passage.
A book recently sold on eBay that I would have liked to buy is that of the life of Thomas LIDGETT printed in 1908. It is described as One of Lincolnshire's best known men as written by himself. Modest too! LIDGETT was born in Rothwell, a village near Caistor in 1844, and wrote this book shortly before his death in 1908. This is a wonderful historical account of Lincolnshire life in Victoria times. He became a preacher and travelled widely, including to Switzerland. "About the age of three and a half, I went with my mother to Moortown station to go to Hull. I thought when in the train we were not moving, but that the stacks, trees etc., were running past us in a desperate hurry". "At sixteen years of age I went to live with a farmer in Thoresway Parish named Surfleet". This 55 page book has 5 b/w photographs of LIDGETT. I’ll bet there aren’t many copies of this one about. The early references to the LIDGETT name all use the additional de or atte. This confirms the idea that it is from someone who lived near a swing gate from the Old English hlidgeat.
Bits and Bobs
Spilsby Petty Sessions - 25 September 1848 - Sarah HOUGHTON, of Wainfleet All Saints, applied for an order in bastardy against Luke WALKER of Ingoldmells. Mr. MERRIFIELD appeared for the defendant, and Mr. THIMBLEBY for the plaintiff: after hearing the case (which evinced considerable depravity on the part of the defendant, who is a widower with a family of nine children, while the plaintiff is a poor half-witted girl of seventeen), the bench made an order for 2s weekly and expenses.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Staff Discount
Staff Discount?
Ian BARNSLEY works for an extremely well known newspaper in Lincolnshire and, having seen the column come out for the last 348 times, has decided that it is time for me to look at his surname. The surname comes from the place of the same name. Remember that this would only have been his name when he was away from home; everyone knew who he was otherwise. The other thing to remember is that just because someone has the same place or occupational surname as you does not mean they are a relative. The reason that there are so many people with the surname SMITH is down to the fact that this was one of the most popular occupations during the time that surnames took off. If you are lucky and your ancestor is important enough to get listed somewhere he could have more than one name. James de BARNSLEY being someone with a bit of get-up-and-go moved his business to the nearby village of Dodsworth. To the people of Penistone he is now James de DODSWORTH not James de BARNSLEY. Barnsley by the way gets its name from the fact that the –leah or grove belonging to Beornheard. A similar name is that of Barnsdale which was the hill belonging to Beornheard. Towards the end of the 19th century there was just one family of the surname Barnsley in Lincolnshire. At the same time there were dozens of families living in Birmingham from whence Ian’s grandfather Cyril came. Ian mentions the fact that there are few BARNSLEY families now living in Barnsley. Over time they may have moved back but, as I have already said, at one time those that lived in Barnsley would not have had BARNSLEY as a surname unless they left the town.
Roger TINDALL has written asking for information on John TINDALL who he believes was born in the Rasen area. There is one John TINDALL who was born around 1760 in Coleby but this is not the one. He married Sarah FARROW of Middle Rasen in 1794. The family then moved around the area, married at Owmby and had a child, Thomas, born at Tealby who later died in Searby in 1879, do you have any links to this family for Roger. Let me know and I’ll pass it on.
Bits and Bobs
For sale at eBay - Vellum Indenture -1854 Deed - Messingham, Transfer and Confirmation of Mortgage of a Messuage Maltkiln and Hereditaments at Messingham, Lincolnshire for securing £400 and interest. The document also has two receipts on the back signed by William CHATTERTON for the repayment of the moneys in two parts dated 6 November 1862 and 23 May 1867 - Parties: William CHATTERTON, George FRANKISH, George KIRKLAND, Harriet KIRKLAND, Richard KIRKLAND the younger, Sarah KIRKLAND the elder, Sarah KIRKLAND the younger, William KIRKLAND - Other names include: William BARNARD, Rev Henry Vincent BAYLEY, John KIRKLAND, Richard KIRKLAND , Rev George Daniel RENAUD, Mary Ann SMITH (nee KIRKLAND) Richard SMITH, Mr SOWERBY Document signed by: George FRANKISH, X The Mark of Sarah KIRKLAND, George KIRKLAND, Richard KIRKLAND, Sarah KIRKLAND, Harriet KIRKLAND, William KIRKLAND Witnesses: Thomas FREER, Thomas WILSON
Ian BARNSLEY works for an extremely well known newspaper in Lincolnshire and, having seen the column come out for the last 348 times, has decided that it is time for me to look at his surname. The surname comes from the place of the same name. Remember that this would only have been his name when he was away from home; everyone knew who he was otherwise. The other thing to remember is that just because someone has the same place or occupational surname as you does not mean they are a relative. The reason that there are so many people with the surname SMITH is down to the fact that this was one of the most popular occupations during the time that surnames took off. If you are lucky and your ancestor is important enough to get listed somewhere he could have more than one name. James de BARNSLEY being someone with a bit of get-up-and-go moved his business to the nearby village of Dodsworth. To the people of Penistone he is now James de DODSWORTH not James de BARNSLEY. Barnsley by the way gets its name from the fact that the –leah or grove belonging to Beornheard. A similar name is that of Barnsdale which was the hill belonging to Beornheard. Towards the end of the 19th century there was just one family of the surname Barnsley in Lincolnshire. At the same time there were dozens of families living in Birmingham from whence Ian’s grandfather Cyril came. Ian mentions the fact that there are few BARNSLEY families now living in Barnsley. Over time they may have moved back but, as I have already said, at one time those that lived in Barnsley would not have had BARNSLEY as a surname unless they left the town.
Roger TINDALL has written asking for information on John TINDALL who he believes was born in the Rasen area. There is one John TINDALL who was born around 1760 in Coleby but this is not the one. He married Sarah FARROW of Middle Rasen in 1794. The family then moved around the area, married at Owmby and had a child, Thomas, born at Tealby who later died in Searby in 1879, do you have any links to this family for Roger. Let me know and I’ll pass it on.
Bits and Bobs
For sale at eBay - Vellum Indenture -1854 Deed - Messingham, Transfer and Confirmation of Mortgage of a Messuage Maltkiln and Hereditaments at Messingham, Lincolnshire for securing £400 and interest. The document also has two receipts on the back signed by William CHATTERTON for the repayment of the moneys in two parts dated 6 November 1862 and 23 May 1867 - Parties: William CHATTERTON, George FRANKISH, George KIRKLAND, Harriet KIRKLAND, Richard KIRKLAND the younger, Sarah KIRKLAND the elder, Sarah KIRKLAND the younger, William KIRKLAND - Other names include: William BARNARD, Rev Henry Vincent BAYLEY, John KIRKLAND, Richard KIRKLAND , Rev George Daniel RENAUD, Mary Ann SMITH (nee KIRKLAND) Richard SMITH, Mr SOWERBY Document signed by: George FRANKISH, X The Mark of Sarah KIRKLAND, George KIRKLAND, Richard KIRKLAND, Sarah KIRKLAND, Harriet KIRKLAND, William KIRKLAND Witnesses: Thomas FREER, Thomas WILSON
Monday, June 05, 2006
Saw or Taw
Saw or Taw
Maria TUE has recently moved to Lincolnshire and started to do the family tree but, without knowing it, she is a yellow-belly descendant because her father’s side of the family comes from Heckington. Her earliest record to date is that of Jacob & Joseph Chadwell BEEDON who are the sons of Daniel & Elizabeth, born at the start of the 19th century. Here we have another example of the change in the name through the accent. This time it is interchangeable with BEETON. The question is which one really comes first. BEEDON the surname comes from Beedon the village which is just off the M4 in Berkshire. On the other hand BEETON comes from Beton the diminutive for Bete (Beatrice) and was in use as a Christina name in Cornwall in the 17th century. The descendants spread out over the county moving to Vauxhall House in Boston, a Militia House in Grantham via a spell in the 22nd Regiment of Foot, and lastly to Horncastle. The question that Maria would like answering is where did Daniel and Elizabeth originate from and where did they end their lives?
Maria TUE and her present surname do present a slight problem. With the TUE spelling there is a blank, but in Northamptonshire in the 19th century there are a number as TEW. This is from the village of Tew in Oxfordshire. There is a Middle English word tewe, which was to taw. And someone who tawed was a tawyer and later became a surname. TAWYER is an occupational name and was to prepare white leather. Exactly the same as one who sawed became a SAWYER.
I had occasion to make a telephone call to the Scotland GRO to order a birth certificate. The experience was something that all Archives should aspire to (Lincolnshire of course excepted). I gave the date in 1920 and was told that the person was not listed, I then gave the second year that I had and was told he wasn’t there either. “Just a second” the gentleman said “I have found one in 1918”. “The mothers maiden name was MENZIES” he said which was the middle name of the person I was looking for. The speed with which the answers came back I must assume that they have all the indexes computerised. When I put the phone down I had been on line the for just less than 4 minutes. OK I have not received the bill yet but I thought the service was exceptional.
Mrs ARMSTRONG of Lincoln is interested in the name ADDELSEE. The word comes from the Old English hathel and sae meaning a marshy pool in a hollow. This particular marshy pool could be found in North Yorkshire at a village now called Haddlesey. The village was called Hathel-sae in 1030. Early Lincolnshire family members were to be seen around Boston and Minting at the start of the 19th century. The one family with the name with the same spelling as that of the village came from Caistor. One must assume that it is the Lincolnshire accent that had persuaded people to drop the ‘H’ in the distant past.
Bits and Bobs
Sarah wife of Wm. LOCKTON, of Marston, applied for an order in bastardy. She was a married woman but her husband enlisted three years ago and is now at Corfoo: an old fellow named Edw. PIDD, finding her in a rather destitute condition, and he being a widower, first engaged her to attend to his house, and ultimately to cohabit with him, by which means she kept herself out of the workhouse: the old man was left with a family of six children, the youngest of whom is 14 years of age.........Pidd was ordered to pay 1s 6d per week and the midwifery expenses. From Anne
When you think about it, what else could the woman do in those days but hope to find someone who would look after her and the children?
Maria TUE has recently moved to Lincolnshire and started to do the family tree but, without knowing it, she is a yellow-belly descendant because her father’s side of the family comes from Heckington. Her earliest record to date is that of Jacob & Joseph Chadwell BEEDON who are the sons of Daniel & Elizabeth, born at the start of the 19th century. Here we have another example of the change in the name through the accent. This time it is interchangeable with BEETON. The question is which one really comes first. BEEDON the surname comes from Beedon the village which is just off the M4 in Berkshire. On the other hand BEETON comes from Beton the diminutive for Bete (Beatrice) and was in use as a Christina name in Cornwall in the 17th century. The descendants spread out over the county moving to Vauxhall House in Boston, a Militia House in Grantham via a spell in the 22nd Regiment of Foot, and lastly to Horncastle. The question that Maria would like answering is where did Daniel and Elizabeth originate from and where did they end their lives?
Maria TUE and her present surname do present a slight problem. With the TUE spelling there is a blank, but in Northamptonshire in the 19th century there are a number as TEW. This is from the village of Tew in Oxfordshire. There is a Middle English word tewe, which was to taw. And someone who tawed was a tawyer and later became a surname. TAWYER is an occupational name and was to prepare white leather. Exactly the same as one who sawed became a SAWYER.
I had occasion to make a telephone call to the Scotland GRO to order a birth certificate. The experience was something that all Archives should aspire to (Lincolnshire of course excepted). I gave the date in 1920 and was told that the person was not listed, I then gave the second year that I had and was told he wasn’t there either. “Just a second” the gentleman said “I have found one in 1918”. “The mothers maiden name was MENZIES” he said which was the middle name of the person I was looking for. The speed with which the answers came back I must assume that they have all the indexes computerised. When I put the phone down I had been on line the for just less than 4 minutes. OK I have not received the bill yet but I thought the service was exceptional.
Mrs ARMSTRONG of Lincoln is interested in the name ADDELSEE. The word comes from the Old English hathel and sae meaning a marshy pool in a hollow. This particular marshy pool could be found in North Yorkshire at a village now called Haddlesey. The village was called Hathel-sae in 1030. Early Lincolnshire family members were to be seen around Boston and Minting at the start of the 19th century. The one family with the name with the same spelling as that of the village came from Caistor. One must assume that it is the Lincolnshire accent that had persuaded people to drop the ‘H’ in the distant past.
Bits and Bobs
Sarah wife of Wm. LOCKTON, of Marston, applied for an order in bastardy. She was a married woman but her husband enlisted three years ago and is now at Corfoo: an old fellow named Edw. PIDD, finding her in a rather destitute condition, and he being a widower, first engaged her to attend to his house, and ultimately to cohabit with him, by which means she kept herself out of the workhouse: the old man was left with a family of six children, the youngest of whom is 14 years of age.........Pidd was ordered to pay 1s 6d per week and the midwifery expenses. From Anne
When you think about it, what else could the woman do in those days but hope to find someone who would look after her and the children?
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Easy Start and Dusty
Easy Start and Dusty Finish
Norma of blueyonder.co.uk has set me a nice easy task to start this week with. Here name of interest is COWLEYSHAW and the question is “Where did it come from and what does it mean?” In this case they are both the same thing. This surname is a locational name and comes from the village of Cowlishaw in Lancashire. The word -SHAW is from the Old English scaga for a copse. The first element COWLI- is thought possibly to come from a similar root as the first element in COLLEYHURST. Colleyhurst is a village in Lancashire. COLLEY as a first element is generally thought to be from coal dust, black, or swarthy HURST by the way is a hill that may be wooded. It therefore looks as though parts of Lancashire are covered in coal dust. The explanation is of the names are of a copse or a hill that might be wooded that is covered in coal dust . Examples of this word are top be found as colley-sheep which are those with a black face and legs. A colley in Somerset is a dialect name for a blackbird.
Another name I am working on at the moment is that of HAYES. The surprising thing is that if you type Patrick HAYES into the 1881 census national index almost without exception every one born before 1860 and given this name comes from Ireland. The name comes from the Old English haes and the word hease which is found as places in Sussex as Heaseland and Heasewood. This originated as the Old French heis and brushwood.
Norm ASHTON is trying to figure out why his ancestor Alfred JACKSON, who was born in Belper in Derbyshire, would have moved to Boston by the time of his marriage to Harriet Hand SMITH and the birth of their first child in 1855. Alfred was a blacksmith and nail-maker by trade. He must have itchy feet for by 1881 they are living in Toronto. Alfred had a son named Samuel and he kept a small diary in which he kept his important dates. Any of these of interest to you? Sarah Ann SMITH/RASON - 14 Feb; Ethel SHEPHERD - 20 Feb; Ada SHEPHERD - 14 Mar; S. RASON Jr - 24 Mar; Alfred SHEPHERD - 2 Apr; Cousin Gertie (G.E.) JACKSON/HOLBEACH - 12 May; M.E. JACKSON, cousin Mary Edith HOLBEACH - 1 Jun; A. M. JACKSON, cousin Maud - 2 Jul; Arthur SHEPHERD - 23 Jul; G.L. RASON - 8 Aug; W. H. SHEPHERD - 14 Aug; C. SHEPHERD - 15 Aug; G.H. RASON - 22 Sep; E. M. RASON - 27 Sep; F. B. RASON - 17 Oct; G.E. SHEPHERD, Grantham - 7 Dec; Aunt E. JACKSON - 22 Dec. Do you have something similar in your family?
Bits and Bobs
For sale on eBay with one day to go and already up to £275. Mons Star Trio with Bar & Rosette on Star all named to 9358 Pte Thomas Harry Johnson 1st Lincs BUT plaque named Henry Johnson!!. I hope that it is a family member bidding. At the same time the following were for sale - Trios to Pte 9547 S T Hayward, Pte 16790 R J Dodds & Pte 3065 G W Watkinson. The numbers are very handy if you are going after the individual’s military papers.
Norma of blueyonder.co.uk has set me a nice easy task to start this week with. Here name of interest is COWLEYSHAW and the question is “Where did it come from and what does it mean?” In this case they are both the same thing. This surname is a locational name and comes from the village of Cowlishaw in Lancashire. The word -SHAW is from the Old English scaga for a copse. The first element COWLI- is thought possibly to come from a similar root as the first element in COLLEYHURST. Colleyhurst is a village in Lancashire. COLLEY as a first element is generally thought to be from coal dust, black, or swarthy HURST by the way is a hill that may be wooded. It therefore looks as though parts of Lancashire are covered in coal dust. The explanation is of the names are of a copse or a hill that might be wooded that is covered in coal dust . Examples of this word are top be found as colley-sheep which are those with a black face and legs. A colley in Somerset is a dialect name for a blackbird.
Another name I am working on at the moment is that of HAYES. The surprising thing is that if you type Patrick HAYES into the 1881 census national index almost without exception every one born before 1860 and given this name comes from Ireland. The name comes from the Old English haes and the word hease which is found as places in Sussex as Heaseland and Heasewood. This originated as the Old French heis and brushwood.
Norm ASHTON is trying to figure out why his ancestor Alfred JACKSON, who was born in Belper in Derbyshire, would have moved to Boston by the time of his marriage to Harriet Hand SMITH and the birth of their first child in 1855. Alfred was a blacksmith and nail-maker by trade. He must have itchy feet for by 1881 they are living in Toronto. Alfred had a son named Samuel and he kept a small diary in which he kept his important dates. Any of these of interest to you? Sarah Ann SMITH/RASON - 14 Feb; Ethel SHEPHERD - 20 Feb; Ada SHEPHERD - 14 Mar; S. RASON Jr - 24 Mar; Alfred SHEPHERD - 2 Apr; Cousin Gertie (G.E.) JACKSON/HOLBEACH - 12 May; M.E. JACKSON, cousin Mary Edith HOLBEACH - 1 Jun; A. M. JACKSON, cousin Maud - 2 Jul; Arthur SHEPHERD - 23 Jul; G.L. RASON - 8 Aug; W. H. SHEPHERD - 14 Aug; C. SHEPHERD - 15 Aug; G.H. RASON - 22 Sep; E. M. RASON - 27 Sep; F. B. RASON - 17 Oct; G.E. SHEPHERD, Grantham - 7 Dec; Aunt E. JACKSON - 22 Dec. Do you have something similar in your family?
Bits and Bobs
For sale on eBay with one day to go and already up to £275. Mons Star Trio with Bar & Rosette on Star all named to 9358 Pte Thomas Harry Johnson 1st Lincs BUT plaque named Henry Johnson!!. I hope that it is a family member bidding. At the same time the following were for sale - Trios to Pte 9547 S T Hayward, Pte 16790 R J Dodds & Pte 3065 G W Watkinson. The numbers are very handy if you are going after the individual’s military papers.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Lost and Found
Lost and Found
Diana ROBINSON (nee GARDNER) of Rochester in the USA is looking into the history of her great grandmother Jane STUBBLEDAY who married William Dawson FLETCHER at St. Mark's Church in Lincoln on Feb. 20, 1848. The trouble is that William, on occasions, did not use his middle name of Dawson and this has caused some problems with identification. Jane’s maiden name can also be found being spelt in various ways by the family with one of her children it is down as STUBLEY. As Jane only put her mark on documents it is thought that she would not be able to correct the registrar’s mistake. What she would like to know is why, when Jane was born in Wyberton, would she be in Lincoln getting married and where was she in 1841 because she can’t be found on the census? Here we have the Son of Robin and a Gardener plus the person who puts the feathers onto arrows but STUBBLEDAY is not to be found. STUBLEY is thought to be a place in Essex. There is always a chance that the name could have changed from DOUBLEDAY.
Robin DUNN has dropped me a line. His family comes from the north of the county. A look at the 1901 census on line gives the names of George and Elizabeth as being the eldest members there. The trail through the 1881 census lead to brothers John and Joseph and their families. Most families in Lincolnshire were farm labourers but Joseph was the odd one out being a blacksmith by trade. Robin says that the family was living in Wrawby at one time. My transcript of the register confirms the link between Wrawby and South Ferriby with the same pairs of names turning up and this takes the family back to the baptism of William, the son of John & Ann in 1753. The surname DUNN is also the Old English word dunn for dark brown and was sometimes used as a nickname for a dark or swarthy person. The dark brown hedge sparrow is called a dunnock and gets its name from the same root.
Janice is now an OAKMAN and her husband George’s family come from Cambridgeshire and many of these lived in the Foxton area in the 19th century. There were none living in Lincolnshire in 1901 and only 51 individuals in Cambs, there were even less in 1881. The name comes from the Old English Acmann and is a straight forward sort of name as it translates to OAKMAN. Almost without exception the word oak in a name such as OAKES, NOKES or NOCK, OAKER and OAKENROYDE are all linked to people who live near the oak trees or in a clearing (royd). Oakman is slightly different as at one time (1219 in Yorkshire) it was used as a Christian name as in Alexander filius OKEMAN.
Bits and Bobs
Spalding Tuesday February 6th 1855 - Groundless Alarm - on Friday morning, at three o'clock, police constable MEASURES, while crossing the Victoria Bridge, heard cries of murder, fire &c. On proceeding in the direction of the sounds, he observed females with their heads out of the upper windows of the house of Mr. CULY, who, in answer to his inquiries, stated that someone was breaking into the house. The constable looked well around the premises, but saw nought but a heap of snow, which, it appeared, had just fallen over the back door from the roof of the house, and had awakened the inmates.
Diana ROBINSON (nee GARDNER) of Rochester in the USA is looking into the history of her great grandmother Jane STUBBLEDAY who married William Dawson FLETCHER at St. Mark's Church in Lincoln on Feb. 20, 1848. The trouble is that William, on occasions, did not use his middle name of Dawson and this has caused some problems with identification. Jane’s maiden name can also be found being spelt in various ways by the family with one of her children it is down as STUBLEY. As Jane only put her mark on documents it is thought that she would not be able to correct the registrar’s mistake. What she would like to know is why, when Jane was born in Wyberton, would she be in Lincoln getting married and where was she in 1841 because she can’t be found on the census? Here we have the Son of Robin and a Gardener plus the person who puts the feathers onto arrows but STUBBLEDAY is not to be found. STUBLEY is thought to be a place in Essex. There is always a chance that the name could have changed from DOUBLEDAY.
Robin DUNN has dropped me a line. His family comes from the north of the county. A look at the 1901 census on line gives the names of George and Elizabeth as being the eldest members there. The trail through the 1881 census lead to brothers John and Joseph and their families. Most families in Lincolnshire were farm labourers but Joseph was the odd one out being a blacksmith by trade. Robin says that the family was living in Wrawby at one time. My transcript of the register confirms the link between Wrawby and South Ferriby with the same pairs of names turning up and this takes the family back to the baptism of William, the son of John & Ann in 1753. The surname DUNN is also the Old English word dunn for dark brown and was sometimes used as a nickname for a dark or swarthy person. The dark brown hedge sparrow is called a dunnock and gets its name from the same root.
Janice is now an OAKMAN and her husband George’s family come from Cambridgeshire and many of these lived in the Foxton area in the 19th century. There were none living in Lincolnshire in 1901 and only 51 individuals in Cambs, there were even less in 1881. The name comes from the Old English Acmann and is a straight forward sort of name as it translates to OAKMAN. Almost without exception the word oak in a name such as OAKES, NOKES or NOCK, OAKER and OAKENROYDE are all linked to people who live near the oak trees or in a clearing (royd). Oakman is slightly different as at one time (1219 in Yorkshire) it was used as a Christian name as in Alexander filius OKEMAN.
Bits and Bobs
Spalding Tuesday February 6th 1855 - Groundless Alarm - on Friday morning, at three o'clock, police constable MEASURES, while crossing the Victoria Bridge, heard cries of murder, fire &c. On proceeding in the direction of the sounds, he observed females with their heads out of the upper windows of the house of Mr. CULY, who, in answer to his inquiries, stated that someone was breaking into the house. The constable looked well around the premises, but saw nought but a heap of snow, which, it appeared, had just fallen over the back door from the roof of the house, and had awakened the inmates.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Da Vinci Is A Better
Da Vinci Is A Better Way To Be Noticed
Lincoln is soon to become one of THE places to visit after the film of The Da Vinci Code hits the screens. This event had been brought to mind with the reading of a book on almshouses and mention of Lincoln being the second most important site after London for a leper hospital. The Lazar is called thus from St Lazarus and was run by an off-shoot of the Hospitallers of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem. It is supposed that the first ever leper hospital in the country was founded in Lincoln by Bishop Regimius during the 11th century. It was named the Malandry and built on common land just outside the city walls near Little Bargate. One item of note was the funding of the Lazar; on Canwick Hill was situated a gallows, those that were destined to take a last look at Lincoln from this viewpoint were buried by the lepers and the Lazar received payment for this service. Leprosy in those days was considered your own fault; you must have been afflicted due to your sinful way of life! After it was discovered that you had the disease you would be given a pep talk by the priest to mend your ways, sprinkled with holy water, given a black gown to wear, a rattle to shake to let all know you were coming by and put into a Lazar and left to fend for yourself. The Leper would not be allowed to visit a church, mill or bake-house, talk to strangers, touch anything that was for sale nor wash in a running stream. A shovel full of earth was thrown at the lepers feet and as far as the community was concerned the leper was already dead - just not buried yet.
A local name I have come across is that of FARMERY. This has little to do with farms but comes from the English habit of knocking letters of from the beginning of French words. Similarly the hamlet near Caenby Corner named Owmby by Spital gets its name from the shortening of the word Hospital. The Old French word is enfermerie is the origin of the English infirmary and a FARMERY would most likely work in the monastery infirmary.
While still on the subject of shutting people away it seems that Sue from Perth, Australia had a relative on the wrong side of the law as far as Australians are concerned. He, Nathaniel FARRANT lived in Stamford as the Goal Keeper. Sorry but when I first read this I was thinking of football and wondered what they called the team in those days!! By 1851 he was a Magistrates Clerk. Could this be thought of as a step up the social ladder? If this is your family Sue would be delighted to hear from you. By 1881 the solitary FARRANT family member to be found in Lincolnshire, is George the bolt-maker of Lincoln who is living in Gainsborough.
The name FARRANT is thought to either come from the Old French ferant which is short for Ferdinand or ferrant being the nickname for one with iron-grey coloured hair.
Bits and Bobs
Jan 6 1837 – there is now living at Misterton near Gainsborough, Mr James FARAM, who has reached the very advanced age of 102 years, and is in the enjoyment of considerable activity and health except for his eyesight, which has failed. He is proof that this neighbourhood is not so prejudicial to health as common opinion has held it to be.
Lincolnshire Family History Society 2001
Lincoln is soon to become one of THE places to visit after the film of The Da Vinci Code hits the screens. This event had been brought to mind with the reading of a book on almshouses and mention of Lincoln being the second most important site after London for a leper hospital. The Lazar is called thus from St Lazarus and was run by an off-shoot of the Hospitallers of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem. It is supposed that the first ever leper hospital in the country was founded in Lincoln by Bishop Regimius during the 11th century. It was named the Malandry and built on common land just outside the city walls near Little Bargate. One item of note was the funding of the Lazar; on Canwick Hill was situated a gallows, those that were destined to take a last look at Lincoln from this viewpoint were buried by the lepers and the Lazar received payment for this service. Leprosy in those days was considered your own fault; you must have been afflicted due to your sinful way of life! After it was discovered that you had the disease you would be given a pep talk by the priest to mend your ways, sprinkled with holy water, given a black gown to wear, a rattle to shake to let all know you were coming by and put into a Lazar and left to fend for yourself. The Leper would not be allowed to visit a church, mill or bake-house, talk to strangers, touch anything that was for sale nor wash in a running stream. A shovel full of earth was thrown at the lepers feet and as far as the community was concerned the leper was already dead - just not buried yet.
A local name I have come across is that of FARMERY. This has little to do with farms but comes from the English habit of knocking letters of from the beginning of French words. Similarly the hamlet near Caenby Corner named Owmby by Spital gets its name from the shortening of the word Hospital. The Old French word is enfermerie is the origin of the English infirmary and a FARMERY would most likely work in the monastery infirmary.
While still on the subject of shutting people away it seems that Sue from Perth, Australia had a relative on the wrong side of the law as far as Australians are concerned. He, Nathaniel FARRANT lived in Stamford as the Goal Keeper. Sorry but when I first read this I was thinking of football and wondered what they called the team in those days!! By 1851 he was a Magistrates Clerk. Could this be thought of as a step up the social ladder? If this is your family Sue would be delighted to hear from you. By 1881 the solitary FARRANT family member to be found in Lincolnshire, is George the bolt-maker of Lincoln who is living in Gainsborough.
The name FARRANT is thought to either come from the Old French ferant which is short for Ferdinand or ferrant being the nickname for one with iron-grey coloured hair.
Bits and Bobs
Jan 6 1837 – there is now living at Misterton near Gainsborough, Mr James FARAM, who has reached the very advanced age of 102 years, and is in the enjoyment of considerable activity and health except for his eyesight, which has failed. He is proof that this neighbourhood is not so prejudicial to health as common opinion has held it to be.
Lincolnshire Family History Society 2001
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Good Old eBay
Good Old eBay
The internet selling site eBay has some Lincolnshire items for sale with surnames attached; the first is an indenture for land in Skirbeck Quarter. Dated from 1860 it is worded thus “This Indenture made the Seventh day of November One thousand eight hundred and sixty between Edward HILLSON of the hamlet of Skirbeck Quarter in the parish of Skirbeck in the county of Lincoln Gardener of the first part, the said Edward HILLSON and Elizabeth his wife (Devisees in fee under the will of Edward HILLSON late of Skirbeck Quarter aforesaid Gentleman deceased) of the second part and Valentine PEPPER of Carrington in the County of Lincoln Farmer of the third part ..... to the mortgage and the price paid which was £1,150”. A fair sum of money for the 19th century. The surname PEPPER comes from the original occupation as a dealer in pepper, a pepperer or spice dealer and is linked to the French variation PEEVER. It was to be found in 1298 when John PEPPER alias PEYUER is listed in one of the London rolls.
Next is an Indenture Deed in the parish of Wigtoft for the Release of a cottage and lands in Wigtoft, Lincolnshire, between Grace CHAPMAN of Swineshead, spinster, and James HOLBOURN of Wigtoft, grazier. Dated 21 January 1784 in the 24th year of the reign of George III. The property consists of All that cottage with a piece of ground adjoining of half an acre in Hofleet in the parish of Wigtoft now in tenure of Richard WARRINER. Also land in Wigtoft Marsh. CHAPMAN comes from the Old English ceapman who was a merchant or trader. The area in London known as Cheapside comes from the same root and ceapman had a market there.
Finally from the same vendor is an Indenture Deed in the parish of Helpringham An indenture regarding property in Helpringham, Lincolnshire, between Eustace PHILIPS of Lincoln, coal merchant, William DURANCE of Helpringham, butcher, and Mary his wife, and Boaz BAXTER of Helpringham, gentleman. Dated 21 April 1774 in the 14th year of the reign of George III. The property consists of: All that cottage with yard, barn, dovecoat and outbuildings in Helpringham in the tenure of Edmund FRITH. Surnames such as FREAK, FIRTH, FRITH, FRIDD and FRIGHT and the latecomer THRIFT all come from the Old English firhþe or fyrhþe which was a woodland. The TH pronounced in FIRTH is the Old English þ.
Bits and Bobs
The following link was given on the internet www.fred.net/jefalvey/execute.html. This link is for a page on Newgate Prison in London and the List of Executions from 1606. Newgate Prison was probably the most notorious prison in all England and one that almost everyone has heard of. A prison has stood on the Newgate site for almost a thousand years. The first prison was nearly as old as the Tower of London and much older than the Bastille. It is first mentioned in the reign of King John and in the following reign of Henry the III, (1218), the King expressly commands the sheriffs of London to repair it, and promised to repay them from his own exchequer. This shows that the prison was under the direct control of the King at that time. The prison itself was originally above the gate or in the gatehouse. Carry out a search for the word Lincoln and the first entry for Lincoln that comes up is - HORRY, William Fred 1872 01 Apr Murder of wife; Lincoln.
The internet selling site eBay has some Lincolnshire items for sale with surnames attached; the first is an indenture for land in Skirbeck Quarter. Dated from 1860 it is worded thus “This Indenture made the Seventh day of November One thousand eight hundred and sixty between Edward HILLSON of the hamlet of Skirbeck Quarter in the parish of Skirbeck in the county of Lincoln Gardener of the first part, the said Edward HILLSON and Elizabeth his wife (Devisees in fee under the will of Edward HILLSON late of Skirbeck Quarter aforesaid Gentleman deceased) of the second part and Valentine PEPPER of Carrington in the County of Lincoln Farmer of the third part ..... to the mortgage and the price paid which was £1,150”. A fair sum of money for the 19th century. The surname PEPPER comes from the original occupation as a dealer in pepper, a pepperer or spice dealer and is linked to the French variation PEEVER. It was to be found in 1298 when John PEPPER alias PEYUER is listed in one of the London rolls.
Next is an Indenture Deed in the parish of Wigtoft for the Release of a cottage and lands in Wigtoft, Lincolnshire, between Grace CHAPMAN of Swineshead, spinster, and James HOLBOURN of Wigtoft, grazier. Dated 21 January 1784 in the 24th year of the reign of George III. The property consists of All that cottage with a piece of ground adjoining of half an acre in Hofleet in the parish of Wigtoft now in tenure of Richard WARRINER. Also land in Wigtoft Marsh. CHAPMAN comes from the Old English ceapman who was a merchant or trader. The area in London known as Cheapside comes from the same root and ceapman had a market there.
Finally from the same vendor is an Indenture Deed in the parish of Helpringham An indenture regarding property in Helpringham, Lincolnshire, between Eustace PHILIPS of Lincoln, coal merchant, William DURANCE of Helpringham, butcher, and Mary his wife, and Boaz BAXTER of Helpringham, gentleman. Dated 21 April 1774 in the 14th year of the reign of George III. The property consists of: All that cottage with yard, barn, dovecoat and outbuildings in Helpringham in the tenure of Edmund FRITH. Surnames such as FREAK, FIRTH, FRITH, FRIDD and FRIGHT and the latecomer THRIFT all come from the Old English firhþe or fyrhþe which was a woodland. The TH pronounced in FIRTH is the Old English þ.
Bits and Bobs
The following link was given on the internet www.fred.net/jefalvey/execute.html. This link is for a page on Newgate Prison in London and the List of Executions from 1606. Newgate Prison was probably the most notorious prison in all England and one that almost everyone has heard of. A prison has stood on the Newgate site for almost a thousand years. The first prison was nearly as old as the Tower of London and much older than the Bastille. It is first mentioned in the reign of King John and in the following reign of Henry the III, (1218), the King expressly commands the sheriffs of London to repair it, and promised to repay them from his own exchequer. This shows that the prison was under the direct control of the King at that time. The prison itself was originally above the gate or in the gatehouse. Carry out a search for the word Lincoln and the first entry for Lincoln that comes up is - HORRY, William Fred 1872 01 Apr Murder of wife; Lincoln.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
New Database Online
New Database On-line
The 1837 online website now has a facility for looking up living relatives and ready to be searched through by those with a need. Living Relatives is a premium database, allowing you to search the current electoral roll, telephone directory (business and homes) and directors’ details to find up-to-date contact details. The service costs just six units per search across all three datasets - less that the cost of standard directory enquiries. You do have to upgrade from the standard subscription to get access but it could be very cost effective if it saves having to look through a county’s electoral roll. There is also a section for unusual names. A few that have been found in the public domain are Shrove TUESDAY, Preserved FISH and Shutters WINDOWS. The longest name that has been found for the site was that of KONSTANTYNOPOLITANCZYKIEWICZOWNA which had originated in Poland and before anyone asks I do not have the foggiest idea as to its meaning although I do make out Constantine as a start.
This is a cautionary tale for the users of the IGI. Mark VERNON was searching for his SCAMAN family but it appeared that they must have emigrated rather earlier than he had expected as there was absolutely no sign of them anywhere in the IGI. Mark was fairly certain that they were still in Lincolnshire and was lucky enough to already know their birth dates and the place of birth – Swaby of his great-great-great-grandfather. Bernie carried out some research for him and found that what was written in the parish register as SCAMAN had been read by the transcribers of the IGI as SEAMAN. No doubt there are people out there pulling out their hair trying to fit this SEAMAN family into their tree!!
Mrs HALL of North Hykeham has traced her maiden line back to John CUBLEY born in 1781 in Donington according to the 1851 census. His son was also a John. One possible addition to this family is that of James who appears on the 1841 census and who seems to be looking after his widowed mother Mary. Another piece of information I found on the IGI is that of a John being baptised in Donington in 1784 who was the son of Francis and Martha née PATMAN of Horbling who were married in 1783. Several other members of the family were born in Holbeach. The earliest place that I found them in is that of Harlaxton with the marriage of William to Agnes WAYT. This seems to be a family of Ag Labs who eventually put down roots in Gedney and stayed there. The name CUBLEY comes from the village of the same name. This village is west of Derby and originally was the ‘leah’ belonging to Cubba. PATMAN comes from the pet form of Patrick.
Bits and Bobs
Nettleham Register – Jan 20th 1790 – Clerks wages are as follows – Each messuage payes at Christmas and at Easter 6d and each cottage 2 ½ d and according to the old custom everyone who occupied a plow gave a pye. But some made the pye so mean of bones or even of what was not fit to eat that it was thought proper to pay 4d instead of the pye. So each possessor of a plow pays 4d more than what is charged upon a messuage or cottage. William HETT curate.
Bob Kershaw in the Lincolnshire Family History Society Magazine 2001
The 1837 online website now has a facility for looking up living relatives and ready to be searched through by those with a need. Living Relatives is a premium database, allowing you to search the current electoral roll, telephone directory (business and homes) and directors’ details to find up-to-date contact details. The service costs just six units per search across all three datasets - less that the cost of standard directory enquiries. You do have to upgrade from the standard subscription to get access but it could be very cost effective if it saves having to look through a county’s electoral roll. There is also a section for unusual names. A few that have been found in the public domain are Shrove TUESDAY, Preserved FISH and Shutters WINDOWS. The longest name that has been found for the site was that of KONSTANTYNOPOLITANCZYKIEWICZOWNA which had originated in Poland and before anyone asks I do not have the foggiest idea as to its meaning although I do make out Constantine as a start.
This is a cautionary tale for the users of the IGI. Mark VERNON was searching for his SCAMAN family but it appeared that they must have emigrated rather earlier than he had expected as there was absolutely no sign of them anywhere in the IGI. Mark was fairly certain that they were still in Lincolnshire and was lucky enough to already know their birth dates and the place of birth – Swaby of his great-great-great-grandfather. Bernie carried out some research for him and found that what was written in the parish register as SCAMAN had been read by the transcribers of the IGI as SEAMAN. No doubt there are people out there pulling out their hair trying to fit this SEAMAN family into their tree!!
Mrs HALL of North Hykeham has traced her maiden line back to John CUBLEY born in 1781 in Donington according to the 1851 census. His son was also a John. One possible addition to this family is that of James who appears on the 1841 census and who seems to be looking after his widowed mother Mary. Another piece of information I found on the IGI is that of a John being baptised in Donington in 1784 who was the son of Francis and Martha née PATMAN of Horbling who were married in 1783. Several other members of the family were born in Holbeach. The earliest place that I found them in is that of Harlaxton with the marriage of William to Agnes WAYT. This seems to be a family of Ag Labs who eventually put down roots in Gedney and stayed there. The name CUBLEY comes from the village of the same name. This village is west of Derby and originally was the ‘leah’ belonging to Cubba. PATMAN comes from the pet form of Patrick.
Bits and Bobs
Nettleham Register – Jan 20th 1790 – Clerks wages are as follows – Each messuage payes at Christmas and at Easter 6d and each cottage 2 ½ d and according to the old custom everyone who occupied a plow gave a pye. But some made the pye so mean of bones or even of what was not fit to eat that it was thought proper to pay 4d instead of the pye. So each possessor of a plow pays 4d more than what is charged upon a messuage or cottage. William HETT curate.
Bob Kershaw in the Lincolnshire Family History Society Magazine 2001
Friday, April 14, 2006
Lancashire Links
Lancashire Links
Gordon on blueyonder is looking for the surname COWLAYSHAW; rather a rare commodity in Lincolnshire when the 1881 census was carried out for there were just two people, father and daughter, with this surname. Matthew, the father, was from Derbyshire and died in Barnetby in 1893, aged 77 years, although at the time of death was living in Gainsborough. At the same time there was a much larger number of COLLEYSHAW families in the county. The eldest members were born and lived in the Folkingham - Heckington area. There is a COLLEYSHAW family in Derbyshire but they came from Metheringham possibly due to the father Charles working on the railway. These surnames along with the variation COWLISHAW and many others come from one of two places it is suggested. One in Derbyshire and the other in Lancashire. The Oxford Dictionary of Place-names comes up with just the Lancashire . There is some debate as to whether the first element – COWLI –could be a personal name, Cola, which turns up in COLLINGHAM and COLLINGTREE. The second element –SHAW – is a grove as in BIRKENSHAW which is a grove of birch trees.
I had a letter from Woodhall Spa this week. Marie is interested in her family names TETLOW and NEAL. The easiest one to explain is that of TETLOW, well it would be if I could find it on the map. The book says that it is a Lancashire village and in 1389 it is recorded as Richard de TETLAWE in that county but not in my gazetteer. This information most likely comes from the same source as that on the TETLOW website at www.tetlow.co.uk. There it says that ancestors to the family were living in Oldham in the 14th century. In 1321, Adam de TETLOW'S son Richard was granted lands in Werneth by Robert de OLDHAM. Fourteen years later, Richard obtained by grant further land in Northwood. On his death in 1337, the sheriff was ordered to enquire about his holdings in Oldham and Crompton. Adam had another son, Hugh, who in 1340 granted to his mother lands in Coppedhurst with the remainder to his brother Roger. In 1375, Roger de LANGLEY gave Richard, son of Richard de TETLOW, his land in Manchester, Crompton and Oldham and in 1391, Richard confirmed to Robert WALKER, chaplain, a burgage and messuage in Oldham and Manchester. An interesting item on the site is the coat of arms On a silver shield a black diagonal band with a scalloped edge, on each side a narrow red band. This was granted on 10 September 1760 to TETLOW of Houghton, Lancashire, and ended up in the 'Guinness Book of Records'. The crest recalls the grantee's feat of writing the Lord's Prayer on a silver penny with a quill pen and required the Herald Painter to repeat this achievement
NEAL and its multitude of variations, however, comes to England by a rather circuitous route. The Old Irish niall was a champion and was latinised to Nellis. The visiting Scandinavians or Vikings then took the name to their settlement in Iceland and thence to Norway as Njall. Later the Norsemen became Norman and it entered the French language and is brought to England with William in 1066. in Scotland and the border country the Irish name was taken straight there by the Vikings. The latinisation this time gave Nigellus and Nigel. This resulted in the large number of McNEAL and O’NEIL families. We know that the two are the same for in Yorkshire is to be found Robertus filius NIGELLI and Robertus NEL being the same person in 1221.
Bits and Bobs
The most difficult census to transcribe and read is that of the 1841 census because the enumerators used pencil thus making the microfilm almost illegible in places - so it's good to know that Ancestry's transcribers are making a special effort for us. Very soon the 1841 Census of England & Wales is going to be made available at Ancestry and it has been mentioned that this could be before the end of the month. Assuming that the costs will not change then a trip to www.Ancestry.co.uk with a visa card and your access to £4.95 will let you have 10 views of the enumerators records over the following 14 days. A reasonable cost I thought.
Gordon on blueyonder is looking for the surname COWLAYSHAW; rather a rare commodity in Lincolnshire when the 1881 census was carried out for there were just two people, father and daughter, with this surname. Matthew, the father, was from Derbyshire and died in Barnetby in 1893, aged 77 years, although at the time of death was living in Gainsborough. At the same time there was a much larger number of COLLEYSHAW families in the county. The eldest members were born and lived in the Folkingham - Heckington area. There is a COLLEYSHAW family in Derbyshire but they came from Metheringham possibly due to the father Charles working on the railway. These surnames along with the variation COWLISHAW and many others come from one of two places it is suggested. One in Derbyshire and the other in Lancashire. The Oxford Dictionary of Place-names comes up with just the Lancashire . There is some debate as to whether the first element – COWLI –could be a personal name, Cola, which turns up in COLLINGHAM and COLLINGTREE. The second element –SHAW – is a grove as in BIRKENSHAW which is a grove of birch trees.
I had a letter from Woodhall Spa this week. Marie is interested in her family names TETLOW and NEAL. The easiest one to explain is that of TETLOW, well it would be if I could find it on the map. The book says that it is a Lancashire village and in 1389 it is recorded as Richard de TETLAWE in that county but not in my gazetteer. This information most likely comes from the same source as that on the TETLOW website at www.tetlow.co.uk. There it says that ancestors to the family were living in Oldham in the 14th century. In 1321, Adam de TETLOW'S son Richard was granted lands in Werneth by Robert de OLDHAM. Fourteen years later, Richard obtained by grant further land in Northwood. On his death in 1337, the sheriff was ordered to enquire about his holdings in Oldham and Crompton. Adam had another son, Hugh, who in 1340 granted to his mother lands in Coppedhurst with the remainder to his brother Roger. In 1375, Roger de LANGLEY gave Richard, son of Richard de TETLOW, his land in Manchester, Crompton and Oldham and in 1391, Richard confirmed to Robert WALKER, chaplain, a burgage and messuage in Oldham and Manchester. An interesting item on the site is the coat of arms On a silver shield a black diagonal band with a scalloped edge, on each side a narrow red band. This was granted on 10 September 1760 to TETLOW of Houghton, Lancashire, and ended up in the 'Guinness Book of Records'. The crest recalls the grantee's feat of writing the Lord's Prayer on a silver penny with a quill pen and required the Herald Painter to repeat this achievement
NEAL and its multitude of variations, however, comes to England by a rather circuitous route. The Old Irish niall was a champion and was latinised to Nellis. The visiting Scandinavians or Vikings then took the name to their settlement in Iceland and thence to Norway as Njall. Later the Norsemen became Norman and it entered the French language and is brought to England with William in 1066. in Scotland and the border country the Irish name was taken straight there by the Vikings. The latinisation this time gave Nigellus and Nigel. This resulted in the large number of McNEAL and O’NEIL families. We know that the two are the same for in Yorkshire is to be found Robertus filius NIGELLI and Robertus NEL being the same person in 1221.
Bits and Bobs
The most difficult census to transcribe and read is that of the 1841 census because the enumerators used pencil thus making the microfilm almost illegible in places - so it's good to know that Ancestry's transcribers are making a special effort for us. Very soon the 1841 Census of England & Wales is going to be made available at Ancestry and it has been mentioned that this could be before the end of the month. Assuming that the costs will not change then a trip to www.Ancestry.co.uk with a visa card and your access to £4.95 will let you have 10 views of the enumerators records over the following 14 days. A reasonable cost I thought.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Oops Missed a bit
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Oops - Missed a bit last week
The name that I mentioned last week SCATCHERD which was of interest to Mike Parker was left with out any explanation as to its origin. The Old Norman French escache which today is echasse is a stilt and was most likely a derogatory term for some one with long legs. This explanation is further reinforced by the fact that the French word eschasseriaux is a man with a wooden leg. As with many similar French words such as estage if you remove the ‘e’ at the beginning the word you will recognise it as stage.
Mrs C WOOLLEY of Kexby has written in with a request for me to look at the SHAW family of Grimsby. Sadly there are a number of SHAW families in Grimsby and without a date, name or age it is rather difficult to pin point any particular one. However looking at the 1901 census there is just the one family in Grimsby whose head William H was born in Grimsby. A second individual is George aged 70 years who lives in Clee and is the Primitive Methodist Minister there – BUT – I am unable to say where he was in 1881 for I can’t find him listed in the census. William H is an educated man and is a Clerk to the Council. A search of the 1861 census gives us the information that William lives with his father George whose occupation is tailor, in Cleethorpes Road. George obviously believes in education for another son is a scholar at 13 years of age and takes in a boarder who is also a clerk. Somewhere along the line the family gets a link to London when Mary Jane marries James THAYERS of Chelsea.
The name SHAW comes from the Old English word sceaga for a copse or small wood and the person who dwells nearby. The WOOLLEY surname is also connected to a wood and the village of Woolley. The nearest one to Lincolnshire is in the west riding of Yorkshire and gets its name from the nearness of a wood that is frequented by wolves.
Alison posted a plea on the internet for any information on William QUINCEY who she thinks was born around 1740 in Sutterton. In 1773 William married Ann HILL. His father was also a William and he married Jane nee LUCEY of Sutterton in 1739. Alison is interested in any facts or information on this family and if you have them in your tree just drop me a line. The origins of the QUINCEY family go back to northern France and the village with the name Cuinchy. One of the earliest QUINCEYs is that of Saer de QUINCY who was a Templar in Oxfordshire around 1160. Later holders of the surname may be from Quincy villages in the Seine region.
Bits and Bobs
Louth Petty Sessions 11 May 1848
Wm. SLEIGHT, gardener, was charged by a prostitute named HOODLASS with being the father of her bastard child: case dismissed.
Grantham Petty Sessions 19 May:
Thos. CULLEN, of Rolston, a farmer's son, was accused of being the father of the illegitimate child of Ann ROBINSON. It was stated that defendant had pressed the poor girl to take something to destroy the child, and failing in that, the night before she left he fired a gun at her in the garden, the object of which may be imagined. The poor girl's evidence being deficient, the order could not be granted.
Anne has been busy looking at the newspapers again and the complete version of her findings can be bought from Lincolnshire Family History Society on microfiche.
Oops - Missed a bit last week
The name that I mentioned last week SCATCHERD which was of interest to Mike Parker was left with out any explanation as to its origin. The Old Norman French escache which today is echasse is a stilt and was most likely a derogatory term for some one with long legs. This explanation is further reinforced by the fact that the French word eschasseriaux is a man with a wooden leg. As with many similar French words such as estage if you remove the ‘e’ at the beginning the word you will recognise it as stage.
Mrs C WOOLLEY of Kexby has written in with a request for me to look at the SHAW family of Grimsby. Sadly there are a number of SHAW families in Grimsby and without a date, name or age it is rather difficult to pin point any particular one. However looking at the 1901 census there is just the one family in Grimsby whose head William H was born in Grimsby. A second individual is George aged 70 years who lives in Clee and is the Primitive Methodist Minister there – BUT – I am unable to say where he was in 1881 for I can’t find him listed in the census. William H is an educated man and is a Clerk to the Council. A search of the 1861 census gives us the information that William lives with his father George whose occupation is tailor, in Cleethorpes Road. George obviously believes in education for another son is a scholar at 13 years of age and takes in a boarder who is also a clerk. Somewhere along the line the family gets a link to London when Mary Jane marries James THAYERS of Chelsea.
The name SHAW comes from the Old English word sceaga for a copse or small wood and the person who dwells nearby. The WOOLLEY surname is also connected to a wood and the village of Woolley. The nearest one to Lincolnshire is in the west riding of Yorkshire and gets its name from the nearness of a wood that is frequented by wolves.
Alison posted a plea on the internet for any information on William QUINCEY who she thinks was born around 1740 in Sutterton. In 1773 William married Ann HILL. His father was also a William and he married Jane nee LUCEY of Sutterton in 1739. Alison is interested in any facts or information on this family and if you have them in your tree just drop me a line. The origins of the QUINCEY family go back to northern France and the village with the name Cuinchy. One of the earliest QUINCEYs is that of Saer de QUINCY who was a Templar in Oxfordshire around 1160. Later holders of the surname may be from Quincy villages in the Seine region.
Bits and Bobs
Louth Petty Sessions 11 May 1848
Wm. SLEIGHT, gardener, was charged by a prostitute named HOODLASS with being the father of her bastard child: case dismissed.
Grantham Petty Sessions 19 May:
Thos. CULLEN, of Rolston, a farmer's son, was accused of being the father of the illegitimate child of Ann ROBINSON. It was stated that defendant had pressed the poor girl to take something to destroy the child, and failing in that, the night before she left he fired a gun at her in the garden, the object of which may be imagined. The poor girl's evidence being deficient, the order could not be granted.
Anne has been busy looking at the newspapers again and the complete version of her findings can be bought from Lincolnshire Family History Society on microfiche.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Family Chat
Family Chat
I wrote, back in November, of the DIMBLEBY name and the latest information is that cousins of one sort or another keep popping up for Gillian BAKER. On the female side of her family is the HANDFORD surname and it is this one that has been found to have a connection with a family in Norfolk, it originates from one of the places by the same name. She has given me couple of other names that are in the family. On her father’s side her great-great-grandfather married Sarah MALEM in Lincoln. Happily for her their son Jabez Bunting DIMBLEBY was in the habit of writing to other relatives who lived in Derbyshire and some of these documents still survive. The family chat is all about other members of the family and the family history as it was in the very early part of the 20th century. Lucky thing!! The name MALEM is an unusual one for Lincolnshire. For me I have the feeling that it is a name straight out of a Victorian novel for it has that certain ring about it. According to the 1881 census there were few individuals living in the county; the concentration for MALAM is Cheshire with a sprinkling in Lincolnshire. However if it is spelt with two LLs the concentration changes to the northern borders and Dorset and a goodly number around Liverpool. It is thought to originate from the medieval female name MALIN which was a pet form of Mary. I do wonder though about the concentration around Liverpool and whether there could be an Irish influence here. The reason I say this is because of the surname MELLON for it has the variation of MALLEN and these are the anglicised versions of the Irish name of O Meallain, the descendant of Meallan.
A new name for me is SCATCHERD which was put onto the internet by Mike Parker who is looking for more information. One of the most prominent holders I found with this surname comes from Morley and she was the first Freewoman of Boston. Alice Cliff SCATCHERD lived from 1842 till 1906 and was a noted Liberal, philanthropist and radical suffragist; Alice sought to improve working women's legal and social position in many ways.
John PATEMAN has moved to Lincolnshire from London since the turn of the century. During his research he has found that there were a fair number of families with the PATEMAN name and they stayed stable in numbers between 1881 and 1998 he says. Using those two dates I assume that John has used the Surname Profiler but the highest concentration of the name is in the Stevenage area and a question that I must ask is “What does the website mean by the entry Mosaic type with highest index # - White Van Culture?” The name PATEMAN and its variation PATMAN have a very straight forward origin and comes from the pet form of Patrick. In England the name Patrick was found generally in the north as it was commonly of Scottish origin. Today we think of it as generally Irish but the name did not become popular in Ireland until the 1600s and the influx of the Scottish settlers. The PATEMAN family that John is most interested in is the one that lived near Sleaford and was thought to be either of gypsy or traveling origin. I guess if they had come all the way from Scotland they could be classed as travellers without much fear of contradiction. In 1881 in Lincolnshire the PATEMAN families were invariably linked to the land with many being Ag Labs as you would expect.
Bits and Bobs
March 7th 1817 – Marriage – On Tuesday last Mr John MAPLETHORP to Miss M BLOW, aged fifteen years: also Mr James FAIRWEATHER to Miss Elizabeth BLOW (sister of the above) all of Billinghay near Sleaford.
Lincolnshire Family History Society Magazine 2000
I wrote, back in November, of the DIMBLEBY name and the latest information is that cousins of one sort or another keep popping up for Gillian BAKER. On the female side of her family is the HANDFORD surname and it is this one that has been found to have a connection with a family in Norfolk, it originates from one of the places by the same name. She has given me couple of other names that are in the family. On her father’s side her great-great-grandfather married Sarah MALEM in Lincoln. Happily for her their son Jabez Bunting DIMBLEBY was in the habit of writing to other relatives who lived in Derbyshire and some of these documents still survive. The family chat is all about other members of the family and the family history as it was in the very early part of the 20th century. Lucky thing!! The name MALEM is an unusual one for Lincolnshire. For me I have the feeling that it is a name straight out of a Victorian novel for it has that certain ring about it. According to the 1881 census there were few individuals living in the county; the concentration for MALAM is Cheshire with a sprinkling in Lincolnshire. However if it is spelt with two LLs the concentration changes to the northern borders and Dorset and a goodly number around Liverpool. It is thought to originate from the medieval female name MALIN which was a pet form of Mary. I do wonder though about the concentration around Liverpool and whether there could be an Irish influence here. The reason I say this is because of the surname MELLON for it has the variation of MALLEN and these are the anglicised versions of the Irish name of O Meallain, the descendant of Meallan.
A new name for me is SCATCHERD which was put onto the internet by Mike Parker who is looking for more information. One of the most prominent holders I found with this surname comes from Morley and she was the first Freewoman of Boston. Alice Cliff SCATCHERD lived from 1842 till 1906 and was a noted Liberal, philanthropist and radical suffragist; Alice sought to improve working women's legal and social position in many ways.
John PATEMAN has moved to Lincolnshire from London since the turn of the century. During his research he has found that there were a fair number of families with the PATEMAN name and they stayed stable in numbers between 1881 and 1998 he says. Using those two dates I assume that John has used the Surname Profiler but the highest concentration of the name is in the Stevenage area and a question that I must ask is “What does the website mean by the entry Mosaic type with highest index # - White Van Culture?” The name PATEMAN and its variation PATMAN have a very straight forward origin and comes from the pet form of Patrick. In England the name Patrick was found generally in the north as it was commonly of Scottish origin. Today we think of it as generally Irish but the name did not become popular in Ireland until the 1600s and the influx of the Scottish settlers. The PATEMAN family that John is most interested in is the one that lived near Sleaford and was thought to be either of gypsy or traveling origin. I guess if they had come all the way from Scotland they could be classed as travellers without much fear of contradiction. In 1881 in Lincolnshire the PATEMAN families were invariably linked to the land with many being Ag Labs as you would expect.
Bits and Bobs
March 7th 1817 – Marriage – On Tuesday last Mr John MAPLETHORP to Miss M BLOW, aged fifteen years: also Mr James FAIRWEATHER to Miss Elizabeth BLOW (sister of the above) all of Billinghay near Sleaford.
Lincolnshire Family History Society Magazine 2000
Saturday, December 24, 2005
What to do in the boring bit
What to do in the boring bit twixt Christmas & New Year
Laura Hayes of Lincoln set the ball rolling with the question of where I found the information for last week’s column. She has been carrying out research into the THISTLEWOOD family for some time and so with everyone’s family getting together for the festive season now is the time to ask the questions. Where does the family come from? How long it lived there? What are the Grandparents names and where did they live? And so on and so forth. Paul at paul@pthistleton1739.freeserve.co.uk gave me the first part but then it was on line and from the census material which is readily available. Information from all the censuses can be found via the national Archives website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/census/ and the IGI and 1881 census can be found at the Latter Day Saints site www.familysearch.org where you can also get the Personal Ancestral File program. Back ground material and some free forms to record your data can be accessed at http://genealogy.about.com/.
There are 129 different directories containing Lincolnshire information that is available for you to look at on the Leicestershire University website at www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/index.asp. Historical Directories is a digital library of local and trade directories for England and Wales, from 1750 to 1919. It contains high quality reproductions of comparatively rare books, essential tools for research into local and genealogical history. The Historical Directories project came to the end of its funding on 31st October 2004 but the will remain freely available for the next 3 years. These directories have a mass of data on the villages that your ancestor lived in. If he was the butcher, baker or maybe the candlestickmaker he could be listed. You can, if you so wish, buy your own copies of Lincolnshire Directories via the Archive Books site at www.rod-neep.co.uk/acatalog/lin.html where you can also purchase some of the census material on CD.
For a look at the village layout where your ancestors lived and worked then the www.old-maps.co.uk/ site is the place to go to. There is a gazetteer that puts you in the right area and the maps are very high quality and detailed. You can purchase a copy if you wish. The one I looked at was dated 1854 with the option to print, look at an aerial version, see a modern map, then even enlarge or buy it.
To pinpoint a specific individual then take a look at www.freebmd.org.uk/. FreeBMD is an ongoing project, the aim of which is to transcribe the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, and to provide free Internet access to the transcribed records. It is a part of the FreeUKGEN family, which also includes FreeCEN (Census data) and FreeREG (Parish Registers). Here we are talking about 135,000,000 records. I’ll type that in again – its 135 million records. Many of these are the certificate information you will need to get a certificate from www.gro.gov.uk/gro/. The index reference number is the code that is allocated to every event of birth, marriage or death registered in England and Wales relating to the year, quarter, and district in which the event was registered. It is particularly important that you make a note of this, as you will need to quote it when you apply for a certificate in order for the GRO to identify the correct entry. I put in DRUST as I usually do when I want to make engines really work and found the Leonard DRUST was registered at Caistor in June 1910 in volume 7a page 678. If I sent this information to the GRO I would receive in quick time a copy of his birth certificate. I happen to know that his father was William Johnson DRUST and he was named after his uncle who died in 1875 and William’s marriage is at freebmd but they have not yet indexed his death.
All you need to do now is to have a long chat to all your relatives and you have started on a hobby that will last a lifetime or two.
Bits and Bobs
October 8th 1790 Marriage: On Thursday last was married at Donington, Richard NICHOLS, (commonly called ´Saucy Nichols´) aged 71 to Ann DIXON aged 22. The good old man, hoping to avoid the ridicule of the multitude, led his Bride elect along a bye lane to the Church.
Lincolnshire Family History Society – at www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LIN/lfhs/
Laura Hayes of Lincoln set the ball rolling with the question of where I found the information for last week’s column. She has been carrying out research into the THISTLEWOOD family for some time and so with everyone’s family getting together for the festive season now is the time to ask the questions. Where does the family come from? How long it lived there? What are the Grandparents names and where did they live? And so on and so forth. Paul at paul@pthistleton1739.freeserve.co.uk gave me the first part but then it was on line and from the census material which is readily available. Information from all the censuses can be found via the national Archives website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/census/ and the IGI and 1881 census can be found at the Latter Day Saints site www.familysearch.org where you can also get the Personal Ancestral File program. Back ground material and some free forms to record your data can be accessed at http://genealogy.about.com/.
There are 129 different directories containing Lincolnshire information that is available for you to look at on the Leicestershire University website at www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/index.asp. Historical Directories is a digital library of local and trade directories for England and Wales, from 1750 to 1919. It contains high quality reproductions of comparatively rare books, essential tools for research into local and genealogical history. The Historical Directories project came to the end of its funding on 31st October 2004 but the will remain freely available for the next 3 years. These directories have a mass of data on the villages that your ancestor lived in. If he was the butcher, baker or maybe the candlestickmaker he could be listed. You can, if you so wish, buy your own copies of Lincolnshire Directories via the Archive Books site at www.rod-neep.co.uk/acatalog/lin.html where you can also purchase some of the census material on CD.
For a look at the village layout where your ancestors lived and worked then the www.old-maps.co.uk/ site is the place to go to. There is a gazetteer that puts you in the right area and the maps are very high quality and detailed. You can purchase a copy if you wish. The one I looked at was dated 1854 with the option to print, look at an aerial version, see a modern map, then even enlarge or buy it.
To pinpoint a specific individual then take a look at www.freebmd.org.uk/. FreeBMD is an ongoing project, the aim of which is to transcribe the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, and to provide free Internet access to the transcribed records. It is a part of the FreeUKGEN family, which also includes FreeCEN (Census data) and FreeREG (Parish Registers). Here we are talking about 135,000,000 records. I’ll type that in again – its 135 million records. Many of these are the certificate information you will need to get a certificate from www.gro.gov.uk/gro/. The index reference number is the code that is allocated to every event of birth, marriage or death registered in England and Wales relating to the year, quarter, and district in which the event was registered. It is particularly important that you make a note of this, as you will need to quote it when you apply for a certificate in order for the GRO to identify the correct entry. I put in DRUST as I usually do when I want to make engines really work and found the Leonard DRUST was registered at Caistor in June 1910 in volume 7a page 678. If I sent this information to the GRO I would receive in quick time a copy of his birth certificate. I happen to know that his father was William Johnson DRUST and he was named after his uncle who died in 1875 and William’s marriage is at freebmd but they have not yet indexed his death.
All you need to do now is to have a long chat to all your relatives and you have started on a hobby that will last a lifetime or two.
Bits and Bobs
October 8th 1790 Marriage: On Thursday last was married at Donington, Richard NICHOLS, (commonly called ´Saucy Nichols´) aged 71 to Ann DIXON aged 22. The good old man, hoping to avoid the ridicule of the multitude, led his Bride elect along a bye lane to the Church.
Lincolnshire Family History Society – at www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LIN/lfhs/
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