the midland ancestor journeymen tinmen, wanted immediately a number of hands in the above line, as...

The Midland Ancestor

Stafford St. Mary Church Photograph by Marion Hall

Journal of the Birmingham and Midland Societyfor Genealogy and HeraldryVol 18 No. 6 June 2016

Birmingham and Midland Society for

Genealogy and Heraldry

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BMSGH Officers and Executive Committee

Patron Prof Carl S.A. Chinn MBE PhD FRSA FBirmSocPresident Dr Chris LeighHonorary Life Vice-Presidents Mrs Pauline Pedersen FSG

Mr Harry Leigh-Dugmore BSc CPhysFInstP FIM

Chairman Mr. Bernie McLean

Vice-Chairman - Genealogy Mr Clive Hall

Vice Chairman - Heraldry Mr Adrian P.S. de Redman FSAScot, HonFHS

Treasurer/Programme Secretary Mr Peter Middleton

General Secretary Mrs Jackie CotterillCommittee Members Mr Chris Evetts Mr Steve Freeman Mr. P.J. Lamb

Mrs Olive Haddleton Dr Anthony P. Joseph MA, MB, BChir (Cantab) FSG Mrs. Anne BrownOutings Secretary Mr P.J. LambJournal Editor Mrs Deryn HawkesSubscriptions Secretary Mrs Olive HaddletonLending Librarian Miss Marion HallReference Librarian Mrs. Mary McLeanChairman Projects Committee Mr Tony Bowers

The Midland Ancestor June 2016

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The Birmingham and Midland Societyfor Genealogy and Heraldry

(Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire)An affiliated Society of the Birmingham and Midland

Institute and a member of the Federation ofFamily History Societies

Founded 1963Registered as a Charity No. 505916

The Midland Ancestor Vol 18 No 6 June 2016 Contents

Chairman’s Report ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Bernie McLean ... ... ... ...Editors Report … … … … … … … Deryn Hawkes … … … …Libraries ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Marion Hall ... ... ... ... ... ...Library Additions … … .. … … … … Marion Hall … … … … … …Warwickshire Local History Society … Maureen Harris … … … …Birmingham Heraldry Project … … … … … … … … … … … …Dr. Arthur William Aldridge … … … Kay Whalley … … … … …Programme Preview … … … … … … Peter Middleton … … … …Downton Abbey & the Earl of Grantham Dirk Fitz Hugh … … … …Where There’s a Will … … … … … S. Baring-Gould … … … …BMSGH London Branch … … … … Lesley Exton … … … … …BMSGH Indexes … … … … … … … Bernie McLean … … … …A Family at War … … … … … … … J.P. Lethbridge … … … …The Last Cavalry Charge … … … … … Ian Swinnerton … … … …Do You Have a Criminal Ancestor? … … Aoife O Connor … … … …Strange Names … … … … … … … Stephen Sanders … … … …A Cry From the Heart … … … … … Joyce Finnemore … … … …Old Images of the Midlands … … … … Postcard World … … … …The Black Horse, Northfield … … … … Rachel Hellberg … … … …Mining the Language of Mining … … … Keith Percy … … … … …BMSGH London Branch Meetings … … … … … … … … … … …The Link Scheme … … … … … … Elaine Zair … … … … …What’s In a Name? … … … … … … Jackie Cotterill … … … …Charles Vincent Creighton … … … … Deryn Hawkes … … … …St Mary’s & All Saints Church … … … Marion Hall … … … … …23rd Psalm for Genealogists … … … … Ron Amphlett … … … … …Criminal Records 1791-1892 … … … Ancestry.com … … … … …Coach Trips … … … … … … … … Phil Lamb … … … … …Our Trip to TNA … … … … … … Caroline Mason … … … …Strays from Australia … … … … … Ipswich Genealogical SocietyWDYTYA? Live 2016 … … … … … Jackie Cotterill … … … …Did You Know That … … … … … IHGS … … … … … … …Bookworm … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …Early History of the Fitz-Hugh Family … Dirk Fitz-Hugh … … … …

Editor: Mrs. Deryn Hawkes, 189 Pinewood Park, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 9LQ©BMSGH and Authors. All rights reserved

No reproduction permitted without the prior permission of the publishers

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CHAIRMAN’S REPORTBernie McLean

As with most monthly and quarterly periodi-cals, what you read when your eagerly await-ed journal arrives has been written quite some

time before. In the case of The Midland Ancestor,the time delay is about six weeks to allow for theediting, compilation and printing processes.A week or so after writing the Chairman’s Report for the last Midland AncestorI went into hospital for a planned operation on my throat. The surgeon warnedthat there was a 1 in 100 chance that my voice would be affected. Sure enough,I was unlucky. Initially, my voice was reduced to a whisper but, after somespeech therapy, the voice is now beginning to return.For those of you who hate listening to people going on about their medicalconditions, I recommend turning to the next page, because I am not finished yet!Less than a month after the throat operation, I was back in hospital again.Unplanned this time. I fell down a short flight of stairs. For the medicallyknowledgeable it was ruptured quadriceps tendons. As far as I was concerned,I couldn’t straighten my left leg. After surgery, I had a full length plaster castwhich had a considerable impact on so many aspects of normal life.So thanks very much to my wife, Mary, for making all the phone calls and doingall the driving. And apologies to members in the Birmingham area for myenforced absence from meetings.I was absent, too, from the Dorset Family History Fair in March, so apologiesto those members in that part of the country.I was also missing from WDYTYA Live at the NEC in April. Needless to say,everything went perfectly despite me making no contribution whatsoever to theactivity! There were four tables, one more than last year, full of books, CDs andmaps. We ran out of goody bags, and there were 600 at the start of the event.My thanks to all those involved with the organisation, and those who workedhard selling our wares and trying to help enquirers break down their brick walls.Finally, I must mention the BMSGH branch at Worcester. Long-standingbranch Chairman, David Phillips, has decided to retire. The Executive Commit-tee would like to thank David for his support over the years. Further details ofWorcester branch meetings from Secretary Christine Grant, who can be contact-ed on [email protected]

Bernie McLeanAris’s Birmingham Gazette October 1798

To Journeymen Tinmen,WANTED immediately a Number of Hands in the above Line, as bright andcommon Workmen. Constant Employ and every Encouragement to sober andgood Workmen. Apply at the Manufactory of Johnson and Prichard, Quay,Bristol.

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THE MIDLAND ANCESTORSeptember 2016 Issue

All contributors please note that the deadline forreceipt of copy for this issue will beMONDAY 11th July 2016

EDITOR’S REPORTDeryn Hawkes

Having been promising myself for some timethat I would make a start on updating some ofthe data on the ancestors, I finally started by

tracing further information on an uncle.He was my maternal grandfather’s eldest son from his first marriage. We havea lot of information about him, his childhood, schooling, and his short careerin the Merchant Navy. We knew about his short military career in the AIF andhis death at Pozieres in 1916, but not about any time spent in the MerchantNavy. I tried a couple of Record Centres, but a lot of these records are nowheld in Newfoundland. However, through Southampton City Archives I wasable to find him on one of the crew lists in 1914-5. Now I have to find hisoriginal signing on papers and that will another area covered.In April, Tom and I popped into a local Antique and Collectors Fair, and whilstbrowsing around the stalls, I came across a stall selling books and newspapers.Now I really do not need any more books, I might want them, but not needthem. So I looked at the newspapers and came across two that will prove usefulfor those little ‘page fillers’ that we do need for the magazine. One of themwas a facsimile of the first Exchange and Mart dated 13 May 1868, and theother one was The Pictorial Times dated October 1847.I was amazed at the range of items that people were wanting to exchange, andwhat they hoped to receive in exchange. Dogs were a popular exchange item,as were items of jewellery, even a donkey, complete with a Spanish saddle.But the fashions of the day were for Crests and Eccentric Monograms, Feath-ers, and Lace. Feathers had been a popular item of adornment since the MiddleAges apparently, but it really became very high fashion in the 18 and 19Centuries. I did do some research online for some of these, and it was an eyeopener, but I would love to have been able to find out just how much wasexchanged.At another exhibition I went to recently, I came across the perfect way todisplay my grandmother’s collections of embroidery tools, and jewellery. Ishall have to ask Tom to make a box frame (or two), then I can assemble someof these items that are lurking in drawers and boxes.

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Lending and References Librariesat BMI, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham B3 3BS

Lending Library

The Lending Library is open on any Wednesday evening or Saturday afternoonwhen there is a BMSGH meeting at the BMI. Please check the Society pro-gramme for actual dates and times of meetings.

At evening meetings the library opens at 7.00 p.m. and closes no later than 9.30p.m. At afternoon meetings it opens at 2.00 p.m. closing at 4.30 p.m.All items borrowed must be recorded in the loans book, with the full name andmembership number of the borrower.Several journals of other societies, and some books, have been borrowed andnot returned for over a year, and others seem to have been borrowed withoutbeing recorded.Please return anything you have borrowed as soon as reasonably possible,preferably within two months. If you are unable to attend meetings for severalmonths, items should be returned by post to my home address.Thank you.Marion Hall, 83 Lilac Avenue, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B74 3TB

Reference LibraryTimes of opening

Monday 10:15-15:00 Mr Freeman 0121 745 5403Tuesday 10:30-15:00 Mr Williams 0121 421 5465Wednesday 10:15-15:00 Mrs McLean 0121 454 4307Thursday 10:30-15:00 Mrs Mason 07919 262520Friday 10:15-15:00 Mr Smith 07790 171091

Please note: The above times are always subject to the volunteer librarian beingavailable. If travelling from a distance you are advised to check beforehand withthe relevant librarian, or Mrs. McLean 0121 454 4307. If unavailable, tele-phone the BMI on 0121 236 3591.Note also that, because of minimal demand, the Reference Library is never openon a Tuesday following a Bank Holiday Monday

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Reference Library Additions - June 2016STSLongdon Bap, Mar, Bur 1663-1841Dean of Lichfield Marriage Allegations/Bonds (Index) 1660-circa 1850 -for marriages at Lichfield St. Mary, Lichfield St. Michael, Lichfield St.Chad; Brewood, Adbaston, Hammerwich, Stow, Edingale, Burntwood.Baptist Church, South Street, Brierley Hill 1776-1976 outline history.WARStoneleigh Villagers 1597-1650Birmingham Hearth Tax exemptions - 1673 (listed by street name)Birmingham Railways in Old PhotographsSolihull and its schoolChesterton and Kingston, The History ofWORBromsgrove, Independent, Baptist and Wesleyan Registers up to 1837.Stourbridge Wesleyan Chapel baptisms 1809-1837, Stourbridge Inde-pendent Chapel, High Street 1776-1837

WARWICKSHIRE LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETYOur February talk by Dr Kate Iles was on the history of Birmingham’sJewellery Quarter and its Assay Office, opened in New Street in 1773.In 1877 it moved to Newhall Street. Dr Iles’s sub title ‘Tweezers andToothpicks, Boxes, Stay Hooks and Sugar Nippers’ revealed the widevariety of household items produced, along with buttons, buckles,spoons and jewellery.

By 1828 Birmingham’s ‘toytrade’ had made it ‘the firstmanufacturing town’ in the

world. A tight-knit community devel-oped around St Paul’s Square withsmall home-workshops of interde-pendent trades in which women wereprominent, specifically sought fortheir deft fingers for making delicatechains and fastenings. The Assay of-fice tested the quantity of preciousmetals in the alloys from which the‘toys’ were made, by weighing andburning and, latterly, by X-raying, be-fore the goods were hall-marked withBirmingham’s famous ‘anchor’. Withthe opening of a new Assay Office, theNewhall Street site is now a ‘heritagecentre’ with archives and an impres-

sive silver collection, much of whichcan be searched on-line at:

www.theassayoffice.co.ukOur AGM was held on March 15thwhen Robert (Bob) Bearman steppeddown after an incredible 45 years aseditor of the acclaimed WLHS Jour-nal, Warwickshire History. Bob waspresented with gifts reflecting the So-ciety’s gratitude for his work. War-wickshire History began as a smallduplicated typescript but is now atwice-yearly professionally producedjournal, with articles by students, local‘amateurs’ and academics, often citedin books and other journals. Severalarticles have won British Associationfor Local History awards with twomore winners recently announced in

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the BALH ‘Long Article’ PublicationsAwards category 2016. Andrew Wat-kins was placed first for an articleabout a sixteenth century Coleshilllinnkeeper (from the winter 2014/15edition) and Rosemary S. Hall wassecond for an article about the ‘board-ing-out of Warwickshire pauper chil-dren (Summer 2015 edition)After the AGM Dr Maureen Harrisgave a talk about ‘The debauched’parson and the ‘wit-already-expired-rogue’. Warwickshire parish politics

Dr. Bob Bearman received gifts in recognitionof his 45 years as editor of ‘Warwickshire

History’ ©Sylvia Pinches for WLHS

1660-1720. Dr Harris described accu-sations against the clergy in the churchcourts in cases of fornication, drunken-ness and domestic violence in parishesacross Warwickshire. The courtrecords revealed difficulties for theclergy, created by religious change atthe Restoration in 1660 at Alcester andLapworth, problems with Catholic andNonconformist dissenters inCoughton, Shipston, Wixford and As-ton Cantlow, and the removal of therector of Haseley after the ‘GloriousRevolution’ of 1688/9. She showedthat national, as well as local, politicsimpacted on Warwickshire parishesand that the accusing parishioners,who included churchwardens, werenot ‘witless’ but used sophisticatedtechniques ranging from church bellsand petitions to the law.Our summer outings continue with atown-walk and visit to the heritageexhibition at Southam on 11th June, atour of Radway and the new Lottery-funded Edgehill exhibition in St Pe-ter’s Church on 9th July, and a tour ofHarbury village on 17th September, allfollowed by tea. For details see:

www.warwickshirehistory.org.ukInformation on our conference on Sat-urday 12th November 2016 entitledLocal History societies, is now beingissued. Please ensure your group isincluded by emailing details to :

[email protected] Harris

The Dudley Dispensary 1845May 14th. The foundation of this most valuable and humane institution bearsdate from this period. A public meeting of the inhabitants was held at the TownHall under the presidency of Edward Terry Esq. the Mayor “For the purpose ofadopting such means as might be deemed best calculated to afford efficientmedical relief gratuitously to indigent persons residing in the district, andespecially of considering whether the establishment of a hospital on DennisPark, to be called Dudley and Stourbridge Hospital, be desirous or otherwise”.

Curiosities of Dudley and the Black Country

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THE HERALDRY SOCIETY

THE BIRMINGHAM AND MIDLAND SOCIETYFOR GENEALOGY AND HERALDRY

with

THE BIRMINGHAM HERALDRY PROJECT

announce and request speakers for

THE FOURTH FREEINTERNATIONAL BIRMINGHAM

HERALDRY CONFERENCETheme: Faith/Church Heraldry

Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th

August 2017

Council House, Birmingham

President:Robert Noel, Lancaster Herald

Prospective speakers and possible delegates areasked to contact:

Adrian de Redman, City Honorary ArmoristThe Lord Mayor’s Parlour

Council House, Victoria SquareBIRMINGHAM B1 1BB

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Dr. Arthur William Aldridge

Dr. Arthur William Aldridge was, at the turn of last century, ayoung, newly qualified Doctor, who set up in practice in North-field, which was then in Worcestershire. In 1900 his parents

built him a beautiful detached house in Woodland Road, which includ-ed a Consulting Room and also a Dispensary.There were also rooms for 3 maids inthe attic and 11 acres of garden, withan Elizabethan tithe barn at the bottomwhich was later converted into an in-teresting house. All this as a weddingpresent. Northfield was in the countyof Worcestershire until 1911 then, for13 years it became part of Kings Nor-ton and Northfield Urban District, andwas then absorbed into the City ofBirmingham. Dr Aldridge paid 2/6d ayear to Oriel College, Oxford as rentfor the the Tithe Barn.Elderly patients whom I interviewed inthe 1980s remembered Dr Aldridge asa very tall, slim man with sparklingblue eyes and a shock of white curlyhair. He was tall enough to tap on thefanlights above front doors, and athlet-ic enough to vault over their frontgates when he visited patients at home,but he always entered houses throughthe back doors, which were neverlocked then. In the early years, he didall his rounds on foot but, as his Prac-tice grew, he used a bicycle with abasket on the front handlebars inwhich he put his medical bag. He thenbought a pony and trap, then a motorcycle and sidecar and, finally, a car.Patients remember him driving his car,sitting bolt upright, looking neither tothe right nor to the left, which youcertainly couldn’t do nowadays.There was, of course, no free HealthService, and doctors dispensed theirown medicine. A visit to the Surgery,including medicine, was 3/6d, and aHouse Visit was 5s, but Dr Aldridgehad a long list of people who were notcharged at all for his services, or who

would only receive a bill once the manof the house was back at work. Even ifyou had measles you would be takenup to the Surgery, go in at the frontdoor and sit on benches in the long,narrow hallway, before being takeninto Dr Aldridge’s Surgery, where hewould be sitting at his big roll-topdesk, and he almost always had awarm coal fire burning. One little girlsuffered badly from chilblains, and herhands were always cold, and DrAldridge would always say ‘Oh youmiserable thing, go and warm yourhands’, and she said it was bliss to doso. When there was a house visit fortonsillitis, mother had to go to theChemist and buy Formamint tablets tosuck. Dr Aldridge did many tonsillec-tomies at home on kitchen tables and,once, with the child laid out on an oakchest in a bedroom. If he was calledout while he was taking Surgery, pa-tients would stoically wait until hecame back again. He was very muchan open-air person, who walked every-where he could, including all his localcalls, until his Practice became toowidespread. If a child had a cough or acold he would often recommend tak-ing a tram to the Lickey Hills andspend a few hours walking in the brac-ing air there. To illustrate the changingface of medicine, a patient’s motherwas diabetic and had been quite ill inhospital and had been put on insulin.Dr Aldridge came to visit the patient,and admitted that he didn’t know any-thing about insulin. He said ‘I can’tadvise’ which the family thought wasvery honest of him. Thankfully, the

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patient remained on a strict diet andlived to be over 80!His Dispenser at the Practice was aMiss Plant. Nobody ever knew herfirst name. Most of the medicines thenwere liquid, in bottles. Dr Aldridgeonce commented that he had a job toget his patients to take tablets or cap-sules, particularly the older patients.They were only used to Beecham’sPills! He would buy crates of emptymedicine bottles from Boots’ Chemist,up to 500 at a time in mixed sizes. Thebottle would be filled with the appro-priate medicine, a cork put in the neck,then the bottle wrapped up in a sheet ofbeautiful white paper, with the instruc-tions carefully printed thereon, the thewhole sealed with sealing wax. Thebottles were marked on one side of theglass with a line which indicated thateach line was a spoonful. He boughtconcentrated medicines, seven con-centrated for cough medicine, then 1ozwould be put into the bottle and thebottle then filled up with water. Heused to buy tablets from Philip Harris,the local suppliers in Stirchley. Aspirincame in three colours - red, green andblue, and patients used to get veryupset when they were given the wrongcolour by mistake.Miss Plant had her own Dispensarynext door to the Consulting Room. Hewould call out to Miss Plant ‘coughmedicine for this child please’ andMiss Plant would dispense it there andthen. Miss Plant was an older lady,with her hair neatly combed back intoa grey bun, and wearing a white over-all, and she seemed to be very severeand rather frightening to young pa-tients. If Dr Aldridge wanted to speakto Mother, he would send the childinto Miss Plant’s Dispensary, whichwas a fascinating place to a child asthere was a sink in there, and lots ofbottles, many of them with brilliantly

coloured liquids which it was always apleasure to look at. Miss Plant was theReceptionist and Housekeeper as wellas the Dispenser. Patients liked her,and sometimes they would see MissPlant rather than Dr Aldridge, possiblybecause then they didn’t have to paybut, also, possibly because she wasless intimidating. Dr Aldridge was,after all, gentry, and was on a levelwith the Clergy and the local SchoolHeadmaster, and social divisions wererigid at that time. In 1948 Miss Plantwas about 70 years old, very nice andpleasant, and wanted to stay with thePractice but, sadly, this didn’t workout with the new National HealthService.Dr Aldridge had connections with theCadbury family, and looked afterGeorge Cadbury in 1922 in his finalillness. One patient remembered herfamily moving to Birmingham so thather father could work at Cadbury’s and,when a Doctor was needed, George Cad-bury recommended Dr Aldridge. And,when her father needed a new suit, DrAldridge recommended his tailor, so thepatient’s father must have been from afairly well-off family. Dr Aldridge alsosigned the Death Certificate of the tallestwoman in Great Britain. This was JaneBunford who lived at Jiggins Lane, Bar-tley Green, and who died on the 1st April1922. Her Death Certificate was signedby Dr A.W. Aldridge MB, giving thecause of death as hyperpituitarism andgigantism acromegaly. She was thoughtto be 7’9” tall.As well as seeing patients at his house inWoodland Road, Northfield, he also sawpatients at 201 Bristol Road on Mondaysand Saturdays, at 214 West Heath Road,Northfield, and at 18 Jiggins Lane, Bar-tley Green. This last was his officialBranch Surgery which he visited week-ly, and was held in Miss Field’s cottage.The Waiting Room was the front room,

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and patients went through to the backroom to see Dr Aldridge. He had noequipment there, just an old-fashionedsofa for patients to lie on to be examined,and what he carried in his medical bag.Bartley Green patients never called himout, they would just wait until Friday,which was Surgery Day. It was MissField’s life, and she refused to take anyrent from Dr Aldridge. She would besitting with the patients in the frontroom, chatting away and, after Surgeryfinished, she always made DoctorAldridge a pot of tea, which she present-ed to him on a lovely tray with an im-maculately white cloth.He was appointed to be a Factory Sur-geon and much enjoyed visiting many ofthe factories in the neighbourhood. Hewas always pleased to be given samplesof their products. He was an OphthalmicSurgeon to the Birmingham EducationCommittee, and would have liked tospecialise in eyes and their diseases, buthis life remained too full and busy forhim to do this. He always attendedMorning Service at Church, and always

went to Church on St. Luke’s Day, Lukethe Physician, on the 18th October.His obituary, on the 17th May 1954 inthe Birmingham Post, stated that DrA.W. Aldridge of Batsford, AvenueRoad, Great Malvern, had died aged 79.For more than 40 years he was in prac-tice in Northfield, building up a reputa-tion as a family Doctor of the best type.He was also a very keen Churchman andwas a regular attendee at St LawrenceChurch, Northfield, where a memorialservice will be held on Wednesday.There will be no burial service as DrAldridge has donated his body to a Hos-pital for research. He retired from Prac-tice about seven years ago, and moved toMalvern. He was once an OphthalmicSurgeon on the Birmingham EducationCommittee, Resident Surgeon at theBirmingham General Dispensary; Sen-ior House Physician, and Obstetric andOphthalmic House Surgeon at Queen’sHospital, Birmingham. He was educatedat Durham University and Mason Col-lege, Birmingham.

Kay Whalley

Surplus (Free) BooksI am a member of BMSGH, but I don’t think the Society has another Alker ontheir books!I have two paperback books, A4 or slightly larger, called ‘Looking at Stour-bridge Local Studies book 2’ and ‘Oldswinford, Bedcote and StourbridgeManors and Boundaries’ by R.L. Chambers, which I no Longer need for myresearch.If anyone would like them I will be happy to send them for the price of thepostage. Failing that maybe the BMSGH could use them. Not sure of postagecost as I would need to get them weighed.We have been sorting out research books no longer needed and it’s a shame toconsign them to recycling if someone interested in the area could use them.Anyone interested in acquiring the above two books please contact:

Mrs. Jean [email protected]

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PROGRAMME PREVIEWBirmingham Meetings held at Birmingham and Midland Institute

Saturday 4th June n2016Speaker: Andrew LoundTitle: Searching for Mr. HipkinsThis presentation looks at the lengths and depths Andrew had to go toto find the biographical history of William E. Hipkins, the former Manag-ing Director of W&T Avery, who died on the Titanic. One would havethought that this would be an easy task, yet previous researchers hadmixed up two different Hipkins. There was also the added complicationthat William never sought publicity. This fascinating detective story givesmany examples and practical advice on researching a person andreminding every researcher never to take anything written down asabsolute.Wednesday 6th July 2016Speaker: Mick PearsonTitle: The Black Country in the Great WarThis talk is about life in the Black Country during the Great War. Chang-es in lives; work, home, food, entertainment and news. Manufacturingwas vital and we supplied the aero engines, tanks, guns, munitions andmuch more. Women’s roles changed massively, including early stepstowards sex equality. With so many men away, without women the warcould have been lost.August 2016There is no meeting in the month of August

For time of the meeting please refer to the printed programme andweb-site. As a general rule, Wednesday meetings are held in theevening and Saturday meetings in the afternoon.

Peter Middleton

Death from Soap The following article is reprintedfrom ‘The Pictorial Times’ for

October 1847On Saturday last, a long enquiry took place before W. Carter Esq, Old Kent Roadas to the death of Sarah Newby. The deceased was not much more that tqo feethigh and, though twenty three years old, used to sit in a common child’s chair,and her age seemed not more than ten. Mrs Norris, Old Kent Road, stated thatthe deceased was quite an imbecile, and had been placed under her care by itsfather, who paid her 6s a week for doing so. On Wednesday morning he directedsome soap, which she was using, to be placed in the next room, where thedeceased was sitting. Soon after, deceased was attacked with a fit, and it wasfound she had eaten some of the soap. The deceased died the next morning.Surgeon gave his opinion that the deceased died in consequence of the exhaus-tion brought on by her having eaten the soap. The jury returned a verdict to thateffect.

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Downton Abbey and the Earl of GranthamPossible Sources of Name and Title

N ow that the ‘Downton Abbey’ television saga has finally con-cluded, it may be of interest to consider whether the names ofthe Earl of Grantham, and his seat, are purely imaginary or

might have associations with people and places in the past.Fans of the programme have flocked toHighclere Castle, Hampshire, which is wellknown as the location of the Downton Ab-bey filming. This was an eminently suitablechoice, being the seat of an actual Earl,Lord Carnarvon, with classic ‘CapabilityBrown’ parkland. Aspects of Highclere arethen skilfully woven into the series: whenthe Grantham family opens Downton Ab-bey to the public, they explain that the Ar-chitect was the famous (Sir) Chas. Barry(who had been engaged in both Highclereand the Houses of Parliament). Likewise,when the Earl of Grantham is given a puppyby his mother, he names it ‘Tio’: he remindshis daughter that all his dogs are namedafter Egyptian deities. This reflects the actu-al history of the Earls of Carnarvon, one ofwhom, the 5th Earl, in conjunction withHoward Carter, discovered the tomb of Tu-tankhamun in 1922 - Highclere now has aunique exhibition of Egyptian artefactsdown in the basement.The village of Downton, S.E. of Salisbury,has also been the source of attraction tovisitors. Whilst there are other places by thename of Downton, such as Downton Castlein Herefordshire, and Downton Hall inShropshire, the Downton near Salisburyseems to have been generally accepted asthe source of the name for the Earl ofGrantham’s seat. It is interesting to note thatthe author’s grandmother, Georgiana Fel-lowes, née Wrightson, was brought upthere: her father, John Wrightson, lived atCharford Manor in Downton and was pres-ident of Downton Agricultural College(which my great uncle, Wm. Reg. FitzHugh, attended 1884-6). Downton was, infact, one of the ancient ‘rotten’ boroughswhich sent Members of Parliament for 500years or more, before succumbing to the1832 Reform Act. The Earl of Radnor, who

controlled the Parliamentary Seat there,did actually vote for its demise.Having decided on the Earl of Grantham’sseat being named ‘Downton’ the Authorclearly felt that it needed a prestigiousdescription - ‘Castle’ and ‘Hall’ being al-ready taken elsewhere, he was left with thelikes of ‘Place’ or ‘Abbey’. There was aprecedent for the latter in his own distantfamily - in the 18th c. Ramsey Abbey wasacquired by Coulson Fellowes, whose de-scendant, Edward Fellowes, was createdBaron de Ramsey of Ramsey Abbey in1887.There was even a Crawley, who owned anAbbey estate: in 1726 Thos. Crawley in-herited Flaxley Abbey from a Boevey con-nection, after which his son Thomasinherited a baronetcy: the family continuesto this day as Crawley-Boevey Baronets(albeit without an Abbey).As regards the ‘Earl of Grantham’ titlethere has been one, and only one, suchEarl: William III granted the title on 24December 1698 to the eldest son of one ofhis most loyal supporters (a Christmaspresent, perhaps?). This faithful Dutchsubject, Henry de Nassau, Lord of Auver-querque, was very much the hero of ro-mantic novels, being of princely blood andcousin to Prince William of Orange (laterKing William III of England). He wasdescended from Maurice de Nassau,Prince of Orange, through his illegitimate(later legitimated) son, Louis de Nassau.It was reputed that Henry, ‘in 1678 . . . waswith the Prince (later William III) in thebattle of St. Dennis, fought against theDuke of Luxembourg, where his name isrecorded with immortal glory, he having,with his own hand, slain an officer thatwas ready to have killed the brave Prince:

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and for that the States . . . ordered him tobe presented with a sword, whose hilt wasmassy gold . . . he was also, by the Prince,made Captain of his Guard, in which sta-tion he attended him to England and, uponhis accession to the throne . . . was madeMaster of the Horse . . . In 1702, . . . uponthe death of his Royal Master, he returnedto Holland and, upon war breaking outagain, was made General of the DutchForces . . . and died, in camp, in the year1708 (aged 67 - ‘The British Compendiumor Rudiments of Honour 1738 vol I p.437).Whilst Henry de Nassau remained com-mitted to his Dutch King and Country, heclearly wished his son, Henry, Earl ofGrantham, to found a dynasty in England.The young man had duly married his cous-in Henrietta in England: she was thedaughter of Thos. Butler, Earl of Ossoryand sister to James, 2nd Duke of Or-monde. When, two years later, he receivedthe Earldom of Grantham, this was in fa-vour, not only of Henry and his male issuebut also, failing that, to each of his youngerbrothers and their issue in succession. Sad-ly all three brothers died before him with-out issue, two having been killed in battle.The new Earl, in contrast to his father, hadan undemanding and relatively uninterest-ing life: he was Chamberlain to the Prin-cess of Wales 1716-1727 and then,likewise, for the next 10 years while shewas Queen Consort. He was described, byBishop Burnet, when ‘aged 30 and up-wards’ as ‘a very pretty gentleman, faircomplexioned’, to which Dean Swift add-ed, with his usual malicious humour ‘andgood for nothing’. He had two sons, Hen-ry and Thomas but both died before him.Thus, when the Earl died in 1754, theGrantham title became extinct, despite thedetailed plans for its succession. His linedid, however, continue in the female linethrough his daughter, Henrietta who, in1732, had married Wm., 2nd Earl Cowper:their son, George Nassau, 3rd Earl Cow-per, was created a Prince of the Holy Ro-man Empire by Emperor Joseph II, as thesole remaining representative of the Princ-es and Counts of Nassau d’ Auverquerque.

There was never to be another Earl ofGrantham. However, just over 6 years af-ter the Earl’s death, a Yorkshireman, Rob-inson by name, snapped up the Granthamtitle, when he was offered a Barony. TheRobinsons had been successful merchantsin Yorkshire for generations, rising to LordMayor and MP for York, and then beingcreated baronets.The new Baron Grantham, so created in1761, was Thomas Robinson, the young-er son of a Baronet - he had graduallyworked his way up to be Master of theGreat Wardrobe and, briefly, Secretary ofState for the South. Unable to hold on tothis position for more than 20 months, hereverted to his previous role in the GreatWardrobe. Having been an MP for 19years, he was eventually rewarded with theBarony, although there was no apparentconnection with Grantham or even Lin-colnshire.In 1770 the Baron was succeeded by hisson, another Thomas whose achievementwas to marry well: his wife, Mary Jemi-ma Yorke, was the co-heiress daughter ofthe 2nd Earl of Hardwicke by his wife,Jemima, who was, in her own right, Mar-chioness Grey. Through this marriage thesecond Baron secured for his son, Thomas,an earldom, albeit not that of Grantham.The elder sister of the Second Baron’swife, Annabel Yorke, had been createdCountess de Grey in 1816 to continue theGrey title, with remainder to her youngersister, Mary Jemima, and her male issue bythe 2nd Baron Grantham. Thus, when An-nabel Yorke, 1st Countess de Grey, died in1833, her nephew, the 3rd BaronGrantham, succeeded as 2nd Earl de Grey,At the same time, the 3rd Baron’s youngerbrother Frederick, had been progressing asa politician: in April 1827 King George IVdecided to honour him when ColonialSecretary,with the title Viscount Goderich.Five months later the position of PrimeMinister became vacant, without an obvi-ous and undisputed candidate to fill therole. George IV stepped in to appoint Frederick as Prime Minister against all advice.Frederick, known as ‘Goody Goderich’,

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felt unable to hold down the post for morethan a few months and, with a flood oftears, tendered his resignation to the King.The King accepted and lent ‘the blubberingfool’ his handkerchief. Frederick was giv-en a number of offices thereafter: the WarOffice, Board of Trade and India Office.His prime aim was now, apparently, tosecure the sought after appointment as aKnight of the Garter, for which he neededthe rank of an Earl. Thus, in 1833, Freder-ick was created Earl of Ripon (three weeksbefore his elder brother inherited his Earl-dom of de Grey). Disraeli described Fred-erick, the 1st Earl of Ripon, as a ‘transientand embarrassed Phantom’- not unlike,perhaps, his grandfather, the 1st BaronGrantham.It is interesting to note that there was nowa link between the Earl of Grantham andthe Barons Grantham: in the same year,1833, when they acquired their two Earl-doms, Anne Florence Robinson, the 3rdBaron’s daughter, married George, 6thEarl Cowper, who was the great grandsonof Henrietta de Nassau, daughter of theEarl of Grantham.The rise of the Robinsons was unabated inthe 19c: not content with his two inheritedEarldoms, ‘Goody Goderich’s son,George Frederick, achieved promotion toMarquess of Ripon in 1871, when LordPresident of the Council. After this, hebecame Viceroy of India (1880-4), FirstLord of the Admiralty (1886) and LordPrivy Seal (1905-8). An odd man, he wasa Whig, favoured by Gladstone, as well asbeing a Christian Socialist, who later em-braced the Roman Catholic Church.George Frederick’s only son, Frederick,was to lead a normal quiet life, more that ofa country gentleman. He retired from beingan MP after only 6 years, at the age of 28and, later, in 1901, on the accession ofEdward VII, he became Treasurer toQueen Alexandra and, in 1912, acceptedthe position as one of the Trustees of theWallace Collection. He died in 1923 aged71, married but without issue. With him,all the family’s titles became extinct, in-cluding that of the 5th Baron Grantham.

If the author of Downton Abbey had basedhis Earl of Grantham on the RobinsonBarons Grantham, the last Baron wouldhave been the most suitable candidate,both in character and position. Each was tobe the last of his male line. With the Rob-inson Granthams now being totally extinctin the male line, there could be no com-plaints from living relatives.At the same time, it is interesting to notethat “Downton Abbey” is located in York-shire, near Thirsk: the RobinsonGranthams had their large estate at Stud-ley Royal, near Ripon, which the 3rd Bar-on inherited c.1820, through the descentfrom the 1st Baron’s mother, Mary Aisla-bie, whose family owned the estate untilthen. It was adjacent to Fountains Abbey,which the Aislabie family had acquired in1768.William Aislabie, according to Pevsner,‘with arrogant self confidence and stupen-dous success, made the best preserved ofall Abbeys in England into the finest ofpicturesque ruins’. Thus the BaronsGrantham now possessed an Abbey, atruly ancient one, albeit in ruins. This mayalso have influenced the Author to desig-nate Downton as an Abbey. NearbyThirsk was also known to the BaronsGrantham, the 1st Baron having been MPthere for seven years. Ripon, also men-tioned by characters in the programme,features largely in the lives of the BaronsGrantham, being the nearest large town toStudley Royal and thus the place whichthe family often represented in Parliament,and from which they took their major titles.Moving now to the family name of theDownton Earls of Grantham, it is onewhich already has some resonance in fic-tion. Thackery’s Betty Sharp in VanityFair (1847/8) secretly married RawdonCrawley, 2nd son of the dirty, cynical SirPitt Crawley who, when widowed,sought to marry Betty himself. CharlesReade’s ‘It’s never too late to mend’(1853) includes a Peter Crawley, and inTrollope’s ‘Framley Parsonage’ (1861)and ‘Last Chronicle of Barset’ (1867)we find the Rev. Josiah Crawley and

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his daughter Grace. The latter are morerespectable than Sir Pitt and would bewell known to the Author of DowntonAbbey, since it was he who wrote theTV script for Trollope’s ‘Dr. Thorne’. Inthese circumstances no member of livingCrawley families could complain that hehad borrowed their name for his fiction.Mention, in fact, has already been madeof an actual Crawley family in connec-tion with the term ‘Abbey’ used forcountry estates. The Crawleys of FlaxleyAbbey, now Crawley-Boevey Bt. are abranch of an old 16c. family, whosearms were recorded in the 1634 Visita-tion of Bedfordshire. These Crawleys ofNether Crawley, near Luton, producedeminent lawyers in the 17c, such as SirFrancis Crawley, who was one of thejudges in 1636 to support Charles I inimposing Ship-money Tax, for which hewas subsequently impeached by theHouse of Commons (in 1641). The 18cand 19c Crawleys were often High Sher-iffs and, on occasions, MPs. In 1883John Crawley of Stockwood Park wasentered in Bateman’s ‘Great Landown-ers of Great Britain’, with an estate ofover 8,000 acres.There is, indeed, an indirect connectionbetween the Robinson Barons Granthamand these Bedfordshire Crawleys. Thos.Philip Robinson, 3rd Baron Granthamand 2nd Earl de Grey, who had no sons,produced two daughters, who providedlinks with both the Auverquerque Earl ofGrantham and the Crawley family; theelder daughter, Lady Anne, as men-tioned above, in 1833 married George6th Earl Cowper, descendant of LadyHenrietta Auverquerque, and the young-est daughter, Lady Mary, in 1832, mar-ried Henry Vyner of Newby Hall,Yorks, whose sister Theodosia, wasmarried to Samuel Crawley, MP ofStockwood Park (father, by his secondwife, of the John Crawley mentionedabove). The Vyner Robinson connectionwas through their daughter: in 1851Henrietta Vyner married her cousinGeorge Robinson, 1st Marquess ofRipon, nephew of Thos. 2nd Earl de

Grey. When their son, the 2nd and lastMarquess, died in 1923, it was herniece’s younger son, Clare George Vyn-er (formerly Compton) who purchasedthe Studley Royal and Fountain Abbeyestates.It is apparent that the Crawley familyname and the Grantham title each have aworthy reputation in history, to addweight, by association, to the fictionalcharacters created by the Author for thetelevision Programme - just as weight isadded to the fictional location, DowntonAbbey, by all the historical and physicalassociations of the places used and re-ferred to in the Programme. Even thelinks between the Author’s family andDownton bring the viewer ever closer tothe events portrayed, with an addedsense of intimacy, which is often miss-ing where work is purely fiction,It was wise and discreet of the Auther toadopt a title, such as Grantham, which isundistinguished and so, generally, unre-membered in history. Those members ofthe Robinson family who appeared onthe public stage, such as Frederick, theyounger brother of Thos. 3rd BaronGrantham, had to choose a different title.Thus, Frederick became ViscountGoderich and, as such, was Prime Minis-ter. Later, to achieve an Earldom, heagain had to choose something otherthan Grantham. The name of his localtown, which had been represented inParliament, was a natural choice. Like-wise, when his son was promoted toMarquess, it was the Earldom of Riponwhich was promoted. The BaronsGrantham were effectively buried fromview under the pile of higher titles. Thisanswered the Author’s needs more ef-fectively than a fabricated title (such asTrollope’s Duke of Omnium) since hewas seeking his own realism, rather thanplayful or sardonic humour.The Crawley family name was equallysuitable, having an understated place inhistory, and some renown in 19th centu-ry fiction.

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I have not, in preparing this article, no-ticed any direct family relationships be-tween the Author and members of theactual Earl of Grantham, the BaronsGrantham or any Crawley family. If anyreader has come across any such rela-tionships, it would naturally be of addedinterest.I have noticed a far flung connectionwith the Author through the WilliamReginald Fitz Hugh who attendedDownton Agricultural College: in 1901he married Murial Sophia Rooke,whose Great Aunt Eliz Sophia Rooke,had married, in 1844. Thomas AbdyFellowes of Donnington Priory, New-bury. Julian Fellowes is descended fromThomas Fellows younger brother Per-egrine Henry Fellowes, General of Ma-rines.SourcesThe Complete Peerage (1892) by GEC vol. IVDebrett’s Complete Peerage 1838Debrett’s Peerage 1920New Extinct Peerage 1884-1971 by L.G. Pine (1972)

Burke’s Peerage& Baronetage 107 Edn 2003The Official Baronage of England 1066 - 1885 by Jas. Doyle vol.III (1886)The Visitation of Beds. 1566, 1582 & 1634 pub. by Harleian Soc. (1884)Burke’s Landed Gentry 1952 (17thEdition) 1965, 1972(18 ed) and2001(19th Edn.) Scot-landConcise D.N.B. 1930 (1948)Concise Oxford Dic of English Literature (1957)The Prime Ministers: Walpole to Thatcher (1980) by Geo. M. ThomsonHudsons Historic Houses & Gdns (2010)History of Parliament: House of Com mons 1754-90; 1790-1820. HMSOBurke’s & Savill’s Guide to Country Houses vol. II Herefordshire, Salop (1980)

Dirk Fitz Hugh

Where There’s a WillThe following clause from a will was in the English papers for March 1828 :‘I leave to my monkey, my dear, amusing Jackoo, the sum of 10/- sterling, to beenjoyed by him during his life; it is to be expended solely on his keep. I leaveto my faithful dog, Shock, and to my beloved cat, Tib, 5/- sterling a-piece, asyearly pension. In the event of death of one of the aforesaid legatees, the sumdue to him shall pass to the two survivors, and on the death of one of these two,to the last, be he who he may. After the decease of all parties, the sum left themshall belong to my daughter G . . . ., to whom I show this preference, above allmy children, because she has a large family and finds a difficulty in filling theirmouths and educating them.’But a more curious case still is that of Mr. Berkley of Knightsbridge, who died5th May 1805. He left a pension of £25 per annum to his four dogs. Thissingular individual had spent the latter part of his life wrapped in the society ofhis curs. When any one ventured to remonstrate with him for expending somuch money on their maintenance, he would reply: ‘Men assailed my life, dogspreserved it’. This was a fact, for Mr. B. had been attacked by brigands in Italyand had been rescued by his dog, whose descendants the four pets were.According to his desire, the busts of these favoured brutes were sculptured atthe corners of his tomb.

From ‘Curiosities of Olden Times’ by S. Baring-Gould, published 1896

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BMSGH - THE LONDON BRANCHSaturday 2nd April 2016Speaker: Ned WilliamsTitle: Alms Houses of the MidlandsOur speaker started off by explaining that his interest in alms houses came aboutthrough the banner of the Durham Aged Mineworkers Housing Association(banners being another of his interests). The miners lived in tithed cottageswhich they had to leave when they could no longer work. The association wasset up to build houses for retired mineworkers in the area. Payment of 1d fromthe miner’s wages was voluntary and many thought it wouldn’t work, but it didand rows of houses were built in several communities.Alms houses could be built by worshipful guilds and trades for their workers intheir old age, by local benefactors, through bequests in wills, or by families inmemory of a loved one. They will often have a palatial entrance with a plaquegiving the date they were built, the name of the benefactor, and who they hadbeen built for. Some were quite specific ‘two single women’, ‘respectable anddeserving poor’ or ‘decayed salt makers or their widows of the county ofWorcester’.They are often laid out in a quadrangle, or on three sides, around a nice gardenarea. Cottage style, small but cosy. Many had communal facilities, which couldinclude a laundry, meeting room, library or/and chapel. In some, one cottagewas provided for a retiring member of the clergy so they could administer to theother residents.He then took us on a tour of alms houses, many of which were in our threecounties. He has found that, in a lot of cases, once the occupants know why heis taking photographs, he will be invited in and, if you have the chance, it is wellworth looking round. In some areas local alms houses are open during heritagedays.They are still being built. The Guild Cottages in Warwick were built in 1992,through a charity set up in 1571.This was a very interesting talk and I’ve now got to check back through mycensus transcriptions. While I don’t think any of my direct ancestors lived outtheir lives in alms houses, they either ended up living with one of their childrenor in the workhouse, some of my more distant relatives certainly did.

Lesley Exton

THE DUDLEY HERALDJuly 1901

An Advertisement.CADBURY’S COCOA is absolutely pure, being entirely free from kola, malt,hops, alkali, or any foreign admixture.Caution: The public should insist on having CADBURY’s - sold only inPackets and Tins - as other Cocoas are often substituted for the sake of extraprofit.

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BMSGH INDEXESThe list below is a summary of BMSGH Indexes etc., and who to write tofor more information, searches and copies. See also Members Handbook.More comprehensive information on the Indexes, such as parishes and datecovered, will be seen on our website -www.bmsgh.orgStaffordshire Burial IndexComplete, from the beginning of registers, to 1837, containing all knownrecorded burials in this county.Staffordshire Probate ListsDates of Probates and Administrations for this county, held at Lichfield Record Office.Mr. Tony Bowers, Lluest, Llanbedr, Gwynedd LL45 2HLStaffordshire Marriage Index - 1500’s-1837Mr. Chris & Mrs. Sue Smith, 8 Nightingale Crescent, Coppice Farm, Willenhall,West Midlands WV12 5HLWolverhampton and area IndexesWolverhampton Chronicle - a weekly newspaper founded in 1789. Index offamily announcements 1789-1837 (with gaps). Mainly marriages and burials,very few baptisms.Wolverhampton Quarter Sessions - index of accused and victims 1864-1917Wolverhampton Express & Star - family announcements index 1884-1920Mrs Kay Hay. 49 Staplehurst Road, Birmingham, B28 9ARWarwickshire Poor Law Index Pre 1834This includes removals, settlements, apprenticeships and a few bastardy orders.Warwickshire pre 1841 Censuses and similarAbout 50 separate indexes relating to 40 parishes, some only surname lists withsize of household, others give ages and occupations.Mrs. Annette Chubb, 21 Abberley Drive, Droitwich, Worcs WR9 8NYWorcestershire Burial IndexMost parishes in the county are covered.Bernie and Mary McLean, 7 Rodman Close, Birmingham B15 3PEE-mail enquiries to: [email protected] Marriage Index1660-1837. All parishes. Search by male or female - postal only. IncludesRoman Catholic, Quaker, and other Non-conformist entries. Many strays in-cluded. (Printed volumes for 1701-1837, listed in groom surname order, arelodged at the BMSGH Reference Library, and Worcestershire Record Office)Jackie Cotterill, 5 Sanderling Court, Kidderminster, DY10 4TSE-mail enquiries to: [email protected] Birmingham Marriage IndexParishes of All Saints, Aston, Edgbaston, Frankley, Handsworth, Harborne,Kings Norton, Northfield, Sheldon, St. George, St. Martin, St. Philip, St.Thomas, and Yardley, from 1776-1837, for brides and grooms and dates (yearonly for some entries)Bernie and Mary McLean, 7 Rodman Close, Birmingham B15 3PEE-mail enquiries to: [email protected]

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Greater Birmingham Burial Index up to 1837.Greater Birmingham Burial Index post 1838. This index contains the namesof 236,000 individuals buried in the various churchyards only. There are nocemeteries contained in this index.

Black Country Burial Index 1838 to about 1920. This index contains thenames of 458,000 individuals buried in numerous churchyards in and aroundthe Black Country. The index also includes the following cemeteries: Bloxwich,Darlaston, Oldbury, Smethwick, Tipton, Walsall Queen Street, Wednesbury,West Bromwich and Willenhall Wood St.

Index to Baptisms at Birmingham St. Paul 1779-1897Birmingham Index to Fines 1839-1851. Information extracted from QuarterSession records, including victim, perpetrator, crime, sentence and court officialsMr. David Pullar, 1 Kemble Close, Willenhall WV12 4DQEmail enquiries to - [email protected] and General Strays IndexSTS, WAR & WOR (continually updated)Guildhall, London Apprentices Index17/18c for STS, WAR, & WOR (in progress)Bernie and Mary McLean, 7 Rodman Close, Birmingham B15 3PEE-mail enquiries to: [email protected] Returns (1841 only) Solihull (Warwickshire)Census Returns (1851 only) Full transcriptions Staffordshire and WarwickshireSteve Freeman, 1 Buckridge Lane, Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands B90 1TFe.mail: [email protected] Monumental InscriptionsAs published by BMSGHSmith Surname Index (Birmingham)See Midland Ancestor June 2004 p 542 for details, but generally mid to late 19th century.St. Martin’s in the Bullring, Birmingham. Parish RegistersBaptisms 1554-1929Marriages 1554-1903Burials 1554-1915 (with minor gaps)Warwickshire - Birmingham Non Conformist registers14 chapels are included, Births and Baptisms, Deaths & Burials 1703-1858Worcestershire Monumental InscriptionsOn CD which includes 175 plus graveyards and burial groundsWarwickshire MI’s (excluding Birmingham)313 Graveyards and Burial locations included.Enquiries by post to Yvonne Harrison, 54 Exe Hill, Torquay, Devon TQ2 7RAor email to [email protected] (excluding Birmingham) Marriage Index 1538-1837A few parishes are indexed to late 19th century.Barbara Osborn, 4 Braceby Avenue, Birmingham B13 0URInitial enquiries preferred by e-mail to: [email protected]

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Ennismore Gardens, in London. The 1st Lord Rossmore, GeneralRobert Cunningham, a former Commander in Chief in Ireland, hadbeen created the 1st Baron Rossmore in the Irish peerage in 1796.When he died his title passed to his nephew, Warner William Westerna,of Dutch descent who, in 1838, was created the 1st Baron Rossmore inthe United Kingdom peerage, remaining the 2nd Lord Rossmore in theIrish peerage. The 4th and 5th Baron Rossmore was his grandson.

A Familyat War

BackgroundOn 14 June 1882 Mittie Naylor, aged twentytwo, married Derrick Warner William Westen-ra, the 4th and 5th Lord Rossmore of Mona-ghan, aged twenty nine, at All Saints Church,

Mittie Naylor was the daugh-ter of Richard ChristopherNaylor of Hooton Hall,

Cheshire, the Master of Foxhounds ofthe Pytchley Hunt, and Mary SophiaNaylor, nee Thorold. On her marriageMittie Naylor became Lady Rossmoreof Monaghan. Her surname becameWestenra. Her husband was appointedLord Lieutenant of County Monaghanin 1897, holding that post until he died.He was a well known polo player.The 4th and 5th Lord Rossmore andhis wife had three children. The Hon-ourable Mary Westenra was born on1 December 1890; William Westen-ra, the oldest son, on 12 July 1892;and the Honourable Richard Westen-ra on 5th October 1893. All three chil-dren served in the armed forces duringthe First World War. Mary Westenrawas a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) me-chanic; William an officer in the RoyalNaval Division; and Richard an RFCofficer. Their mother was President ofthe County Monaghan Red Cross So-ciety.Don’t PanicIn April 1918 Lady Rossmore heard arumour that the Germans were ap-proaching Calais; and that orders hadbeen given to evacuate Dover andFolkestone because they might beshelled. On Saturday 13 April 1918she handed in a telegram at South

Audley Street Post Office, London, tobe sent to her family home in Mona-ghan. It read ‘Germans marching onCalais. Dover and Folkestone to becleared’. A clerk asked her if this wastrue and she assured her that it was.The Post Office staff did not send thetelegram and reported its would-besender to the authorities. She wasasked to report to New Scotland Yard,where the police questioned her andcharged her under the Defence of theRealm Act. She wrote to the War Of-fice:‘I am in a most awful state. I have donethe most dreadful thing possible and Idon’t know what to do for the best. Myeldest son is in the midst of it inFrance, and I am nearly out of mymind with anxiety. On Saturday after-noon I was told that the Germans weremarching on Calais and that ordershad been given to clear Dover andFolkestone on account of the Germangun. As Lord Rossmore is ill in Irelandand terribly upset about our boy I, in amoment of excitement, wrote a tele-gram to my old maid so that she couldbreak the news to Rossmore before hesaw it in the papers.I put in the telegram, as far as I canremember, the following: ‘nearingCalais - Dover and Folkestone to becleared’ and signed my name at theback.

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Yesterday I was at Scotland Yard.When they came and asked me to gothere, they would not say why theywanted me. They only said that it wasurgent. I could not imagine what it wasfor, as I had forgotten, for the telegramhad gone out of my mind. They tell methat I am to be had up for this stupidthoughtless telegram which, luckily,they have censored. I feel if they haveme up I shall never be able to hold upmy head again and I don’t know whatto do.To think that I could have done such athing! If I had not been in the state Iwas, or excited, I should have seenwhat I was doing. Mothers with sons inFrance ought to be forgiven a gooddeal, for what they have to go throughno one knows. I have nothing more tosay. I would sooner have died thanhave done harm, and this is the truth’.Lady Rossmore was tried at Marlbor-ough Road Police Court, London onSaturday 20 April 1918. The prosecu-tion counsel, Sir Archibald HenryBodkin, the Senior Treasury Counsel,worked for the Director of Public Pros-ecutions. He presented the facts andthe accused’s letter was read to thecourt. The defence counsel was SirRichard David Muir, whose only sonwas serving on the Western Front, anddied of influenza on 4 November 1918.Sir Archibald Bodkin had been thelead prosecution counsel on many tri-als, including those of Carl Hans Lody,the first German spy executed in Brit-ain during the First World War; SirRoger Casement, hanged for treason in1916 after being landed in Irelandfrom a German submarine to help theIRA; and George Joseph Smith,hanged for murdering his three wivesby drowning them in the bath. Sir Ri-chard Muir had been the lead prosecu-tion counsel when the wife murderer,Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen, was tried,convicted and hanged.

Sir Archibald Bodkin was well knownas a fair minded man who did not presscases too hard. He accepted that LadyRossmore’s explanation of events wastrue. She was found guilty and fined£10 plus £5 costs. This was about£2,000 in our terms. Lord Rossmorewas rich and such a fine meant little,but it did send out a warning to would-be rumour mongers.3. Later EventsIn March 1920 Lady Rossmore wasawarded the OBE for her work as Pres-ident of the County Monaghan RedCross Society. Her husband died in1921 aged sixty eight and her son,William Westerna became the 5th and6th Lord Rossmore. He died on 17October 1958 aged sixty six. RichardWesterna was an amateur airman be-tween the wars and died on 25 July1944 aged fifty, of natural causes in aLondon nursing home. Lady Ross-more died on 8 February 1953 agedninety three.Mary Westenra had, on 5 September1911, married Sir Abraham Bailey,aged forty nine, a South African bank-er, mining magnate, politician and Bo-er War veteran. His first wife had diedin 1902, leaving a son and a daughter.Sir Abraham and his second wife wereto have five children. Their first childMittie Mary Starr Bailey, was bornon 1 August 1913 but this did not stopher mother being an RFC mechanic inBritain and France during the FirstWorld War. Twins Derrick ThomasLouis Bailey and Ann Hester ZiaBailey were born on 15 August 1918.James Richard Abe Bailey was bornon 23 October 1919, i.e. during thepost First World War baby boom.Their fifth and last child, NoreenHelen Rosemary Bailey, was born on27 July 1921.In 1927 Lady Mary Bailey, nee West-enra, obtained a pilot’s licence. She

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was the first woman to fly across theIrish Sea. On 5 July 1927 she reached17,283 feet in a light aeroplane. Thiswas then a world record for a womanflyer. Between 9 March and 30 April1928 she flew solo eight Thousandmiles from Croydon to Cape Town.Between September 1928 and 16 Jan-uary 1929 she flew back solo. In 1927and 1928 she won the Harmon Trophyas the world’s outstanding woman fly-er and, in January 1930, she was creat-ed a DBE (Dame of the BritishEmpire). She used her flying skill inphotographing archaeological sitesfrom the air, notably in Egypt.Sir Abraham Bailey died in 1940 agedseventy five. His widow was a sectionofficer in the Women’s Auxiliary AirForce (the WAAF’s) during the Sec-

ond World War. Their son, James Bai-ley, was an RAF fighter pilot in theBattle of Britain. After the war he be-came a South African publisher. Hisjournals included The Drum, a month-ly publication aimed at black readers.It carried pictures of pin up girls andsports news; and exposures of the mal-treatment of black farm workers andprisoners. He also wrote and publishedseveral books about archaeologywhich mainstream scholars consideredeccentric. For instance he believed thatthere was a single world civilisation inthe Bronze Age and that America wasthe lost Atlantis. He died on 29 Febru-ary 2000 aged eighty.

J.P. [email protected]

The Last Cavalry ChargeThe following comments have been received from Iain Swinnerton and are inconnection with the ‘Warwickshire Local History Society’ article published inthe March 2016 edition of the Midland Ancestor, page 216, wherein it wasstated that the ‘Warwickshire Yeomanry performed the last cavalry charge’.Iain, with his almost encyclopaedic knowledge of all matters military, writes -I have just read my Midland Ancestor with great enjoyment (as always) but Ihave to make a point about the Warwickshire Local History Society article. Itsays that the Warwickshire Yeomanry performed the last charge at Huj in 1915.Sorry - it wasn’t the last! If it’s any consolation, the Dorset County Museum iscurrently claiming the last charge for the Dorset Yeomanry. The actual sequence is:Dorset Yeomanry Agadir 26 February 1916

Warwickshire Yeomanry & Queens Haji 8 November 1917 Own Worcestershire HussarsRoyal Bucks Hussars, Dorset El Mughal 13 November 1917 Yeomanry & Berkshire

Dorset Yeomanry had toDismount due to rough groundso charged on foot. Berkshire Yeomanry were inreserve.

1st King’s Dragoon Guards Afghanistan May 1919Royal Scots Greys Syria February 1940

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Do You Have a Criminal Ancestor?Victorian or Otherwise

I am a PhD student with the University of Sheffield. I am reachingout to genealogists and family historians worldwide who havediscovered ancestors in the records of the criminal justice system

to ask them to fill in a short, anonymous survey, or participate in aninterview.Are you descended from convict ancestors transported far from home, or didgreat great uncle John end up in court for squabbling with the neighbours? Ifyour ancestor was a hardened criminal, a victim of a miscarriage of justice, apolitical prisoner, or in court for not paying their dog licence, a new study islooking to hear from you.Criminals in the family have always fascinated family historians and it seemsmore of us are discovering more of them all of the time. The digitisation of therecords of the criminal justice system, and newspapers, are bringing to light aside of our ancestors that may have previously been kept secret.The crimes themselves range from the minor, even amusing, to the serious andtragic. From a few cows wandering unsupervised along a country lane, resultingin an appearance at the petty sessions court and a 2 shilling fine, to a young girlstealing some lace and being transported for 7 years to Australia, a sentencewhich really meant a lifetime exiled from her native land. A young boy impris-oned for vagrancy. A rebel. A highwayman. A murderer.The documents which record their crimes often have amazingly rich details notfound in birth, marriage or even census records. From prison registers we can getphysical descriptions of someone who lived long before the invention of photog-raphy, we can learn their height, weight, eye and hair colour, and any distin-guishing scars or features such as tattoos. From newspaper accounts of trials wehear their voices as they give evidence.But how do we feel when we come across an ancestor who broke the law? Andhow do they shape how we view our family’s history? Is a criminal ancestorsomeone to be ashamed of, to celebrate, or part of a larger story? What do theircrimes, and the punishments they received, tell us about them as people, andabout the time and society they lived in? You can help provide the answers.As part of the Digital Panopticon project http://www.digitalpanopticon.orgAoife O Connor of the University of Sheffield wants to hear from familyhistorians across the globe who have discovered ancestors who were connectedto a crime. She is conducting short, anonymous online surveys which can befound here, http://acriminalrecord.org/surveys/Aoife is based in Dublin, Ireland and is studying for her PhD part-time. Her ownfamily history includes, among others, one ancestor aged 18 imprisoned in 1821for thirteen days on suspicion of stealing a frame saw (the same ancestor wasfined for excise duty evasion to the tune of £12.10 shillings in 1838), and anotherwho was fined two shillings at the Petty Sessions Court on the 24 December1856 for driving a horse and cart with no reins.

Aoife O [email protected]

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StrangeNames

I was interested to read the article in theMarch 2016 issue of The Midland Ancestor asI, too, have grappled with these!We were always told that my great grandmother,Gertrude Louise Davies, came to Birminghamwhen she was about sixteen and married George

Sands in 1885. He later changed his name to Sanders. We were also told thatshe had siblings, Mira, Kate, Jack, Albert and possibly Rose. Both Gertrudeand Mira married under the name Davies and with father given as John. Butcensuses for Birmingham gave their place of birth as Pershore, not Wales, and Icould never find their births, nor any census entries for them prior to theirmarriages. The breakthrough came when I found that, in her old age, Mira livedwith a Cordelia Dagmar Steele, place of birth Pershore. A lot of detective workshowed that Cordelia was, in fact, Mira’s sister Kate but that her maiden namewas Skarratt. I purchased her birth certificate and her mother is given as‘Harriet Skarratt, late Heritage, formerly Davis.’I found Cordelia living in Pershore with sisters Gertrude and Mira and othersiblings, and parents John (born c.1815 in Ullingswick, Herefs.) and Harriet(born c.1835 in Old Radnor) but with the surname Morris! The family used thissurname in the censuses for 1861 (in Wollaston) and 1871 and 1881 (in Per-shore) but each child was registered with the surname Skarratt, and there is nodoubt that they are the same family. John and Harriet had Rosanna (1859-1938),John Alfred (1861-1938), Mira (1866-1950), Gundreda Gertrude (1868-1922), Algernon William (b.1871), Cordelia Dagmar (1872-1951).It can be seen that this list matches most of the siblings we were told about. Butgreat grandmother was Gundreda Gertrude! We had been told she didn’t like oneof her names but we assumed it was a choice between Gertrude and Louise!Gundreda is incredibly unusual. Even Googling it brings up few hits, other thanan eleventh century countess of Surrey. John Skarratt was a grocer, carrier andlabourer so where on earth did he (or his wife) find some of these names?In the early to mid-1880s, around the time John Skarratt died, Harriet and herchildren came to live in Birmingham. From now on Harriet used the surnameDavies, as did her daughters Gundreda (called Gertrude or Louise) and Mira andson Algernon William (called William). However, Rosanna, John (Jack) andCordelia (called Kate) married using their father’s surname of Skarratt. Rosannamarried a George Clarke, went to live in Leeds and later re-married a ThomasWaddington; John married an Irish girl and was a stud groom; and Cordeliamarried John Hawker and had a daughter, Elizabeth, who lived in Maas Road,Birmingham. Harriet seems to have died in the early 1900s in Birmingham.Harriet had an eventful life (or lives). In 1851 she was living with her grandpar-ents John and Mary Davies at Bradnor, just outside Kington, only a few milesfrom Old Radnor but on the English side of the border. By the mid 1850s shewas living with William Heritage in Brynmawr near Abergavenny. The coupledon’t seem to have married. William was an iron miner and railroad labourer.They had two daughters; Mary Ann Heritage, born 1855, and Sophia Herit-age, born 1857. In the same year that Sophia was born, William died. By 1861

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the two girls were in Kington Workhouse with the surname Davies: the familytradition is that they had been abandoned on a bridge near Abergavenny.Mary Ann and Sophia eventually married but, before they did, each hadchildren by unknown fathers, some of these children being born in workhousesin Abergavenny and Kington. Sophia went back to South Wales and lived atBrynmawr, where she had a large family. Mary Ann Heritage married and cameto live in Pershore, just a few streets from her mother who, by that time, had hersecond family with John Skarratt.Sophia’s descendants never knew what became of Harriet after 1857. But, as wenow know, she was, by 1859, with John Skarratt, though I have found nomarriage for them.There seems to have been confusion between generations regarding the Welshconnection: there was also a family tradition that great grandmother Gertrudewas from Abergavenny but the connection with Wales (and that town) turns outto have been a generation earlier, with her mother Harriet.Inconsistency in the use of Christian and surnames makes genealogy verydifficult but very rewarding when the puzzle has been cracked. But what wecan’t know is why such unusual names were chosen and why some of thisfamily chose their mother’s maiden name for a surname, and others theirfather’s name.I would be delighted to hear from anyone who has encountered these families.

Stephen Sanders - member [email protected]

A Cry from the HeartCan I ask all, or at least some, members to grab some writing implement andwrite down a story from your Family Tree and, having dressed it up a bit, sendit off to our hard working Editor. It does not have to be too long, or even tooshort. Everybody is interested in what everybody else is doing. Those of youwho feel unsure about writing things down, can I suggest that you take holdof a camera and take a photograph of some building, either new or old, or evena ruin. Write its name, and anything else you know about it. This especiallyapplies to members living out of the Birmingham area. Come on, I know thereare lots of such buildings, all needed for the cover of The Midland Ancestor -but no churches please, the Editor has a goodly supply of them for the timebeing.Deryn will not keep asking you for these things, she feels it would be naggingyou, but I got used to doing this when I was the Vice Chairman of the Society.I do think of you all, and miss you very much, even though I am now livingdown here in Bristol, especially you folks who attend Branch meetings - comeon, get those cameras rolling.I still try to do my bit, reviewing new books. I have recently completed a piecewritten for Carl Chinn, owed to him for over seven years.This message to you contains 277 words, surprising how words mount up -come on, try it.Regards to you all, from Joyce Finnemore (4090).

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The Castle at Alton

Erdington Operatic Society 1913

War Memorial Umberslade

Old Imagesof The

Midlands

Wetton Mill in the Manifold Valley

Alcester Free Baptist Church Rugby Station 1914

All images are early 20th centuryand are reproduced here by courtesy of

Postcardworld.com

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MEMBERS INTERESTS DIRECTORYJune 2016

The Directory of Members Interests is based on information received fromMembers since September 1995 and is continually updated. No informationreceived before that date is included in the Directory (This Directory should notbe confused with various editions of the Midland Genealogical Directory, thereis no connection). Members may submit their interests, new or updated, usingthe interests form received on joining the Society. Forms can also be obtainedfrom Haydn Lewis (address below). Alternatively, the information can beemailed to Haydn Lewis. The submission will be checked against the existingDirectory and included, or changed, as required. Members are also entitled tohave up to 10 lines of information printed in one issue of The Midland Ancestor,but the revision and additions will not be included therein. No charge is madefor this service. When submitting details please print clearly, especially e-mailaddresses.If you appear to have a mutual interest please make direct contact to the personconcerned. The number in the right hand column is used to find thatmember’s name and address, listed at the end of the section.When making contact it is suggested that the initial communication should bekept brief. Send only sufficient information necessary to establish whether ornot there is a common interest, enclosing a self addressed envelope, stamped orwith two International Reply Coupons (IRC’s). The recipient should then beable to acknowledge all correspondence, whether or not a connection is apparent.The Directory is open for searching at any time by Haydn Lewis (for the fees,see BMSGH Indexes elsewhere in this issue). Members are also directed to theSociety website, where Members Interests can be searched by clicking on theappropriate link.The interests are printed for the free exchange of information between members.Member’s interests details should be sent to :Mr. Haydn Lewis, 16 Edenhall Road, Quinton, Birmingham B32 1DAE-mail: [email protected]

NameAPPLEBYATWELLBANNERBAYLISSBEDDARDBERESFORDBETTERIDGE+varBLOOMERBOWERMANBOXBRINDLEY +var

CONSTABLE

LocalityWillenhallRowberrowBromsgroveLapworthKingswinfordKingswinfordSheldonHalesowenEynshamForest of DeanAtherstone/ BirminghamAndover

CountySTSSOMWORWARSTSSTSWARWOROXFGLS

LEI/STS/WARHAM

Period1750-1850

1700+pre 1837

1800-19001700-19001800-19001680-17501700-18001750-1850pre 1837

1700-2000

1880-1900

Mem No20394204032040620406204102041042274227

204172040620383

20417

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CONSTABLECONSTABLECOURTDICKINDILWORTH

DODGEDUDLEYECCLESTONEEDWARDSFISHERFISHERFRANKLINGADSBY +var

GLOVERGOODWINGOOSTRYHAWKESFORDHIPKISSHUNTHURDISHURDISHUTTONJERVISJEVAN +varJOHNSON

LAVENDERLAVENDERLAWLINESLOOSE

LOVELOWBRIDGEMARKLEW +var

MARYGOLD-BOURNEMILLERCHIP +var

MILSOMMORGANMORRISNICHOLSNOCKPHILLIPS

BirminghamEynshamShottery/CharlecoteAllStoneleigh/ CharlecoteWillenhallTiptonWednesfieldTrewern/WellingtonEssingtonWillenhallKingsburyAtherstone/ BirminghamFazeleyAnyBirminghamBirminghamRowley RegisBalsall HeathByfieldCoventryRowley RegisStoneSedgleyStafford/

BirminghamDudleyRowley RegisTiptonBanburyHolkham/Kings Bromley/ LeckhamptonPortsmouthWillenhallAtherstone/ Birmingham anyAtherstone/ BirminghamChipping SodburyForest of DeanLeamington SpaBilstonWest BromwichBirmingham

WAROXFWARSALWAR

STSSTSSTS

MGY/SALSTSSTSSTS

LEI/STS/WARSTSSTSWARWARSTSWARNTHWARSTSSTSSTSSTS

/WARWORSTSSTSOXF

NFK/STS/GLS

HAMSTS

LEI/STS/WARany

LEI/STS/WARGLSGLSWARSTSSTSWAR

1900-19501750-1900

1700+1600+

1700-1900

1900-20001750-18501750-18001700-19001750-18501840-1950pre 1837

1700-2000

1800-1900pre 1700

1800+1800-18701750-18101800-19001700-18001820-1900

1700-+19001700-18001750-1850

1800-+1850

1680-19001650-17501700-18701800-1875

1650+

1750+pre 1840

1700-2000

1800-19001700-2000

1800-19001800-19001600-17001800-19001800-1900

1850

2041720417204032040320403

2039420410204102040320394203942040620383

204069244

2040320417204102040692449244

204109244

2041020417

42274227

204102041720403

92442039420383

924420383

204062040620382203942040620439

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RAYNER

RIDDIFORDSATCHWELL

SHELDONSIMPSON +varSMITH +var (Draper)STEPHENSONSWAN(N)

SWAN(N)SWAN(N), James DanielTAYLORTENCHTENCHETENSHTHOMPSONWEBBWELCH +varWILKINSWILKINSWILLIAMSONWORTHINGTONWYCHERLY

Braintree/Langford/ BirminghamAllLeamington Spa/ WappenburyTiptonRowley Regis Barnard CastleBirmingham - AstonHandsworth,

BirminghamKidderminsterEdinburgh

WolverhamptonAllAllAllHill, HalesowenStaffordNether WhitacreCoventryLeamingtonWolverhamptonWolverhamptonLilleshall

ESS/SOM/WARGLSWAR

STSSTS

LEI/YKSWARWAR

WORLTN

STSAllAllAll

WORSTSWARWARWARSTSSTSSAL

1700+

1600+1700-1800

1730-18301840-19001700-20001800-19301820-1900

1700-18201819-1820

1750-1900AllAllAll

1800-19001900-19501800-19001700-18601800-18901880-19401700-1950

1800+

20403

2040320382

42274227

20383204179244

92449244

2041019336193361933620410203942040692449244

203942039420403

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MemNo

4227

9244

19336

20382

20383

20394

20403

20406

20410

20417

20439

Name & Address

Les Cockrill, 184 LowestoftRoad, Gorleston, Great Yarmouth,Norfolk NR31 6JEJanet Wilkins, 1 Wentworth Close,Barnham, West Sussex PO22 0HSSteve Freeman, 1 BuckridgeLane, Solihull, West MidlandsB90 1TFSteve Holloway, 2 Rue dePetentin, 79110 Tillou, FranceTrish Holloway, 2 Rue dePetertin, 79110 Tillou, France.

Janice Hobley, 13 Hackleton Rise,Swindon, Wiltshire SN3 4EFRachael Hellberg, Lon-Maigh,Shobdon, Leominster, HerefordshireHR6 9NFRoy Box, Sandowne, Apperley,Gloucester, GloucestershireGL19 4DQSue Brown, 14 Holme Grange,Rusthall Road, Tunbridge Wells, KentTN4 8RFDon Constable, 21 TalmenaAvenue, Wadebridge, CornwallPL27 7RPClaire Walters, 5 ParkfieldDrive, Queensbury, Bradford, WestYorkshire BD13 2HH

Email

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

trish.holloway @orange.fr

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

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The Black Horse, Northfield

TheBlack HorseNorthfield

Birmingham

As members of English Heritage we receive their quarterly maga-zines which I don’t always read immediately but, when the July2015 edition arrived, for some strange reason, I read it straight

away, and there, in an article entitled ‘Recalled to the Bar’ was aphotograph of The Black Horse, Northfield, Birmingham, built in 1929by Davenports Brewery of that year.I knew that my Uncle and Aunt, Haroldand Audrey Johnson, had run this roadhouse; I have photographs and memora-bilia covering their time there. Needingto find out more, I wrote to the Editor ofthe magazine, who passed my letter onto the writer of the article, Geoff Brand-wood, who promptly replied, telling meThe Black Horse was now a Grade IIlisted building, and I acquired from him apublication entitled ‘Britain’s Best RealHeritage Pubs’ containing an entry whichincluded an illustration of the originalground floor plan. Then, in August, anarticle in The Daily Telegraph reported theannouncement of The Black Horse’s list-ing as a Grade II.I now wanted to know more: when didthe Johnsons run the pub, how did theyget involved in the licensing trade? Mychance to go to Birmingham came inFebruary of this year to visit, and see formyself, The Black Horse, together withits bowling green and Bowling Club,now a property operated by J.D. Wether-spoon. It is situated on a rather unlovelystretch of the A38, but it is a grandmonument to the Tudorbethan revival.The outside is timbered with gables,carved woodwork, leaded glass, finestonework and chimneys. In the baronialhall bar on the ground floor there is aTudor style fireplace on which is a largecarving of a black horse. After exploringthe ground floor and having lunch on theterrace, I was taken upstairs to see the

lobby, the huge function room and theconference room with its fine circularplaster ceiling.By now I knew that Davenport’s Ar-chives are held at The Library, Birming-ham and I made arrangements to seeseveral files, none of which yielded in-formation to help me. But Kelly’s Direc-tories told me that Harold RysdaleJohnson was the Manager from 1942 to1945. The Johnsons left Birmingham forDevon, having bought The Three Horse-shoes, Branscombe (a pub with a farm);later on they managed The Bowd Inn,Sidmouth and, finally, The ChichesterArms, Bishops Tawton, Barnstaple.Harold Johnson had originally trained,together with his brother Lesley, in theirfather’s drapery business, Johnson &Sons, at Tintern House, 354-360 Lady-pool Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham.At what point he joined Davenports Icannot determine. His wife, AudreyJoyce Court, my mother’s younger sis-ter, came from a long line of farmersfrom Charlecote, Warwickshire. Herparents gave up farming in the mid1920s and moved to Torquay, becominghoteliers. She married Harold in Bir-mingham in September 1930.I am wondering if anybody reading thisknows of family members who had con-nections with The Black Horse.

Rachael Hellberg (20403)[email protected]

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Mining the Language of Mining

I have often wondered why, in censuses, some coal miners aredescribed as colliers and others not. The matter came to a headwhile I was looking at the details of the marriage of John Cham-

bers to Ann Butler at Wollaton, Nottinghamshire parish church in 1852.John was described as a collier, hisfather as a miner, but Ann’s father wasa collier. According to the glossary in‘My Ancestor was a coal miner’ byDavid Tonks, published by the Socie-ty of Genealogists Enterprises Limit-ed, 2nd ed. 2010, a collier was ‘theskilled man who worked at the coalface and actually got the coal’. Thesubsidiary question then arises as tothe difference between a ‘coal miner(hewer)’ and a collier: as far as I cansee, there is none, since to hew meansto hack away at the face of the coal.I did wonder whether a collier mightbe synonymous with a butty. The sameglossary calls a butty a sub-contractor,but also defines a charter master as theStaffordshire name for a big butty,who was a superior workman wholeased a pit, was paid by the ton, pro-vided capital, paid the men and effec-tively managed the works.Sadly, even the extensive glossary didnot define ‘dataller’, but an onlinesource, ‘Dictionary of Old Occupa-tions’ by Jane & Paul Jack Hewitt,published as an e-book, 2011, defines

it thus ‘ Alternate spelling of Daytale-man, a casual worker employed on aday rate with no job security. For ex-ample, a man employed at a coal mineon this basis to construct and maintainmining roadways.’ As to ‘collier’, thesame source says ‘a broad term en-compassing many jobs working in coalmines or in transporting coal’, which israther different!By the way, in case any reader is think-ing of buying this book by DavidTonks, the ‘meat’ of it is a mere 84pages, plus the 14 page glossary ofterms, the remainder of its numbered187 pages being devoted to a bibliog-raphy and an index. Included in thebibliography is a list of holdings ofrecord offices, from which I note thatthe Staffordshire Record Office holdsrecords of the North Staffordshire,South Staffordshire and Cannock coal-fields, and that Staffordshire Universi-ty holds ‘journals, maps,surveys,booksand NCB records’ in its ThompsonLibrary in Stoke-on-Trent.Keith Percywww.users.waitrose.com/~whitehousefh

Curiosities of Dudley and the Black CountryDied April 25th 1823 the highly esteemed Viscount Dudley and Ward of HimleyHall, acknowledged to be “The rich man’s model and the poor man’s friend”.This benevolent nobleman spent his truly valuable life at his estates and amongsthis numerous friends and tenantry, dispensing with rare judgement and truebenevolence his continual benefactions. The noble lord was not only mindful ofthe well-being and interests of the rich, “but he ne’er forgot the poor”and thethousands of colliers working in his extensive coal mines…..

With permission from Midlands Historical Data

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LONDON BRANCH (BMSGH) MEETINGSat

The Society of Genealogistson

2nd July

Liz CarterWriting up your family history

On1st October

Celia HeritageHow far did my ancestors travel?

Both meetings start at 11.00

For regular updates to these quarterly meetings please e-mail:[email protected]

The Society of Genealogists - Charterhouse Buildings is in a cul-de-sac atthe junction of Goswell Road and Clerkenwell Road, about 500 metres northof the Barbican station (turn left as you leave the station) and a little furtherfrom Farringdon and Old Street stations. The Society occupies the lastbuilding on the left in the cul-de-sac.

The Link SchemeAre you stuck on a branch of your family tree because you are unable to

visit a particular Record Office?The Link Scheme may be able to help. Society members have offered to do onehour’s research in their nearest Record Office for other Society members forthe cost of travel only. All you have to do is contact me via email or letter(please send a SAE) with the address of the Record Office you need, and I willsupply the name of a Link. You then communicate directly with the Link, whohas six weeks in which to complete the research.

Please note that I cannot advise on where records are held.New Links are always welcome; if you can spare a little time to research foranother member, I will be pleased to hear from you.

Links are needed for, Cambridge, Truro and Redruth, York, Herefordand Nottingham

Mrs Elaine Zair, 69 Downs Park East, Bristol BS6 7QGEmail: [email protected]

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What’s ina Name?

Our eighth grandchild was born this week. AliceAudrey made her appearance on Easter Monday28 March 2016. Alice is named after my mother,her maternal great grandmother and Audrey, herpaternal great grandmother.

This set me thinking about fashions in children’s names. In Victorian timesit was quite common for the eldest male child to be named after his father,and the eldest female her mother. There appeared to be a hierarchy of

whose name came next, maternal grandparents, paternal grandparents, auntsand uncles, god parents. You name it, they all got in on the act.This all changed after WW2 when the ‘American’ influence changed attitudes,and new parents wanted modern names, or derivatives of old names. Even mygiven name, Jacqueline, was suggested by my eldest brother, and is supposedto be after a film star, name long forgotten.The pendulum has now swung full circle again and many of these ‘old fash-ioned’ names are back in fashion and, more recently, names associated withseasons or places etc. In fact, as the song says ‘Anything goes’, although I haveyet to hear of a child being given the first names of Frost, Winter or Snow!Anyway I digress from my real point; I suppose it was inevitable in familyhistory for a number of years and, despite my children not showing any realinterest, the names of our ancestors must have permutated into their sub-con-sciousness. I talk about people and their exploits that were living 200 years agoas if I knew them personally and they are still alive and well.When each grandchild was due, I printed off lists of male and female namesfrom all branches of our family, not in the real hope that they would be used,but to show which names had already been used by the family. Some were metwith amusement and horror but, obviously, some must have stuck.There are some names, of course, that are so common to be on everybody’s tree.Emily, my eldest granddaughter’s name is a case in point, but her second name,Alice, is my mother’s, and her mother’s, first name (first used in our tree in1784). Our second granddaughter, Caitlin Lily, was called Lily after my hus-band’s mother, and their brother George has a name that appears in nearly everyfamily on my son-in-law’s paternal line.Our second grandson, Felix, is named after one individual on my husband’sside, born in 1831 in Ireland, which is ironical as Felix’s surname is Moran andthe family did, indeed, come from Ireland. He also has the middle names of bothhis grandfathers.William James, our third grandson, again holds a family name from my hus-band’s side, although I don’t think it was picked because of that. Their are 15Williams in total in my husband’s direct line, the first in 1677. It makes it a bithard to keep track of them all, especially when many of them were married to aMary or Ann. My husband’s brother is also William, as was their father andgrandfather. I think there was one change about four generations back when thefather’s name was Matthew!He could easily have been called James William, as James is my daughter inlaw’s maiden name so, when he was born, although we weren’t sure of his firstname, we knew James was going to feature somewhere!

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My daughter and son-in-law slightly adapted my fourth granddaughter’s nameswhen she was born. My son-in-law’s grandmother, who is a sprightly 96 yearold, is named Edith May, so they adapted the name to read Edie Mae.The only one of my grandchildren that does not fall into the category of havinga family name is our other granddaughter, Isabelle Victoria. We do have anumber of Victoria’s but not an Isabelle, although I am sure that if I delve deepenough I will probably come across one!

Jackie Cotterill

Charles Vincent CreightonBurnt to Death at Tettenhall

The following article appeared in the Wolverhampton Chronicle on 13 February1895 regarding the very unfortunate circumstances surrounding the death ofCharles Vincent Creighton. Charles was a cousin to my great grandmother,Mary Ann Benson Batten, née Harper. His father, George Creighton, wasbrother to my great great grandmother, Eliza Harper, née Creighton.I have since obtained copies of the witness statements from WolverhamptonArchives and Local Studies, as well as the Police report:

‘BURNT TO DEATH AT TETTENHALLCoroner Martin held an inquest in Wolverhampton on Monday afternoonrespecting the death of Charles Vincent (32) a cabinet maker and jeweller, wholived at the Post Office at Tettenhall, and was admitted on the 7th inst. into theGeneral Hospital suffering from burns, from the effects of which he died on thefollowing day. George Bullock, who resides at the Post Office, said deceasedwas his step-uncle. He came home about 10 o’clock on the night of the 7th inst.when he seemed to have had something to drink, although he could walkstraight. Soon after witness went to bed, leaving him sitting by the fire. Aboutmidnight he was found to be on fire. He was sitting on the steps which led to thebrew house and pantry, and some burnt clothes were lying about. He stated thathe could not tell how he got on fire. He remembered sitting down to warmhimself and thought he must have gone to sleep. Dr. Cook was called in andadvised his removal, whither he was taken soon after 1a.m. The House Surgeonstated that deceased was burnt all over the upper part of his body and face. Hedied from shock following the injuries. Mrs. Creighton, mother of the deceased,said he was not perfectly sober when he came home, but he was not in the habitof drinking to excess. He told her to go to bed, as she must be tired, and said hewould put out the gas and see to the fire. She went upstairs, and was later onaroused by her grandson, who said that the deceased was on fire. She wentdown and found him as described, sitting on the step, with the burning clotheson the floor.The jury returned a verdict of “Accidental Death”.

Deryn Hawkes

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St. Mary’s and All Saints Church, Checkley, Staffs

St.Mary’s and All Saints Church has some of the earliest fabric, dating back tothe 12th C. The Norman font has a rather unusual carving of a donkey on it. Aneffigy of a knight which dates from the early 14th C., and there and there issome stained glass dating from the same period.In the churchyard are several four sided Saxon crosses with the carving stillvisible. The east window of the church has ‘rosette’ stone carvings with the oneat the top showing what could be one of a Green Man?

Photograph by Marion Hall

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23rd Psalm for GenealogistsGenealogy is my Pastime, I shall not strayIt maketh me to lie down and examine half-buried tombstonesIt leadeth me into still CourthousesIt restoreth my Ancestral KnowledgeIt leadeth me into the Paths of Census Records

and Ships Passenger Lists for my Surnames sakeYea, though I wade through the Shadows of

Research Libraries and Microfilm ReadersI shall fear no discouragement, for a Strong Urge is with meIt demandeth preparation of storage space for the acquisition of countless documentsIt annointeth my head with Midnight OilMy family group sheets runneth overSurely Birth, Marriage and Death records

shall follow me all the days of my lifeAnd I shall dwell in the Realms of the Family History Seeker forever.

Sent in by Ron Amphlett (member 11932)

Criminal Records 1791-1892Warwick 1863William Somers. Larceny after a previous conviction -

12 years Penal Servitude.Robert Docker Larceny from the person - 5 years Penal ServitudeSamuel Richards Larceny from the person - 4 years Penal ServitudeGeorge Brown Larceny from the person after a previous conviction 6 years Penal Servitude.James Palmer Larceny - 12 calendar months in prison.Ann Clarke Common assault - 2 calendar months in prison.Joseph Simkins Larceny after a previous conviction 6 years Penal Servitude.Daniel Connor Common assault - Fined £5 and to be imprisoned until paid.Warwick 1874Francis Lewis Larceny Simple - 14 days in prison and then to be sent to a Reformatory School for 5 years.Sarah Greenhill Larceny Simple and receiving - 6 weeks in prison.Eliza Wheeler Larceny Simple - 6 months in prison.Charles Rowley Wilfully endeavouring feloniously to kill and murder himself - Acquitted.Frederick Jarret Stealing sheep before convicted of felony - I month.

www.ancestry.co.uk

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Coach Trips to London

Our ‘normal’ scheduled trips for later in the year- 1st Oct TNA 12th Nov TNA

Pickup points for all our trips are first from outside ChiquitosMexican restaurant in Quinton, junction of the A4123 WolverhamptonRoad and A456 Hagley Road, at 07:10, second from outside LouiseRyland House, 44 Newhall Street in the city centre, time here is 07:30.Both times prompt. We get back to Birmingham 7:30-8:00 in theevening. All comers welcome. Seat price is as below, all seats must bepre-booked and pre-paid, payment cannot be accepted on the coach.Cheques always made out to BMSGH, not to me, one cheque pertrip. Cheques will not be paid into the bank until after the final bookingdate, which is 10 days before the trip date, no refunds after then.

Please note that it is the bookings received by this date thatdetermines the coach size, which may be restricted to 15 seats, it alsobeing subject to availability. I can only order the coach if there aresufficient firm seat bookings, meaning me being in receipt of yourcheque (preferred) or cash.

Booking lists open 8 weeks ahead, you can photocopy this pageif you wish to keep your magazine complete, or email the address belowto obtain one in pdf format. For latest information on trips, visit theSociety web pages at www.bmsgh.org clicking on the link Programmeand Outings.

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Seat reservations with cheques Including SAE or email addressby post to - for acknowledgementP.J. Lamb Or reservations by email to -(BMSGH Coaches)27 Goodrest Avenue coachtrips @bmsgh.orgHales Owen with a cheque to quickly follow byWest Midlands postB62 0HPPlease reserve for me seats on the coach to London -1st Oct .. .. .. .. .. Seats @ £21-00 each = .. .. .. .. ..TNA12th Nov .. .. .. .. .. .. Seats @ £21-00 each = .. … … … TNAName … .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..Member y/n .. .. ..Address .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..A booking implies acceptance of the Trip Rules seen on the Society websiteEmail .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Phone .. .. .. .. .. .. ..I enclose cheque £ . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Payable to BMSGHIs this your first visit y/n.. .. What will you be researching? .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

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Coach Trips and OutingsOur November trip last year was held up for quite a long time at theevening drop off outside the BMI. This was as a result of diversions dueto the demolition of the old library and the associated redevelopmentwork in Birmingham city centre. So, for the duration of these works, weshall be using a new pickup and drop off point just around the cornerfrom the BMI. It is at the bus stop outside Louise Ryland House, 44Newhall Street. This is between its junctions with Cornwall Street andEdmund Street. Pick up time here is unaltered, still at 07:30. We triedthis in March, with no complaints, so this will be the status quo for theimmediate future. First pickup in Quinton at 07:10 is unaffected.For anyone who uses Google Earth, put in to the search box 44 RylandStreet, and the bus stop will show up as the default street view. Foranyone who doesn’t use Google Earth and might see a problem, thendo get in touch.To coincide with the March trip, I arranged with TNA a tour of thenormally unseen back areas of the National Archives. Thanks are due toDavid Priest and the rest of the TNA team who organised it behind thescenes and had put out on display some interesting items that you wouldnormally only see in black and white as scanned or photographedimages on a computer. Amongst other things, we saw the signedapproval of King George giving his daughter the Princess Elizabethpermission to marry Prince Philip, the document bearing a superb waxseal, a signed order by the Queen Elizabeth 1st dated 1582, also with awax seal but now showing its age somewhat. The former would proba-bly have spent almost its entire life in an archive atmosphere, the latterspending most of its life never even knowing such existed. You will seeelsewhere in the journal an item about another document, BirminghamHearth Tax.For the October trip, I have arranged, at no charge, a talk by SharonHintze, Director of the London Family History Centre. She will be tellingus about Breaking Down Brickwalls, a presentation she delivered at theNEC in 2015 at the Who Do You Think You Are Live? Fair. Put the datein your diary and do not confuse it with the talk that Sharon will be doingat the November meeting in the BMI. And, talking of the NEC, thank youto all those who purchased tickets through me for this year’s WDYTYA?Live fair in April, I was again able to claim the single largest groupattendance, for the Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy andHeraldry, 149 in all, so thank you all. Another date for your diary is thatfor next year’s fair, for the third time at the NEC, 6th, 7th, 8th April 2017.A booking form for the next trips to London can be seen within thesepages. If you have ideas for other destinations, please let me know, allsuggestions considered.

Phil Lamb, Coach Trips and Outings

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Our Trip toThe NationalArchives

BMSGH went to the National Archives at Kewon Saturday 19th March. This was no ordinarytrip as our organiser, Phil Lamb, had pre-ar-ranged three back-of-the scenes tours of therepositories in both the new, and the old, build-ings there.

I was on the middle tour and was guided, firstly, around the new building, whichis clean, light and industrial looking, quite unlike what you would imagine anArchive to be. Then it was through to the old building - much darker, and more

like what you would expect of an Archive. We were told some amazing facts, suchas there are 11,000,000 documents looked after by the staff at Kew, and how theygo to great lengths to ensure that the right one are put back in their proper places.The most frequently ordered class of documents is in a Foreign Offices series,FO371, and there are shelves and shelves of them, specially kept close to the areawhere the orders come through, to cut down on fetching and carrying. We wereshown some unusual items, including a very long rolled up map, and others ofparticular interest to Brummies, such as a series of photographs of an Aston Villafootball team from the past, all very handsome, and all very serious looking youngmen with moustaches.The most interesting item for Birmingham family historians was a list of personsexempt from paying Hearth Tax, and dated 1673. A photograph is reproduced onthe next page, and a larger version, together with a transcript, can be viewed on acomputer in our Reference Library at the BMI in Birmingham. Please note, this isa list of exempt persons, and so there could well be a second list at Kew recordingall those others who had to pay. For those of us who are looking for records ofancestors in the 1600s, lists like these are as near as you can get to Censuses. .Hearth Tax, and other taxation records, are easy to research at Kew because adatabase for all of them, under the series heading E179, has been incorporated intothe catalogue. You can select your dates, and places, note the piece numbers, submityour order, and see what arrives. Hopefully the handwriting will be as good as inthe Birmingham example. I have searched some Hearth Tax records for rural placesin Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, and noticed that many of the hearths had beenbroken down, so no tax was payable. I reckon they were probably built up again assoon as the Collector had gone.!Many documents that you can view at Kew are not stored there, but in other places,including salt mines in Cheshire. Before our visit, Phil had asked us to come up withideas for document orders that you would not normally be able to see ‘in the flesh’because their images are now on computer. For years I have wanted to see a part ofthe 1871 Census which had a page missing, both on Ancestry etc. and, before that,on the old microfilms, so Phil requested it on my behalf. Out of all these documents,the man on the Enquiry Desk knew immediately that it was for me when I ap-proached him! The missing page is most definitely there in the original Censusbook, and I could well be the only person to have seen it for many a long year.It is true to say that it really is a privilege to look at the old documents at Kew. Weare so lucky to be able to do so, but what a minefield when choosing what to orderthough, with the on-line catalogue, it really is much easier these days. If you wouldlike to go to the National Archives, but are daunted by what to look at, may Isuggest Tithe Maps and their accompanying Apportionments, providing that youwant to look at places in counties with initial letters N-Z, such as our three,Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire (Counties A-M are on fiche).

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E179/347 Hemlingfor Hundred Birmingham Division(including the Foreign and Welch End, Digbeth, New Street, Moor Street, Park Street,

Edgbaston Street, Spiceal Street, Pinfold Street, High Street and Court Lane)

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These documents were produced from about 1838 and through the 1840s, socomplement the 1841 Census, and we all had ancestors living then! The maps areto a big scale, hand drawn, and often coloured. Sometimes, depending on the sizeof the parish, they can be huge but, for small villages, are easily managed. Forexample, the Tithe Map for Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, is large, but the area of thetown is easily photographed in one go, and every property around at that time -including my house - is recorded. Each one is numbered and the correspondingApportionments (unfortunately on microfilm and not available to order as origi-nals), has matching numbers listing owners, occupiers, buildings, uses of land,crops grown etc. Tithe Maps are in class IR30 and Apportionments in IR29. Thegood news is that photography of any of the documents is absolutely free.So, where else in London could you go for such an economical and interesting dayout, and see such unique documents not published on the big family historywebsites? The cost of each of Phil’s trips to Kew is only £21 and, if you take yourown food and drink, and buy no copies, you need nor spend another penny all day.What a bargain!Thanks very much Phil.

Caroline Mason (Member No. 8968)[email protected]

Strays from AustraliaThe following ‘Strays’ have been sent in from the Ipswich Genealogical Socie-ty, Queensland, Australia, and represent people, born in the Midlands areacovered by BMSGH, who were employees of the Queensland Railway, andwho enlisted in the Australian Forces in World War I.

Name Born DateBaker Frederick Stafford Not KnownBall Charles Stratford on Avon 31.6.1884Berry Albert Leamington 22.3.1876Bird John William Birmingham 3.4.1878Boughey Charles Henry Percy Dudley Not KnownBowen Edwin John Staffordshire 11.2.1875Bramley William James Rugby 27.5.1878Brock Ernest William Redditch 12.5.1887Brookes Walter Birmingham 22.3.1878Callon Roger Stoke-on-Trent 22.11.1884Collins William Henry Birmingham 30.12.1895Crane Alfred William Shrewsbury 1.8.1897Dare William Edward Birmingham 8.5.1893Devitt Alfred Birmingham 21.7.1866

Any interested party should email the editor on [email protected], or tele-phone her on 01252.661059 for more comprehensive details of their workinglives and their military careers.

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WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? LIVE - 2016

W hat a three days we have had! Our first visitor arrived at ourstand at WDYTYA? at 9.30am on Thursday by declaring shewas our member from Sydney, Australia! Although part of

her wider holiday, Megan Tilley came especially to see us at the showand it was so good to meet her.She came for help with her research in Birmingham so our Librarian, CarolineMason, was on hand to offer advice. Megan also had ancestors in Coventry, sowe directed her to the Coventry FH Society, who were sharing the block wewere in, as part of the West Midlands Group of FH Societies. She was the firstof many members who had travelled to the show from various parts of thecountry, and who came to see us over the three days. Traditionally Thursday isthe busiest day, with Friday less so and Saturday quite quiet. This year was thesame, although Saturday seemed quite busy.Phil Lamb was once again on hand giving out entrance tickets and workshoptickets. For those who availed themselves of our special offer on tickets, youwill know that you saved about £10, which could make the difference betweenattending or not. Hopefully we will be able to run a similar deal next year whenWDYTYA? will, once again, be at the NEC. A decision is yet to be made aboutthe following year.The SOG workshops offered over 80 different talks and seemed to be wellattended. This year the SOG had a new section, the Education Zone, hostingshort presentations for which you did not have to have tickets. The SOG alsohad their ‘Ask the Expert’ section, where you could get one to one guidancefrom experts.The genealogy website stands (Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindMyPast and TheGenealogist) had lots of computers so you could do some research free ofcharge, and these were, once again, very popular. Other exhibitors, such asDeceased on Line, Forces War Records, and Guild of One Name Studies,offered look ups for free.If you were interested in DNA projects, there were test kits available as well astalks on the subject. I know one or two of our members have taken up theseoffers so, hopefully, they will write a piece for the journal on their experience.Other stands covered maps, genealogical supplies, books, photograph daters,museum and archives, and much more.There were over 50 family history societies, covering various parts of thecountry, and it was nice to go round chatting to people and even spending money.Steve Freeman did a wonderful job on our stand. We had four tables this yearand it was full to bursting. Sometimes customers were four deep trying to get tothe tables. Luckily the one thing that is not lacking at the NEC is space, so wecould spread out into the isles. We gave out 600 of our yellow bags and tried toanswer as many questions as we could. Delia and Janet from the Burton branchwere kept busy answering questions on Staffordshire, which was a great help tous from the South. Hopefully, next year we could get more volunteers from allareas of our patch to answer queries.

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I didn’t get a chance to go round all the stands, and have yet to sit in on theworkshops, but people found it very enjoyable and, if all else fails and you, oryour other half) get bored with it all, there was real spitfire in the hall where youcould sit and imagine yourself as the pilot!

Jackie CotterillThe following are a selection of Jackie’s photographs from the NEC.

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Did You Know That :Protestant ReturnsIn 1641 an order was given by the House of Commons that required all adultmen to swear allegiance to the Protestant religion. These were called ProtestantReturns. The Returns were organised by Parish and are a valuable seventeenthcentury census substitute, significantly taking place at the start of the Civil War.Those refusing to take the oath, such as Quakers, are often recorded as such.The Returns are held at the House of Lords Archives and many have beentranscribed by family history societies. A digital project by the UK Parliamen-tary Archives is currently ongoing.

Chelsea PensionersThere are two categories of Chelsea Pensioner, in-pensioners and out-pension-ers.In-Pensioners were retired pensioners who surrendered their Army Pension andwere admitted as residents of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.Out-pensioners were those who lived ‘Out’ in the UK or abroad and receivedtheir pensions in cash from agents around the country.Until 1842-1843 payments of out-pensioners were made through convenientlocal officials, such as Excise Officers and Chief Constables of Police, but thenit was made the responsibility of the Staff Officers of Pensioners.Staff Officers of Pensioners were appointed responsible for a number ofdistricts. They were required to make regular returns to London recordingpensioners who had moved into, or out of, the district, as well as those whosepensions had ceased or who had died.In 1877 responsibility passed to Army Paymasters. Since 1882 payment hasbeen through a convenient Post Office. Originally out-pensioners were paidannually in arrears but, since 1754, they have been paid in advance, at first halfyearly; from 1812 quarterly; from 1842 quarterly, monthly or weekly as de-sired; and, from 1877, quarterly.Records of pensioners are held at The National Archives and are availablethrough www.findmypast.co.uk for the years 1760-1913.

Ship MoneyShip Money was a tax that could be levied by the Monarch without Parliamentapproval during Wartime on coastal communities. In 1634 Charles I applied thetax and, in 1635, extended it to those outside the maritime areas to elsewhere inthe country. It was levied every year until 1640, however it was unpopular andParliament disagreed with the King over the tax. The Ship Money Act of 1641made it illegal. Many of the lists from 1634-1640 survive and are held in TheNational Archives amongst State Papers Domestic. Records of defaulters arefound in the Exchequer Records in class E179.

Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies79-82 Northgate, Canterbury, Kent CT1 1BA

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BOOKWORMRESEARCHING ADOPTION by Karen Bali.Published by The Family History Partnership,57 Bury New Road, Ramsbottom, Bury, LancsBL0 OB7. Size A5 soft cover, 48 pps; price£4.95 (+ postage if by post)This book title continues with ‘An essentialguide to tracing birth relatives and ancestors’.The book may be small but it is crammed withinformation.People, who have already tried to investigateadoption, may begin the book and then suggestthey have already tried everything, but it isworth reading on, as there may just be something, some list somewhere theyhave not tried before. The author even recommends another book she hasalready written, called ‘The People Finder’. Karen Bali also investigates somenew regulations which only came into force last year. A near relation of minepounced on the book as soon as it arrived here, before I had seen it, saying ‘Thisis just what we needed’! She smiled for some time afterwards and mutteredwords like ‘great’, ‘well done’ and ‘yippee’ with her friend!Book obtainable from BMSGH bookstall, BMSGH e-book page and TheFamily History Partnership

REMEMBER THEN - Women’s Memories of1946-1969, by Janet Few, published by The FamilyHistory Partnership, 57 Bury Road, Ramsbottom,Bury, Lancs BL0 0BZ. Size 25cms x 15cms, softcover, 245 pps, price £12.95 (plus postage if bypost).The title also bears the phrase ‘and how to writeyour own’. The main title may be misleading togentlemen, whereas it will probably be very inter-esting to all.The book is not difficult to read as much is in thewords of the ladies who donated their informationfor this book. Also, because of the author’s cleverlinking and transcribing of what was told her. It isdivided into sections or chapters of subjects, not

years like - homes and communities; housework; fashion; education;work/money; leisure; music, and so on. This working was through each sectionfor those 25 years. I, personally, often felt that Birmingham had managed to be‘in front’ of many other places. Perhaps being a city gave us a lead.At the end of every chapter Janet Few adds a ‘BRIEF’, a list of suggestions shegave to each of her eighty subscribers to investigate for the subject(s) in thatchapter. Here was even a suggestion that could say ‘stayed the same’.

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It is to these Briefs I would refer anyone thinking of writing their story, echoingthe author of this book. Do use these Briefs. After all,every Family Historianshould write their own story - they are, after all,the most important person ontheir tree, plus they know everything about this person.There is also, towards the end of the book a wonderful index with a key to allthe pictures, which perhaps should be used in conjunction with the text. In yeardates there are lists of local, national and international headlines, which maydefinitely have affected our lives in some way: just a few are - 1951 Zebracrossings first introduced, 1958 Munich Air Crash with Manchester Unitedteam, 1961 First Man in space, 1966 England Footballers win World Cup, andKennedy shot! Man on the moon! GET TO IT NOW!Books available from BMSGH bookshop and e-shop, or Family History Part-nership.A RURAL REVOLUTION - The history of aStaffordshire family and their village, by DavidR. Roberts. Published by Troubador PublishingLtd. www.troubador.co.uk ISBN No.9781784625207. Paperback 234x156mm -192pp. Price £13.95 plus P&PThis book traces the journey of the Sproston familyfrom mid-Cheshire to a new life in the Stafford-shire Village of Little Haywood. Spanning severalgenerations, the family is transformed from itiner-ant boatpeople to respected villagers by the world’sfirst industrial revolution.The story starts in the mid-1700s, leading throughthe trauma of the First World War, into the 1950s.The industrial revolution was not just felt in thetowns and cities across the country; it also had a massive impact in rural areas. Aswell as industrialisation, the advent of the canals, roads and railways, led to a massdepopulation across all rural areas, which affected even the tiniest community.Although the story of this family could be classed as typical for the time, it doescover a wider viewpoint on the social and local history for the period. This was oneof the greatest periods of economic and social change and, as such, makes interest-ing reading.

Review by Jackie Cotterill

IRISH FAMILY HISTORY ON THEWEB (fourth edition) written by StuartA. Raymond; published by The FamilyHistory Partnership, size 21cms x15cms; price £7.95 (plus postage ifordered by post.This book, the fourth edition, hasmuch more information than any pre-vious edition, knowing what difficultymany folks have in tracking down their

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THE EXCHANGE AND MART Wednesday 13 May 1868. Price 1d- I have a very handsome curly, liver coloured retriever, which I should like toexchange for any good ornament for the drawing - room. I am open to offers.-I want illuminated badges, crests and monograms. I have a comb, earrings, andfour strings of smoked pearls, never worn, and many books to exchange.-I have a black ostrich feather. Will anyone exchange it for eccentric mono-grams or crests?-I have a pair of double needle telegraphs, mahogany cases in working order.Should like lithographic press or washing machine. Open to offers.

Irish ancestors, much information is being pushed on to the Internet. It can beproductive and/or frustrating so Stuart Raymond has tried, he says, to includeonly the information which might be useful to the majority of people.The print is very small but, in the introduction, there is a suggestion of the wayof finding lists you feel should be there - which may have changed their namesor addressor. There is, for instance, at the back of the book, a SUBJECT INDEXand a PLACE INDEX - all sub-indexed (if there is such an explanation) andeven a map on the front cover showing all counties in position. Purchase fromBMSGH Shop or The Family History Partnership.

www.thefamilyhistorypartnership.comor 57 Bury New Road, Ramsbottom, Bury, Lancashire BL0 0BZ

MY FAMILY HISTORY written by and publishedby The Family History Partnership, size 30cmc x21cms; pps- to your wish!!; Price £9.95 (postageif ordered by post made up to £12.45This is a book like none other in your library, butis one you have always hoped to own - one that isempty waiting for you to fill yourself, in fact it istwo books in one. From the front it is a 10 genera-tion family history record printout waiting for yourPaternal information that you have already gath-ered from the back, turned the other way up it is a10 generation record awaiting your Maternal en-tries. Everything is laid out with simple explana-tions so perfect that I have no need to mention any,not even what they endorse in that you use a pencilwritten entry until you can ink details in with actual proof written entry untilyou can ink details in with actual proof of the information in your hand. Get acopy now and be very pleased that Robert Boyd and Terry Walsh decided toprovide it for us.When you have begun your book, and maybe decide more record sheets arewanted, please remember that the book itself is Copyright, but we are able toobtain more of any record sheets from the shop of The Family History Partner-ship but, even better, they have put all those Record Sheets on to a disc, fromwhich you may print any of those 21 sheets ‘for ever’. This disc costs £9.95 or£12.45 by post from BMSGH or The Family History Partnership, 57 Bury NewRoad, Ramsbottom, Bury, Lancashire, BL0 0BZ

Review by Joyce Finnemore

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The Early History of the FitzHugh Family - Pt.5by Terrick Victor Henry FitzHugh 1907-1990

This is the continuation of the FitzHugh family story and follows onfrom part 4 in the March issue of The Midland Ancestor. The followingpart 5 begins with Chapter X, Thomas of Wavendon

Chapter XTHOMAS of WAVENDON

G.M. Trevelyan, in his ‘English SocialHistory’, says:‘The younger son of the Tudor gentle-man was not permitted to hang idleabout the manor-house, a drain on thefamily income, like the impoverishednobles of the Continent who were tooproud to work. He was away makingmoney in trade or in law. He oftenended life a richer and more powerfulman than his older brother left in theold home.’In this respect the career of ThomasFitz Hugh, the younger, was typical ofhis age and class. In 1505, at the age ofprobably a little over twenty, he wasentered a member of the Middle Tem-ple and, in 1511, he became one of thefour Justices of Assize on the WesternCircuit. In 1518 he removed to theNorfolk Circuit, on which he remainedtill 1522. With Sir Walter Luke aBedfordshire man, and fellow memberof the Middle Temple, and John Col-beck of Tempsford, he was counsel inthe drawing up of that Will of SirGeorge Hervey of Thurleigh whichcaused so much scandal in the county.By it, Sir George disinherited the twochildren of his marriage and left every-thing to his illegitimate son. In 1523Thomas became Commissioner ofGaol Delivery on the Norwich Circuit.Gaol Delivery was the trial of all per-sons arrested and imprisoned in thegaol since the commissioner last cameround on his circuit. In the same yearhe was on the commission appointed

to collect in Bedfordshire a subsidygranted by Parliament for four years toKing Henry VIII. In 1524 he was bothCommissioner of Gaol Delivery forNorwich, and Justice of Assize forNorfolk. In 1525 he was Commis-sioner of Gaol Delivery for Bedford,Norwich, Cambridge and Hunting-don Castles and Aylesbury, Ipswich,and Bury St. Edmunds Gaols; and hecontinued to serve as Justice of thePeace in Bedfordshire and the neigh-bouring counties until at least as lateas 1547, when he must have been atleast seventy.Besides Thomas’ legal work we findhim, in 1526 one of the lay officerswho carried on the business adminis-tration of Bushmead and NewenhamPriories. The country gentry lookedon the posts of seneschal (steward)and sub-seneschal of the abbeys andpriories as posts suitable to theirexperience in estate management.Thomas held several of such posts,each of which cannot have been veryonerous.About Thomas’ married life there isa certain amount of mystery. He mar-ried, sometime after October 1520,Jane, widow of George Blackwell,gentleman, of Wyboston, who hadhad a son, Henry, by her first mar-riage; but this event may have been asecond matrimonial venture for Tho-mas too. At some time between 1504and 1515 he had appealed to the LordChancellor, as Thomas Fitz Hugh theyounger, against Anne widow ofThomas Wauton, for possession of

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the title deeds of lands in Hunting-donshire and in Honydon, parish ofEaton Socon, called Wautons, whichshe was withholding from him. TheVictoria County History of Bedford-shire, tracing the descent of BasmeadManor in the family of Wauton from1296, says:‘In the beginning of the 16th century,one Sir Thomas Wauton died, leav-ing a widow, Anne, and two daugh-ters, co-heirs. The manor thusbecame divided into two moieties,and it will be convenient first todiscuss that part which passed toCicely Wauton, who married Sir Ni-cholas Luke. . . Returning to theother moiety of Basmead Manor . . .it is found that, c.1504-15, ThomasFitz Hugh (who appears to havemarried Cicely Wauton’s sister)owned a messuage with lands calledWautons in Eaton, of which Anne,widow of Thomas Wauton, hadseized the title deeds.’Unfortunately, we do not know theChristian name of this wife, if wifeshe was. If we did, it might help usto understand another reference to aThomas Fitz Hugh and his wife.In Chapter V I have mentioned theFitz Hughs of Edlesborough in Buck-inghamshire. References to them, Isaid, were plentiful up to 1441 (Ihave since discovered one of 1447).‘Then comes a long gap and, afterthat, a single reference to Thomasand Margery Fitz Hugh in 1519 . . .’Careful consideration of this refer-ence shows that two of the ‘plain-tiffs’ were legal associates ofThomas of Wavendon, and that theland in Edlesborough and Northall,which Thomas and Margery wereselling, apparently only belonged toThomas in the right of his wife. Itseems, therefore, possible that thisThomas was our lawyer and thatMargery was his first wife and the

daughter of Sir Thomas and AnneWauton; the fact that she ownedland in Edlesborough where otherFitz Hughs had lived some sixtyyears before being merely coinci-dental.I have just come across a furtherreference to Thomas ffitzhugh inconnection with the Fitz Hugh landsat Edlesborough and Northall. TheBucks Feet of Fines 1518/19 states:‘Robert Brudenell, Thos. Pygot, Ser-jeant at Law, John Cheyne . .and Thos Langston, plaintiffs, andThomas Fitzhugh and Margery hiswife, deforciants - 3 messuages 80ac. land, 24 ac. meadow etc in Eddis-burgh & Northall, quit claimed fromThomas and Margery and the heirs ofMargery, to the plaintiffs and heirsof Thos, Pygot.’ The additional ref-erence is in Close Rolls 1518/19January 28 ‘Thomas ffitzhugh ac-knowledges that he has, at the date ofthis deed from Thomas Pygot, ser-jeant at law …7s.4d in full satisfac-tion for 3 messuages 80cc land etc.in Eddisburgh and Northall knownas ffitzhughes lands, alias Berger-ennes lands’. The reference to“Bergerennes”sounds very similar tothe Bedfordshire manor of the Fit-zHughs known as ‘le Bergerye’These references appear as notesmade by Terrick’s uncle, Alan Fen-wick Redcliffe, who had worked sideby side with Terrick’s father, untilhis death in 1937.In 1527 comes the first mention ofThomas’ purchases of land. He thenbought a messuage, 100 acres ofagricultural land, 10 acres of mead-ow, 12 acres of pasture and 2 acresof wood in Eaton, Wyboston andRoxton. In the following year headded a messuage, a garden and anorchard in Bedford; in the next, 18acres of plough land, 4 of meadowand 16 of pasture in Wotton.

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In 1534 came the Reformation; thePrior of St. Neot was obliged to signan acknowledgment of the spiritualsupremacy of King Henry VIII inplace of the Pope. A full account ofthe monastery was drawn up. In itThomas appears as Sub-Seneschal atan annual salary of £1.6.8d, with SirWilliam Gascoigne as Chief Sene-schal. He held a similar post, calledSupervisor and General Receiver(annual salary £2) at Bushmead Prio-ry. These monasterial appointmentscame to an end in 1539 when themonasteries were dissolved.Thomas’s territorial acquisitionscontinued. In 1535 he bought a mes-suage and 1½ acres of pasture inTempsford. After the monastery ofthe Charterhouse in London had beendissolved and its passively resistingmonks disembowelled, Thomas cameand took away the panelling of one ofthe cells, showing the foreman ofdemolitions the ring of Master Rich-ard Cromwell as his authority. ThisRichard Cromwell was an active dis-solver of monasteries and a buyer, atbargain prices, of monastery lands.He was a Welshman called Wil-liams, who took the name ofCromwell from his uncle ThomasCromwell, Earl of Essex and Chan-cellor of the Exchequer, and passed itdown to his descendant of a centurylater, Oliver, the Lord Protector ofthe Realm. Thomas Fitz Hugh alsoobtained some property in Charter-house Lane that had belonged to themonastery.In 1543 we first find him connectedwith Wavendon, where he paid 40stowards a royal subsidy. This proper-ty came to him, not by purchase butby inheritance from Thomas I, whohad owned it in right of his wife.That he was a lawyer of a typicallyRenaissance turn of mind we can seefrom his advice to Sir John St.

John’s tenants, when he was Stew-ard to the Court of Requests, thatthey should relinquish theirmediæval copyhold rights and holdtheir farms by indenture for a term ofyears, bringing themselves almost tothe position of modern tenant farm-ers.Thomas was not always fortunate inhis policy of buying land. From one,Simon Fitz, he bought property inAspley Guise, Birchmore, Pul-loxhill, Silsoe, Flitton, Fielden, Bar-ton le Clay and Higham Gobion; butSimon’s sisters declared that he hadno right to sell and brought an actionagainst Thomas, who compromisedby returning two thirds of the prop-erty to them. In the year of his deathhe sold the remaining portion of it.When King Henry VIII died and hisyoung son, Edward VI, came to thethrone, a general pardon was offeredto any who should apply for it forcertain offences detailed at fulllength but, unfortunately, lostthrough mutilation of the document.One of the many people who appliedfor this pardon was ‘Thomas FitzHugh of Wavendon and London,gentleman’The last time we find this Renais-sance lawyer carrying out any publicduties is in December 1550 when hewas commissioned to collect a subsi-dy in Bedfordshire and Huntingdon-shire. After that the next legaldocument concerning him is his will.He left Paslow’s Manor, Wavendon,to his wife Jane for life and then tohis brother William and his sons. Tohis elder brother Richard and hiseldest son he left the lands in LittleBarford, Tempsford, Roxton andWyboston that he had bought fromSir Richard Cromwell. He evidentlyknew that the last two would havegreater expectations than this, so hestipulated that, if they disputed any

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part of his will, the lands he had leftthem should go to William’s chil-dren. The property that he had ac-quired after the dispossession of themonks of the Charterhouse in Lon-don was to be sold and the proceedsdistributed in charity ‘speciallyamongst poor prisoners and poorhouseholders’. The special mentionof poor prisoners seems to indicate asympathetic attitude to those unfor-tunates who came beneath his judi-cial eye.Readers of Chapter IV will be inter-ested to see that Thomas left hisproperty rights in Camoys to his‘cosen, John Stocker’. It is to bewondered if he knew anything at allof the Fitz Hugh blood shed by aStocker two hundred years before.The two families had been neigh-bours in Beggary ever since, and thehanding down of tales by word ofmouth was a social custom in thoseunlettered ages; so it is possible that,though both families knew, theycared little. The spilling and min-gling of the same blood can not havebeen uncommon up to the end of theMiddle Ages. By the time that Ter-rick wrote his history of the FitzHugh family in the 1980s he haddiscovered that John Stocker was,indeed, a blood relative, being theson of one of his sisters, who hadmarried a John Stocker (see p.20 &64)In any case, the word ‘cousin’was one that could, in addition to itspresent meaning, refer not only tosuch other real relatives as a nephewor a niece, but also to connections bymarriage. One of the witnesses toThomas’s will was a LawrenceMaidbury, who will have been a‘cosen’ of Thomas on his mother’sside.Nine days before he died, Thomasadded a codicil to his will. In it heappointed two more executors, his

nephew Richard who, the previousJune, he had expected to contest hiswill, and his old legal colleague andneighbour, John Colbeck of Temps-ford. He died on 12th May 1552.

Chapter XIWILLIAM of WILDEN

The third brother, William, is ourancestor. He was probably bornabout the year 1485, because hiseldest brother was born c.1480 andhe himself was married between Au-gust 1503 and May 1506.His wife was Katherine, daughter ofJohn Bill of Ashwell, Hertfordshire,a merchant and member of the Drap-ers’ Company. One of Katherine’snephews, Thomas Bill, was physi-cian to King Henry VIII and another,William, was Master of Trinity Col-lege, Cambridge, and Dean of West-minster.William and Katherine Fitz Hughhad fifteen children, of whom theyoungest was born about 1528. Thenames of nine of them have comedown to us. They were William,Thomas, Nicholas, John (who wasour ancestor), May, Cicely, Jane,Anne and Robert. The others proba-bly died in childhood.William Fitz Hugh, as the youngestson, evidently had no landed inherit-ance. In 1534 he was living in Colm-worthy; in 1540 he was inBushmead; by March 1551/2 he hadgone to live at Wilden. Like hisbrother Thomas he appears in theaccount of revenue and expenditureof Bushmead Priory drawn up in theyear that the priors were required toswear their spiritual allegiance to theKing of England. But, whereas Tho-mas is shown as an official of themonastery, William, as auditor, wasacting for the Crown. Auditing maybe said, at that time, to have been hisprofession. In the same year we find

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him auditor to the Commissioners ofTithes and also to the Commission-ers appointed to take valuation of therevenue and expenses of the reli-gious bodies of the town of Bedford.To William as to Thomas, indeed tomost people of that period, land wasthe only stable fortune. In 1540 heobtained a grant of lands that hadbelonged to the dissolved nunnery ofHarrold, part of which he sold sixyears later. His home at Wilden con-stituted a property less than a manorbut, nevertheless, a comfortable in-heritance to the senior line of hisdescendants for nearly two hundredyears to come.An interesting entry appears underthe date 12th August 1538 in theRegister of the Bishop of Ely. Itrecords the presentation of a priest tothe living of Caldecott by William,Richard and Thomas Fitz Hugh atEaton Socon, which they did by rightof a concession from the Prior ofBarnwell, granted on 30th Septem-ber 1526. Terrick later confirmed inhis History of the Fitz Hugh familywritten in the 1980s “The only mo-tive for obtaining an advowson for asingle occasion was to obtain a livingfor a young clerical relative. Caldi-cott was intended for father ThosHoughton, who must have been asister’s son. As the brothers were allnow (1526) middle aged and the liv-ing might not fall vacant for sometime, obtaining the concession joint-ly was a precaution against any twonot living to fulfil their intention.”In 1552 William’s brother, ThomasII, died leaving his manor in Waven-don and his property in the parish ofEaton Socon to his wife Jane for lifeand ‘after the decease of the saidJane, unto my brother Willyam FitzHugh, and to Willyam, his son andtheir heirs’. This seems quite plain;

and yet, some time between October1552 and August 1553, we find Wil-liam pleading before the Lord Chan-cellor that, after the death of hisbrother, the lands mentioned ‘dyscendydand came, and of right owght to de-scende and come unto’ him, but that ‘theevydence, deedes, charters, wrytyngsand mynyments’ had come into the pos-session of Thomas’s widow and her sonHenry Blackwell, who refused to givethem up, leaving William unable ‘todefende and possess his lawful tytle tothe premysses’.The document setting forth this pleais torn just where the name of theplaintiff was, so that William’s namecan not actually be read on it. As,however, he goes on to describe him-self as ‘brother and next heyre’, therecan be no doubt that it was he; theproperty was not left to Richard.In Terrick’s later History of the FitzHugh family he notes that, at thetime of this pleading, William’shealth was, by then, in no conditionfor him to take part in a lawsuit,which lessens the likelihood that hewas the one . . .’This action, when taken in conjunc-tion with Thomas’s will, certainlyleaves the impression that Williamwas attempting to rob the widow ofher life interest in the estate; but,from his nephew Richard’s will in1557, it appears that, unless Williamhad other property in Wyboston thanthat left by Thomas, he must havewon his case against Jane, becauseRichard says William sold him ahouse at Wyboston, and expresslystates ‘he hath delyvered me theevydens’. But Richard leaves thishouse to his son Thomas who is onlyto enter into the profits after thedeath of ‘my naunt of Wandon’.Who is the aunt of Wavendon? Wil-liam’s wife Catherine or Jane the

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widow? Jane was certainly still liv-ing at Wavendon, though perhapsnot at the manor house. At any rate,in her will of 1558, she describesherself as of Wavendon and desiresto be buried there. She makes nomention whatever of any of the FitzHughs.The nearest we can get to the date ofWilliam’s death is that it was at sometime between 12th July 1557, whenhis nephew Richard mentioned himin his will, and Easter 1560. At thelatter date, a William Fitz Hugh soldthe Wavendon and Eaton Soconproperty to Robert Fitz Hugh for£180 of that day’s money. The Vic-toria County History makes the mis-take of thinking that this William isthe brother of Thomas of Wavendon;

but the latter’s will makes it plainthat the property was to descendfrom William to his son William, sothat only the latter had the right tosell it. As William the younger wascertainly alive at that date, the refer-ence must be to him, which impliesthat his father, the previous owner,was then dead.The land did not, by this sale, pass fromWilliam’s descendants. The purchaserwas his youngest son Robert, whoseyoung wife had brought him, as herdowry, the wherewithal to buy his broth-er out of his birthright. Sixty years laterher last years were clouded by the strifethat broke out between her children andthe other grandchildren of William Iover the possession of the family acres inEaton Socon and Wavendon.

Dirk FitzHugh

Part 6 of the Fitz Hugh family history will be included in the next edition of TheMidland Ancestor in September.

A Mystery Church

A Society member,Mr. Ron Amphlett,has the attached pho-

tograph of a church but hasno details of where it is orwhat it is called. He feelsthat it must be part of hisfamily history research butneeds your help in identify-ing it.

Ron feels that the church is almost definitely within the Midlands areacovered by the BMSGH and thinks a Society member should recognise it.If anyone can help Ron with any information regarding the church inquestion please contact him on the following email address :

[email protected] help would be gratefully received.

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My Late Wife’s (Unidentified) RelationsAmongst a lot of records my wife inherited are a number of silhouettes,miniatures and photographs, some of which are not given names.The family originated from the Burton-on-Trent area, hence my reason forbeing a member of BMSGH, apart from Suffolk FH Society, as my family hailfrom Clare. The Burton connection is by way of Brewers in the area. Varioussurnames crop up in my wife’s ancestry, namely Hodson (my wife’s surname),Wilson, Harrison, Morris, Philbrick and Ashby. The dates I have go back to abirth in 1736.It would be extremely useful if any member could give a name to any of theseunidentified images and provide a link to my family tree.

John Bareham (Member 15997)

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