Borders Ancestry Monthly Blog

Six Lead-lined Coffins - Who Lies Within? The Sibbits of Ancroft

29/7/2022

Part 1. Background

Hidden behind a large, padlocked oak door in Ancroft Church is a burial vault containing six lead-lined coffins. It is small with a low vaulted brick ceiling and stone walls. Even with the door open a torch is required to penetrate the intense darkness to reveal the three coffins lying shoulder to shoulder, three to either side.

Scraps of what was possibly once a mortcloth on coffin nearest to the door.

To the left, the heads of the coffins rest in niches cut into the walls, to the right, the stone niches support the feet. The coffins are so close together it is impossible for a person to pass between them or to see what supports them underneath. The original wood of the outer coffins is largely gone, rotted away with time in pitch-black silence and with it any visible means of identifying the occupants if indeed they ever existed. If the supports are also made of wood and as rotten as the coffin casings, there is an overwhelming sense that the slightest knock could send their cargo crashing to the floor at any moment. A scattering of debris and sections from the collapsed wooden sides litter the floor and a couple of scraps of what may once have been a mortcloth remain on the surface of the coffin nearest to the door.

So, who are the six individuals sleeping in this cramped space and how long have they lain in what is essentially an above-ground crypt? The church records do not distinguish between burials in the churchyard and the vault and there is no sign of any surviving breastplates that might hold a name, a date or other clue to help identify the occupants. Strange perhaps given a lead-lined coffin would have been a considerable expense.

Modified image of the coffins in the vault

… The engraved breastplate was the most important item and usually the first to be added if a coffin had any fittings at all. [1]

But then, if the vault and its occupants all ‘belonged’ to a single family would name plates be required at all?

I confess I knew nothing about the burial vault at Ancroft until I was contacted in March last year by local historian Julie Gibbs asking if I was connected to the Sibbit family of Ancroft Greenses. The answer was yes, descendants and relatives of the Smiths of Horncliffe Loanend attached themselves to members of the Sibbit family by marriage not once, or even twice but three times in the same generation! Brothers Robert and James White Smith sons of George Smith of Ancroft, (eldest son of George Smith of Horncliffe Loanend and his wife Christian Trotter), both married daughters of John Sibbit of Greenses House. Robert married Mary Ellen Sibbit a daughter by John’s first wife Catherine Sutherland in 1882 and James married Catherine Sibbit a daughter by his second wife Mary Anne Smith in Edinburgh in 1885. The third family member to marry a Sibbit was a Trotter second cousin, Esther Hislop, who married Adam Sibbit Junior, a medical doctor, at Prestonkirk in 1886. Needless to say, there are more interesting connections too. As a result, George Aynsley Smith did a bit of research into the family and traced the Sibbit family tree back to the mid-eighteenth century. A great foundation to build upon and from some further investigation intriguing stories are coming to light to attach the pedigree framework.

But what has this to do with the burial vault? Julie was specifically searching for descendants of Adam Sibbit Esq of Greenses House.

In 1810 the Bishop of Durham granted Adam Sibbit the faculty of a burial-ground or vault, within the north side of the tower on the west end of the Chapel; length from north to south eight feet three inches; east to west twelve feet two inches, inside measure.[2] His wife Isabella Yellowly, who died the following year, was likely the first to be placed in the vault and Adam himself joined her in 1812. But so many questions remain; who WAS Adam Sibbit, what was his family’s connection with Ancroft and not least who are the other four individuals in the vault? Included at the end of this instalment are links to some useful sources used along the way.

Ancroft Church and links with the Sibbit Family

Image of Ancroft Church taken from Raines 'History of North Durham etc ... Note the tree visible through the top of the tower.

In 1828, Parson and White describe the church at Ancroft as

… an ancient edifice covered with red tiles and having a large ash tree growing in the middle of its decaying tower. Though it was anciently a chapel to the curacy of Holy Island it now enjoys the privileges of a distinct parish.

And Raine’s ‘The History and Antiquities of North Durham’ contains a more detailed description of the tower.

… In one of the stories [sic] is a fireplace, and the lintel of one of the doorways is formed of the lid of a stone coffin disturbed for the purpose, upon which there is a rude carving of a sword. The floors of these upper rooms, which were of wood, fell long ago, and a thriving ash growing out of the stone groining over the ground floor amid their rubbish, vegetates at large like a plant in a pot half-filled with soil, and peers over the parapet. A small bell given by Mr Sibbitt of the Greens (the chapel was before without one), hangs in a small turret on the western wall.[3]

Raine continues

The churchyard is very large and belongs to Mr Sibbit of Greenses; a portion only adjoining the church is occupied by graves. Has the rest ever been consecrated? There are traces of a boundary fence between the two.[4]

Ancroft Greenses – Adam Sibbit’s home

Greenses House circa 1860 before bay windows were added. Courtesy of Berwick Record Office BRO 1016/1

It is helpful to note that Ancroft consisted of four townships: Cheswick, Scremerston, Haggerston as well as Ancroft itself. Ancroft township contained three villages of Ancroft, Cheswick and Greenses. Until 1843 Ancroft and associated townships lay in Norham and Islandshire that was part of Durham rather than Northumberland as it is today. (A map showing the extent of the Parish is available through the Parish Council Website
https://northumberlandparishes.uk/ancroft/map.)

Further extracts from the 1828 Parson and White directory describe Ancroft Greenses, the home of Adam Sibbit as … a village in the township of, and 1 ½ miles NW of Ancroft and 4 miles south of Berwick, where there is a large brewery and coal mine called Unthank Colliery of which J Sibbit Esq is the lessee.[5]

Greenses House circa 1880, after bay windows were added. Courtesy of Berwick Record Office (BRO 1016/2)

Adam’s Will, proved in 1813, contains a detailed description of the house adjoining ‘garden, shrubberies, plantations and pleasure grounds’ that enables visualisation of the layout as it was in his day. With additional outbuildings: back kitchen, laundry business, office and room above the office, a four stalled stable and chaise house and a hovel covered with blue slate, two byres, a dove cott, pig houses, calf hovels and a large yard. Together with a large grass field formerly called Wadeup Close and Dove Cott Close then known simply as the Lawn. As well as other business interests, breweries, quarries, collieries etc., the Will also includes details of his other landholdings at Longdykehall, Allerdean and Allerdean Mill.

Map of Allerdean Mill in 1812, extracted from Adam Sibbit's Will (DPR/I/1/1813/S7/14)

There were periods when the Greenses was let and times the census bustles with the activity of later Sibbit Families, but slowly their numbers dwindled until just three remained in 1891. By 1901 the only residents were a gardener and general servant.

Ancroft Greenses House after further modification in the 1930s. Courtesy of Berwick Record Office (BRO 1016/3)

Today, the house at Ancroft Greenses is called Allerdean Grange. As well as the name (which changed between 1901 and 1911) the house has seen several transformations and modifications. But today, possibly barring the render, the frontage appears similar to a photograph dating from the 1880s. The pair of bays must have been a contemporary addition as they are absent in an earlier photograph said to date from the 1860s. A set of sale particulars circa 1991 for the house and adjoining cottage show further modifications to the frontage and east gable end. They describe the house as dating from the seventeenth century and state.

The properties reputedly have connections with Cromwell and John Wesley and they undoubtedly retain the charm and character of former times … [6]

On census night 1911, a Mr Thomas Chisholm, ‘Landowner' of Scremerston was in occupation at the house now Allerdean Grange, suggesting a change of ownership may have coincided with the change in name.

Allerdean Grange, circa 2006. Photograph by Raymond Chisholm CC

Sibbit land Occupation and Ownership at Ancroft

The Grey family held the manor of Ancroft from the mid-fourteenth century.

…The whole manor of Ancroft so afterwards passed to the Greys of Heaton and Chillingham, in whom it descended till a partition of the estates of that family was made under the following circumstances. Mary Grey, the only daughter of Ford Lord Grey (who died in 1701) and the wife of Charles Bennet, the first Earl of Tankerville, claimed all the estates of her father as his heir. Her uncle, Ralph Grey, Governor of Barbados, who had succeeded to the title of Lord Grey of Wark upon the death of his brother, her father, put in a similar claim under a settlement of his grandfather, William the first Lord Grey. The question after somewhat of litigation was compromised by a partition of the estates.

The agreement which bears the date 10 May 1703, was confirmed by an Act of Parliament 2 Anne 1704. The manor of Ancroft with other considerable estates was ceded to Ralph Lord Grey and by his will, 10 March 1704 settled upon his nephew Henry Neville Esq., with remainder to his cousin John Grey of Howick, Esq and his heirs. Neville after taking the name of Grey, died s.p. and Ancroft is now the property of the Right Hon. Charles Earl Grey of Howick, the descendant of the John Grey who was second in the entail…[7]

Regardless of the Grey monopoly, pockets of Sibbit ownership at Ancroft begin to appear in documents dating from the mid-seventeenth century.

From Raine's History of North Durham (Footnote ‘s’ reads: Abstract of Longdyke Hall and Ancroft Green. R Weddell Esq., solicitor, Berwick.)

But still earlier links to the village and its surrounds are proven through the Inventory of John Sibbit of Ancroft dated 1631. Administration was granted to his son Matthew Sibbit of Ancroft who in turn died the 8th February 1640. His Will of 1639 provides evidence of his wife Philadelphia, a daughter Margaret, married name Steele, and two sons Edward and John. Son John died at Ancroft Mill in 1682 and his Will names sons Matthew and Thomas, daughters Phillis Archbald, Elizabeth Dodds, Elinor Sibbit and two grandchildren. His Will was witnessed by Adam Sibbit of Ancroft and although the exact degree of kinship between John and Adam is not yet known, they were almost certainly related.

Extract of Matthew Sibbits Will, (DPR/I/1/1639/S4/1-2) Courtesy of Durham Univeristy Archives

This Adam Sibbit died in 1691 and also left a detailed Will. It is from him, that Adam Sibbit of Greenses House and owner of the burial vault descends through a succession of eldest sons.

(With Adam Sibbit who died at Ancroft Greenses in 1812, this line of at least five successive generations of inheritance by the eldest son came to an end.)

The Estate papers of the Howick Estate, held at Durham University Archives, also contain evidence of Sibbit occupation and bolstering of land holding and farming interests through rental.

25 November 1756-Ancroft Town Farm (lease and counterpart). Sir Henry Grey to Edward Sibbitt [sic] of Ancroft, gent.[8] Likely to be Adam’s uncle.
10 May 1831-Part (189 acres) of Ancroft North Farm. To John Subbitt [sic] of the Greenses in the Chapelry of Ancroft, gent.[9] John was either Adam’s nephew or great nephew

This collection relating to the Grey’s Northumberland Estate, referred to as the ‘Howick Estate’ contains important historical information. As well as Ancroft, the estate included farms at Howick, East and West Learmouth, Downham, Presson, Tithe Hill and Howburn on Tweedside and the Chevington Estate south of Howick in mid-Northumberland.

… Besides these there were a few more isolated properties such as Cold Martin in the Parish of Chatton, Fleehope in the Cheviots, Burton in the Parish of Bamburgh and Budle on the coast.

The records contain

…deeds of some of the Northumberland properties which date from the sixteenth century, [including some relating to Ancroft] most of the material falls into the period 1780-1930, but numerous items will be found both before and after these dates.

The papers provide a detailed record of the management of this extensive northern estate and are rich in correspondence, accounts, farm leases, rentals, surveys, valuations, estate plans, household books and vouchers. [10]

Making them a rich and valuable source for researchers.

In addition to Inheritance and Estate information, the newspapers also bear evidence of land, farming and business interests further afield, including Alnwick, Felton and Longhoughton. Doubtless, as research continues, more places, partnerships and interests will come to light.

A Bit About Adam

Extract of Matthew Sibbits Will, (DPR/I/1/1639/S4/1-2) Courtesy of Durham Univeristy Archives

Adam was baptised at Felton the 5th June 1746, the eldest son and third of six children, 4 girls and 2 boys. His father was Matthew Sibbit and his mother Matthew’s first wife Mary Cook. Matthew Sibbit farmed at South Acton, near Felton, possibly where he was born, circa 1720. The farm formed part of an estate owned by the Adams family to whom Matthew was connected through his mother, Isabella Adams. At the baptism of Dorothy Sibbit at Norham in 1754, their father Matthew is described as of Shoreswood. This suggests the farm of South Acton was successfully let following an advertisement in the Newcastle Chronicle in 1751.

Extract from Newcastle Courant October 1751. Courtesy of British Newspaper Archive

Adam’s mother died when he was nine years old and his father married his second wife Hannah Selby, daughter of Captain Gerard Selby of Beal and Holy Island at Belford in November 1757. The couple provided Adam with a further five half-siblings, although two died in infancy. All the baptisms of this second brood also took place at Norham whilst Matthew resided at Shoreswood and where he remained until his death. An apprenticeship enrolment for Adam’s half-brother Matthew to James Bell Burgess and Merchant of Berwick in 1774, describes Matthew as late of Ancroft Greenses, suggesting the continuation of the family’s interest.

Half Siblings of Adam Sibbit

In the 1760s, notices advertising the sale of Ancroft Greenses begin appearing in the press, although it was clearly never sold. It is not yet known why, but the notices continue to appear through to 1774, after Matthew was lost in quicksand off Holy Island in 1771. The administration of his estate was undertaken by Adam as his eldest son, along with William Smith of East Newbiggin (of whom more in Part II) and George Robinson of Ancroft. In the renunciation by Matthew’s widow, annexed to the Will she refers to Adam as of Ancroft Greenses.

Taken from Raines History of North Durham re sale of Ancroft Greenses in 1763

Little is known about Adam’s formative years such as where he was educated etc. but he undoubtedly spent much of his childhood at Shoreswood. To date, the next sighting of him is in the Norham parish register of 1768 where on 3rd June he and Barbara McDugil [sic] of Thornton baptised a daughter Margaret. Little would the 22-year-old Adam have known at the time, but this would be the only child he would father.

In November 1773 Adam married his half first cousin Isabella Yelloly at Belford. Isabella’s mother Margaret Sibbit was half-sister to Adam’s father Matthew Sibbit as the pair shared a mutual grandfather in Adam Sibbit senior. In 1794 Adam and a member of the Yelloly family were noted to have interests in Maltings and Brewery in Walkergate, Alnwick. This would be in addition to his other interests in a large Brewery at Berwick.

Adam and Isabella were married for 38 years but the union was not blessed with children. Isabella pre-deceased her husband by a matter of months. She died at Ancroft in April 1811 and he on Old Years Night in 1812. Yet he still found the time to marry again in the intervening period. His second wife Hannah Brankston was aged 43 at the time of her marriage, some 22 years her husband’s junior. So, although still possible to bear a child, her age at marriage suggests the desire for an heir was not an overwhelming factor.

Probate Copy of Adam Sibbits' Will

In terms of tracing his closest blood relatives, his illegitimate daughter Margaret and her children are his only known direct descendants. Margaret and her husband Robert Dunlop are mentioned in Adam’s Will, although her mother is named Barbara McDonald rather than McDugil [sic] as per the Norham Register. She also received a small bequest

I also give and bequeath unto Margaret Dunlop Daughter of Barbara McDonald and now the wife of Robert Dunlop of Slainsfield in the Manor of Etal and County of Northumberland Colliery Agent or Bankman the sum of five hundred pounds of lawful money.[11]

As did her children, to be paid when they reached 21 years of age

… Then I do hereby give and bequeath the said legacy or sum of £500 to all and every of the Children of the said Margaret Dunlop in equal proportion share and share alike…

Indeed, Adam’s Will comprehensively encompasses many of his remaining relatives. I find myself warming to him as I read as he leaves provision for many of his siblings nieces and nephews. One of the main beneficiaries under his Will was Robert Sibbit, eldest and ‘the natural son’ of his brother Edward. There will be more about the pedigree, the people and their stories at the end of next month in Part 2. Some of whom have taken a globe-trotting route back to Tweedside - think Scotch Herrings ‘in prime order’, barrels of salt beef, pork and ox tongues by the half keg shipped from London and Cork on sale in Jamaica in 1793...

To be continued ...

Footnotes & Links

[1] Sarah Hoiles, ‘Early Victorian Coffins and Coffin Furniture’
https://cemeteryclub.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/early-victorian-coffins-and-coffin-furniture/
[2] WM Parson and WM White, Vol II of the History, Directory and Gazetteer of the Counties of Durham and Northumberland etc., 1828
https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_MbA3AAAAYAAJ/mode/2up
[3] ‘Monumental Inscriptions. On a monument affixed to the north wall of the nave: “Sacred to the memory of Isabella, wife of Adam Sibbit, Esq. of Greenses House, who departed this life April 7, 1811, aged 64 years. Also, to the memory of Adam Sibbit, Esq who closed an industrious and benevolent life the 31st day of December 1812, in the 67th year of his age’. Rev James Raine, The History and Antiquities of North Durham, 1858.
[4] Rev. James Raine, The History and Antiquities of North Durham, 1858. P.217
[5] WM Parson and WM White, Vol II of the History, Directory and Gazetteer of the Counties of Durham and Northumberland etc., 1828
https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_MbA3AAAAYAAJ/mode/2up
[6] Berwick Record Office, (BRO 1016/4) Particulars relating to the sale of Allerdean Grange circa 1991.
[7] Rev James Raine M A, ‘The History & Antiquities of North Durham’, London, 1852.
[8] Durham University Archives, GRE/X/P75, 1734-1762, Farm Leases.
[9] Durham University Archives, GRE/X/P79 , 1802-1845, Farm Leases
[10] Durham University Archives, Estate records of the Earls Grey and Lords Howick 1522-1980.
https://reed.dur.ac.uk/xtf/view?docId=ark/32150_s1gf06g268w.xml
[11] North East Inheritance Database, (DPR/I/1/1813/S7/1-27) http://familyrecords.dur.ac.uk/

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Navigating the Sea of Records: Royal Marine and Royal Navy Ancestors

23/6/2022

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by Richard Holt

The author of this month's blog is Richard Holt, professional genealogist at Holt's Family History Research. Richard is latest addition to the #AncestryHour team of experts providing help and support during our live Twitter sessions. Based in Cambridge but born in Buckinghamshire, his geographical expertise and specialist interests will add a new dimension to the Tuesday evening get-togethers. To find out how #AncestryHour's thriving community could help your research move forward head to our 'About' page or contact us for more information.

*****

Wednesday 3rd February 1909: ‘Found Dead’ in St. George and the East Workhouse ...

The body of Thomas Buyrns, aged 79, was found dead in the St. George and the East Workhouse on Raine Street, Wapping. An inquest followed on 5th February conducted by Wynne Edwin Baxter, Coroner for the County of London. Baxter was the Coroner who conducted the inquests for the Jack the Ripper victims as well as the inquest into the death of Joseph Merrick (1862-1890), who was known as ‘The Elephant Man’. The inquest determined that the death was of natural causes with the cause being given as syncope, cardiac degeneration and bronchitis. [1].

St George in the East Workhouse, Raine Street, London (London - London VII.78, Revised: 1894, Published: 1896) Courtesy of National Library of Scotland (CC-BY).

This story was the catalyst for my love and appreciation of the Admiralty records. Thomas Buyrns (1830-1909) was my third great grandfather, and it was locating his death that set me on a path of discovery. Thomas was formerly a stevedore; a person employed at the docks to load and unload ships. While this occupation was linked to ships, Thomas’ connection to the Admiralty was still shrouded in mystery. Thomas’ death certificate recorded his name as ‘Thomas Matthew Dunmore Buyrns’. While I had come across the name Thomas Matthew Buyrns in many records, this was the first time the name ‘Dunmore’ had appeared.

The Shipping Entrance, London Docks, drawn and engraved by John Charles Varrall for the 'Walks Through London', published by William Clarke, New Bond Street, 1817, Public Domain.

The name ‘Thomas Matthew Dunmore Buyrns’ was the breakthrough I needed to take this family line further back in time and discover the immensely fascinating history of this family. Thomas Buyrns had married twice, although the information in both parish register entries was confusing and contradictory. The first marriage to Sarah Cocks on 7th May 1854 claimed that Thomas’ father was Thomas Buyrn a Butcher; while the second marriage to Caroline Way on 31st October 1869 claimed his father was Matthew Buyrn a Marine. I was not able to locate anybody with these names that matched the claimed occupations. This was a veritable ‘brick wall’.

Marriage of Thomas Buyrn and Sarah Cocks, St Mary, Whitechapel, 7th May 1854, London Metropolitan Archives: P93/MRY1/047.

Marriage of Thomas Matthew Buyrn and Caroline Way, Christ Church, St George in the East, 31st October 1869, London Metropolitan Archives, P93/CTC2/025.

One of the tools in any genealogist’s tool box should be the ‘archive catalogue’. I would not be able to do my job without regularly referring to the catalogues from hundred of archives. Helpfully, many archive catalogues are pulled together on The National Archives’ catalogue ‘Discovery’.[2] It was searching here that I came across the entry for ‘Thomas Matthew Buyrn Dunmore’ amongst the application papers to Greenwich Hospital School (ADM 74/217/90)

Greenwich Hospital, in the painting London from Greenwich Park, 1809 by Joseph M. W. Turner, Public Domain.

It was pursuing these application papers and the surviving Bishop’s Transcripts for East Stonehouse, Devon that led me to the conclusion that Thomas’ father was named Matthew Buyrn, but had in fact joined the Royal Marines in 1812 under the name John Dunmore. The application papers, along with those for two of Thomas’ siblings, provided information in relation to John Dunmore’s service history. This was the breakthrough needed to advance my research. I wrote about name change under the blog post ‘Matthew Buyrn or John Dunmore?’. (You call also read about some of Matthew Buyrns’ life after he was discharged from the Royal Marines in ‘Life After the Royal Marines - Theft, Fraud and Imprisonment’.)

Greenwich Hospital School Admission Papers for William Dunmore, The National Archives, ADM 73/217/91.

Navigating the Records - Royal Marines

There are a wealth of Admiralty records held at The National Archives. If you’re lucky enough to come across a record detailing the service history of a Royal Marine or someone in the Royal Navy, this will give you a head start. It can often be quite daunting knowing where to start looking for information. For example, within ADM 1, there are 31,116 files and volumes alone. I will outline a few of the key places to look for information about an ancestor’s service history using my ancestor ‘John Dunmore’ as a model. While John Dunmore was in the Royal Marines, some of these records apply to researching individuals who were in the Royal Navy. I will try to outline when this is the case.

A Private of the Royal Marines, Public Domain

The first place to look for a Royal Marine would be the Attestation Forms in ADM 157 which covers the years 1790-1925. Please note that not all Attestation Forms survive, as is the case with John Dunmore. There is a search function which allows you to search by keyword and you can enter the name of the marine here. If the Attestation Form does not survive, I would suggest consulting the Description Books in ADM 158 which summarise information given in the Attestation Forms and are therefore a useful substitute. If using the Description Books, you will need to know the Division to which your ancestor belonged. This can therefore make things more challenging if this is not known. If you happen know their Company number, you can use the fold-out appendix in Thomas Garth’s ‘Records of the Royal Marines’ to find out the Division.[3] Helpfully, the entry for John Dunmore’s attestation in the Description Books showed his age, occupation and that he was born in Edmonton, Middlesex.

John Dunmore, Royal Marines, Description Books, A-Z Attestations, 1809-1814, The National Archives, ADM 150/8 f. 213

For many people, knowing the name of one of the ships that their ancestor served on is the only point of entry for reconstructing a service history. If you have the name of a ship, the muster rolls can be searched to locate the individual. Once located, the muster rolls can be searched backwards and forwards to find the dates of admission to, and discharge from the ship. These records are found in ADM 36, ADM 37 and ADM 38.

The musters will usually name where the individual was admitted from and discharged to, thus allowing these leads to be followed up in other records or the muster rolls of other ships. The muster table at the front of each muster will also give the places where the ship was located at various times. It is useful to look under the various categories of individuals in the muster, as sometimes an entry may be found under the list of supernumeraries. The muster books also record promotions, so these can be used to find out how your ancestor rose amongst the ranks. The musters sometimes record an individual’s place of birth along with their age.

Muster Table for the HMS Boyne for 1st January - 28th February 1815, Located at Portsmouth, Hampshire and Cork, Ireland, The National Archives, ADM 37/4328.

Additional records that provide more information on the day-to-day life onboard the ship include the various ships’ log books.[4]

The other place to look for information is in the Effective and Subsistence Lists held in series ADM 96. These are lists of individuals who are not currently serving on board a ship and they show the subsistence pay received during this time. The earlier records are on large printed sheets of paper, but the latter records are in book form. They record ‘from whence’ a person came, often naming a ship. When an individual was removed from the list, the ship they were admitted to will be recorded. If they were not admitted to a ship, the reason for removal should be noted. These records are also arranged by Division and Company. The following example is from the ‘1st Company’ to which John Dunmore belonged. It is my belief that these records are often an underused source of information. They are not catalogued very well and can be difficult to use, however they do provide a steppingstone, allowing the researcher to trace an individual’s service history more accurately.

Effective and Subsistence List, 1st Company, Chatham Division, 1st October - 31st December 1812, The National Archives, ADM 96/316.

The Allotment Registers are another key source of information, particularly if you’re lucky enough to have an ancestor who allots part of their pay to a family member. These are found in ADM 27 and contain details on individuals who were in the Royal Marines as well as in the Royal Navy. An entry in the Allotment Registers will record details such as the number of children that the individual had, the name of the relative they are allotting their pay to, along with their relative’s place of residence. When an individual’s ancestry is unknown these records can be particularly useful.

Allotment Declaration Lists, The National Archives, ADM 27/30

HMS Bramble, A Man of War Cutter of 10 Guns, Knell, William Adolphusm Knell, Artist; Newton Smith Fielding, Engraver, Published 1840, Public Domain.

John Dunmore was on board the HMS Bramble in 1825 when “the Articles of War, and the Abstract of the Acts of Parliament were read to the Ships Company” (ADM 37/7064).

The sources discussed above are only a very small number of records that can shed light on your ancestors. While some relate only to Royal Marines, others contain details of those in the Royal Navy as well. There are also many other records in other collections, such as the War Office collections, where information relating to John Dunmore’s pension is found. For a thorough guide to naval records, please see Randolph Cock and N. A. M. Roger’s guide ‘A Guide to the Naval Records in The National Archives of the UK’ which can be downloaded free of charge as a PDF file. [5]

Endnotes

[1] Certified Copy of an Entry of Death, Thomas Matthew Dunmore Buyrn, General Register Office, March Quarter, St George in the East Registration District, Volume: 1c, Page: 1909.
[2] Discovery, The National Archives, available at: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/, accessed: 22nd June 2022.
[3] Garth, Thomas, Record of the Royal Marines, PRO Publications, 1994. [Note: The fold-out appendix is between pages 54 and 55.]
[4] How to look for records of… Royal Navy ships’ log books, The National Archives, available at:
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/royal-navy-ships-voyages-log-books/, accessed: 22nd June 2022.
[5] Cock, Randolph & Rodger, N. A. M, A Guide to the Naval Records in The National Archives of the UK, The Institute of Historical Research and The National Archives, 2006.

Other Useful Guides and Information

Pappalardo, Bruno, Tracing Your Naval Ancestors, Public Record Office, 2003.
Brooks, Richard & Little, Matthew, Tracing Your Royal Marine Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians, Pen & Sword, 2008.
Van der Merwe, Pieter, A Refuge for All: A Short History of Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, 2010.
Rodger, N. A. M, Naval Records for Genealogists, Public Record Office, 1998.
How to look for record of… Royal Marines officers, The National Archives, available at: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/royal-marines-officers/, accessed: 22nd June 2022.

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Records of Sudden, Suspicious Deaths or Accidents – Coroner v Procurator Fiscal

26/5/2022

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A juror protesting that the subject of a coroner's inquest is alive; showing the danger of blind faith in doctors. Coloured aquatint by F, 1826. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Six years have passed since I last penned a piece about death and its associated records. Although ‘Dispatches’, is as relevant now as it was back in August 2016, there are a few sources and cross-border peculiarities relating to the recording of sudden, suspicious or unnatural deaths and accidents that were not covered at the time.

Below are eight of the more unusual departures encountered to date:

Francis Carnaby and his horse fell into a coal pit at the Chirm in April 1765.
Robert Nicholson ‘presumed consumed by natives’ circa 1792 in the Pellew Islands. He was the husband of Jacobina Nicholson (his cousin), famed for passing notes to her brother in the toes of stockings.
Joint suicide pact of John and Lancelot Younghusband at Heckley Grange in 1818. The two ‘offending’ razors then forfeit under the system of deodand.
Aaron Young swept away by ice and floodwater in the River Whitadder at Bluestone Ford on 31 Dec 1823
Miss Barbara Collin Donkin killed by electric fluid (lightning) on the eve of her marriage in July 1837
Richard Robson, of Greenhill, near Bamburgh, killed at Lucker station on 16th February 1850, crossing in front of a train.
The wedding party called off at the last minute circa 1870 when the fiancé of Jane (Jennie) Nicholson, daughter of George Kerr Nicholson, (3 times Mayor of Berwick), committed suicide at the Kings Head Berwick ‘much to the consternation and dismay of the assembled guests at Norham’.
Mr Robert Taylor a plasterer and slater killed at Ord Hill on 26th June 1912 ‘by a hen running into his bicycle’.

There have been many more encounters with unusual departures since then too. Amongst them, in the collection of family letters, there is the harrowing account of the death of Isabella Mole (A 1C5R to me), who ruptured her bowels in a fall from a cart at Wingates near Longhorsley in 1850.

Pages 1 and 4 of Jane Aynsley's letter of 1850

Chirm April 14th [18]50
My dear Mrs Young
I feel sure you will enter fully into my sorrow at my sudden bereavement My dear sister Isabella died on Friday night at 10 o’clock after a short illness of 12 hours I grieve to say it was caused by a fall - in jumping off a cart her foot slipped and she fell upon her bowels all her weight poor good creature She went up to Wingates with me directly after breakfast in a cart I was going there to arrange previous to the sale going forward – she was getting out before we got into the village We took her to a cottage where poor thing she had a most serious time all in her bowels She was quite aware of something being crushed and was right I brought her home in the afternoon in a gig Her sufferings at the motion were great The Dr pronounced her dangerously ill, she never recovered the shock her extremities were cold from the beginning The Dr told her she was dying She bore it with the greatest calmness Arranged her funeral But I will have the mournful pleasure in telling you everything tomorrow It is her funeral day She is to be sent to Embleton Mrs Blair and Mrs Hopper will be leaving tomorrow evening and I will be glad of your company all night Expecting you at dinner tomorrow I hope you will be well enough to come Should you not, do come some day soon after, I purpose going down to Morpeth on friday if I live. How necessary to make the clause How soon we are cut down as grass To be ready to meet our God is the point of all other things most necessary May this affection be sanctified to us all. Best regards to Mr Young
I remain yours truly
Jane Aynsley

Pages 2 and 3 of Jane Aynsley's letter.

Jane Aynsley nee Mole (1810 – 1900), was the second wife of John Aynsley, farmer at the Chirm Longhorsley. She is writing to Ann Young nee Whittam, wife of Alexander Young of Swarland East House - a cousin to John Aynsley’s first wife, Isabella Thompson. Isabella was the daughter of John Thompson, the only surviving brother amongst the many ‘Thompson Sisters’ who, in my efforts to trace living descendants, are the subject of my two previous blogs. Isabella Thompson and Jane Mole were both granddaughters of Edward Mole and his wife Isabella Pringle making them first cousins.

The two wives of John Aynsley, cousins Isabella Thompson and Jane Mole, highlighted in Pink. Mrs Blair, (aka Aunt Mole) in purple and Mrs Hopper in Green.

Other players in the letter are:

Mrs Blair – Ann Thompson, one of the many Thompson sisters. Aka the dreaded ‘Aunt Mole’, widow of Jane’s deceased Uncle, John Mole, sometime of Fireburn Mill, Coldstream. After he died in 1841, Ann married Peter Blair, a Bookbinder and Printer in Morpeth.
Mrs Hopper – Jane Mole’s cousin and Isabella Thompson’s sister Ann nee Thompson, the wife of John Hopper, sometime Registrar in Rothbury.

Miss Mole’s demise, like those listed above, was due to accident or ‘misadventure’. In England, deaths in cases of sudden or unexplained death would be referred to the Coroner and if required an inquest held to establish the cause of death.

The Coroner

The office of Coroner dates from 1194. They are Crown Officials employed to investigate ‘sudden, unnatural or suspicious deaths and the deaths of people detained in prison …’[1] These also include accidents. Coroner’s Inquests, held before a jury up to 1926 were, and still are, public hearings. Historically, venues for inquests were often a local Public House or Inn.

Where they have survived, historic records of Coroner Inquests will contain:

Name
Date
Time
Cause
Place of death
Signature of the Jurors.
Verdict[2]

From 1487 until the middle of the eighteenth-century, Coroners presented their inquisitions before the Assizes (or in the case of Berwick upon Tweed, the Quarter Session Court.) If the death was the result of a crime, the coroner’s report served as an Indictment. But even where no crime or trial took place, or in cases of accidental death, the records were filed with relevant court papers. However, the survival of records, especially between 1850 and WW2 are limited and patchy at best.

Berwick upon Tweed has a run of early documents held locally under reference BA/J. BA/J/QS relates to the ‘Records of the Berwick upon Tweed Quarter Sessions including Criminal and Civil Jurisdiction’ from circa 1600 and BA/J/CO, covers the ‘Berwick upon Tweed Coroner Court, Inquest Warrants and Coroners Inquisitions’ (1745 – 1942).

For records from elsewhere The National Archives holds early records (1228 – 1426) under JUST 2 Coroners' Rolls and Files, with Cognate Documents.

… The inquests in particular give a variety of details concerning the circumstances of deaths, including the implement or other agent, sometimes as large as a cart or a mill wheel, which caused the death and so was forfeit to the crown as deodand, [as was the case in the Younghusband suicide listed above] as well as information concerning the persons and places involved…[3]

Where an indictment did not result in a trial for murder or manslaughter, the inquisitions were forwarded to the King’s Bench. With exceptions (Chester and Duchy of Lancaster), KB9 holds records from 1485 – 1675 for counties outside of London and KB11 for outside of London from 1675 until the mid-eighteenth century. ‘Whilst some records heard before the King’s Bench survive from 16th century, it is believed that all early records from North Northumberland have been lost.’[4] KB10 contains the records for London and Middlesex.

The Lakes Herald, 9 September 1910. Reproduced courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive.

There are also the records from the North Eastern Assize Circuit 1607 – 1971 in ASSI 44. ASSI 44 contains indictments 1607 – 1890 for Berwick, Durham, Northumberland, Newcastle, York, Bradford Hull, Leeds, Scarborough and Sheffield. (The records between 1891 and 1923 were destroyed during WW2.) To ascertain which records have survived for your area it may be helpful to consult ‘Coroners Records in England and Wales’ by Jeremy Gibson and Colin Rogers. The book is available to view online free of charge by the hour from the archive.org lending library.

The Northumberland Archives at Woodhorn holds the modern records of the North Northumberland Coroner 1953 – 2019 under CON. Likewise, other local repositories hold the modern records for their area. (See Gibson and Rogers). Coroners records are subject to 75 years closure. ‘However, if a request is made for a report that falls within the closure period, the Coroner will make the decision about access. Proof of a close family relationship to the deceased is usually needed in order to achieve this.’[5] This is possible as Coroners retain some discretion over the destruction, preservation and public access to the records.

If struggling for access or the records have not survived for the period required, the newspapers can be a great alternative, often carrying the case in some detail. Unfortunately, I have not found anything in the press relating to the death of Miss Mole in 1850. But in the absence of Coroners’ records or related police documentation relating to the suicide of Eva Jones in 1910, the newspapers did provide details of the Inquest I was unable to glean elsewhere. It took place at the Fishing Boat Inn at Boulmer, where not only was my great granny the chief witness, but my great grandfather was foreman of the Jury.

Sudden Death & Accidents in Scotland:
The Police, Procurator Fiscal & Lord Advocate’s Department

Unlike England and Wales, there is no system of Coroner’s Inquests across the Border in Scotland and never has been. Instead ...

Accidental, unexpected, unexplained, sudden or suspicious deaths are investigated privately for the local crown agent, an official called the procurator fiscal…[6]

‘Procurators Fiscal are qualified lawyers who are employed by the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and who act on the instructions of the Lord Advocate. The Lord Advocate has responsibility in Scotland to investigate any death which requires further explanation.’[7] Like the English Coroner, the position of Scottish Procurator Fiscal is of some antiquity. ‘The procurator fiscal acted in the interest generally of the crown or the judge, instituted proceedings and collected fines, forfeitures and penalties.’[8] Documents referring to the role date from the mid-fifteenth century although the first mention of the post is not made in parliamentary papers until August 1584.

There are fewer sources for fatal accidents before 1895. The records of the Lord Advocate's Department (our reference AD) include registers of sudden deaths, fatal accident inquiries and accidents in mines, 1848-1935 (AD12).

Records of deaths can also be found in the procedure books (AD9) which list cases passed to the Crown Office, the direction given and how the case was disposed of. The information in these registers is very brief.[9]

Registers of Sudden Deaths

Crown Copyright National Records of Scotland, AD12/12 (Extract) Register of sudden and suspicious deaths brought to the notice of the Crown Office, 1854 - 1857. My thanks to my colleague Fergus Smith of Old Scottish Records for supplying the image.

‘From 1822, sudden, unexplained or suspicious deaths were supposed to be reported to the Crown Counsel in Edinburgh. Compliance was initially fairly patchy, with deaths from the Lothians much more likely to be reported than elsewhere.

Deaths were reported to determine whether any further action needed to be taken. In most cases, the decision was that no further action was to be taken, but some cases were to be subject to proceedings.’[10]

Old Scottish Records have a 8647 sudden death entries available to search on their website. An image of the original entry is available for a small fee.

Some of the sudden death records of unknown or anonymous persons available through Old Scottish Records. (NB. The majority of entries relate to named individuals.)

Police records: 'Sudden Deaths, Casualties, and Motor Accidents'

Other potential sources for sudden deaths, casualties and accidents are old police records. Local archives usually hold the records of historic forces in their area. (The same is true for old police records in England and Wales.) They contain information on suicides, deaths through childbirth, drownings, deaths from old age as well as accidents. The records are often quite detailed, albeit they make somewhat grisly reading. Below is an extract from 1876, on page 5 of the 'Sudden Deaths, Casualties, and Motor Accidents, Roxburghshire' from the Borders Police Service records D/90/19/1 (1876 – 1906)

Scottish Borders Archive, Border Police Service, Records of Sudden Deaths, Casualties, and Motor Accidents, Roxburghshire.D/90/19/1 (1876 – 1906), 1876, page 5. Reproduced by kind permission of Scottish Borders Archive and Local History Centre at Hawick Heritage Hub.

Since 1855, it is a statutory requirement to register a death within 8 days. Even in cases of unknown identity such as this, although finding the index entry can be a bit tricky.

Scotland's People, 1876 ANONYMOUS --------- (Statutory registers Deaths 785/ 11). Reproduced courtesy of the National Records of Scotland.

Note the death was 'Registered on the information of J Charles Stevenson, Procurator Fiscal'

In the case above the record states ‘Unknown’ but is indexed under 'Anonymous' at Cavers, Roxburghshire. (Most deaths of unidentified individuals appear under ‘Anonymous’, with ‘Unknown’ used in some cases from 1950 onwards. There is only one entry indexed as ‘Not Known’.)

Sheriffs Court: ‘Fatal Accidents Inquiry (Scotland) Act 1895’

From 1895 upon petition by the Procurator Fiscal, industrial fatalities and occupational deaths could be investigated further in public inquiries before a jury at the Sheriff’s Court. The NRS in Edinburgh holds the records of nearly all the Sheriff’s Courts with those for Orkney and Shetland held locally. There are gaps though – some of the records may be incomplete or still in the possession of the respective court. The NRS in Edinburgh holds the records of the all the Sheriff’s Courts. Below is a verdict extracted from the hearing into the death of Margaret Shields a Millworker at Ryeside Mills, Dalry, Ayrshire in 1907.

Crown copyright. National Records of Scotland, SC7/19/1907/2 Fatal Accident Inquiry: Margaret Shields, millworker, Courthell Street, Dalry, Parish of Dalry and County of Ayr, died on 23 Feb 1907. Reproduced courtesy of National Records of Scotland. My thanks to my colleague Fergus Smith of Old Scottish for supplying the image.

The inquiry into the accident did not take place until early May. But to comply with the statutory 8-day period Margaret’s death was registered in the usual way on 25 February 1907. The cause of death was recorded as ‘Tetanus’.

Crown Copyright, National Records of Scotland, Scotland’s People, 1907 Shields, Margaret, Statutory Registers Deaths 644/12/162. Reproduced courtesy of National Records of Scotland. Note in left margin indicating the RCE.

The inquiry into the accident did not take place until early May. An entry reflecting the cause of death in the subsequent report (precognition) is made in the Register of Corrected Entries, now the Register of Corrections etc., (RCEs). The RCE is then cross-referenced to the statutory death record and a note added in the margin.

Crown Copyright, National Records of Scotland, Scotland's People, 1907 Shields, Margaret, Statutory Registers Corrected Entries 644/12 001 39 (RCE). Reproduced courtesy of National Records of Scotland.

The RCE for Margaret briefly summarises the revised cause of death established at the hearing, that ‘on 4th February 1907 so severely injured whilst engaged at her employment by her left hand being crushed between rollers of a yarn wringing machine that she died from the effects’. (As per verdict of Jury). It was signed by the Procurator Fiscal on the 3rd of May 1907 at Kilmarnock, and the Registrar at Glasgow 4 days later on the 7th.

The majority of early accidents and cases of sudden or suspicious death were not investigated further. But where they were, the records generated by the English Coroner, the Police and Scottish Procurator Fiscal and other associated bodies provide interesting information. They are not for the faint hearted though as the details they contain can be both graphic and distressing. Nonetheless they will be of particular interest for anyone finding a sudden or unexpected death in the course of their research. As always, the key is knowing where to look. But as many of the records have been lost, and those that have survived are ‘patchy’, a search of the newspaper archives also makes a great alternative.

A group of politicians debate at a coroner's inquest whether Lord Melbourne's temporary resignation was equivalent to murder or to suicide. Coloured lithograph by H.B. (John Doyle), 1839. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

[1] Amanda Bevan Tracing your Ancestors in the National Archives, The Website and Beyond, 7th edition, Kew, 2006, p.423
[2] Until 1733, verdicts were written in Latin.
[3] TNA, Coroners Rolls and Files, with Cognate Documents
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C9978. The Deodand operated as a system of forfeiture or fines levied against often inanimate objects and animals. It is fascinating system if not somewhat bizarre to the modern mind. It was abolished by the Deodands Act of 1846 and replaced by the Fatal Accidents Act (Lord Campbell’s Act) the same year, enabling families of the victims to claim compensation.
[4] Jeremy Gibson and Colin Rogers, ‘Coroners Records in England and Wales’ Birmingham, 1992
https://archive.org/details/coronersrecordsi0000gibs/page/n1/mode/2up
[5] Life in the Study Centre – Both Happy and Sad
https://www.northumberlandarchives.com/2022/05/23/life-in-the-study-centre-a-mixture-of-happy-and-sad/
[6] National Records of Scotland (NRS), Fatal Accident Inquiries before 1895
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/fatal-accident-inquiry-records#FAI%20pre-1895
[7] Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service, Information Booklet (PDF), Download
[8] Dictionary of Scots Language (DSL) https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/procuratour_fiscall
[9] National Records of Scotland (NRS), Fatal Accident Inquiries before 1895
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/fatal-accident-inquiry-records#FAI%20pre-1895
[10] Old Scottish Records, https://www.oldscottish.com/crown-counsel-procedure-deaths.html

Heslop descendant finally found in methodical search from Barnard Castle to Bolton

29/4/2022

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The. v. daye of Septembre his Lordshyp in his approchynge nyghe to
the borders of. Scotlande, mustred at Bolton in Glendayll and lodged
that nyght therein that felde with all his armye. (Extract from the ‘Trewe Encounter…’.)

Picture The memorial at Bolton Chapel to William Heslop tenant at Low Broom Park. who died in 1824.

The Arms of Brown of Bolton on ancient wall plaque in Bolton Chapel.

Sheltered to the north by Titlington Pike, to the Northeast by Jenny’s Lantern and to the East by Brislee Wood and Alnwick Moor, Bolton Chapel looks south over rolling farmland and west towards Cheviot. A peaceful pastoral scene but the ground on which it stands is saturated with centuries of history. A muster point for the English army en route to Flodden in 1513 is amongst the many events it witnessed. The Chapel is one of the 24 local sites featured by the Flodden Ecomuseum created to mark the quincentenary of the Battle. A comprehensive overview of its history can be freely downloaded from Flodden 1513 ‘Legends and Legacy’ website. But Bolton is also the final resting place of members of the Heslop family, the subject of this month’s blog.

As DNA ‘wish lists’ go, mine may be a little ambitious. Looking for clues to the predecessors of John Thompson, a 5th great grandfather who died in 1810, I continue to investigate associated connections whenever I get an opportunity. Time spent bringing a family tree forward to the present is as beneficial to the understanding of our ancestral heritage as pushing back further into the past. Establishing names of living descendants in collateral lines not only helps identify matches with little or no family tree, but also provides names of potential testers. Investigating collateral lines invariably unearths some interesting characters and stories along the way too.

I have a good DNA match for the genetic distance (29 cMs) with a descendant of Margaret Thompson, one of the nine daughters of John Thompson and his wife Ann Grey. Margaret was also the wife of William Hogg famer at South Acton, Buckton and Kyloe and in last month’s blog I mapped out some of William’s earlier ancestors. Not as it would necessarily provide me with answers to my Thompson mystery, but for interest and to check for undetected cousin marriages that might influence subsequent DNA theories. This branch of the family, like many other farming families in the region, intermarried many times. Intermarriage between cousins has the potential to distort the amounts of DNA shared between matches. Research on the Hogg line to date does not suggest any earlier connections, therefore the DNA that I share with my 5c1r is likely to be DNA we have inherited from our mutual Thompson/Grey ancestors.

To confuse things slightly, John Thompson and his wife Ann Grey are a set of my 5th great grandparents twice over. This is due to a marriage between two of their grandchildren, Isabella Thompson and John Aynsley who were first cousins. After Isabella’s premature demise in 1842, John Aynsley married her 1st cousin, Jane Mole.

John Thompson is buried at Felton with his wife Ann Grey (d. 1812) and three of their eleven children; William (d. 1783 aged 2,) Isabel (d.1787 aged 3) and Ann (the first of the name who died in 1788 aged 15.) Of the remaining 8 children there were 7 daughters and one son, John Thompson junior. Their son John Thompson junior, married Hannah Mole at Whittingham in June 1806 and are also 4th great grandparents.

Of their seven remaining daughters:

Jane Thompson b.1771 married Robert Whitham at Rothbury in 1796 and the couple had two children. The bloodline line came to an end for one child in 1898 with grandson, Robert Witham a wine merchant in Bordeaux. The other ended with two unmarried granddaughters, Jane and Elizabeth Young, retired schoolteachers who lived at 17 Summerhill Street, Newcastle. Their brother James Whitham Young, a Master Mariner, was lost at sea in 1865.
Dorothy Thompson (Dolly) b.1772 married Thomas Dobson of Colt Park, Netherwitton (close to Ritton Whitehouse) at Longhorsely in 1799. This couple were childless.
Mary Thompson b. 1777, married Francis Aynsley at Longhorsely in 1801. (4th great grandparents, through their son John b. 1806 who married his 1st cousin Isabella Thompson.) Both John’s brothers, Francis and James, died unmarried and childless within two months of each other in 1830.
Margaret Thompson b.1780 married William Hogg. There are known descendants and one established DNA match.
Sarah Thompson b.1783 married Robert Coxon at Felton in 1813. Five known children with many descendants, with one branch well-known breeders of pedigree dairy cattle together with a couple of DNA matches. (Daughter Ann Coxon was the second wife of her 1st cousin William Heslop.)
Ann Thompson b. 1793, the second of the name married twice. Firstly, to John Mole her brother-in-law at Felton in 1815 and secondly to Peter Blair, a bookseller in Morpeth in 1842. No children to either marriage. Referred to family correspondence as ‘Aunt Mole’ who sounds like a challenging character.
The remaining sister of whom I knew little was Eleanor Thompson, born circa 1788. She married William Heslop, a farmer at Felton Fence, at Hebron in 1810.

Memorial to William Heslop of Low Broompark on the back of his son's headstone in Bolton Chapel Churchyard.

William Heslop was born at Marwood, near Barnard Castle in 1778. At some point following the death of his mother, Mary Jervais, at Barnard Castle in 1792, he and his siblings moved north as children with their father William Heslop senior. William senior died at Low Broome Park, Bolton, where he was a tenant, in 1824. A memorial to him appears on the reverse of the headstone for his son Thomas. It stands in a prominent position close to the path in the Chapel graveyard. His Will of 1823 is one of the briefest I have seen.

Extract from Will of William Heslop of Low Broom Park, 19 November 1822 (DPR/I/1/1823/H10/1) Courtesy of North East Inheritance Database.

The witnesses to his meagre bequests were a John and George Thompson, who had not dissimilar hands. Whilst the Will proved little, the associated probate bond provided enough information to confirm that John Thompson was a farmer at Titlington, a 4th great grandfather to me and therefore brother to Eleanor Thompson his daughter in law. But who was George Thompson, farmer at Shawdon Hill? He isn't a brother to John but could some level of kinship have existed between them? If so, it has yet to be determined. There is certainly a George Thompson baptising children at Sion Meeting House (Presbyterian) in Alnwick around the same time as John Thompson Senior of Overshiels. A connection is possible, but typically, their non-conformism is hampering progress.

Children of Eleanor Thompson and William Heslop

William and Eleanor had four sons: William b.1811, John b 1813, Thomas b. 1815 and Robert b. 1817.

The youngest, Robert, died aged 4 in November 1821. Son John, although he married an Elizabeth Wharrier who had a daughter that took his name after marriage, the couple had no children of their own. If there were to be any living descendants, they would stem from offspring of brothers William and Thomas.

William Heslop junior of Overthwarts

In 1836 William Heslop junior married Elizabeth Lee by Licence at Eglingham, witnessed by Elizabeth’s mother Cecily and William’s brother John. By 1841 three children had joined the family in Overthwarts Farmhouse on Alnwick Moor (these days a stylish holiday home), Eleanor b.1838, William b.1839 and Cecily b. 1840, who died in 1850. A further five sons were born to the couple between 1843 and 1851: Joseph b.1843, Robert b.1846, John b. 1848, Thomas b. 1850 and Andrew b.1851. Joseph died aged 3 in 1848 and Andrew aged 7 months in 1852. Their mother Elizabeth followed in April 1853. In 1867 William Heslop married his cousin Ann Coxon, daughter of his mother’s sister Sarah Thompson, and her husband Robert Coxon. Nonetheless, with five children surviving to adulthood, there ‘should’ be plenty of living descendants with clues to the Thompson family history lurking in their DNA. But how wrong could I be!

Picture Memorial headstone in Bolton churchyardor William Heslop of Overthwarts and his family.

Memorial headstone for William Heslop of Overthwarts and his family.

John Heslop left farming and became a Grocer near Tynemouth. He died unmarried in 1873. Brothers Thomas and Robert farmed at Fenrother and both also died unmarried. Robert in 1894, and Thomas at Lennor Cottage, Seahouses in 1938. Sister Eleanor was another sibling not to marry. The only one of the five surviving children to wed was William, who married an Elizabeth Thompson at Felton in 1874. Was she a cousin? Initial research suggests her father was John Thompson, a farmer at Elyhaugh and her mother Elizabeth Coxon. Confused? Me too! A further foray into the Coxon lineage is required to establish clarity.

William Helsop junior and Elizabeth Thompson farmed at Low Town, Longframlington. Only one of their four children, daughter Elizabeth, married. She and her husband John Hush, farmed at neighbouring High Weldon. No children also marks the end of this branch of the Heslop family.

Summary: 8 Children 4 grandchildren = no living descendants.

Thomas Heslop of Battle Bridge

The Banns were read for Thomas Helsop's marriage to Elizabeth Laidler, daughter of Joseph Laidler, farmer at Haigsfield, Berwickshire, at Eccles in the Spring of 1851. They coincided with those for the marriage of Elizabeth’s sister Grace to Edward Donkin. (Edward was 1st cousin to the unfortunate Barbara Collin Donkin, killed by lightning at the home of her Uncle, Ralph Carnaby, on the eve of her own marriage in 1837.) The minister of Cornhill married both couples on 3rd June. It is interesting to note that Joseph Laidler was a native of Edlingham – an example of the fluidity of movement in both directions across the Border.

Already farming at Lemmington Bank at the time of his marriage, by 1861, Thomas had taken over the tenancy of Battle Bridge from his uncle Philip Heslop. Between 1852 and 1868 he and Elizabeth Laidler had seven children:

Catherine Heslop b. 1852, died unmarried in 1872.
Eleanor Heslop b. 1854. She married George Alfred Hawkins, a Schoolmaster born in London at Edlingham in 1875. They had five children, three boys and two girls. (One family of living descendants identified on this line.)
William Thomas Heslop b. 1856. He was a Grocer and General Dealer who lived at Rimside House, Longframlington in later years. Married Isabella Robson (unconfirmed) in 1903. No children.
Elizabeth Jane Heslop b.1858. Unsure after 1871. There is no obvious death record and Elizabeth is not on the family headstone. A possible marriage at South Shields in 1894 to Mason or Redford is unverified.
Mary Ann Heslop b. 1861. She Married James Bowman in South Shields in 1888. James had a large family from his previous marriage to Williamina [sic] Cheyne. No children from his marriage to Mary Ann.
Joseph b.1865. Died in 1875 aged 10.
Thomas b.1868. Was a Draper by trade. Married Ethel Maud Johnstone in 1901. They had two children, Thomas b.1903 and Nora b.1911. The 1939 Register suggests Nora did not marry. Her brother Thomas followed his father into the trade as a Draper and Gentleman’s Outfitter. He may have been in Wembley London at the outbreak of WW 2. No record of marriage found.

The Heslop family’s time at Battle Bridge was cut short following a tragic shooting accident. Thomas had set out early one morning in June to shoot pigeons but was found dead soon after breakfast.

Picture Newspaper notie re the death of Thomas Heslop of Battle Bridge in 1870

From Glasgow Evening Citizen 1 June 1870. Courtesy of British Newspaper Archive.

The inquest returned the verdict of ‘accidentally shot’. Thomas lies buried at Bolton, alongside his wife and children Catherine and Elizabeth.

Picture Newspaper cutting re the death of Thomas Heslop of Battle Bridge

Extract from Newcastle Courant 3 June 1870. Courtesy of British Newspaper Archive

He clearly enjoyed the old traditional field sports too. In January of the same year he attended the inaugural meet of ‘Major Brown’s Foxhounds’ at Lesbury House in the company of his Hogg and Coxon cousins and many other Northumberland farmers. It was a good day for both humans and foxes alike. Following a hearty breakfast ‘a la fourchette’ with ‘ale and wine liberally provided for all comers,’ the hounds drew ‘a wide extent of country without success and were finally taken off to kennels at Powburn.’

Thomas witnessed a piece of history in the making. Some of the hounds purchased by Major Browne in 1870 feature in the pedigrees of the present Percy pack. A full account of the day features in the Saturday 8th January 1870 edition of the Alnwick Mercury, available through the British Newspaper Archive.

Elizabeth and her children, some still very young, continued to live and farm at Battle Bridge for a few years following Thomas' death. In August 1873, a notice appeared in the newspaper suggesting she began the process of winding up his affairs. By the time of the 1881 census Battle Bridge was in the hands of Robson Turnbull, a Scottish born Shepherd and former employee at Titlington Mount. Elizabeth and her youngest daughter Mary Ann had moved to Whitley Bay, then little more than a village known simply as Whitley. In 1891 she was living with sons, William and Thomas, in Prudhoe St, in the Chirton area of North Shields.

Son William was a Grocer and Thomas a Draper. His drapery business appears to have grown to a substantial size with premises at 1,3 and 5 Saville Street and 104 Bedford Street, North Shields. In 1906 he made the Shields Daily News when seven shirts were stolen from his shop door in Saville Street by Ellen Leavy and her daughter Rose Sparrow.

Ellen Leavy. Imprisoned for the theft of clothes in North Shields in 1906. Photo courtesy of Tyne and Wear Archives, Commons Media

Rose Sparrow, daughter of Ellen Leavy (left). Imprisoned for the theft of clothes in North Shields in 1906. Photo courtesy of Tyne and Wear Archives, Commons Media

Thomas was not the only victim of the light-fingered pair. A child’s dress, a shawl and four pairs of boots taken from various other establishments also made up their haul. The sentence passed by the magistrate was a month’s imprisonment. At the hearing Thomas was commended by the Chief Constable for assistance in the arrest. He was then admonished by the magistrate along with his fellow shopkeepers, for displaying their wares outside unattended.

Summary: 7 children, 14 known grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren = 1 family with living descendants.

Conclusion

Am I any nearer to unearthing my Thompson ancestors? Whilst the exercise hasn’t provided any direct answers, it has provided several clues for future enquiry.

Were the Thompson witnesses to William Heslop’s Will in 1823 related?
Who was Elizabeth Thompson of Elyhaugh? A Thompson or Coxon cousin perhaps?
The names of living relatives descended from Eleanor Thompson and William Heslop.

Of all the information gleaned from this exercise, the most important is the understanding as to why there are no DNA matches on the Heslop line of descent. Barring one or two unknowns the line is reduced to just one branch of a family and two or three individuals. The question is, are they interested enough in their family history to respond to contact made with them? Here is hoping the answer is yes.

Door to Bolton Chapel

Links

More information on other sites, near and far, that make up the story of Flodden along with other articles pertaining to archaeological and documentary finds uncovered as part of the HLF funded project, can be found at Flodden 1513 ‘Legends and Legacy’,
https://www.flodden1513ecomuseum.org/places/local/bolton-chapel

For readers interested in photos of the criminally minded, Tyne & Wear Archives have made their collection freely available online.Tyne and Wear Archives photostream hosted by flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/twm_news/22669115693/in/album-72157628700735401/

Some of the images have been sorted into collections such as Criminal Faces of Newcastle,
https://picryl.com/collections/criminal-photos-newcastle

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Ancestry of the Hogg Family of Hazon in 10 Easy Steps + 8 'Top Tips'.

25/3/2022

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I seem to be stuck in a phase of case studies at present. My article, ‘Ten steps to Finding John Armstrong’ is due to appear in the May edition of Family Tree Magazine, on sale from the 11th April. This was not a straightforward case to work, although on reading back the solution seems ridiculously obvious. With very little paper trail information before the marriage of John Armstrong and Mary Kirk in February 1811, the key to solving the puzzle lay not in proving who John Armstrong was, but who he was not! It was also a case that used autosomal DNA testing to maximum effect. The DNA provided the necessary evidence to support theories that would otherwise have remained on the hypothesis pile. There are no spoilers in the following paragraphs but suffice it to say John’s parentage differs from the consensus!

St James' Church, Shilbottle, Northumberland.

But back to the case in hand. I promised a distant cousin (5c1r to be exact), to commit my ‘scratchings’ of the Hogg family pedigree to paper over two years ago! We share mutual ancestors in John Thompson, (c1745 – 1810) farmer at Upper Shields or Overshields (now Shieldykes) and his wife Ann Grey (c1747 – 1812).[1] We connect through Margaret their fifth daughter of nine, who married William Hogg, at Felton on Wednesday 14th August 1805.

William Hogg, husband of Margaret Thompson is the sticking point in most family trees. But there also seems to be some confusion over the pedigree of the couple’s daughter-in-law Dorothy, also Hogg by birth. Therefore, now seems an opportune time to share my methodology and findings to help reset the compass. Whilst the Hogg family itself may not necessarily be of interest, the research principles and sources used are relevant to many other cases of a similar period and nature.

In an about-turn from Armstrong of Haltwhistle where DNA provided valuable evidence, the earlier ancestry of the Hogg family has been pieced together using traditional research methods alone. The family left a comprehensive trail of paper records including a helpful clutch of Wills and Probate Admins in their wake. Other evidence is literally written in tablets of stone. A bonus is that almost all the records used are freely available online. It’s just a case of knowing where to look! William Hogg’s death burial and associated Will provide an excellent starting point to begin the journey back in time.

Step 1. William Hogg's Death and Burial

Top Tip: Death and burial records are often neglected but often contain vital information & other clues.

Although William Hogg died at Kyloe in North Northumberland on 20 December 1845 aged 77, he is buried at Shilbottle, some 24 miles to the south.

His memorial stone reads:

In memory of William Hogg who died at Kyloe Dec 20th 1845 aged 77 years and Margaret wife of the above who died at Buckton August 10th 1863 aged 84 years. William third son of the above died at Acton June 11th 1845 Aged 33. Departed to the Mercy of God Monday March 18th 1889, Ann Hogg aged 75 years.

This memorial strongly suggests links with mid-Northumberland at both Shilbottle and Acton. It also provides:

a birth year of 1768/69 for William
the name of their third son also called William
a potentially unmarried daughter called Ann. (Ann died unmarried at Prudhoe Street, Alnwick. Her will was proved at Newcastle upon Tyne in September 1889 by her nephew John Hogg of Causey Park. Widowed Hannah Smith nee Aynsley is among the beneficiaries.)

Step 2. William’s Will

Top Tip. Wills can be a great source of family information, although use caution in Scotland where eldest sons are sometimes absent in earlier documents pertaining to inheritance due to laws of primogeniture. Always consider a potential familial connection between the deceased and their executors.

William Hoggs Will dated 1st July 1845 is available through the North East Inheritance Database. It provides the names of further sons George, John and James and details of freehold property interests in ‘Whitlees Farm’ at Elsdon, a Freehold Brewery and Maltings with associated land and premises at Felton. He bequeathed these along with his interests in the farm at East Kyloe to his (youngest) son James, who, along with his two surviving brothers were executors to their father’s estate.

Extract from the Will of William Hogg who died at East Kyloe in 1845. North East Inheritance Database Original Wills, 1650-1857 (DPR/I/1/1847/H19/1-2)

Step 3. Establish William’s place of Birth

Top Tip: Establishing an individual’s earliest known residence may also point to the area of their birth. It is often useful to come forward in time to go back.

The 1841 Census

At the time of the 1841 census William had yet to make the move north to East Kyloe. He and his wife Margaret were farming at South Acton, near Felton. Son William and daughter Ann were at home as was a further son called James, the chief beneficiary of his father’s Will. Son George and his wife Barbara Hogg were farming at West Kyloe and John with his wife Dorothy Hogg were farming at Low Hedgeley, near Eglingham.

The census confirms William, Margaret and their children William Jnr and Ann were all born in Northumberland. Pinning down where required alternative sources.

Step 4. Baptisms of William and Margaret’s Children

Top Tip: Take the time to look at the original records, either Parish Register or contemporary copies known as Bishops Transcripts. They often contain far more information than transcriptions. Bishops Transcripts for many Northumberland and Durham Parishes are available for free through Family Search. The English parish record transcriptions provided by FreeReg also contain the extra information and are an excellent alternative, also available for no cost to the user.

William Hogg and Margaret Thompson of Newton on the Moor baptised five children at Shilbottle between 1807 and 1813: George 1807, John 1808, William 1810, James in Jan 1813 and Ann in October of the same year.

This was the time of Shute Barrington, Bishop of Durham, who along with William Dade revolutionised the information entered in Parish Registers. For a short time at least, more extensive appears against vital events. William Hogg was farming at Newton on the Moor at the time his children were born. However, the entries at their baptism also suggest birthplaces for both parents.

Family Search Durham Diocese Bishop’s Transcripts, 1639-1919 Northumberland Shilbottle 1762-1844. Baptism of John Hogg p.75

Record reads: ‘John Hogg [born] Sept 28th 1807 [Baptised] Aug[us]t 26th 1808, 2nd Son William Hogg of Newton Farmer, native of Ritton White House by his wife Margaret Thompson native of Upper Shield in the Parish of Alnwick’.

Step 5. Other Hogg Connections at Shilbottle

Top Tip. Casting a net for other potential relatives in the immediate often pays dividends.

Before looking for information on the family’s time at Ritton, the Shilbottle were checked for other familial connections. The parish registers contain several records which formed the basis of family groups. There are also probate records that confirm potential family members.

The administration and grant of a George Hogg’s probate in 1806 provides the following familial information.

North East Inheritance Database, George HOGG, farmer, bachelor, of Hazon High Houses in the parish of Shilbottle in the county of Northumberland. Date of probate: 23 August 1806 [Extract from] administration bond, penal sum £800, 23 August 1806 (DPR/I/3/1806/A79/1)

The renunciation document confirms William’s relationship to the deceased, his place of residence as Newton on the Moor and occupation as Farmer. [2]

... {Extract from] renunciation, 17 August 1806 (DPR/I/3/1806/A79/2-4)

From this short document an outline of William’s immediate family can be mapped; his mother Margaret, brother John Hogg, married sisters Margaret Taylor and Mary Forster and cousin John Hogg also of Shilbottle Parish.

Key Points: The document mentioning two cousins named John Hogg farming at Shilbottle at the same time perhaps suggests more than one Hogg family had previous connections with Ritton.

Step 6: Establish the parentage of the two John Hoggs farming at Shilbottle.

Top Tip: Although in this case the relationship was that of first cousin, this is not always the case. It is not unusual for it to be more distant.

The two John Hoggs confirmed as cousins in the probate administration above suggests their respective fathers were brothers. Therefore, their grandparents were their most recent common ancestors.

The burial information for each provides calculated birth years.

6.1 William Hogg’s brother John.

John Hogg, William’s brother, died at Hazon High Houses 5th July 1853 aged 69. His calculated birth year of 1784 corresponds with a baptism on 2 Jan 1785 to George Hogg, farmer at Hazon High Houses and his wife Margaret.

(I already knew that William and John’s father was George Hogg who died at Hazon High Houses in 1800 due to a previous encounter. John was married to Mary Pringle, daughter of Edward Pringle of Snitter near Rothbury and his wife Margaret Vardy. Edward Pringle and Edward Anderson, (brothers in law) provided surety for the admin of the Will of Isabella Mole nee Pringle suggesting a further familial connection yet to be run to ground. Isabella Pringle was a 5th great grandmother of mine who died at New Heaton Farm in 1814. (Strange how life works!))

No Will or admin has been identified for John and William’s father George who died at Hazon 1800, or their mother Margaret who died at Hazon in 1821. Apart from a daughter Ann who was born in 1770 at Ritton White House and died at Shilbottle in 1788, the family is pieced together from the administration of their brother George at Step Five above.

6.2 William Hogg’s cousin John

John Hogg, William’s cousin died at Hazon High Houses 1st May 1823 indicating a birth year of 1772. This corresponds with the baptism of a John Hogg son to John Hogg and Barbara Hume of Ritton White House baptised at Netherwitton 13 Jan 1772.

Step 7. Hogg family connections at Ritton White House.

Top Tip – The Northumberland Farms Index can be a useful aid for pinning down locations and unfamiliar or obsolete names.

Ritton White House is a farm in Netherwitton Parish. Again, probate documents came up trumps with the Will of John Hogg of Ritton White House dated 17 July 1759. It contains the following information summarised as follows:

John’s wife was called Anne and appears to have survived him.
Three sons named; William, John and George who were all executors to his will.
The freehold of Whitlees Farm at Elsdon passed to his eldest son William. It stipulated that should William die without heirs, Whitlees was to pass to William’s brothers, John and George in equal shares [This is undoubtedly the same farm that his grandson William passed to his youngest son James in 1845 at Step 2 above.]

Step 8. Extract family info from Netherwitton & Hartburn Registers

It quickly became apparent that in addition to Ritton White House the Hogg family also had interests in the neighbouring Farm of Greenleighton.

John Hogg married Anne Spearman at Netherwitton 14 My 1730. ‘John Hog (of the chapelry of Netherwitton) married Ann Spearmen (of the parish of Hearthburn)’[3]

The headstone at Hartburn for John Hogg of Ritton White House, Netherwitton, his wife Ann and daughter Mary. Photo courtesy of 'Find a Grave'

Children

William Hogg baptised at Netherwitton 6 April 1731, Father John of ‘Whitehouse’.

Possible twin to

Mary Hogg baptised at Netherwitton 6 April 1731, Father John of Whitehouse. Died at Greenleighton 22 Feb 1744/45 aged 14. Buried with her parent at Hartburn.
John Hogg baptised at Netherwitton 13 July 1732. Father John of ‘Whitehouse’.
George Hogg baptised at Hartburn 25 July 1734. Father John of Greenleighton.

(The siblings of John Hogg born circa 1696 are not detailed here. There are other records at Hartburn and Netherwitton that if traced and verified 'may' add additional branches to the family tree.)

Step 9. Trace William, John & George of Ritton & Greenleighton.

Top Tip: Avoid the chance of missing vital events by using a map to spot neighbouring properties and parishes. Family Search England Jurisdictions 1851 is a helpful online resource
https://www.familysearch.org/mapp/

The parish registers for Netherwitton & Hartburn yielded further helpful information:

William Hogg

William Hogg of Shilbottle Parish was buried at Hartburn 22 Jan 1793. Although there is no to calculate a year of birth, William appears to be the eldest son of John and Ann Hogg of Ritton. No marriage or baptisms of children have been identified to date suggesting he died unmarried.

As his brother John pre-deceased him (see below), the farm of Whitlees at Elsdon passed to his surviving youngest brother George according to his late father’s Will of 1759. In the absence of a Will for George, it appears he then passed it to his eldest son William at his death in 1800.

John Hogg

George Hogg

Marriage

John Hogg married Barbara Hume at Longhorsley 23 Nov 1762. Banns last read at Netherwitton on November 21st. John Hogg (of this chapelry) & Barbara Hume (of the parish of Longhorsley)[4]

Marriage of George Hogg.

No marriage has yet been identified for George and no maiden name established for his wife, but the baptism of eldest son William suggests the couple married circa 1866.

Children of John Hogg & Barbara Hume

Children of George Hogg and Margaret

The trees appearing above have been compiled using information extracted from the registers. For more details and supporting information please contact me.

Death of John Hogg husband of Barbara Hume

Johns’ death record has not yet been found. However, as his wife Barbara is described as a widow at the burial of their daughters Mary and Barbara in 1792, John had clearly died before this date. Barbara died at Hazon in 1834.

Death of George Hogg and Margaret

George Hogg, farmer of Hazon High Houses died 26 Jan 1800 and buried at Shilbottle two days later on 28th. His age at death of 66 corresponds with baptism at Hartburn in 1734. Margaret his wife died at Hazon in 1821.

Headstone of Barbara Hume wife of John Hogg died at Hazon 1834. Also their daughters Mary & Barbara who both died in 1792.

Step 10. Further Inter-family Connections

There are several further cousin interconnections within the Hogg family and between other cousins in families connected by marriage such as Pringle. Two of the intermarriages occurred in William Hogg and Margaret Thompson’s line of descent. Sons George and John Hogg married their second cousins, sisters, Barbara and Dorothy Hogg. Barbara and Dorothy were daughters of William's cousin John Hogg (1772 – 1823) and his wife Margaret Peary.

John and Dorothy Hogg were married at Alnwick on 1st May 1838. Among the witnesses to the marriage were Dorothy’s sister Barbara and John’s bother George. The others were Ann Hogg, John Hogg and Thomas Tate.

I sometimes wonder how much of the Northumberland farming community lies hidden under a web of inter-connection by blood and marriage, particularly amongst descendants of the eighteenth and nineteenth-century farming families. A web leading between denser pockets of interconnection where the threads become full of twists and turns. Being alert to these twists and turns or even expecting them can help enormously when it comes to ‘unravelling’ families and family members.

To the front, Hogg Family Memorial Stones at Shilbottle.

[1] John Thompson was a farmer, some time of Upper Shiels or Overshiels, now known as Shieldykes. More can be found on the history of the farm and others within Alnwick Parish in George Tate’s ‘The History of the Borough, Castle, and Barony of Alnwick, Volume 2’. It is available through Google Books
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=-oYHAAAAQAAJ&rdid=book--oYHAAAAQAAJ&rdot=1

[2] Probate Admin of George Hogg of Hazon High Houses in 1806. North East Inheritance Database, England, Durham Probate Bonds, 1556-1858 DPRI/3/1806/A p.112
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-64VQ-XCS?i=110&cc=2353049

[3 & 4] Durham Records Online
https://www.durhamrecordsonline.com/

Useful Links

Bishops Transcripts for Northumberland and Durham
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1309819

FreeReg
https://www.freereg.org.uk/

Debrett’s Ancestry Research Ltd, Bishop Shute Barrington and the English Parish Register
https://debrettancestryresearch.co.uk/bishop-shute-barrington-and-the-english-parish-register/

Durham University, North East Inheritance Database
http://familyrecords.dur.ac.uk/nei/

Transcription of Monumental Inscriptions at Shilbottle
https://www.fusilier.co.uk/shilbottle_northumberland/churchyard/monumental_inscriptions.htm

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Victim or Vixen? - The Curious Case of Mary Anne Kitcher v Thomas Rowe

25/2/2022

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'The Governess', Richard Redgrave, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Background

It was the single boot that did it. Such was the urgency, confusion and apparent desperation to end her life that young governess Eva Jones only removed the one. Her tragic and premature death in 1910 aged just 27 years old incites a multitude of questions not least the inevitable, overwhelming and persistent why?

Our ancestors can amuse or bemuse, astound and confound – but is the evidence sometimes misleading? Is it painting an inaccurate profile picture of their character and presenting a one-sided view of events? The tragic tale of Eva’s death, which I stumbled upon almost by accident back in 2014, incited a compulsion to know more about her life. However, the lack of substance from which to build a profile has left a void of puzzlement and confusion. It also provokes sadness at how readily this young woman appears to have been discarded and forgotten. As fragments of information appear and some gaps widen the more determination grows to uncover the full extent of her story.

But research to date has also created self-doubt – with so little evidence to unite the pieces of the puzzle am I even researching the correct person? At the time of her death, Eva was noted as the adopted daughter of the Reverend Arthur Cooper Marsdin, only 16 years her senior. Although this seems slightly strange, the story of Eva's birth family and background seems so far removed from the profile of a young woman who could become a temporary governess to Hon. Henrietta Franklin CBE., in the summer of 1910 to be credible.[1]

I intended to share aspects of Eva's story as part of the weeklong #ReclaimJane workshops hosted by genealogist Natalie Pithers, but time was not on my side. I did, however, manage sneaky peeks at some of the fascinating and moving stories that ensued. A common theme was hardship, suffering or forbearance due to the unfair and often harsh attitudes towards women in years gone by. Women portrayed as victims of the piece and the times in which they lived. In contrast, I thought I would share an aspect of research into Eva's background that may suggest an alternative view.

The process of pinning down a birth and thus establishing parentage for Eva was protracted and frustrating at times. It wasn't until the middle name 'Lily' came to light that any real progress was made at all. A census sighting in 1891, as the 'adopted niece' of Hannah Etty Smith, a vicar's daughter and teacher in London pointed towards a birthplace of Hampshire. In 1891 the record for a governess to John Bicknell, a Bank Manager and his family in Axbridge, Somerset, narrowed the search to the area around Southampton. Although there were numerous births for Eva, Eva Lilian Jones and other permutations of the name registered nationwide in the period 1880 - 1885, there was only one birth registered for an Eva Lily Jones. It was in Portsea, Hampshire – so not Southampton, but in the right County and not too far away.

Eva's mother, Mary Ann Jones, nee Kitcher appears to be married, yet no details of her father are recorded against the birth. She was born on 3rd February 1884 at 100, Malins Road, Landport (Portsmouth) around 30 miles from her mother's usual place of residence at Liss near Petersfield. Eva's birth was registered almost two months later on 29th March. It was late – her mother had overrun the statutory 42 days allowed following birth to register a child. This information was 'as per a declaration given the 28th March'. A 'declaration' (long gone) that may have held further clues as to why the registration had overrun and possible clues as to her father and circumstances of her birth.

Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874

Mary Anne Kitcher

Digging into Eva's mother's past potentially raised questions as to her character and motivations. But is the evidence swayed to a male perspective?

Mary Ann Kitcher was born into a large family at Fawley in the New Forest, around seven miles from Southampton in the Spring of 1852. Her parents, Charles Kitcher, a Carter, and mother Esther Orman were natives of the Village. By summer 1868 the sixteen-year-old Mary was in the family way and a daughter, Mary Jane, was born in November. She named the putative father as a Master Mariner called Thomas Rowe and pursued him for maintenance. But Thomas fought back. The following is a transcription from the 'Hampshire Independent' dated Wednesday 7th April 1869 of the appeal against the Court's ruling against him.

Kitcher was a servant at Stone Farm, Exbury and on the 27th December, in 1867, met Rowe, a Master Mariner, at his father's house at Lepe, and he accompanied her and her brother part of the way home. She saw him again in February and on the third time of their walking together, Sunday, the 1st of March, they had intercourse during the afternoon, resulting in November in the birth of a child, to maintain which she summoned Rowe before the magistrates, but they dismissed the complaint.

Rowe thereupon went to the Nelson Inn and glorified his victory by 'standing' two gallons of beer for the delectation of the assembled company, to whom, in the course of his glorification, he made sundry boastings as to his manly qualities, and that the child was his. This coming to Kitcher's ears she summoned him again before the magistrates, who then made the order now appealed against. Kitcher was now called and deposed to having met defendant on the three occasions above named. The last two times was on the shore at Stone Point, in the neighbourhood of his residence.

She added that she wrote to him informing him of her state, and in July saw him and asked him if he was going to support the child, and he said certainly not, and as to her letter it had nothing at all to do with him. She had not seen him since. In cross-examination she said she had only intimacy with him on the Sunday in March – not at the February meeting, which was also on Sunday. A letter was then put into her hand, and she admitted having written it. The Clerk read it, as follows:-

"Dear Tom – I am very sorry I am obliged to tell you I am in the ______ . It is by you. So, I have written to tell you I have left, for I was not able to do my work. So, I am staying at home now with my father and mother. So, I want to know what to do. So, I hope you'll write and tell me what you intend to do ….. So, I hope you will write to me, or my father will come to see your mother. It is no use to blame anyone else for it. I don't care what you say about it, for it is by you and no-one else. I was told that you should say 'let her try it on' but you know it was you as well as I do. It was on the Sunday I was on the Shore with you in February. So, I hope you will write and tell me what you intend doing. Good-bye dear. From yours truly Mary Kitcher."

Although Eva's mother could write, the above is hardly the level of literacy required of a governess, let alone the governess to an acknowledged educationalist.

She was cross-examined at some length as to her acquaintance and connection with others, the latter of which she positively denied…

The case for the defence was that the appellant did not deny intimacy with Kitcher, but that it was on the Sunday in March named by her, and that, coupled with other circumstances, to be proved by witnesses, rendered it impossible for the child to be his.

The appellant having given his testimony, James Cotton, a labourer, living in the neighbourhood , deposed that in the month of February he was on the way to see his sweetheart and met Kitcher, who told him he would not get there; he had better turn back and go with her. He accordingly turned back and did as she suggested, near the Floating Island.

It was on a Sunday, and she was going to church she said. Afterwards he saw her again and she told him her position and said he need not fear; she should not swear to him but to Tom Rowe because he had the most money.

David Mintrim, another labourer at Stone Farm, deposed to having met Kitcher in the brewhouse on the 24th February 1868 and gave details of what took place which, however, in cross-examination, Kitcher after giving her evidence, most positively denied – indeed she denied all knowledge of any other that Rowe, though the names of the witnesses called were put to her.

Mr Russell, cross-examining Mintrim asked him details of the 'many' times to which he referred and he said twice before the 24th February, but never afterwards. She asked him – Mr Russell: And didn't you make a note in your pocketbook of such an extraordinary request? Witness: 'Naw. I never carries a pocketbook. He is and was at the time a married man. On the 24th February she told him she should make Tom Rowe pay, as he has the mostest money.

Henry Brown, a shipmate of the appellant's, gave evidence as to intimacy in December and February with Kitcher with whom he had walked fifty times. (She swore she had seen him only three times) Emily Mintrim, wife of the previous witness said that she saw Kitcher at her place of service in April and she told her her condition, and she should swear to the one that had the moistest money, Thomas Rowe.

The court did not wait to hear a reply from Mary's representation but confirmed their order plus costs again Thomas Rowe. This decisive action suggests they were having none of Thomas' attempts at discrediting Mary's moral character. But in light of what is known about the birth of Eva in later years, could there be an element of truth in his accusations?

'The Governess' Rebecca Solomon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Postscript

The Governess often came from 'well to do' middle class households who, for a multitude of reasons had fallen on tough times. Furthermore, ‘The governess was expected to look after her pupils’ moral education too. As well as reading the Bible and saying prayers with them, she was to set a good example of modest, moral behaviour.’[2]

Being illegitimate and from a working-class background would almost certainly have precluded Eva from the position of Governess. Nor would it have provided her with the requisite level of education and ladylike 'refinements'. Why then was Eva singled out and apparently 'groomed' for employment befitting a young 'lady'?

As well as the illegitimate half-sister born in 1868, Eva also had a half-brother Hubert Henry born to Mary Anne Kitcher and husband Anthony Jones in 1880. The couple married in the September quarter of 1878, but Anthony was already absent by the time of the 1881 census. Siblings Hubert Henry and Mary Jane remained with, or near to their mother and the Kitcher family. But Eva did not, her life was vastly different.

Neither Eva nor her mother fit the profile expected at the outset of research which serves to make it even more compelling. Was Mary Kitcher a 'schemer' and the Vixen portrayed or was she, like her daughter a victim of circumstance? With Eva apparently separated from her mother at an early age suggesting third party intervention other than the 'state', the question is by whom and why?

Their story continues to evolve …

[1] 'A leading advocate for the causes of education, women's rights, and Liberal Judaism, Henrietta Franklin dedicated her life to numerous progressive causes.' In the summer of 1910, the Franklins rented Howick Hall during the absence abroad of the Earl and Countess Grey. Newspaper evidence suggests that Eva had entered the Franklin's employ on the 8th July, 6 weeks to before her apparent suicide.
[2] British Library, Kathryn Hughes, ‘The Figure of the Governess’,
https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-figure-of-the-governess

The Forgotten Heroes of Family History - discover why business records make brilliant sources!

25/1/2022

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Old business records and account ledgers may not always be welcome reminders of times past for everyone, but for the historian, what's not to love? Sandwiched between the salaries, rent, and vehicle HP are the stories of people – business owners, their associates, employees, suppliers, customers, and even on occasion, the people who went before. Changes in the economic and political environment, social customs and logistics are reflected in numbers with notes pencilled in the margin. The history of land, buildings, streets, villages and cities lie buried behind the unwritten words on the page. Passport visas tell of exotic travel as do condolences written in foreign hands. The disruption caused by War – friend become foe, identity cards, letters and communications from far-flung places, hospital beds and the ‘Ministry’. Hidden amongst the mundane are snippets of daily family life, important dates and events. Business records really can be the forgotten heroes of family history.

It was Susan Smith, a farmer and researcher from Darlington who, in telling the story of her findings amongst the pages of an old family ledger, reminded me of the rich pickings business accounts can be! First though, here is Susan’s story .

“Mother Died Dec 19th 1921.”

After my grandfather, George Herbert Stephenson, died in 1986 I inherited his old account books and papers which accumulated over a lifetime involved in haulage and farming in and around Piercebridge, County Durham. The biggest treasure of all was his earliest account ledger, covering the 1920’s period when the brothers were haulage contractors.

Picture An old accounts ledger with red leather spine and gold lettering

The old ledger belonging to Susan's grandfather. Private Collection.

As I run my fingers across the cover of this ledger I can feel the same bumps and grooves that my grandfather would have felt; the scuffs at the edges of the book cover, the lovely ornate embossing around the edges of the oxblood-coloured leather encasing the corners and spine. Its fusty smell betrays its age. His entries a tangible connection to those who went before. He would have opened this ledger every day to record the comings and goings of the business. Filling it with the social history we family history enthusiasts crave.

Today, in my minds-eye I can see him sitting at his desk, pencil in hand and licking the point of the lead before writing an entry. The picture below is of the last pages in this ledger, entitled ‘This Page for local news only.’

Picture Local news entries in a ledger dated 1921

The page in the ledger '...for local news only.' Private Collection

The first entry in these pages at the top of page 169 simply states “Mother Died Dec 19th 1921“.

Picture Page heading with words 'Mother died Dec 19th 1921'

Enlarged view of local news page.

I was hit with a wave of sadness upon reading this, how would my grandfather have been feeling when he sat to write those words? You see to me, this entry seemed devoid of feeling - just a statement of fact on a page amongst the other local news and business of the day, such as:-

2 load manure for school
Bought Grainger horse £15
Roand cow calved.

At the time of his mother’s death my grandfather would have been 24 years old but his youngest brother Stanley, only 13. 'Mother' refers to my great grandmother Florence Mary Stephenson. (nee Wilson). Perhaps the reason for my grandfather’s seemingly emotionless ledger entry can be found in a newspaper report the day after her death.

Picture Newspaper clipping containing death notice of Florence Stephenson

Clipping from Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail. Tuesday 20 Dec 1921.

It appears Florence had been feeling unwell for a few days when she left the family home in Piercebridge and 'later her body was discovered in the Tees'. Florence had drowned.

Her Death Certificate was illuminating:-

So perhaps my Grandfather was in shock or denial, or just grief-stricken when he wrote the words “Mother died” in the Ledger here before me.

Picture extract from death record of a suicide

Extract from Florence's death certificate.

Ends

'Personals' in Business Records

Business records are often brimming with snippets recalling events in personal lives as well as charting the history of a company. Way back in April 2014, I delved into the company archives of Naylor Hewitt Ltd., later Connolly Shaw Fruit Brokers. Like Susan, amongst the ‘variegated’ selection of business papers in an old black tin box belonging to Richard (Dick) Hewitt my maternal grandfather, are carbon copies of family announcements.

Picture An old black tin strong box with Naylor Hewitt Ltd written on it.

The old black tin box of Naylor Hewitt Ltd. Private Collection

There are letters of congratulations on the birth of a child (himself in 1908) and letters of condolence in both English and Spanish on the sudden death of his mother in September 1960. Through the memories of those whose lives she touched, the letters provide insights into the character and personality of the lady under the big Edwardian hats!

There are more arrivals, passings and ‘joinings together’ in faded fuzzy ink, typed on fragile tissue paper. From the births and marriage notices of his children to the death notice for his own relative named Florence. His aunt, Annie Florence (Florrie) Dryden - Benson nee Hewitt who died at Platts Lane, Hampstead in 1950.

Picture Telegram Book and extract from May 1890.

Telegram Book and extract from May 1890. Private Collection

Florrie Hewitt and her brother Nat appear as ‘bairns’ in telegraphic messages from the 1890s. They were sent from their father James Hewitt whilst traveling on business visiting growers & suppliers. This note tells of the evening entertainments he enjoyed. A night out at the ‘Alhambra’, a theatre and music hall in Leicester Square deprived of its license in 1870 for presenting the ‘Can-Can’, too racy for Victorian sensitivities.

When it opened in 1854 The Alhambra Theatre hosted one of the few bars to accept women without the escort of a man. Once described as the “greatest place of infamy in all London”, it had a reputation for banging nights out.

The leading ladies of the stage would descend underground after their performance, declaring, “Come, won’t you bring me my liquor?”. They would flirt, eat oysters, drink champagne and make eligible acquaintances.

Lost in a fire in 1882, the site was rebuilt but said to be cursed by housing such debauchery and eventually demolished in 1936 to become the Odeon Theatre.[1]

The snippets of social history and private lives lie juxtaposed with prices of ‘New York Pippins’, ‘Duke of Wellington’s’, ‘Naples Lemons’ and broccoli. The names, Senior Garcia, Knill, White, Keeling and Bulman. ‘Five baskets of tomatoes’ and Fyffes who were ‘sending bananas tonight that are scarce and dear’ to arrive in Newcastle before breakfast.

Picture Accounts for Flowers Hotel in Southampton and Gardners Hotel in Guernsey 1898

Accounts for Flowers Hotel in Southampton and Gardners Hotel in Guernsey 1898. Private Collection

Hotel bills provide further evidence of James Hewitt’s travels. Tea, aerated water and lemonade suggest an abstemious lifestyle. Or, perhaps not wanting to pay London prices, he travelled with supplies tucked away in his luggage. The telegrams portray an efficient businessman who bestowed a good deal of love and a great many kisses on his family from a distance.

Picture James Hewitt's red leather accounts book showing entries from Nov & Dec 1879.

James Hewitt's red leather accounts book showing entries from Nov & Dec 1879. Private Collection

His little red pocketbook from the 1870s records the trading with growers and wholesalers. Vegetables, fruit and flowers sourced from around the world were shipped into Newcastle by steamship and train. The cashbook from the 1880s reflects the changing face of logistics. Rent for stabling, clipping of horses and straw where there would be garaging, servicing and fuel for vehicles today.

Picture Purchase ledger for November 1877

Purchase ledger for November 1877. Private Collection

World War I

Time passed and the ‘bairns’ joined the business. Then, in 1914, trade and associated transport were disrupted by War. Young men sent to the front, the losses, sometimes personal, of those who did not return were felt keenly at home.

Picture Employees names and addresses circa 1917

Employees names and addresses circa 1917. Private Collection

Names, addresses and ages of those who remained, listed and posted in clear public view by order of the government. The human side of the business on display.

Picture Correspondence from British Consulate and Foreign Trade Dept 1916

Correspondence from British Consulate and Foreign Trade Dept 1916. Private Collection.

Trading restrictions enforced and friends mistakenly caught betwixt jealous informers and zealous bureaucracy. The folders of letters tell of loyalties and friendships forged during this period that lasted generations. Shortages and salvage incentives reflect the hardships and the horrors of war. The public urged to cut back; nothing was to be wasted. Even fruit stones were salvaged to combat poison gas at the front. The poster’s message is strong and clear.

Picture WW1 salvage campaign for fruit stones and nutshells to make charcoal for masks against poison gas.

WW1 salvage campaign for fruit stones and nutshells to make charcoal for masks against poison gas. Private Collection.

A ledger covering the period is yet to give up its secrets. To date, the contents remain hidden behind the security of a brass Brahma lock that has long since lost its key.

The history of buildings and places

The Dispensary, 14 Nelson Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Documents record post-War business expansion and a merger with Connolly Shaw Ltd. The acquisition in 1927 of the Old Dispensary at 14 Nelson Street in the heart of Newcastle’s iconic Grainger Town soon followed. It was a significant purchase of a building with human history at its heart. The history of the Dispensary, however, predates its time at 14 Nelson Street.

The Dispensary was established in April 1777 and funded through subscriptions, gifts and legacies. Its first site was in The Side but in 1782 or 1783 it moved to Pilgrim Street where it remained until 1790. For the next fifty years, the Trustees leased a building in Low Friar Chare. At the expiry of the lease, the Dispensary moved to 14 Nelson Street, where it remained until 1928. Its final move was to 115 New Bridge Street which was still its home when it finally closed in 1976.[2]

Picture Offer letter fort the purchase of the Dispensary, 14 Nelson Street, Newcastle in 1927.

Offer letter for the purchase of the Dispensary, 14 Nelson Street, Newcastle in 1927. Photographs Commons Media, Newcastle Libraries & Creative Commons, Geograph.org Letter private collection.

During the fifty years the Dispensary was located on Nelson Street, in ministering to the City's sick, it touched the lives of thousands of individuals. It witnessed the Cholera epidemic of 1853 and lost one of its own a decade later. Dr William Thomas Carr MRSA contracted a fever ‘in the course of his arduous and dangerous duties as a medical officer of the Dispensary’ and died on November 29th 1863.

Today, all that remains of the building purpose-built to house the Dispensary in 1836, is the façade. It provides an elegant frontage to the Eldon Shopping Centre behind.

The Fruit Exchange, Spitalfields, London

In 1929 Connolly Shaw Ltd was among the six founding members of the London Fruit Exchange in Spitalfields, London.

Opening in 1929, when the volume of imported produce coming through the docks more than doubled in the ten years after the First World War, the mighty Fruit & Wool Exchange in Spitalfields was created to maintain London’s pre-eminence as a global distribution centre. The classical stone facade, closely resembling the design of Nicholas Hawksmoor’s Christ Church nearby, established it as a temple dedicated to fresh produce as fruits that were once unfamiliar, and fruits that were out of season, became available for the first time to the British people.[3]

The exchange closed for business in 1991 and the building has been the subject of redevelopment in recent years. Its distinctive frontage at 1 - 10 Brushfield Street has, however, been retained.

Another World War

Selection of Air Mail & letters from Spain during WW2 bearing Censor stamps. Private Collection.

The expansion of the 20s was followed by the global depression of the 1930s. But there is little evidence retained from the latter period in the Black Box. Before heading towards, the next collection of documents bears testimony to the disruption of WW2. Letters from Spain with the stamps of Franco, Forces Airmail from the Egyptian desert, both franked by the Censor are filed alongside an unusual Red Cross Telegram.

Picture Red Cross Telegram from Holland dated 1944.

Red Cross Telegram from Holland dated 1944. Private Collection.

A telegram from Buenos Airies reading ‘Cordially with you on Victory Day’ and a newspaper cutting of rebuilding at Hull rounds off the second period of global conflict. There is also quantity of documents relating to the relocation of premises, markets and re-development of Newcastle City Centre and a mountain of records that could yield some interesting economic data. But the collection culminates with cards and letters bearing ‘best wishes for a long and happy retirement’. The final piece of correspondence is dated 25th June 1974. It is my grandfather’s resignation as Director of the company with effect from the end of the month.

Picture Newspaper cutting showing Connolly Shaw Fruit Market rebuilt after WW2.

Newspaper cutting showing Connolly Shaw Fruit Market rebuilt after WW2. Private Collection.

His black tin box contains 100 years of history of the fruit trade and encompasses three generations of the same family. Skimming through the contents is a vibrant journey alongside interesting people and thought-provoking places. I feel I now know them a bit better for it, but I can’t help the odd pang of nostalgia for a past I never knew!

A wee bit of fun to end

I couldn't help but smile when I found this note dated 2 Feb 1906 regarding a one penny overcharge. A reminder of the old adage, 'take care of the pennies and the pounds take care of themselves'. But as it was kept, it clearly amused my grandfather too!

Picture Note of an overcharge of one penny dated Feb 1906.

Note of an overcharge of one penny dated Feb 1906. Private Collection

Footnotes

[1] The Lost Alhambra, Leicester Square
https://www.thelostalhambra.co.uk/
[2] The National Archives Kew,
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/8e55bb34-bcea-498f-8a47-7f9644c682b1 (Tyne and Wear Archives catalogue is unavailable at the time of writing due to essential maintenance.)
[3] Spitalfields Life ‘So Long, Spitalfields Fruit & Wool Exchange’
https://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/10/11/so-long-spitalfields-fruit-wool-exchange/

Links to further information

The Alhambra

Memoirs of a Metro Girl. The lost Moorish palace of showbiz and sin: The story of Leicester Square’s Alhambra https://memoirsofametrogirl.com/2021/05/05/alhambra-leicester-square-history-victorian-theatre/

Theatres Trust Database, the Alhambra
ttps://database.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/theatres/show/3263-alhambra-theatre-london

Cinema Treasures, The Alhambra
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/30493

The Old Dispensary & Newcastle’s Grainger Town

Historic England, 14 Nelson Street
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1024812?section=official-listing

English Heritage, Newcastle's Grainger Town An Urban Renaissance, London, 2003. (84 page pdf downloadable publication about the history of Grainger Town and recent conservation project.)
https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/newcastles-grainger-town/newcastles-grainger-town/

The London Fruit and Wool Exchange

Spitalfields Life, At The Fruit & Wool Exchange, 1937
https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020/01/11/at-the-fruit-wool-exchange-1937-x/ (Some wonderful articles on this website!)

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Was Christmas Crackers? Religious reforms and repeals on both sides of the Border

30/12/2021

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Decorative box lid for Tom Smith's Christmas Crackers from 1911 Unknown artist in 1911, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Religious Reform in Seventeenth Century England

As Christmas and New Year festivities for some have been curtailed for the second year in a row my thoughts drifted to the time of the seventeenth century when celebrating Christmas was outlawed in 1643. The period 1638 to 1660 was a turbulent time of Civil Wars that

…witnessed the trial and execution of a king, the formation of a republic in England, a theocracy in Scotland and the subjugation of Ireland. [1]

It was also a time of religious reforms that sought to create further distance from the Roman Catholic Church. The traditional festivities associated with the 12 days of Christmas fell out of favour as the Protestant faith replaced Catholicism on both sides of the Border. The trappings that accompanied certain religious feast days particularly Christmas were deemed unbiblical, ‘popish’ and ‘a time of wasteful and immoral behaviour’. The Puritan Parliament in England passed an ordinance on 19th December 1643

… encouraging subjects to treat the mid-winter period 'with the more solemn humiliation because it may call to remembrance our sins, and the sins of our forefathers, who have turned this feast, pretending the memory of Christ, into an extreme forgetfulness of him, by giving liberty to carnal and sensual delights'.[2]

The festive period is steeped in traditions drawn or adapted from bygone eras reaching back deep into prehistory.

The origins of Christmas stretch back thousands of years to prehistoric celebrations around the midwinter solstice. And many of the traditions we cherish today have been shaped by centuries of changing beliefs, politics, technology, taste and commerce.[3]

'Lord of Misrule' & the Christmas Cracker

Some traditions are highly symbolic, but one is downright bonkers! Have you ever wondered why, after a delicious meal washed down with a goodly amount of Christmas ‘spirit’, we pull crackers, wear paper crowns and tell appalling jokes? Well, crackers also owe their origins to ages past and the tradition of ‘Misrule’, itself based on the Roman Feast of Saturnalia.

Christian Wilhelm Allers, 1888. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Particularly popular in the time of the Medieval Manor and Tudor Courts, the ‘Lord of Misrule’ (in Scotland the ‘Abbot of Unreason’) was appointed from the surfs or peasantry to preside over Christmas festivities. His ‘rule’ turned the usual social order on its head so that fools became Lords or Kings and vice versa. It involved colourful pageantry, drunkenness and associated revelry but its popularity began to wane during the protestant reign of Elizabeth I. The rise of the Puritan movement in the seventeenth century saw Misrule abolished altogether along with other Christmas activities such as dancing, drinking, non-religious plays and singing carols.

Even after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 when Christmas festivities re-emerged, the ‘Lord of Misrule’, deemed too disruptive, remained banned. It was soon forgotten altogether until it re-emerged in the guise of a cardboard tube with a ‘banger’ invented by Tom Smith in 1847. Over the years the contents of the cracker have changed from sweets and trinkets to include the terrible jokes and paper crowns we know today as a nostalgic salute to the ‘Lord of Misrule’.

The Scottish Ban on Christmas

When it comes to banning Christmas, however, Scotland has an 80-year head start. Although the English Reformation began in circa 1527 with Henry VIII’s break from Rome, the religious reforms of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland were more far-reaching. The first meeting of the General Assembly, the supreme court of the Church of Scotland was held in 1560. Some vestiges of the old Christmas traditions survived, for a short time at least, as records of the Palace of Holyrood bear witness.

In the Christmas of either 1563 or 1564, Mary, Queen of Scots (r. 1561-1567) held a ball at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where she and her guests celebrated the ‘Feast of the Bean’. The ritual began at the start of the Christmas period and involved hiding a bean in a cake: the person to find it would be crowned ‘King/Queen of the Bean’. In this year, Mary Fleming, who was one of the Queen’s ladies, found the bean and was dressed in the Queen’s clothes as a prize.[4]

A formal outright ban, however, was lurking on the horizon.

In 1575 the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland abolished ‘all days that hereto have been kept holy except the Sabbath day, such as Yule day, saints’ days and such others’. Nevertheless, Scots continued to celebrate Hogmanay. Changes in church government meant that in 1640 and again in 1690 Parliament abolished the ‘Yule Vacance’ observed by the courts. The 1640 Act stated:

“….the Kirk within this kingdom is now purged of all superstitious observations of dates…thairfor the Saudis estates have discharged and simply dischairges the foirsaid Yule vacance and all observation thairof in tymecoming”

TRANSLATION
“…the Kirk within this kingdom is now purged of all superstitious observation of days…therefore the said estates have discharged and simply discharge the foresaid Yule vacation and all observation thereof in time coming”[5]

Link to
Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707 (www.rps.ac.uk)

'Peasants Celebrating Twelfth Night' (1635). David Teniers the Younger 1610 - 1690, Flemish. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Reforms Repealed

In other words, ‘The Christmas holiday and associated festivities are cancelled for the foreseeable future.’ So, it would seem the Puritan Parliament of 1643 was playing catch-up with its neighbours north of the Border. The Restoration in 1660 saw the ban on Christmas overturned in England, but Scotland did not follow suit. ‘While part of each act was repealed in 1686 and 1712 respectively, the Church of Scotland continued to discourage ‘Yule’ celebrations.’ Although Christmas became a Bank Holiday in Scotland under Lubbock’s Bank Holiday Act of 1871, shops and businesses were under no obligation to close. Here, Hogmanay continued to be the focus of mid-winter festivities. Christmas remained suppressed by the Church until the pressure of commercialism and economics prevailed in the period post-WWII. The unravelling of Scotland’s Christmas story continues in the NRS Blog of 2018.

The period of administration following the execution of the King in 1649 was the first attempt at uniting the nations of England, Scotland and Ireland under one government and creating a tolerant national protestant church. The Civil Wars and associated hostilities were a bloody time that witnessed a huge loss of life – estimated to have been as much as 7% of the population. The National Archives online learning resources contain interesting documents from the period (including the female perspective) and the BCW Project is an essential guide for anyone interested in the prominent people, places and politics during this fascinating period in history. For a glimpse at daily life of ordinary folk in the seventeenth century, ‘Sex, Lice and Chamber Pots in Pepys' London’ on the BBC History website provides a light-hearted look! For a longer and more absorbing post-Christmas read, the historical novel ‘An Instance of the Fingerpost’ by Iain Pears, comes highly recommended! Although fictitious, set in Oxford in 1663 and after the Restoration, many of the characters are actual historical figures and the preceding Cromwellian period is never far away.

Extract from the cover of 'The Lord of Misrule'. A Poem by Alfred Noyes

End Notes

[1] BCW Project, British Civil Wars, Commonwealth & Protectorate 1638 – 1660 http://bcw-project.org/
[2] Historic England, Did Oliver Cromwell really ban Christmas?
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/what-is-designation/heritage-highlights/did-oliver-cromwell-really-ban-christmas/
[3] English Heritage takes a tour of ‘Christmas’ through the ages starting 5000 years ago with the Neolithic
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/christmas/the-history-of-christmas/
[4] Christmas at the Palace of Holyroodhouse
https://www.royal.uk/christmas-palace-holyroodhouse
[5] National Records of Scotland, Christmas Banned in Scotland
https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2018/12/10/christmas-banned-in-scotland/

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The Trotter Family of Sprouston - Errors found online & busting tricky inter-family relationships.

24/11/2021

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Part One

Last week I received the news that 'George' is being prepared for his journey north so to make ready for a homecoming. 'George' is the affectionate term used for a portrait of George Smith of Horncliffe Loanend near Norham who died in 1860. (My paternal 3rd great-grandfather.) The painting has passed through the safekeeping of several family members in the south of England and is about to return to Tweedside from South Wales for his next stint. George has certainly seen a bit of the country in the 80 years or so since he has been away!

Portrait of George Smith of Loanend 1774 - 1860.

A 'Reynolds' it most certainly is not, but as a piece of family memorabilia, it is equally as precious. (Although I fear he may scare small children!) In later life, he had problems with his eyes, purchased his meat by length rather than weight, and banged his walking stick on the floor when his grandchildren made too much noise or as a signal it was time to leave.

His imminent return reminds me that I still have not set the 'records' straight regarding his wife's family, the Trotters of Kerchesters Farm, Sprouston. Many members of this extended family are incorrectly aligned in online family trees. It is not surprising given the numerous cousin marriages and unions between inter-connected families. The complex connections are further confused as the various children settled away from Borders. As they spread their wings, their respective enterprises farming and otherwise, covered a wide geographical area with pockets in West Lothian, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews and beyond.

The complexity of the relationships is one reason for my procrastination. It has been on my 'to-do' list since my blog about the South African branch of the family, published in December 2013. Another, is the tricky issue of dealing with online errors. Despite polite messages to tree owners some mistakes remain, are copied by others, and the cycle of misinformation continues.

Errors in public online trees.

'Why bother?' and 'so what?' I hear you ask. With DNA increasingly used to verify familial relationships and discover new ancestors, it is more important than ever that mistakes and incorrect family alignments in trees are kept to a minimum. Ancestry draws its hints and proposed pathways between matches from the trees in its database. If enough connected testers have the same incorrect ancestors in their tree, it will deliver a false positive pathway. This is why it is so important that errors are corrected where possible and theoretical relationships and research trees remain private.

Now, eight years later and somewhat overdue, here is the start of what is known, drawn from a variety of sources that remain in the family's possession. In future, anyone searching online for the history of the Trotters of Sprouston will hopefully find these posts helpful in their research and further misinformation will be avoided.

Research Evidence

Our Trotter connections were first researched by George Aynsley-Smith. Although I do not have his files to hand (they are safely elsewhere), I do have a copy of the family tree drafted by him in 1938 on which he states:

'The particulars in this pedigree have been provided by documents in the possession of the Cargey family [cousins], Church Registers & Monumental Inscriptions.' G Aynsley – Smith. 8.9.1938

He further adds:

'The family is extinct in the male line unless George Trotter in Natal left issue'

But is this statement correct? Although I believe it may be correct for the extent of the pedigree recorded to date, I have recently uncovered clues that make me wonder if another connection may have been missed. Knowing the vigour of George's research, however, makes me thoroughly examine any conflicting evidence. Wherever possible, I have also verified the information in his family tree. Whilst family entries in the Sprouston parish registers can be patchy, they have left a plethora of other documents and Wills verifying many relationships.

A top tip here is to pay attention to the inventories to Wills not just the bequests, as family members sneak in here too. Loans to raise capital or provide help in times of need are not uncommon.

Extract from the Will of Professor Dr John Trotter 1746 - 1811

A collection of old family letters and paperwork connected to the administration of legacies that provide interesting insights into the times in which they lived, as well as proving relationships. Revisiting old documents invariably throws up new clues, and where there is an element of doubt, it is clearly stated. I have also divided the pedigree into sections as the family is complex and the associated research lengthy. The following constitutes 'Part One' and looks at the generation and immediate family connections of Christian Trotter, the wife of George Smith.

Trotters of Kerchesters

Kerchesters Farm at Sprouston forms part of the Roxburgh Estate and it is not known exactly when the family entered into the tenancy. I am inclined to believe it was at some point after the death of a Robert Young in 1719.

A notice in a Perthshire newspaper dated 7th November 1838 suggests the Trotters may have been amongst the Estate's oldest tenants and in possession of the farm for approaching 300 years. If true (which seems unlikely), their occupation dates from circa 1538, 25 years following the Battle of Flodden. It would be interesting to know where the author of the snippet in Kelso Mail obtained the following information.

Image courtesy of British Newspaper Archive, Perthshire Constitutional & Journal, 7 November 1838.

Furthermore, if the Trotter family were in occupation from as early as the sixteenth century, their presence remains well hidden. Although there are obvious gaps, the Parish Registers date from 1635, where there is not a squeak until 1725. There is the odd exception, such as a marriage between Christie Davidson and Christian Trotter on the 17th December 1640. But no familial connection to these oddities has yet been established. Nor is the family mentioned in the early Session Minutes (from 1650, but with gaps), I have had time to read.

Top Tip – check the availability of parish registers and other dissenting records. It is pointless looking for a baptism or marriage if a) they do not exist or b) the event was unrecorded in the first place. Trust me, in this case you will never find the record. But the necessary evidence may be contained in other documentation relating to the family.

The first mention and record of the current family that can be confidently placed in the tree is a baptism of another Christian Trotter in 1725. From this point forward the name appears regularly until the middle of the nineteenth century. The absence of any death records does not help, especially as there are notable absences of known family members amongst the parish baptisms.[1] The monumental inscriptions for Sprouston and elsewhere, however, plug the gaps in part.

Christian Trotter 1773 - 1742

Christian Trotter is a paternal 3rd great-grandmother to me. She was born to parents George Trotter and Agnes Turner and baptised at Sprouston on 17th July 1773.[2] (Five of the 13 pre-1855 baptism records for individuals named Christian Trotter in Roxburghshire are recorded at Sprouston.) Christian married George Smith at Kerchesters in 1800, although there is no record in the Parish Registers. It is said that 'After their marriage, the bride and groom rode tandem to their new home at Loanend' where she lived until her death on 15th September 1842. She died of 'english cholera' graphically recounted as events unfolded in a letter between her sibling daughters Agnes and Jane. Agnes and another sister Phyllis contracted the illness while visiting the Trotter family at Cheswick. Mrs (Margaret) Trotter was an aunt by blood and by marriage, of which more presently.

Christian Trotter and her siblings known to have lived until adulthood.

Christian was one of nine children born to George Trotter and Agnes Turner and one of five who survived until adulthood. There were three boys: John, James and Ninian and two girls, herself, and sister Janet. Christian was the second child of the name, as was her brother Ninian evidencing previous children who died in infancy. It also suggests the names had family significance.

Other known children include Robert, baptised in 1767, and George. There is no further record of Robert Trotter and no mention of George Trotter junior except for a mention on his parent's headstone. It is thought they too died as youngsters, although the absence of Robert's name on the family headstone prompts caution.

'In memory of GEORGE Trotter tenant in Kerchesters who died 21.5.1811 aged 76 years also his spouse Agnes Turner died 20.8.1805 aged 65 years, also Christian, George and Ninian their children also their son James late tenant in Kerchesters died 31.5.1829 aged 63.'

Thus, Christian Trotter was NOT

born in Jedburgh in 1775
the daughter of Alexander Trotter and Margaret Scougal

Alert – the remainder of this article carries a serious boredom warning – unless you are connected to the Trotter Family of Sprouston it may be of limited interest.

James Trotter of Kerchesters c.1698 – 1770.

Before looking at Christian's siblings and the complex interfamily relations, a quick note. Her grandfather, James Trotter, was married twice. His first wife was Janet Young, a relative of Robert Young of Kerchesters. Janet, who died in 1741, was the mother of at least five children including Christian born circa 1725, (mentioned above), and Christian junior's father George born in 1736. James' second wife was Jane Hood. Jane was the mother of a further seven known children including James junior born circa 1750. Again, his baptism is not in the register. The other children of both marriages are not discussed here, but knowing how Christian, George and James are related is key to understanding the following sections.

Top Tip – Before the introduction of statutory registration in Scotland in 1855, it was not compulsory to record birth marriage or death events in the parish registers. At times, there was even a charge as this extract from the Sprouston Kirk Session Minutes (Burials) for 1784 demonstrates.

Courtesy of Scotland's People. Kirk Session Minutes, Sprouston, Burials (1784 - 1787) CH2/334/2

Siblings of Christian Smith nee Trotter

John Trotter 1763 - 1845

Christian’s brother John commonly appears out of context. The eldest of the family, he was baptised at Sprouston, the 10th March 1763.

He married his first cousin Christian Richardson, at date and place unknown. Christian Richardson was the daughter of Christian Trotter and her husband Henry Richardson. The couple's only child, George, was baptised at Warenford, Northumberland, by the Rev Mr Nichol in September 1796.

Direct Ancestors of John Trotter of Stacks 1763 - 1845

For a large part of his adult life (after 1798 but before 1811), John Trotter farmed at Stacks in West Lothian. In 1841, aged 75, he was still farming at Stacks with his son George, George's wife Grace nee Young and four of their children, including a grandson, John. Graces' sister, Margaret Young, and John's sister-in-law, Isabella Richardson aged 85 were also living with the family.

George, Grace and family, together with Margaret Young emigrated to KwaZulu Natal. They feature in my post of Dec 2013.

John Trotter died at Stacks on the 6 April 1845 and is buried in the new churchyard at Carriden. He is described as a farmer and elder in his burial record.[3] The date and burial place of his wife Christian is not known.

Letter from John Trotter of Stacks concerning the administration of his late brother's Will.

Thus, John Trotter born Sprouston 1763:

was NOT married to Margaret Clarke
was NOT married to Martha Pawnaby
did NOT die at Melrose in 1809

HIs son George Trotter

was NOT born in Carriden in 1801
his mother was NOT Jean Whitly
his father John was NOT born in Westruther

James Trotter 1765 - 1829

James was the second eldest child. He was born in Sprouston around 1765, but his baptism is unrecorded. He married a half first cousin, Margaret Trotter, on the 12th December 1812 at Abercorn, West Lothian. Margaret was the daughter of his father's half-brother, James Trotter and his wife Marion Cunningham.[4] James Trotter senior farmed at Newton, Abercorn just a couple of miles to the east of Stacks in West Lothian.

On the death of his father in 1811, James junior took over the tenancy of Kerchesters. The couple's first child, a son named George, was baptised at Sprouston in 1813. Five further children followed.

Tip - Note the traditional naming pattern.

1st son George for the paternal grandfather
1st daughter Marion for maternal grandmother
2nd son James for maternal grandfather
2nd daughter Agnes for paternal grandmother

James died at Kerchesters on 21 May 1829. He left an extensive Will in which he made provision for the farming tenancy to continue in Trust for his eldest son George, 'should he show an inclination to be a farmer'.

George was 16 at the time of his father's death. The trustees were good to their word and continued farming operations until 1838 when their occupation of Kerchesters ended. In 1839, John Clay began his tenancy of Kerchesters.

Soon after, son George, aged 25, went to live with his maternal uncle John Trotter at Oatridge Farm, Ecclesmachan, (now an agricultural college opposite the Scottish National Equestrian Centre). He is recorded as a 'fund holder' in the 1851 and 1861 census. John Trotter was brother to his mother Margaret Trotter and a half-cousin to Christian, the wife of George Smith. He married George Smith's niece, Sarah Smith, at Norham in December 1834. A further connection between the two families.

George died at Rosshill House, Dalmeny on the 3rd October 1867, the home of his mother and siblings, rented from the Earl of Rosebery on the Rosebery Estate at Dalmeny

James and Margaret's daughter Agnes married a land agent named George Cargey at Dalmeny on the 20th December 1853. George Cargey was the son of Gilbert Cargey and Elizabeth Aitchison born at Ancroft, Northumberland in 1814. George Cargey and Agnes Trotter had two children that top a branch of Trotter descendants still living today. It is the records in their possession that G.A.S consulted when compiling the 1930s edition of the family tree.

Agnes was the only child of James and Margaret Trotter who married. Christian, the youngest child, was the last to pass away in 1900 at her home in Craigmillar Park, also called Rosshill. The lists of creditors taken from the inventory attached to her sister Marion's Will proved in 1885 provides a glimpse into the lives of the two spinster sisters.[5]

James Trotter is one of the few family members not to be misaligned, however, few have made the familial connection between the two families. The same is not true for his wife Margaret Trotter and his son John:

Margaret was NOT married to William Trotter
Their son John did NOT marry
NB – the Find a Grave family interpretation is also incorrect in places.

Ninian Trotter 1777 - 1832

Ninian Trotter was baptised at Sprouston on the 9th November 1777. He was the Minister at Sprouston from 1809 until his death during the Cholera epidemic of 1832. He died unmarried. Amongst other small loans listed in the inventory attached to his Will owed by known family members is a reference to a Bond and Disposition for £150 owing from a John and Elizabeth Trotter in Kelso. Their potential connection will appear in a separate post.

Janet Trotter 1784 - 1862

Christian's youngest sibling was her sister Janet, baptised at Sprouston on the 3rd March 1784.
Janet also married a half first cousin, James Trotter, at Abercorn on the 23rd March 1817. James Trotter was another son of James Trotter and Marion Cunningham. He was brother to both John Trotter, farmer at Oatridge, and Margaret Trotter, wife of James Trotter of Kerchesters. He also farmed in West Lothian at Westfield, Newton, near Abercorn. By 1851 James had retired from farming, and he and Janet were living at East Linton, Prestonkirk, where Janet died on the 28th May 1862.

Janet and James Trotter had four known children. Their sons George and John traded as a General Dealer and Druggist in Main Street, East Linton until their respective deaths in 1859 and 1880. Of younger brother James, there is no trace after the 1841 census.

Again, only one of the four children married. Their daughter, also named Agnes, married Dr John Crallan Hislop M.D. at Abercorn in 1835.

Between the years 1838 and 1861, Agnes and John had a small army of children. Henry Hislop, born in 1856, was their 12th child of 15. (Their 10th child, a daughter named Esther, married Adam Sibbett of Greenses House son of John Sibbett and Mary Ann Smith – another connection with the Smith family).

Janet Trotter is another of Christian's siblings married off in online trees to the wrong people!

She was NOT married to Robert Paton
She was NOT married to James Tully

Conclusion

I appreciate this blog may have limited appeal to many of my regular readers beyond those with connections to the Trotter family. It does, however, highlight some important points re errors in public online trees. It is good practice to adopt a couple of basic principles to guard against the spread of misinformation:

If unsure a relationship is correct either mark it as such or don't add it to your online tree until the connection is verified.
Keep your research trees private. This way no one can copy your information and the virus of potential misinformation remains contained.

[1] Extracted from National Registers of Scotland, List of Old Parish Registers for Peebles Roxburghshire and Selkirk, Downloadable PDF
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//research/list-of-oprs/list-of-oprs-758-811.pdf
[2] There are two marriages in the Sprouston register for the marriage of George Trotter and Agnes Turner. The first was on 21st May 1762 and the second the 1st October 1773. They are believed to be the same people.
[3] Carriden Parish Burials Pre 1855, Central Scotland Family History Society, July 2004.
[4] James Trotter wrote on land improvement in West Lothian which appeared in The Scots Magazine - Tuesday 1st October 1811. Available as a free eBook from Google Books from page 767.
[5] Scotland's People, 1885 Trotter, Marion (Wills and testaments Reference SC41/53/14, Linlithgow Sheriff Court)

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Ancestors in Agriculture? Sources to find their amazing lost voices.

27/10/2021

1 Comment

January 1 [1833]
'Here my friends, we are just entered again upon another New Year!!!
Struggling against debts, taxes, tithes and feudal impositions, these are trying things.'

The above extract dated 1st January 1833, is the opening line from the diary of William Brewis, a farmer of Throphill Hall Farm, Mitford. It covers 17 years from 1833 until his death in 1850. It reflects upon the concerns, economic and political of the time that faced farmers in rural Northumberland and beyond.

Making Hay at Longhoughton circa 1920s.

There is much to learn about rural life of the period from diaries such as these which provide vital social commentary. And it was not all doom and gloom! There are family celebrations, fairs, festivals and other occasions of social and sporting events. William's political persuasion and his views on local, national and even international matters are never in doubt. Despite being his personal account, it is packed full of other people. He even had plenty to say about some of my own ancestors who happened to be his relatives too!

This month's blog addresses a point raised amongst the fantastic feedback to 'Eight Easy Ways to create compelling Ancestral Life Stories'. Most ancestors will not have left diaries, letters, or had books written about them so how is it possible to learn more of their journeys?

Voices from the past are everywhere, often hidden in plain sight. It's a case of knowing where to look and thinking 'outside the box'. They appear in books, old documents, newspapers, oral recordings, and in other people's diaries such as Williams. Farmers aside, a large percentage of the population was employed in agriculture as Hinds, Shepherds and Labourers. Huge numbers of people lived a transient life as they moved from farm to farm, often on an annual basis.

Among the hinds* there are not many to be found who were born in the parish where they are at present employed; and very few are there who drew their first breath in the cottage which is now assigned to them, or even on the property which they enrich by the sweat of their brow. They are hired, for the most part, from year to year, on an agreement which binds them to their employer for twelve months, beginning and ending about Whitsuntide ...

* The hind is an agricultural servant, whose engagement generally lasts for a year, and for whom a cottage is provided by his employer during the period for which he is hired. He is bound to find a woman to perform fieldwork.[1]

Female Farm Worker at Longhoughton 1920s

This provision of a female outworker as part of the Hind's 'Bond' or employment contract was peculiar to Northumberland, the eastern Scottish Borders and the Lothians. Author Dinah Iredale's guest blog of February 2014, provides an excellent overview of this practice. Her book 'Bondagers: The History of Women Farmworkers in Northumberland and South East Scotland' is an excellent source of information and references. Many of the quotations within this blog come from within its pages. Particularly the chapters covering Flitting, Hirings and workers' accommodation.

The 'Flitting'

Before the Flitting and Hiring, came the 'Speaking', where the farmer and hinds would discuss a potential extension of his contract for another year. The Hind was under no obligation to accept an offer and had the right to move and find another situation.

'Flitting Day' in Northumberland was the 12th May. (In the Scottish Borders and Lothians it was the 26th May which sometimes caused logistical issues.) Although referred to as 'The May' it bore no resemblance to festivities held elsewhere. Hastings Neville in 1909 recalls the scene as '… roads morning to evening thronged with carts piled high with the furniture and bedding of a large proportion of our population.' He further recalls ' the furniture in one cart piled to a dangerous height, with the grandfather clock lying lengthwise and risking its life on the top. In the second cart are the women and children seated on the bedding, caring for the caged canary and the cherished pelargonium which grew at the cottage window…'[2]

There are mixed accounts over the 'flitting'. Some look back with affectionate nostalgia at what must have been quite an upheaval to undertake every year.

'Well, there were usually three carts. Oo got a' the furniture on the three carts. Usually, the third yin wis what they ca'ed a short cart, that was a sma' yin. And the mother usually went in the wi' the youngest bairns and the cat, if ye had yin, or the pig in a bag. It would lie squealin in the straw.' [3]

Photo courtesy of Northumberland Communities: Farm workers, or hinds, with their families and horses and carts at the Lamb Inn at Ancroft on "Flitting" day circa 1880. https://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/005380.htm

Another lady recalls 'the cat would be the first thing to be 'packed' on flittin morning, in case it disappeared during the flurry'.[4]

The 'flit' was so ingrained in some that even in old age they persisted with the annual move. One chap of 80 employed at East Bolton in 1910 when asked if he would stay replied, ' I've nivver been ony mair than a year in ony place an' I'm no 'gain tae begin in my old age.'[5] And another, on finally deciding to stay put, asked the farmer 'if he might have a couple of carts for a short time … Just to ta' take the furniture a bit doon the road.'[6]

Others seem relieved to see the back of it.

'I'll tell you what I like best? Not having to flit every year. It was awful, thon flittin'. I remember driving a horse and cart through the square in Kelso with all the furniture and my mother up at the back.'[7]

Older family members living with the next generation were also involved in the 'flit'. There are tales of 'Granny' passing away the previous night, but due to the shortage of time, being bundled in with the furniture to be dealt with on arrival at the other end!

Very often the vacated cottage would receive its new occupants later the same day. Leaving the vacated cottage clean and tidy with coals and kindling ready for the incoming tenants to light a fire seems to have been an unwritten code. That was if the fire grate had not gone on the cart too, as was usual in earlier periods.

Housing

There are many accounts of the accommodation provided for farmworkers, some foul and some fair. It is generally accepted that before the nineteenth-century reforms, the state of housing throughout Northumberland, the Scottish Borders and Lothians was generally poor. Some accounts dating from the twentieth century are not pretty reading either. W.S. Gilly D.D., Vicar of Norham (1831) and Canon of Durham drew attention to the poor conditions of labourers' cottages and campaigned for changes. He refers to the cottages as 'miserable hovels', where 'the walls look as if they will scarcely hold together' and 'the thatch yawning to admit wind and wet'. His book 'The Peasantry of the Border: An Appeal on Their Behalf' contains some useful background information.

In 1805 George Culley and John Bailey noted in a report that they had seen some significant housing improvements. That '…those [buildings] erected of later years are better adapted to the various purposes wanted on extensive farms and improved cultivation…' . Whereas their predecessors were 'very shabby and ill-contrived.'[8] (Those built from the mid-eighteenth century onwards often followed the same pattern of my own home. A long row of stone cottages, (6), of two rooms roughly 5m x 4m with a single door and two windows. There was a separate row of buildings housing the pigsty and the 'netty'.)

An interesting snippet on the state of a vacated cottage appears in Walter White's book 'Northumberland and the Border':

'See an empty cottage before the hind has brought in his lumbering box there's, chairs and table, before he has set up his grate in the empty fireplace, fitted his window to the empty hole in the wall and you will think it's not good enough to be a stable.'[9]

And another quoted from a first-hand account:

‘… about ninety years ago when there were no ovens and no windows; when people shifted they had ti' take their windows and fireplaces with them. No, the houses weren't all alike, the windows were different sizes, and they had to be made right with boards and cow dung.'[10]

Female Farm Worker with cows and calves at Longhoughton circa 1950s

Other commentators note that, 'in the poorest dwellings the division between man and beast was only a low wooden partition. It was reckoned to be beneficial to 'let the coo see the fire'.[11]

This is no isolated comment as there are frequent references to man and beast sharing a roof with little to separate them. When trying to connect with ancestors, it is helpful to list the things they did NOT own or even have access to. By today's standards toilets and running water were non-existent. In the words of Jean Willis of Alnwick in the 1920s and 1930s, 'the water tap [standpipe] served seven families and was a good distance from the house…. The netty was outside and … the wooden seat had two holes, a high one and a low one for a child.' (I remember the old disused 'double seater' outside the farmhouse at Longhoughton, but don't recollect a difference in the height of the seat!) Jean continues, 'The one netty had to serve three families ( about 15 people). It was no use if you were in a hurry and someone else was in. There was no sink to wash your hands after.'[12]

It was not all grey, grim and smelly, though, as when 'put to rights' it was possible to make the cottages into a surprisingly comfortable and colourful home. As noted by the Rev Gilly as he describes the dresser with its 'large blue dishes and plates, some of Staffordshire ware, and other of Delf, intermixed with old china or porcelain tea-pots, cups and saucers…' and a 'handsome clock in the tall case and a chest of drawers'. He also remarks that there are books in most households with family bible taking pride of place. All this once past the cow that greeted him immediately inside the door!

Standards of accommodation mattered, and a Hind was not above asking his prospective employer 'What sort of cottages have you?' before accepting a position.[13] At the Hirings in the late-nineteenth early twentieth century, another man's view was, 'family came first' and that 'a good house was worth £1 a week in the wage.'[14]

Making Hay at Longhoughton circa 1920s

Memories of the 'Hirings'

These were often large gatherings where workers would be well turned out, sometimes wearing an emblem of their trade, such as a tuft of wool, whipcord, or a sprig of hawthorn in their hats. In 1827, Alexander Somerville, hoping to be hired as a Carter, also put a piece of straw in his mouth to show he was looking for a position.

The Hirings were criticised as demeaning for those looking for work. In 1913 the general secretary of the Scottish Farm Servants Union noted '…the farmers went through the men pretty much the same way as they did their cattle.' With another lady remarking that 'my old aunt was a bondager. She said they used to stand on the cobbles at Alnwick and the farmers used to look them up and down as if they were horses.[15]

An extract from the recollections of John Clay of Kerchesters, Sprouston and later Chicago suggests that some farmers also found the Hirings, an uncomfortable experience.

John Clay of Chicago. Account dated circa 1877.

John even found hiring casual labour by the week distasteful

John Clay of Chicago. Account dated circa 1877.

As the Hirings were also an occasion for folk to gather, it was a boom time for irregular marriages and socialising. Others went for this entertainment such as two girls who went to the hirings 'for sport'. 'The girls go the hirings and like it. They wear their best clothes and their white veils and bonnets. They often look a lump better than the gentry, for they look fresher like.'[16]

There was also the inevitable element of drunkenness and disorderly behaviour. In 1875 at the March Hirings at Alnwick, Thomas Waite employed by John Smith of Longhoughton became involved in a brawl in which a policeman lost his life. (Later found to have been due to a heart attack rather than the ensuing riot.)

Looking deeper into the lives of agricultural ancestors makes for a fascinating study. Uprooting family and belongings, sometimes on an annual basis may sound unsettling by modern standards. But voices from the past often speak fondly of the event. The crowded cottage with little privacy, no 'facilities' and a cow in the back room is beyond the comprehension of today's demands of at least one toilet per resident backside. But the past often tells of a warmth, colour and family unity absent in the present. Far from lost or even unrecorded, numerous sources contain the voices of rural men and women from the past. It is perhaps a case of tuning the modern ear to the correct frequency so they can be heard.

Stacking bales at Longhoughton circa early 1950s. Spot the ever present family pet!

Footnotes

[1] W. S Gilly D.D. 'The Peasantry of the Border: An Appeal on Their Behalf' 2nd Edition, London, 1842
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/_/NexK1GL4XWAC?hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUo-eX6efzAhUllIsKHUMUB1MQ7_IDegQIBxAD
[2] Rev. Hastings M Neville, ‘A Corner in the North: Yesterday and Today with Border Folk’, 1909
[3] Ian MacDougall, Bondagers. Eight Scots Women Farm Workers,
Tuckwell Press, 2000. Mary King b. 1905 describing a flitting circa 1916. Cited in Dinah Iredale 'Bondagers'
[4] Barbara W Robertson, 'Family Life: Border Farm Workers in the Early Decades of the Twentieth Century', Scottish Life and Society. The Individual and Community Life, John Donald, Edinburgh, 2005. Cited in Dinah Iredale, 'Bondagers'.
[5] Bolton Parish Description, Scottish Women's Rural Institute, 1974. Cited in Dinah Iredale's 'Bondagers'
[6] Ellingham Women's Institute, Collectanea. Scraps of English Folklore, XI, 1904.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0015587X.1925.9718328
[7] The Scotsman, Wednesday 5 July 1978. Liz Taylor interview with Mary Rutherford formerly of Mellerstain.
[8] John Bailey and George Culley, 'General View of the Agriculture of Northumberland, Cumberland and Westmorland.' 1805. Available through Google Books
https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/General_View_of_the_Agriculture_of_the_C.html?id=A3ZbAAAAQAAJ&redir_esc=y
[9] Walter White, Northumberland and the Border, London, 1859. Available through Archive.org.
https://archive.org/details/northumberlanda00whitgoog/page/n7/mode/2up?view=theater
[10] Rosalie E Bosanquet, 'In the Troublesome Times' 1929. Second-hand copies are readily available to purchase online.
[11] Ian and Kathleen Whyte, 'The Changing Scottish Landscape 1500 – 1800', 1991. Cited in Dinah Iredale 'The Bondagers'.
[12] Dinah Iredale, ‘Bondagers: The History of Women Farmworkers in Northumberland and South East Scotland’ 2nd Edition, Berwick, 2011. p. 105.
[13] Henley, 'Employment of Children, Young Persons and Women in Agriculture' Royal Commission on Labour, HMSO, 1867.
[14] Minnie Bell, School of Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh. Cited by Dinah Iredale.
[15] Katrina Porteous, 'The Bonny Fisher Lad', People's History Series Ltd, 2004. May Douglas, cited in Dinah Iredale's 'Bondagers'.
[16] Arthur Wilson Fox, 'The Agricultural Labourer: Report upon The Poor Law Union of Glendale' (Northumberland), Royal Commission on Labour, HMSO, 1893. Cited in Dinah Iredale’s, 'Bondagers'

Border Ramblings

Part 1. Background

Ancroft Church and links with the Sibbit Family

Ancroft Greenses – Adam Sibbit’s home

Sibbit land Occupation and Ownership at Ancroft

A Bit About Adam

Footnotes & Links

by Richard Holt

Navigating the Records - Royal Marines

Endnotes

Other Useful Guides and Information

The Coroner

Sudden Death & Accidents in Scotland: ​The Police, Procurator Fiscal & Lord Advocate’s Department

Registers of Sudden Deaths

Police records: 'Sudden Deaths, Casualties, and Motor Accidents'

Sheriffs Court: ‘Fatal Accidents Inquiry (Scotland) Act 1895’

Other Links

Children of Eleanor Thompson and William Heslop

William Heslop junior of Overthwarts

Thomas Heslop of Battle Bridge

Conclusion

Links

Step 1. ​William Hogg's Death and Burial

Step 2. William’s Will

Step 3. Establish William’s place of Birth

Step 4. Baptisms of William and Margaret’s Children

Step 5. Other Hogg Connections at Shilbottle

Step 6: Establish the parentage of the two John Hoggs farming at Shilbottle.

6.1 William Hogg’s brother John.

6.2 William Hogg’s cousin John

Step 7. Hogg family connections at Ritton White House.

Step 8. Extract family info from Netherwitton & Hartburn Registers

Step 9. Trace William, John & George of Ritton & Greenleighton.

Step 10. Further Inter-family Connections

Useful Links

Background

Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874

Mary Anne Kitcher

Postscript

Further Reading

“Mother Died Dec 19th 1921.”

'Personals' in Business Records

World War I

The history of buildings and places

The Dispensary, 14 Nelson Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

The Fruit Exchange, Spitalfields, London

Another World War

A wee bit of fun to end

Footnotes

Links to further information

The Alhambra

The Old Dispensary & Newcastle’s Grainger Town

The London Fruit and Wool Exchange

Religious Reform in Seventeenth Century England

'Lord of Misrule' & the Christmas Cracker

The Scottish Ban on Christmas

Reforms Repealed

Further Reading

End Notes

Part One

Errors in public online trees.

Research Evidence

Trotters of Kerchesters

Christian Trotter 1773 - 1742

Alert – the remainder of this article carries a serious boredom warning – unless you are connected to the Trotter Family of Sprouston it may be of limited interest.

James Trotter of Kerchesters c.1698 – 1770.

Siblings of Christian Smith nee Trotter

John Trotter 1763 - 1845

James Trotter 1765 - 1829

Ninian Trotter 1777 - 1832

Janet Trotter 1784 - 1862

Conclusion

The 'Flitting'

Housing

Memories of the 'Hirings'

Footnotes

Other Useful Links

Author

Archives

Categories

Sudden Death & Accidents in Scotland:
The Police, Procurator Fiscal & Lord Advocate’s Department

Step 1. William Hogg's Death and Burial