I am interested in the Crickmore family which appears to have originated in Eastern England, and have done a lot of research on it. I shall attempt to publish the data in this blog as time permits and would be most grateful for any contribution.
Here is one chapter:


The Brick Wall
There is always a Brick Wall: the last known link in the chain of human beings between ourselves and Adam.
Ours, unfortunately, is rather close, positioned at the end of the 18th, beginning of the 19th Century and embodied by John1 Crickmore, a Ship's Carpenter from Colchester.
This has induced us to study the whole constellation of our rare name and its variants in the hope of being able to sew back the fabric of generations finding John1 as the broken link in another family branch. If he is there, lurking amongst one of the many papers which report our research, he has not made himself known.
In this document we shall concentrate upon the descendants of John1.
Since there are several generations and many separate branches to examine, we have divided this work into sections which are dedicated to specific individuals and at the beginning of each we have introduced the relevant fragment of the ftd (family tree diagram). This latter, viewed in conjunction with the global ftd ought to consent easy navigation through the Story.
In an ftd, the parents are placed at the top and the children appear underneath, indented in the text. The salient events such as Baptism (B), death (d), marriage (m) et cetera are indicated by a letter, followed by the date of the event and a reference such as (1.1) for the date chosen. The letter which symbolises the event is usually the first letter of that event such that s stands for St. Catherine's index and so on.
When there are a number of alternative dates from different sources for the same event we have placed only one or two in the ftd for simplicity. If there are two dates, usually they will indicate the maximum time span for that event avoiding where possible those dates which are obviously wrong.
If there are multiple sequential partners, we have indicated to whom the children belong within the composite family by underlining the mother and her biological children in the same fashion.
Male and female names recur endlessly and it often becomes painfully difficult to differentiate between a John and the next. Since we are following the male line of descent, we have added a subscript to the male names which is a progressive number for that name so that we have a John1 and a John2, a William1, William2 and a William3 and so on. In order to do this, we have kept a spreadsheet with progressive numbers against each name. When a new John appears on the scene, a new number is added to the sequence in the spread.
We have received an enormous amount of help from people who have carried out the same sort of research before us but, while immensely grateful for the invaluable information received, in many cases we have been struck by the difficulty with which the data supplied could be checked and by the inaccuracy of the material. This has led to us use a rather punctilious referencing procedure so as to help those who shall use this information to further their own research to proceed speedily and hopefully accurately. The idea being that at times we want to throw a cursory glance at data which have already been extracted, check that they are correct where appropriate and plunge into new and unknown material rather than having to rescan a few dozen fiches because we are not confident that they have all been examined or that a particular record looks suspicious but its exact position within the source has not been given.
Each event is referenced by a superscript combination of numbers in brackets and placed after the event such as for instance (1.1) where in this case 1 indicates we are dealing with a Parish Index (abbreviated to Pr in the text) and 3 that it is the St. Lawrence's Parish. The key to the references is contained in the 'Notes to Text'.
The transcript of the source documents have been appended to this text for reference.
In the case of events of particular interest to us we have also produced a copy of the specific document so that whoever is using it may make up his own mind as to whether that particular letter is an 'e' or an 'o'. Where a copy of the original document is available, this has been indicated by the symbol '☻' which under suitable magnification will appear for what it is: a smiley face!
But enough with all this boring stuff and let us move into the quick of it. Here is John1.
The ftd:
John1 Crickmer(b1776(1.1)/1781(4.1) – bu(1.1)☻1865) m.1806(1.1)☻ Ann Harner(s(7.5)1775/b(1.1)1786– bu(1.1)☻1844)
John2 Crickmore(B(1.1)1807 - )
Mary Ann Crickmore(b(1.1)1809 - )
Henry1 Crickmore(b1811(4.2)/1814(4.1) - )
William1 Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1815 - )
James1 Crickmer(B(1.1)☻1817 - )
Sarah Ann Crickmore(b(7.5)☻1821 - )
Susannah Crickmore(B(1.1)1822 - )
Ann Crickmore(B(1.1)1827 - )
John1 was born sometimes between 1775(1.3) and 1781(4.1). The earlier date is derived from the 1861 Census☻ while the latter from that in 1841☻. We also have two intermediate dates: the one obtained from his burial Pr, which agrees with the St. Catherine's index certificate☻,
of 1776 and the one obtained from the 1851 Census(4.2)☻ of 1778.
In the 1841 Census the dates of birth were rounded off to the nearest 5, 1778 and 1781 are therefore dates very much in agreement with each other since, had John1 been born in 1778, by 1841 his age would have been 62/3 which would have been rounded off to 60 or 65.
He would have been 63 had he been born between the 1st of January and the 6th of June and 62 had he been born after the 6th of June since the Census was taken on the night between the 6th and the 7th of June. If we were to assume that he was born after the 7th of June, then his age at the time of the 1841 Census would have been 62, rounded off to 60 which would produce a year of birth of 1781.
In the 1851 Census, his age is given as 73, that is to say, born on or after the 31st of March 1778 and aged 73.
By the same token, the 1861 Census was held on the night of the 7/8 April which, if we again assume he was born after the 7th of April would give us a year of birth of 1776.
This would produce a window of March the 31st to June the 6th for his birthday and two possible years: either 1776 or 1781.
While the analysis would superficially appear very exact and possibly useful in identifying a John born somewhere else, possibly in Norfolk, it must be remembered that the data collected during the Censi were rarely so precise. Furthermore, at the time of his burial John1's age was given as 89 on the 2nd of July 1865.
If we relate this back to the 6/7th of June (the date of the 1851 Census), prior to this date, in 1865, he would have been 88 or born in
1777(1.1).
We are therefore looking for a John1 Crick* (-mer, -mar and -more) born between 1775(1.3) and 1778(4.1+4.2) possibly some time between the 31st of March and the 6th of June and if we must also take his trade into account, he was a Ship's Carpenter, then, the place of birth could have been by the sea, and in Norfolk. Somehow Gt. Yarmouth springs to mind, an area not yet researched.
The first document relating to John1 is dated the 25th of May 1806; the first Bann(1.1) announcing his future marriage to Ann Harner, affixed in St. Lawrence. Both, John1 and Ann are illiterate and at their first wedding.
Going by his presumed years of birth, John1 must be in his late 20s or possibly early 30s.
The wedding is celebrated on the 24th of July 1806(1.1)☻ and witnesses to it are Henry and Sarah Martin.
Had John1 migrated from Norfolk, he may well have not had any family with him in Colchester and the Martins may have been friends or the bride's relatives.
We have briefly researched Ann but only found an Ann, Baptised(1.2) in St. Leonard on the 29th of January 1786, the daughter of William and Mary Harner and thought we had nailed the woman to the mast but unfortunately, this particular Ann Harner dies an infant, or so we think, on the 7th of April of the same year. It may well be that we are looking at the right couple who, having lost a child, give to the next girl the same name but Colchester and surrounding is a vast area to research and it may be a while before we discover what we are seeking.
John2, their first child, is born on the 25th of May 1807(1.1) and Baptised a month later, on the 21st of June(1.1) while Mary, their daughter, is born on the 12th of February(1.1) and Baptised on the 19th of May 1809(1.1).
Henry1, who appears in the 1841 and 1851 Censi, may or may not be the son of John1. He is aged 27 in the 1841 Census and 40 in the 1851 Census and therefore born between 1811(4.2) and 1814(4.1). While his year of birth fits rather well in the possible sequence of John1's children, we possess no corroborating Prs to substantiate this claim although we do have abundant circumstantial evidence which will be discussed later.
We have the 1841☻(HO 107/334/5 page 31), 1851☻ (HO/107/1782 F. 189 p. 2 Sch. 10) and the 1861☻ (RG 9 1098 F. 60) Census returns for John1.
In 1841 John1 claims to have been born in the County of Essex but possibly merely states to be '...of this Parish...' and, having spent several decades of his life in Essex, he may well be entitled to this claim.
He lives in the Rectory House, we think in Church Hill, aged 60 and his profession is: Farmer.
Present on the night with him were his wife Ann, aged 55, and three of their children: William1, Sarah and Susannah aged respectively 25, 20 and 18. Also resident in the house a Robert Crosby, an Agricultural Labourer who we think is John1's hired help, aged 18. We shall remember that, with the exception of children, ages were rounded off to the nearest five although this rule seems to have been applied rather haphazardly. No profession is given for the offspring.
Two of the children are also confirmed by their Baptismal records: William1 and Susannah Baptised respectively on the 9th of April
1815(1.1) and on the 2nd of June 1822(1.1). In both these Prs, John1's profession is given as Ship's Carpenter.
We have the Baptism Prs for two of the children absent on the night of the census: James1, already married in 1841, and Ann, the baby child in the sequence, Baptised in St. Lawrence on the 18th of May 1817(1.1) and the 7th of October 1827(1.1) respectively. Father is still a Ship's Carpenter.
We know of Sarah because of her presence within the household during the 1841 Census(4.1), but this of course is no proof that she was John1's daughter, born according to the Census around 1821.
In Sarah's case, her St. Catherine's marriage certificate(7.5)☻, probably more accurate than the Census, indicates 1821 as her year of birth and this really fits better in the children's sequence.
Missing daughter Ann (during the 1841 Census(4.1)☻) has been found in the house of Robert Wilkin, in Church Lane and therefore close to her parents' house. Robert Wilkin's profession is given as Fisherman He is of course the husband of Mary Ann, John1's eldest daughter.
Ann may just be staying for the night or, more likely, she may be working there, helping her sister out with the house chores. She is aged 12.
We have also found Census records for the other three children, John2, Hanry1 and James1, all living with their families, not too far away.
By the time of James1' marriage, in 1841, John1's has has become a Farmer so, the change in activity takes place between 1827 and 1841.
In 1851 however, where the question of provenance is more specifically posed in the Census' questions, John1 claims to have been born in Norfolk.
He is living alone on his 41 Acre farm but employs one labourer. He is aged 73 and a widower.
We have searched for John1's presence in the 1861 Census far and wide and have finally found him through the FHS (Family History Society) 1861 Census index. We had hoped to obtain some further clue as to his origins but unfortunately, his place of birth is given as East Donyland.
He is living(4.3)☻ with daughter Sarah Ann Goodwin's family, a widower and an Agricultural Labourer, in St. Giles, Colchester.
He must therefore have disposed of the Rectory House and Glebe Farm and it is rather surprising that aged 86 he should still declare a profession. The fact however that he had left the farm and his subsequent entrance into the Workhouse where he dies shortly thereafter may well indicate that he had already difficulties in coping on his own.
As for Ann Harner, besides her marriage, we have the above mentioned 1841 Census return where she is aged 55, allegedly '...of this Parish...' and the Pr of her burial(1.1)☻ which is dated the 20th of December 1844 where she is aged 58 and therefore presumably born in 1786. Ten years younger than John1.
We have found Ann's St. Catherine's death certificate(7.5)☻ which substantiates what we already knew. She dies on the 14th of December 1844, aged 59 rather than 54, and the Certificate confirms that she is the wife of John1, a Farmer.
The death is reported on the 17th of December 1844 with a gap of 6 days between her death and her burial.
The cause of her death is generic, being given as 'Decline' and the death is reported by a Marths Munelis (a Baltic name?), although the surname is not at all clear, who witnesses the death which takes place in East Donyland, the Peldon district.
John1, as mentioned, dies in 1865.
We have obtained his death Certificate(7.5)☻ in which the exact date of death is given as the 27th of July 1865 at the Union Workhouse, in Bottle End, Stanway. This is of course rather odd since, according to the Prs he is buried the very same day of his death.
As he is in a Workhouse and as the cause of death is given as “...Natural Decay...” we must think that senility, in whichever form, set in and developed over a period of time. Daughter Sarah Ann is eventually unable to cope and John1 ends in the Workhouse.
The person who reports the death is Thomas Cole, also resident at the Workhouse, possibly another inmate, and illiterate at that.
John1's age at the time of his death is 89.
Having established the composition of John1's family, although we do have two curious sequential gaps between Mary Ann and Henry1 and between Susannah and Ann, we have then attempted to ascertain were the Farm was located, in the hope that some sort of document, such as a lease or an outright purchase contract would betray his place of birth.
We have found John1 present in the Register of Voters for North Essex twice: once in 1845 – 46 where the nature of his qualification to justify his inclusion in the Register is '...Freehold House...' and another time in 1851 – 52 with the same justification. In both cases the place of residence is the village of Rowhedge, on the West bank of the river Colne.
We have searched diligently all the records between 1845 and 1864 but with no success.
While he could have left that house any time after 1851, it is odd that there should be no records between 1846 and 1851.
No other Crick* was present either, in the Registers.
Next to John1's entry is one of an Edward DANIELS [no. 2376] who lives in Stodham House, near Petersfield.
The nature of his qualification is "Freehold and Copyhold lands and Cottages" and, as a sort of explanation it lists
Samuel Houldings, J. Crickmore, Collison and others (presumably the tenants of Daniels' properties).
Samuel Houldings is also listed on page 73 with Voter no. 2382. He lives in East Donyland - in Bull Farm - and the reason for his inclusion in the list is "Occupation of land".
The exact text which justifies inclusion is as follows:
"Street, lane or other places in this Parish, and number of house (if any) where the property is situated, or name of the property, and the name of the tenant; or if the qualification consists of a rent-charge, then the name of the owner of the property out of which such rent is issuing, or some of these, and the situation of the property".
It would appear therefore that John1 owed his own house Freehold and that he rented at least part of his working land from Edward Daniels of Petersfield.
We were just becoming comfortable with this notion when we stumbled upon White's History, Gazetteer & Directory of Essex, dated 1848(7.18). Below are two extracts from it of interest to us:
'...The rectory, valued in K.B. at £ 10, and in 1831 at £ 215, has 49 acres of glebe,
which is let with the parsonage house, -a small old building. P. Havens, Esq., is
patron and the Rev. Vicessimus McGie Torriano, of Colchester, is the
incumbent...'.
Of course from the St. Lawrence's Prs we already know of Rev. Torriano McGie of Colchester and it would appear that, while in 1845 – 46 and in 1851 – 52 he disposes of a freehold house, in 1841 he is living in a small old building called Parsonage House, presumably leased from St. Lawrence Church.
This is of course very puzzling!
A further entry in the same White's History, Gazetteer & Directory of Essex informs us that:
'...Farmers
Bloomfield Robert, (& Colchester)
Crickmore John, Glebe Farm
Houlding Samuel
Mustard Mrs L.
Purkins James
Wright John, (and Wivenhoe)...'
It would therefore seem that his farm is also rented from the Church: Glebe Farm '...which is let with the parsonage house...'.
There is a Glebe Farm in East Donyland and we have managed to track down a photo of it taken at an uncertain date. The postcard is kept in the Chelmsford Record Office under the reference 1/Mb 119/ 1/4 (the 1/4 refers to the fact that 4 photos have been preserved together in thick PVC and that our one is the first of the quartet from top left). The text reads:
'Adjoining “Downgate”, village direction beyond the barn the Farm entrance'
If it is the same farm which he is occupying in 1851(4.2), there is a small discrepancy in the acreage: 49 in White's and 41 in the Census.
The St. Lawrence chest may contain the records of the lease of the farm to John1 and these we must attempt to find. The Church Wardens' Accounts for the period 1853 – 1902 are kept in Colchester, original only available, and no earlier records are to be found but some subsequent ones do exist. Although tangential to our period of interest, they may just contain some information.
Research notes:
1 From an ordnance survey map we ought to be able to establish were Glebe Farm and the Rectory House were.
On the East Donyland 1874, 6”in to the mile Ordnance Survey map, 1st ed. Sheet 37☻ we have indicated with a red dot the likely
position of Parsonage House, in Church Hill. The St. Lawrence Church is already a ruin, the fact being confirmed in White's
Gazetteer. No idea of the location of Glebe Farm.
Since there is no Church but we do still have a Parish and the name Torriano recurs often, where were all the Sacraments dispensed?
Is the George's Torriano Methodist Church (Wesleyan) on the Northern outskirts of Rowhedge the place of worship?
2 From the St. Lawrence's Parish chest, details of John1's leases should be obtainable.
Church Wardens' Minutes only available in original from 1853 onward and are kept in Colchester.
3 John1 in 1861 is possibly to be found in the Union Workhouse. See FHS coordinates above.
He is in fact living in Daughter Sarah Ann's house together with her family in St. Giles, Colchester.
4 Trace Ann Harner's family.
From 1730 to 1800 in St. Leonard, there is only the Baptism and death the same year of an Ann Harner. See research notes.
5 Analise St. Catherine's Index for the area (which are the districts?).
6 Obtain certificate of Caroline's birth in Clarckenwell.
7 Research photo archive of Witham for image of shop.
8 Check and copy John1's death Pr.
September Qtr 1865 is the death certificate of John1 which we now have in copy on file.
9 Do any records exist for the Union Workhouse?
See research notes 10/11/07 Chelmsford.
10 Obtain copies of original Censi for the years 1841, 1851 and 1861 if available for John1.
Got them.
The Children of John1 Crickmore
John2 Crickmore
According to the St. Lawrence's Prs, John2 is born on the 25th of May 1807 and Baptised the following month, on the 21st of June.
He follows in his father's footsteps and becomes a carpenter, later in life opening a workshop where he is helped by two of his children.
He marries(1.1)☻ Edna Shales in St. Lawrence on the 6th of March 1830. Witness to the marriage aer his sister Mary Ann Crickmar and Robert Wilkin. Robert is Mary Ann's recent husband and Mary Ann's surname is erroneously recorded as Crickmar, her maiden name.
We have three years for Edna's birth; one derived from her premature death in 1862, aged 59 and therefore born in 1803 and the other three from the 1841, 1851 and 1861Censi of 1806, 1806 and 1805 respectively.
According to the marriage Prs, she resided in Langenhoe, Essex, and we may well find details of her birth there, sometimes between 1800 and 1810.
By 1841, John2's family is well on the way as demonstrated by the 1841 Census below supplied by cc andobtained in copy by us:
☻The 1841 Census
HO107 334/5 Folio no. 8
Church Lane – Parish of East Donyland
East Donyland, Essex
Name
Age
Profession
otp
John2 Crickmore
30
Carpenter
Yes
Edna Crickmore
35
Yes
Henry2 Crickmore
9
Yes
Edna (John4?) Crickmore
7
Yes
Edna Crickmore
5
Yes
Hannah Crickmore
3
Yes
1841 Census return – Family of John2 Crickmore – from cc's Database.
The Edna (John?) uncertainty in the transcript is easily resolved by the original Census☻ document. The second child is John4, born, as attested, inter alias in the 1861 Census, in 1834.
What in fact the 1841 Census does not reveal is the existence of the twins, William2 and John3, Baptised(1.1)☻ on the 1st of November 1830 and buried(1.1) in March of the following year on the 6th and the 13th respectively aged 4 months. We did note at the time that lots of other babies died at about the same time; maybe a particularly cold winter or, more likely, some sort of epidemic.
The couple has a total of nine known children four of whom (two sets of twins) die in infancy. We have already mentioned William2 and John3 and the other pair are Sarah Baldry and Deborah Hance both Baptised(1.1)☻ on the 19th of August 1840. Deborah is buried(1.1)☻ on the 24th of October 1840 and Sarah on the 15th of November(1.1)☻ of the same year, both aged 2 months.
By 1841(4.1) however, John2, who gives his profession as Carpenter, and Edna have four living children: Henry2, John4, Edna and Hannah.
Henry2 is Baptised(1.1)☻ on the 29th of January 1832, John4 on the 1st of December 1833☻, Edna on the 20th of March 1836☻ and Hannah on the 11th of May 1837☻.
Robert1 Samuel, the last child, is Baptised(1.1)☻ on the 16th of October 1842.
We can also establish Edna's year of birth from her marriage record(1.1) in 1854 when she gives her age as 19. And this is confirmed by the St. Catherine's Index(7.5) which indicates 1854.
The structure of this family group would be as follows:
John2 Crickmore(b(1.1)1807 – w(3.5)1870/bu(1.1)☻1870)1m.1830 Edna Shales(1803(1.1)/6(4.3) – bu(1.1)☻1862)
2m.1863(1.1)☻ Mary Ann Bleice widow Dickson( - )
William2 Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1830 – bu(1.1)☻1831)
John3 Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1830 – bu(1.1)☻1831)
Henry2 Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1832 - )
John4 Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1833 - )
Edna Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1836 - ) m.1854(1.1)/(3.5) John Enfield(m(1.1)☻1831 - )
Hannah Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1837 - ) m.?(3.5) Ephraim Rudling( - )
E***sia ******* ****** Rudling(B(1.1)☻1857 - )
Sarah Baldry Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1840 – bu(1.1)1840)
Deborah Hance Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1840 – bu(1.1)1840)
Robert1 Samuel Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1842 - )
In 1851(4.2), all living children are still at home and John2 is described as a Master Carpenter employing 2 men and since both, Henry2 and John4 are also Carpenters, chances are that father and sons are working together.
The two daughters, Edna and Hannah are also at home, little more than children and, while according to the data obtained from cc, Robert1 Samuel is not mentioned, he is in fact at home, aged 8.
The family is still resident in Church Lane, East Donyland
By 1861(4.3), all the children have left home, with the exception of Robert1 Samuel, now aged 18 according to the Census, who is also working with his father as a Carpenter.
We have already mentioned that Edna dies(1.1)☻ in 1862 and John2 survives her by 8 years.
In rjc's Database however we find two St. Catherine's entries for the death of an Edna in 1862 and one entry for Edna's marriage in 1854. While the latter obviously refers to Edna the daughter of John2 and Edna Shales, his wife, the two deaths are rather puzzling.
In the St. Lawrence's Prs we also find two burials in 1862: one relates to Edna Crickmore who dies on the 11th of March aged 6 years while the other, dated the 12th of December relates to John2's wife. We thought that obtaining the two St. Catherine's certificates would help clarify matters:
The first certificate☻ relates to Edna Crickmore nee Shales, John2's first wife, who dies on the 5th of December 1862 in East Donyland, sub district of Peldon. The Certificate states that she is 58, the wife of John2, a Carpenter. The cause of death is 'Paralysis', probably the consequence of a stroke. Witness to her death and also the person who reports it on the 12th of December 1844, is Mary Ann Diton.
There is a slight inconsistency in her age since according to her death Certificate she is 58 at the time of death while according to the
Prs she is 59.
The other death certificate relates, we think, to the daughter of Henry2 and Thirza Dyer. She dies☻ of Diphtheria on the 6th of March 1862 in East Donyland, sub district of Peldon, and her death is reported by her Father Henry2, a Carpenter. The girl is aged 6.
John2 dictates a Will(3.5) on the 27th of January 1870 and dies shortly thereafter, buried on the 2nd of February 1870☻. In it, he asks for his house and workshop to be sold, together with his personal belongings within six months after his death and for the proceeds, having paid debts and funeral expenses, to be divided into six equal parts to be paid to his five surviving children, Henry2, John4, Robert1 Samuel, Edna Enfield and Hannah Rudling and one sixth to his wife Mary Ann Crickmar.
In fact, amongst the St. Lawrence's Prs, we do have the record of this second marriage(1.1), celebrated on the 23rd of August 1863. Considering that Edna is buried on the 12th of December 1862, the mourning did not last very long! John2's new bride is the widow Dickson, the daughter of Abraham Bleice but the father's surname is everything but clear. We have found, so far, no trace of he death.
John2's own death is registered in the March Quarter 1879(7.5).
As we shall discover later in this paper, George Turner, Innkeeper, one of the trustees is in fact his brother in law and one of the witnesses to the Will is Henry1 Crickmar, a Mariner of East Donyland, whom we strongly suspect of being his 'uncertain' brother Hanry1!
One could of course suggest that this is his son, Henry2 but then the reference to the witness' profession is very precise: Mariner, while Hanry2 was a Carpenter like his father and grandfather before him. Th other witness, Henry E. Lufkin is the Minister of St. Lawrence.
Since John2 has lived and worked for at least 30 years in Church Lane, from the 1841 Census until his death in 1870, and since, as is apparent from his Will, he owed the house, workshop and garden that he directs his Executors to sell, there ought to be a lot more data available.
Research Notes:
Obtain an Ordnance Survey map of Church Lane and try to identify the position of the house.
Does the house still exist?
Is there a trace in the Land Registry of John2's ownership during the period 1841 – 1871?
Why does he not appear in the Voter's Register?
Can we learn more about Edna Shales family?
What happens to Mary Ann, John2's second wife?
Obtain death certificate: John2 Crickmore dies on the 1st of March 1870 (St. Catherine's Death Indexes 1837-1903 fol.4@.p.239).
Obtain two death certificates in the name of Edna, dated 1862:
We have obtained the two certificates mentioned above. Edna Shales, John2's wife, dies on the 5th of December 1862 in East
Donyland, sub district of Peldon. The Certificate states that she is 58, the wife of John2, a Carpenter.
The cause of death is 'Paralysis', probably the consequence of a stroke. Witness to her death and also the person who reports it on the
12th of December 1844, is Mary Ann Diton.
There is a slight inconsistency in her age since according to her death Certificate she is 58 at the time of death while according to the
Prs she is 59.
The other death relates, we think, to the daughter of Henry2 and Thirza Dyer. She dies of Diphtheria on the 6th of March 1862 in East
Donyland, sub district of Peldon, and her death is reported by her Father Henry2, a Carpenter. The girl is aged 6.
Obtain copy of John2's marriage Pr St. Lawrence on the 6th of March 1830.
Got it.
Obtain copy of 1841 Census for John1's family.
Got it.
Mary Ann Crickmore
Mary Ann Crickmore(B(1.1)1809 – bu(1.1)☻1865) m.1829(1.1)☻ Robert 1Wilkin( bu(1.1)☻1802 - bu(1.1)☻1865)
Mary Ann Wilkin(B(1.1)☻1830 – bu(1.1)☻1831)
Mary Ann Wilkin(B(1.1)☻1832 – bu(1.1)☻1833)
Adelaide Wilkin(B(1.1)☻1834 - )
Eliza Wilkin(B(1.1)☻1837 – bu(1.1)☻1837)
Robert2 Wilken(B(1.1)☻1837 - ) 1861(1.1)☻ Mary Mussett(m(1.1)☻1842 - )
Emily Ann Wilkin(B(1.1)☻1861 – bu(1.1)1861)
Zillah Gertrude Wilkin(B(1.1)☻1864 - )
Thomas Edgar Mussett Wilkin(B(1.1)☻1866 - )
Susannah Crickmore Wilken(B(1.1)☻1840 - ) m.ill.
Gertrude Wilkin(B(1.1)☻1862 - )
Zilpah Wilken(B(1.1)☻1842 - ) m.1870(1.1)☻ William Rudland(m(1.1)☻1847 - )
Ann Hance Wilkin(B(1.1)☻1845 – bu(1.1)☻1869)
William Wilken(B(1.1)☻1849 - bu(1.1)☻1850)
Mary Ann, the eldest daughter, has not been researched in depth and the incidental information we have on her is rather scarce, often the existence of an individual defined by one Pr only.
We know that she was born on the 12th of February 1809 and Baptised in St. Lawrence on the 19th of May of the same year. There is, as indicated earlier, the possibility of a second Baptism in Witham.
On the 26th of October 1829 she marries(1.1)☻ Robert1 Wilkin, also in St. Lawrence. The marriage is by Banns. The husband surname has been in some doubt for quite a while and we originally assumed it to be Hilken. Further checks have led us to reasonably certain that the surname is in fact Wilkin although it has also been spelt Wilken and Wilkins.
One of the witnesses is Robert Cook and the other Deborah Hance who is illiterate.
The following year Mary Ann acts as a witness at the marriage of her brother John2, and this probably indicates that she did not move too far after her marriage. Strong in this knowledge we have trawled the St. Lawrence Baptism records and have found a number of the couple's children.
There is a first Baptism(1.1)☻ on the 17th of September 1830. It is a girl who takes her mother's name Mary Ann. Robert1 gives his Profession as Fisherman.
On the 8th of July 1832 there is the Baptism of another Mary Ann and this induced us to take a look at the burial records for the period and we did find the burial(1.1)☻ of the first child on the 22nd of February 1831. There must be some sort of epidemic since on the same page there are altogether 7 children, their ages vary from 4 months to 6 years, and an old man of 80. Two of the children are William2 and John3 Crickmore, the twin boys of John2.
The second Mary Ann also dies and is buried on the 25th of July 1833(1.1)☻. It looks as if, after this second death, they shelf the name.
On the 19th of July 1834 Adelaide Wilkin is Baptised☻, her surname is atypically written both in the second and the 4th column of the register and this is possibly due to the fact that the Officiating Minister is not Torriano but Alfred Hanbar. A note specifies that she was born on the 25th of July which is rather curious unless what Hanbar means is 25th of July of the previous year. We shall probably never be in a position to clarify this clumsy entry if not through the St. Catherine's Index.
In 1837 Eliza Wilkin is Baptised(1.1)☻ on the 1st of January and therefore surely born towards the end of 1836 and on the 25th of December 1837(1.1)☻ it is Robert2's turn. We thought we had seen seen a record for the marriage of Robert2 around 1856 but did not note it down. So, we went on a new search and found it on the 16th of March 1861(1.1)☻.
While there is some variation within the same document, we think that the bride's name is Mussett, the daughter of Thomas Mussett, a Labourer and the witnesses are the bride's father together with Susanna(h) Wilkin.
Eliza's burial☻ is noted on the 29th of January 1837, aged 2 months and therefore born in November 1836.
On the 7th of June 1840 we have the Baptism☻ of Susannah Crickmore Wilken. Here Mary Ann chooses her younger sister's name.
Yet another child is Baptised☻ on the 30th of October 1842 and the name is rather unusual: Zilpah.
We have had a look in the internet and apparently Zelpah or Selpah is the name of a descendant of Abraham and the name of a People.
On the 6th of July 1845 Ann Hance Wilkin is Baptised☻. We must of course remember that Deborah Hance was one of the witnesses at Mary Ann's marriage!
William Wilken is buried(1.1)☻ on the 23rd of November 1850 aged 16 months. We do not have his Baptism and we ought to re-examine the records around mid 1849.
In 1864 there is the record of the death of Emily Ann Wilkin, aged 3. The fact that she was born in 1861 makes it practically impossible that Mary Ann Crickmore could have been the mother since she would have been aged 52 at conception.
She is probably Robert2 Wilkin's daughter, and her date of birth, in the same year as Robert2's marriage, slots her conveniently in the succession of children.
She could of course be just some other Wilkin living in the area although this is rather unlikely since we have not met the surname in East Donyland if not in connection with Mary Ann.
Mary Ann is buried(1.1)☻ on the 16th of September 1865, 4 months after the death or her father, John1.
As so often happens with old couples, they die within a short time of each other. This could be because they have led the same sort of life or maybe because it must be very sad to be left behind. Robert1 Wilken is buried(1.1)☻ on the 30th of December 1865. Shortly after Mary Ann, his wife.
In 1869, on the 3rd of July, Annie Wilkin is buried(1.1)☻ in East Donyland, aged 24. We think she may be Ann Hance Wilkin, Baptised in 1845. We have no great interest in this branch of the family but, a death certificate would resolve the doubt.
Zillah Gertrude is Baptised(1.1)☻ on the 27th of March 1864, the daughter of Robert2 and Mary followed by Thomas Edgar Mussett on the
27th of May 1866(1.1)☻. Zillah must be another Biblical name.
It would appear therefore that out of the 9 children of Mary Ann that we know existed, only 5 survived, four girls, Adelaide, Eliza, Susannah and Zelpah and of course Robert2 who continues our female line.
In 1870, on the 14th of March, Zilpah marries☻ William Rudland a Fisherman from Wivenhoe, which is on the other side of the river Colne from Rowhedge. We are sure that Zilpah and her family will be living there in 1881 but have not yet checked.
There is much more information relating to this branch but, we are after all following the male descendance and time is what it is. It would be interesting however to trace them though the 1851 and 1861 Censi.
Research Notes:
Photocopy record of marriage at St. Lawrence to establish exact name of husband.
We have obtained a photocopy of the marriage record and the husband's name there is still rather ambiguous. From the analysis of the
Baptismal records of their children however, it emerges clearly that the surname is mostly Wilkin.
Ditto but for witness signature in John2's marriage.
Got it.
Having defined exactly married name, any presence in Censi?
Baptisms of children, burials?
Have found all the records of the children listed in the 1841 Census return and more. We probably have if not the whole family, at
least mot of it.
Henry1 Crickmore
We have expressed our doubts as to whether Henry1 does or not belong to the immediate family and it must be said, on the basis of our present knowledge, that our thoughts are very much in favour of his belonging to it. He does fill a natural gap in the sequence of the children's' births and we have not found as yet another family group to whom he could easily appertain.
We have further the Henry who acts as a witness in John2's Will and since Henry1 dies in 1874, it is not impossible, and the witness is clearly a Mariner while, as mentioned earlier, Henry2 is a Carpenter and therefore ruled out from the role. On the other hand, there is very little to substantiate the fact that he is John1's son and therefore John2's brother. The choice of profession, although certainly not unusual for the district, contrasts with John1's. Not least, in the names of his descendants, there is no trace of the name of his mother or father or siblings which one normally finds to a greater or lesser extent, exception being made for Mary Ann which however is also his own wife's name.
At any rate, we may as well deal with him here as elsewhere and wait for better times.
Henry1 is buried(1.1)☻ on the 24th of July 1874 ages 62 and would therefore have been born in 1812. In the Censi however we find the following derived years of birth:
Census
Year of birth
1841 Census
1814
1851 Census
1811
1871 Census
1812
The most likely to be the correct one is, in our opinion, 1812 which, besides appearing in the St. Lawrence's Prs(1.1) is also to be found in the monumental inscriptions(6.1).
We have found no Baptismal Prs and the first trace of him is his marriage(1.1) in St. Lawrence to Mary Ann Sycamore on the 4th of May 1833, by which time he would have been aged 21.
The fact that witnesses to his marriage are John, possibly John1 or John2 and Mary Ann Hilken, his presumed sister, makes it more likely that he should belong to this specific family group. We reproduce below the full record:
Page 35. Entry 105
Henry Crickmore of this Parish – Bachelor
Mary Ann Sycamore of this Parish – Spinster
By Banns on the 4th of May 1833
In the presence of:
John Crickmar
Mary Ann Hilken(?) X mark of.
According to the MIs(6.1) Mary Ann, Henry1's wife, is born in 1814, two years younger than her husband, while the Censi are less precise and we oscillate between 1814 and 1815. We have summarised the various years in the table below:
Census
Year of birth
1841 Census
1815
1851 Census
1814
1861 Census
1815
1871 Census
1814
They have nine known children, the first of whom, Henry3 Samuel Sycamore (the name is spelt as Sygimore) Crickmore, is Baptised(1.1)☻ on the 23rd of August 1835, over two years after the marriage which is rather unusual. This could either be related to Henry1's profession or to an early uncompleted pregnancy. The 1841, 1851 and 1861 Censi give his year of birth as 1837, 1836 and 1836 respectively.
Douglas1 is born in 1837, according to his marriage(1.1) Pr and in 1838 according to the 1841 and 1851 Censi. He is Baptised(1.1) as Douglas1 Henry Harness Crickmere on the 27th of April 1837.
Martha who is 8 months old in the 1841 Census is in fact Baptised(1.1)☻ on the 4th of October 1840 and has attributed to her the only partly readable name of Martha Ann Tollody Crickmore. As far as the 1851 Census is concerned however, she is born in 1841.
Henry1 Crickmore(bu1812 – bu(1.1)☻1874) m.1833 Mary Ann Sycamore(mi(6.1) 1814 – bu(1.1)☻1871)
Henry3 Samuel Sycamore Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1835 - )
Douglas1 Henry Harness Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1838 - )
Martha Ann Tollody Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1840 - )
Albert1 Charles Sycamore Crickmar(B(1.1)☻1842 /m(1.1)1845 - )
Mary Ann Esther Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1844 – mi(6.1)1871) m.?(6.1) William Law( - )
Thomas Law(b(4.4)1869 - )
William Law(b(4.4)1870 - )
Bartholomew1 Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1846 - )
Nicholina Crickmar(b 1846(4.3) /49(7.5)/B(1.1)☻1849 – mi(6.1)1868/bu(1.1)☻1868)
Nathan Mathew Crickmar(B(1.1)☻1853/mi1854 – mi(6.1)1868/bu(1.1)☻1865)
William Wallace Crickmore(s(7.5)1856 – s(7.5)1856)
We know, or at least we think we know, that Henry1 was serving on board the Blue Eyed Maid(7.6), a fishing vessel, in 1842. The only other possible Henry, Henry2, would have only been 11sh years old and vocated to Carpentry.
In the Seaman's Records he is aged 28 in 1842 and therefore born in 1814.
Albert1 is born in 1843 according to the Census(4.2) and in 1845 as recorded in his marriage(1.1) Prs.
Mary Ann Esther Crickmore is Baptised(1.1)☻ in 1844 and her year of birth is confirmed by the St. Catherine's Index registration.
According to the MIs(6.1), on the 17th of March 1871, the date of her death, she was 26 years old. If the datum is accurate, then she ought to have been born sometime between the 1st of January and the 17th of March 1844. It is from the MI that we learn of her marriage to William Law and her death is in fact confirmed by the St. Catherine's Index.
Bartholomew1 Crickmore is Baptised(1.1)☻ on the 29th of March 1846 and Nicholina is born sometimes between 1846(4.3) and 1849(7.5) with her Baptism(1.1)☻ taking place on the 10th of September 1849.
Nathan is born between 1853(7.5) and 1861(4.3) and Baptised on the 2nd of December 1853. He drowns(6.1) aged “...13 years and 11 months...” on the 5th of August 1868. He is buried(1.1)☻ 4 days later. The MI lends credibility to his St. Catherine's Index registration of 1853. We have looked for an entry in the local newspapers but have either been unlucky or the incident was not worthy of notice. Given the times and the father's activity, one would believe that Nathan died as a result of a boat sinking but the mention on his gravestone of “...accidentally drowned at East Donyland ...” makes one think otherwise.
There also ought to be a Coroner's inquest report!
Finally William Wallace is born(7.5) and dies(7.5) in March 1856. It is curious, if cc has correctly transcribed the MI, of which we have no reason to doubt, that his position on the tombstone is after that of Nathan although he dies 12 years earlier. Maybe far less expensive arrangements had been made for a child a few days old.
We have an uninterrupted trace of Henry1's family through the medium of the Censi.
In 1841(4.1) he has a young family. His profession is that of a Fisherman and he lives with his 27 years old wife in The Street in East Donyland. Three children are present: Henry3, Douglas1 and Martha and everybody is otp. While Martha's age is correct, if the return has been accurately transcribed (our source is cc whom we suspect has in her turn obtained them from elsewhere), Henry3 and Douglas1's ages are not, both being described as 4 years old.
Henry1 is also at home in 1851(4.2). The address, which we think has been partially transcribed, is Rawhedge and, besides the 3 children already mentioned in 1841(4.1), we have: Albert1, Mary Ann, Bartholomew1 and Nicholina, all born in East Donyland. This time we have a more accurate Parish of origin for Mary Ann, Henry1's wife: Little Henry Sfk. There are the usual problem with the ages but, more significant, in our opinion, is the presence of a young man, Philip Chelvor[?] of Great Bromley, aged 18 whose position within the Family is 'Servant' while his profession is indicated as Fisherman. We think that Henry1 is working for himself and that young Philip is part of the crew.
Having rechecked the record supplied by cc we have in fact discovered that Mary Ann's age is indeed 37, as it should have been, rather than 39 and that the detailed address is New Lodge Street. We have however a question mark against this last piece of information so that another check may be appropriate.
In 1856 there is a major upheaval in Henry1's life. He grounds his Schooner on Lowestoft beach and is unable to pay his debts which results in his bankruptcy in 1856. Since we do not as yet have the original documents we shall let cc speak:
“...Original Document consulted at Public Records Office October 2002, B 9/222
Re: Bankruptcy of Henry Crickmar, ship owner of East Donyland, Essex
2nd January, 1856
(From the Crickmore Site on the internet, volunteered by cc, we have the following Bankruptcy record. Since cc is resident in South London and she does not state otherwise, we must assume that the Record Office is in fact Kew.)
Henry1 signed in one instance as Henry1 H Crickmar, but this may be a mistake.
Declaration of Robert Gipps Craske of Colchester:
He had known Henry1 Crickmar for two years. Henry1 was “a ship owner by carrying goods in his own ships to parts beyond the seas and that for six months and upwards now last past such business was carried on at East Donyland in the County of Essex.”
Henry1 stated that he could not read, nor write except to sign his name (the signature is poor and shaky). He claimed that his schooner, the Boa, had been badly damaged by gales on Yarmouth Beach in December 1855 and that this had caused his financial ruin.
(Henry1 and sons are listed on board the Boa in the 1861 census, so not all was lost).
In order to settle some of his debts Henry1 sold his smack, the Blue Eyed Maid (Seaman's records show him sailing in this boat during the
80s) on the 29th of December 1855, for £ 80.
Among the Petitioners was Walter Garrett Roofe of Colchester who claimed a debt of £59 14s arising from a bill of Exchange for £60 dated 23rd December 1855 drawn by George Fairhead and accepted by Henry1.
George Fairhead endorsed the bill to Robert Gipps Craske who then endorsed it to Roofe, but payment was not forthcoming.
Other petitioners included Henry Morton of Sunderland; James Hervis of East Donyland; John Bawtree Snr., John Bawtree Jnr., George Henry Herrington and Jeremiah Haddock of Colchester; and various coal companies and merchants including David Davidson of Wick and several in Sunderland. As neither the smack nor the schooner would need coal, this was presumably the cargo...”
In 1861(4.3)☻ Henry1 is for the first time absent from home. According to cc's notes relating to Henry1's bankruptcy, he is on board the Schooner Boa with his children but we have failed to locate the record amongst cc's database. There must somewhere be a section of the Census dedicated to ships in port.
Further research has allowed us to locate the missing record. The Vessel is called the District Boa rather than the Boa as it was previously known, and on board are two of Henry1's children: Albert2 Charles Sycamore aged 18 and Bartholomew1 aged 14. The former a s(ailor) and the latter a Boy.
Mary Ann is at home with Henry3, no profession given, Mary Ann jr who has found work as a Tailores, Nicholina and Nathan who are still of school age. From a local history book we understand that Colchester being a garrison town, probably since the time of the Romans, there was a lot of uniform making and the like which gave a living to many local girls and hence Mary Ann jr.'s activity. We have no exact home address other than East Donyland in the district of Lexden and Mary Ann Sr. is once more born in East Donyland(!?).
The last Census(4.4)☻ that sees the couple alive finds Henry1 at home with wife Mary Ann. They are both in their late 50s.
The address is Main Street, which is the one which runs along the river, near George Turner's pub. Mary Ann was once more born in Little Henry – Essex and with them are the two youngest surviving children: Bartholomew1, a Fisherman, and Nicholina who is already engaged in her activity as a shop keeper.
Also present are Thomas and William Law both born in Hackney and aged two years and nine months respectively. They are of course the children of Mary Ann Esther(6.1), very recently dead, and William Law.
A note in the address column of the Census form states: '... One Cottage occupied by the Family ...'.
Mary Ann is buried(1.1)☻ on the 4th of November 1871aged 57 and next to the entry one finds some notes, indecipherable, but which look very interesting. The date is confirmed by the MIs(6.1).
Henry1's Will(3.6) dictated on the 8th of December 1873 is rather uninformative. Executors to the Will are daughter Nicholina and son Douglas1 and the instructions are for Douglas1 to sell everything at public auction and turn the proceeds over to Nicholina or her children. Should she die without issue, the the money to go to Henry1's youngest surviving child.
The witnesses to the Will however offer a third clue as to Henry1's provenance:
“...in the presence of each other
have hereunto subscribed our names as Witnesses George
Turner East Donyland Essex; William Candler
Wivenhoe Essex...”
Well, George Turner is the husband of Susannah Crickmore, Henry1's alleged sister, publican(4.5) of the White Lion Inn in High Street, East Donyland.
1874 - Henry Crickmore of East Donyland, Essex, died 19th July, 1874. Will proved by his daughter Nicholinia Crickmore, spinster of East Donyland, and his son Douglas, Mariner of Gosport. (Registered age: 62, Lexden).
Extract above: List of Wills filed in the Probate Registry, Somerset House (All Crickmores and Crickmers, but not Crickmays) by cc.
We can now summarise the circumstantial evidence which in our opinion constitutes reasonable proof that Henry1 is indeed John1's son:
1. He is a witness to John2's Will.
2. A John Crickmore and a Mary Ann Hilken are witnesses to his wedding.
3. George Turner, Susannah's Husband, is a witness to his own Will.
None of these events, taken in isolation, would give any strength to this argument but taken in combination the case is pretty strong. However, one feels under the surface something not quite Catholic. Was there a strong conflict between father and son? Why was he not Baptised in St. Lawrence like his other siblings?
We have two possible death registrations for Henry1 Crickmore and unfortunately this opens up a can of worms.
The first relates to an Henry Crickmore who dies on the 25th of September 1880, aged 66. The place of death is not clear to us and looks like 'Botled', see scan of original, and the profession is given as annuitant or pensioner.
The death is reported by an Amelia Charlotte Crickmore, his daughter in law, who was present at his death and resided in Dedham, north-north east of Colchester, a third of the way towards Ipswich. Even the cause of death is rather difficult to extract.
We can vaguely read: '...******* 2 years Diarrhea ** **** Exhaustion Certified * ****** *** **...'. And lastly the 'male' is crossed out, we do not know whether accidentally or deliberately.
The second entry, dated the 19th of July 1874 in East Donyland, also relates to an Henry but this time he is a Seaman, aged 62. The cause
of death is “Disease of stomach Exhaustion from continuous vomiting”. The person reporting the death is Nicholinia Crickmore of East Donyland. This character obviously fits well with our Henry1 but who on earth is the other Henry?
1 Obtain scan of 1841 Census and check ages of Henry3 and Douglas1.
2 Obtain Henry1's Bankruptcy documents.
3 Obtain copy of 1861 Census return showing Henry1 on board the Boa.
4 Check Little Henry's Prs for the Baptism Prs of Mary Ann Sr. The village is in Suffolk.
5 Get photocopy of Mary Ann Sr.'s burial Pr.
Got it.
6 Who is the other Henry to whom the death certificate belongs?
William1 Crickmore
William1 Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1815 – s(7.5)☻1878) 1m.1834(1.2)☻ Toroza Johanson(c(4.2)1816 - )
William3 James Crickmore(B(1.2)☻1835 – bu(1.1)☻1841)
Eliza1 Crickmore(s(7.5)☻1838/B(1.1)☻1839 – bu(1.1)☻1840)
James2 Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1839 – )
Frances Crickmore(s(7.5)☻1843 - )
☼William4 Crickmore(s(7.5)☻1845/B(1.1)☻1845 - )
Francis1 Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1845 - )
☼George1 Crickmore(s(7.5)☻1845/B(1.1)☻1846 - )
☼Christopher1 Crickmore(s(7.5)☻1848 - )
☼Thomas1 Crickmore(s(7.5)☻1850 - )
Jane Crickmore(s(7.5)☻1852 - )
Eliza2 Crickmore(s(7.5)☻1854 - )
Philip1 Crickmore(s(7.5)☻1858 - )
Martha Crickmore(B(1.7)☻1860 – bu(1.1)☻1860)
☼ They migrate to London - the children underlined have Elisa as mother's name
William1 Crickmore is of great interest to us since he is part of our direct line of descent.
He was Baptised(1.1)☻ on the 9th of April 1815 in St. Lawrence. The page is so faded that it is amazing we managed to find it in a first place. However, once one knows that it is there, then the full text is easily read. The parents are John1 and Ann Crickmer and the place is East Donyland. Father is a Ship's Carpenter.
The year 1815 is confirmed by the 1851 Census but the 1841 and 1861 Censi indicate 1816 which is clearly impossible.
He marries Toroza Johanson on the 24th of August 1834, presumably aged 19, in the Parish of St. Leonard's(1.2)☻, in Hythe, the name meaning, we are told, 'tiny haven'. Witnesses to the wedding are J(oh)n Marriott and Ann Dale.
Toroza's name, Johnson, has been found in at least one document as Johanson which is rather Scandinavian sounding.
Hythe is allegedly the Parish of origin of Toroza although we have not been able to find a Baptism Pr for her.
So William1 must have met Toroza, probably in Hythe where he had found work, and goes on living there, at least for a few years. The village is a dozen miles or so upriver from Rawhedge and there must have been a very considerable traffic of boats and barges on the Colne.
William3 James, their first child, is Baptised(1.2)☻ there on the 8th of February 1835 and the Baptismal Pr indicates the father's profession as 'Labourer'. Both parents are clearly identified, the mother's name being Thorza.
The address is Barrack Street in Colchester, which was very much in the center of town (see OS Map 28).
We have found a St. Catherine's record for the death(7.5)☻ of a William3 on the 15th of February 1841 in East Donyland while his Pr indicates that he was buried(1.1)☻ on the 21st of February. The child is aged 6 and his profession is given as 'Dredgers Child', whatever that may be, it does not sound very attractive, and the death, due to 'Inflammation', is reported three days later by a Sarah Hardley. The fact that it was not one of his parents to report the death which occurs shortly before the 1841 Census is, in our opinion rather significant. Are we looking at the right William? Is Sarah Hardley a relative?
Eliza1, their second child, is Baptised(1.2)☻ in St. Lawrence on the 3rd of November 1839, together with her brother James2.
James2. appears in the 1851 Census☻ while Eliza1 does not.
We have obtained a St. Catherine's birth certificate(7.5)☻ for her dated the 5th of January 1838 which confirms her parents, although her mother's name this time is spelt Thorza Johnson. She is born in the Parish of St. Botolph in Colchester.
In the 1861 Census☻, Eliza2 is present but her age is 7 and therefore born in 1854. This could have been a transcription mistake but could also have indicated that the first child had died.
We investigated in two directions.
On the one hand we have obtained a St. Catherine's certificate for Eliza2 which is dated the 17th of March 1854☻, in the Parish of St. Leonard, Colchester. The Baptism of Eliza2 on the 2nd of April 1854(1.2) in St. Leonard then took a new significance.
We then looked for a suitable burial Pr and we have found it in St. Lawrence dated the 4th of August 1840(1.1)☻ where she is aged 2 years and 8 months, that is born in December 1837 or January 1838. This fits perfectly.
James2 is born(4.2) in 1840 according to the 1851Census.
What however is rather significant is that during the 1841 Census(4.1)☻ William1 is not recorded with his family but at his father's house and no profession is given. There is no trace of Toroza or of James2.
It would seem that William1 and his family are crossing a rough patch towards the end of the 30s, beginning of the 40s.
Through a chance contact with George Kearney (gk) from Australia, we have obtained the 1841 return(4.1) for Toroza's family, living in Barrack Street, Colchester. Toroza and James2 are both present and we also have an insight into the partial composition of her family nucleus.
So, a thought which had ben worrying us for quite a long time has been put to rest. We must either be looking at a temporary 'bust up' or possibly at a period of unemployment for William1 which forced the family to split in order to survive. It is all pure speculation but we think that had William1 still had a job, separated or not, he would have remained domiciled in Colchester!
On the 26th of March 1843 Frances Crickmore is born(7.5)☻in East Donyland, mother's name being spelt Throsa The birth is reported on the 20th of April of the same year and from this and from Eliza's certificate we have confirmation that both William1 and Thoroza are illiterate. Frances is of course a girl.
But in the 1851 Census(4.2)☻ we can only find Francis1, aged 8 and his age is listed in the male column. Is it a transcription mistake? Are Frances and Francis1 the same person? What happens to Frances/Francis1 who is/are absent in the 1861 Census(4.3)☻?
Maybe we could find a St. Catherine's index entry or her/his death in the window between 1843 and 1861!
If Frances and Francis1 are indeed one and the same, we must still account for the fact that it appears as Frances in the St. Catherine's
certificate and as Francis in the Census and in the Baptismal record!
In 1851(4.2)☻, the family is recorded as living at Hythe Quay, in the Parish of St. Leonard, and consists of William1 and Thoroza together with 6 children. William1 is working as a Sawyer, his year of birth confirmed as 1815 and we learn that Thoroza, one year younger than her husband, was born in Colchester.
The six children are: James2, Francis1, William4, George1, Christopher1 and Thomas1 whose ages, as recorded in the Census, are respectively 11, 8, 6, 5, 3, and 1.
William4 is Baptised(1.1)☻ on the 16th of June 1845 while Francis1 almost a month later on the 20th of July 1845(1.1)☻. This is of course rather unusual since the normal thing would have been for them to be Baptised together. It could indicate that either or both suffered from ill health. William4 is born on the 22nd of April 1845the son of William and Throza Crickmore, formerly Johnson. William1's profession is Mariner.
In George1's case we have the problem of mother's name which is Eliza. We have rechecked this record on the 10th of March 2006 and found it correct. It would appear to be the appropriate record and, for the time being at least, we shall adopt it as correct.
☻Page 98. Entry 781
George1 Crickmore Baptised on the 25th of December 1846
The son of William and Eliza Crickmore
Father’s profession: Labourer
Curate V.M. Torriano
It is unlikely that William1 was a bigamist since the two villages, Rowhedge and Hythe were too close to keep the secret. Had Eliza been his Morganatic wife, at least for a time, would McGee Torriano have taken her as such or would he have referred to the children as 'base born' or 'bastards'? Could it be an altogether different William? This latter hypothesis is more difficult to swallow since the same children keep popping up in the Censi as part of the William1 – Toroza household. Did Toroza have two names and used one in Hythe and another in Rowhedge? Too absurd to consider!
Of some comfort is the St. Catherine's birth certificate☻ dated the 17th of November 1845. George1, registered in East Donyland, is the son of William Crickman and Throza Crickman, formerly Johnson, in East Donyland.
We have no Prs for Christopher1 and Thomas1 either in St. Lawrence or in St. Leonard's but we do have the St. Catherine's birth certificates.
Christopher1 is born(7.5)☻. on the 4th of August 1848, the son of William1 Crickmore, a Labourer, and Rosa Crickmore, formerly Johnson. The birth is registered by the mother on the 21st of August of the same year in East Donyland. Thomas1 is born(7.5)☻. on the 5th of January 1850, the son of William Crickmore, a Labourer, and 'Rosea' Crickmore, formerly Johnson. The birth is registered in East Donyland on the 1st of February of the same year(7.5)☻.
On the 4th of June 1852 William1, a Sawyer, registers the birth(7.5)☻. of Jane in St. Leonard, Colchester. The address is Hythe Quay, the birth is reported on the 30th of June 1852 and mother's name is Throza Crickmar, nee Johnson.
Eliza is Baptised(1.2) on the 2nd of April 1854 in St. Leonard. Her birth certificate☻ gives the date of birth as 28th of March 1854 in Hythe Street, St. Leonard, Colchester. It is once more the father, William1, a Sawyer, who does the legal niceties on the 4th of April 1854. Mother is Throza Crickmar, nee Johnson.
When Philip1 is born(7.5)☻., on the 14th of February 1858, the family is living in Barrack Street, Colchester, also in the Parish of St Botolph. Father William is a Labourer and mother is Eliza Crickmore, formerly Johnson. It is the latter who registers the birth on the 28th of February 1858. Where was Philip1 baptised?
In 1860 Martha id Baptised(1.7)☻ in St. Giles, Colchester, the date is the 25th of January and, mother's name is once more Eliza! The child dies and is buried(1.1)☻ in East Donyland on the 13th of February 1860, aged a fortnight.
In the 1861 Census we have William1 and Thirza (Toroza), both aged 47, and George1, Christopher1, Thomas1 and Eliza of whom we were already aware but also Jane and Philip1 born in 1853 and 1858 respectively, documented above and researched as a result of the Census records.
Toroza's place of birth is Hythe and, interestingly enough, she gives her profession as Shop Keeper. Had she worked for somebody in that activity, she would hav been a 'Servant' of sorts going by the current terminology so that she must have had her own shop.
There is also a James aged 19 in the 1861 Census who could just be, with a little approximation as to his age, James2:
Colchester
Crickmore
James
19
1098
59
CCG
We have no data for the 1871 Census with the exception of William4 who is living(4.4)☻ at the Yorkshire Gray, 100 Magdalene St., Colchester and gives his profession as Bricklayer.
As we shall see later, we shall find 5 of the boys in London in 1881(4.5) but not William1 or any of the other children.
Thanks to cc's vigilance, we do have a death certificate☻ for William1 which is rather interesting.
Firstly he dies on the 17th of February 1878 in a '...Sick Asylum...' in Bromley and his death is reported in Poplar by R.W. Goldie, Chief Resident Officer, on the 23rd of the same month.
By the looks of it, it would apear like a terminal asylum (hospital?), and it is as if no one from the family was there when it happened or could be bothered to perform the legal niceties.
Children are what they are but wives (or husbands for that matter) do tend to do the proper thing and one would therefore think that Thoroza was no longer available. Certainly the Poplar/Bromley area should be of great interest to us!
The cause of death is Bronchitis, chronic one would presume, and the fact that the profession is given as Sawyer and the age as 64 years old in our mind identifies him firmly.
Can we find any records for the hospice?
What then can we conclude from the data gathered so far?
William1, as a young man, leaves home to move a few miles up the river Colne to Hythe where, age 19, he marries a local girl and earns a living as a Labourer. Whether he married the girl and stayed on or he found a job and then met the girl we shall probably never know.
He starts a family but already, by the time his second daughter is born, something appears to be amiss. Eliza1. is born in Colchester but Baptised in East Donyland and by the 1841 Census, after the death of their firstborn, the family is split with William1 at his father's house and Throza with Eliza sr. and James2 somewhere else.
By 1843 however, they are in the baby-making business again and William1 tries his hand at being a Fisherman for a short while.
Sometime between 1850 and 1851 they move back to Colchester where they take residence in Hythe Street, then back to Barrack Street where Eliza sr. was born, and finally to Vineyard Street. Except for a short spell he now works as a sawyer.
Sometime after 1861 parts of the family begin to migrate towards the East End of London where we shall find 4 of the boys in the 1881 Census: William4, George1, Christopher1 and Thomas1.
William1 must also migrate since he dies there in 1878.
Research notes:
Check record of James: Page 72. Entry 573 - James Crickmore baptised on the 3rd of November 1839. Is the mother's name Eliza or Thoroza. rechecked 10/03/06 – record correct. Mother=Eliza
Ditto for Edna: 3rd of November 1839. rechecked 10/03/06 – Girl is in fact Eliza and not Edna. Mother=Eliza
Check the Baptisms and deatths Prs of St. Botolph and St. Lawrence between 1835 and 1861 for details of William1's family.
There are no Crick* Baptisms during this period either in St Botolph or in All Saints where for a while the Baptisms were
registered. Srr research notes 18/11/06 Chelmsford. There RE TRACES OF THE jOHNSON FAMILY, IF RELEVANT.
Research St. Catherine's death index from 1838 to 1871 for the death record of the first Eliza and other of William1's children.FRC
Research St. Catherine's death index from 1838 to 1871 for the marriage of any of the other children.FRC
Research 1871 Census for the various children of William and Throza and also for the couple. FRC
Search in the 1841 to 1871 Censi for Johnson/Johanson in the Colchester area.FRC
Search for the whole family during the 1871 Census. FRC
Search for records of the Hospice where William1 dies.
James1 Crickmer
James1 Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1817 – bu(1.1)☻1901) 1m.1841(7.5)&☻ Ann Halls(bu(1.1)1817 – bu(1.1)☻1888)
2m.1889(1.1)☻ Ann/Hanna King(b(1.1)1851 - )
James3 Halls Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1841 - )
Jane Ann Crickmore(c(4.2)1843 – bu(1.1)☻1867)
Jane Emily Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1865 - )
Mary Anne Crickmore(c(4.2)1845 - ) m.1865(1.7)☻ Thomas Hullet(m(1.7)☻1838 - )
John5 Crickmore(c(4.2)1848 - )
Henry4 Crickmore(c(4.2)1850 - )
William13 Crickmar(c(4.3)1851 – bu(1.1)☻1865)
Ann Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1860 - )
James1 is probably the most traceable character we have so far met. He is there on each and every occasion and this ought to speak loudly about his life. His year of birth is variously quoted from 1815 to 1821 (see table below) but, since his Baptism(1.1)☻ in St. Lawrence is on the 18th of May 1817, we can of course disregard anything posterior to this.
We have a marriage Pr(1.1)☻, dated the 16th of March 1841 and we have a St. Catherine's Index(7.5)☻ entry dated March 1841, in the Lexden district which we believe relevant. He marries Ann Halls.
Ann's year of birth, variously misquoted like her husband's, ranges from 1817 to 1821 but there is a preponderance of 1820s.
We find them both in Birch brook Cottage, East Donyland in 1841(4.1) but the Baptism(1.1)☻of their first child, James3 Halls Crickmore is on the 13th of June 1841, three months after the alleged marriage, and the father's profession is given as 'Labourer'. By June 1841 James3 Halls would have been alive but he is not picked up by the Census. Where was he at that time?
We do however have a St. Catherine's Index birth registration dated the third quarter of 1841.
By 1851(4.2) the family has grown by four more children. We have James3 and also Jane, Mary Anne, John5 and Henry4 . James1 is once more an Agricultural Labourer. Deriving the years of birth from the Census(4.2), Jane was born in 1843, Mary Anne in 1845, John5 in 1848 and Henry4 in 1850. But, while they were all born in East Donyland, we have only found Prs for James3. Where were they Baptised?
The 1861 Census☻ is rather a disaster. We only have cc's version of the transcript and while there seems to be no problem for James3, now aged 14, aside for the age difference, nor for Henry4, aged 12, we have neither Mary Anne nor John5. The main problem is however that we have another Henry, aged 7.
There is also Ann, born in 1860(4.3) for whom we have a Baptismal(1.1)☻ Prs dated the 27th of May 1860. And there is William13 aged 10.
1861 Census
East Donyland, Lexden, Essex (RG9 1102) - 30 Birchbrook
Name
Position
Mar
Age
Occupation
Born
James1 Crickmore
Head
M
43
Agricultural Labourer
East Donyland
Ann Crickmore
Wife
M
41
East Donyland
James Crickmore
Son
Unm.
14
Agricultural Labourer
East Donyland
Henry4 Crickmore
Son
12
Agricultural Labourer
East Donyland
William13 Crickmore
Son
10
Scholar
East Donyland
Henry? Crickmore
Son
7
Sc holar
East Donyland
Ann Crickmore
Daur.
1
East Donyland
The following PR obviously refers to one of James1 ' children but the presence of a James, 7 years his junior (see the 1861 Census), probably indicates that he died in his infancy or that there was a tragic transcription mistake.
We have obtained the scan of the original Census record and we do have two Henrys as cc's data indicated. The age of the first one of them coincides with that of Henry4 accurately while the second Henry cannot be found anywhere. We must infer that we are either dealing with another child whose name has been mistakenly noted by the Census official as Henry or that it is a Henry but not the son of James1.
However, there is no suitable candidate in the ftd for a visiting Henry Crickmore.
St. Lawrence Parish Records - East DonylandFiche D/P 320/1/3 (2/2) Christenings 1812-1847 Fiche2/2
Page 78. Entry 617 James Halls Crickmore baptized on the 4th of October 1840The son of James and Ann Crickmore Father's profession: FishermanCurate V.M. Torriano
The Pr above is confirmed by a St. Catherine's record in rjc's Database:
James3 Halls Crickmore is born on the 3rd Quarter of 1841 in Lexden (Birth St. Catherine's BDMs 1837-1903 fol. XII p.126).
And, according to a note: "James3 Halls Crickmore died aged 59 years at Poplar in Q1. 1901 folio Ic p.422".
We do not know how exactly the link is established but, if it were correct, then there is a Will:
1901 - James3 Crickmore of Torrington Stairs, Millwall and of the 'Torrington Arms', Millwall, died 12th February, 1901 at the 'Torrington Arms'. Admin. granted 2nd March, 1901 to William Crickmore, barge and boat builder. Effects: £4,397 3s. 11d. Re-sworn August 1901, effects: £5,430 13s. 8d. (Registered age: 59, Poplar). James3 Crickmore was not the landlord of the Torrington Arms in 1892 (Directory).
James3 Halls Crickmore does have a brother William13, born in 1851, of whom we know absolutely nothing. We have attributed to him, perhaps wrongly, a burial Pr according to which he dies in 1865. If that were true, then the William mentioned in James3' Will cannot be his brother. We ought to get the St. Catherine's Index certificate for the William who dies in 1865 and ascertain whether he is in fact William 13.
The fact that he is a barge and boat builder is interesting information. We must get a copy of the Will!
I think the Will would give us quite an insight into James3 Halls' life.
In 1871(4.4) only two children are left: Ann aged 11 and Jane aged 6. Jane Emily is not the daughter of James1 but his granddaughter, the illegitimate child of Jane Ann by now deceased. The family is still in Birch brook.
In the St. Lawrence Prs we have the burial of Jane Crickmore on the 6th of October 1867, aged 24 years which fits our Jane. In fact, in the burial record, the name is given as Jane Ann Crickmore and in rjc's Data-base we find two St. Catherine's Index entries relating to a Jane Ann Crickmore for the Lexden district: the first is a birth entry dated the March quarter of 1843 (Birth St. Catherine's BDMs 1837-1903 fol. XII p.137) and the second is a death dated the December quarter of 1867 (St. Catherine's Death Indexes 1837-1903 fol.4 p.171).
This rather large 10 year gap between Henry4 and Ann is highly suspicious. If we could only find the Church they frequented!
In 1881(4.5) all the children have left and Birch brook Cottage is inhabited by James1 and Ann only.
Ann is buried(1.1)☻ a few years later, on the 15th of October 1888, aged 71. We have obtained the St. Catherine's death certificate☻ which adds a few brush strokes to the canvass of this couple's life.
The cause of her death is heart disease and she is probably assisted in her dieing moments by her daughter in law E. Crickmore. This ought to be Eliza Alter who marries her son John5 in 1871. Her age at the time of death and her residence in East Donyland are
confirmed.
Under the words 'East Donyland' we find three mysterious capital letters: R.S.D. What do they mean?
Her death occurs on the 10th of July and is reported two days later.
James1 does not spend too long in mourning. Four months later he marries(1.1)☻ Anna King, his junior by 30 odd years, on the 15th of
February 1889.
James1 gives his father's profession as Shipwright but there is no mention of the fact that he is deceased. It would also appear that in spite of the advanced age, he must be at least 72 in spite of what he states in Church, he is still working as an Labourer.
In 1891(4.6)☻, the couple still resides in Birch brook Cottage, James1 is now '...living upon his own means...'.
In the data supplied by cc we have a 5 year old visitor, Mabel Mole, born, like Anna King, in East Mersea, Essex..
One more Census(4.7) for the couple, still in Birch brook Cottage and then, 6 months later, James1 is buried(1.1)☻ in St. Lawrence on the 12th of October 1901.
In fact, he dictates a Will(3.7) on the 15th of June 1901 in which he leaves all his wordly goods, which in the Probate notes are declared as
£198 15s. 6d., to wife Hanna whom he elects sole Testatrix. According to the Probate notes, he dies on the 5th October, 1901, aged 85 and the Will is Probated on the 7th November 1901. The interval between his burial on the 20th, as stated in the Prs, and the date of his death, as it appears in the Probate notes, on the 5th is remarkably long and in the absence of any sort of refrigeration, he must have stunk to high Heavens. Maybe there is a small transcription mistake somewhere or something unusual happened.
There is a St. Catherine's death(7.5) record and this could possibly help to explain the long time between death and burial.
We have found Birch brook Cottage in the Sales Catalogue Index in Chelmsford. The name being Birch brook rather than Birchbrook. The details of the reference are shown below:
Under the Sales catalogue List:
B 736
Another 2 copies with plon
B4083
Store as D/DTSEI
East Donyland 1884
Birch Brook Cottages' and Arable Land
37 Acres
Plan E26
Stored D/DEI
Stored D/DU 133/248
This Index is composed of cards and is to be found to the left of the entrance into the reading room.
The text published by the Auctioneers reads:
Particulars
East Donyland
Lot 1 (Coloured Blue in Plan)
Four Freehold
Brick-Timber-Built-&- Tiled Cottage Tenements,
”Birch Brook” Cottages,
With LARGE GARDENS, containing in all, by the Ordenance Surveye
1 ½ Acres
In the occupation of John Dove, Samuel Dove, Josiah Collison, and James Crickmore, at Annual rent amounting to £ 18 10s.,
This property abuts upon the High Road leading from Colchester to Donyland and Rowhedge, Lot 2 and the property of Major
Holroyd.
Other lots are illustrated and a Map is enclosed. Scans of the original documents are to be found amongst the Miscellaneous Items in this paper.
The map unables us to position exactly Birch Brook Cottages and we have illustrated their position in the Ordenance Survey map no. 37, under the Folder 'Maps', with a red baloon containing the digit 1.
There are though three cottages, next to each other, and we cannot therefore say which one was the home of James1.
It might be interesting to ascertain, on a sunny summer afternoon, whether the cottages still exist in their idyllic setting of 1 ½ Acres of gardens through wich runs the brook Birch.
Research notes
1 Where was James3 Halls at the time of the 1841 Census?
2 Obtain copy of James3 Halls' Baptism Pr.
Got it.
3 Find 1861 Census return for James1.
The St. Catherine's marriage Certificate(7.5) is dated the 16th of March 1841and the wedding is celebrated in the Parish Church of East Donyland. Perhaps a more accurate inspection of the St. Lawrence's records is called for. James1 is a Labourer, the son of John1, a Farmer who the think attends the wedding and acts as a witness, since John2 was illiterate and this John signs the register. Also a witness is sister Susannah.
Ann Halls, like James1, is at her first wedding and the daughter of James Halls, a Labourer, with residence in Abberton, a few miles south of Colchester, due west of Fingringhoe. The bride and groom's ages are respectively 21 and 24. This would mean that while Jamess1' age agrees with that from his Baptismal record, Ann's is six years adrift from that recorded in her burial Pr being 1823 rather than 1817!.
Sarah Ann Crickmore and James Goodwin
James Goodwin(c(4.3)☻1818 - ) m.1841(7.5)/(1.7)☻ Sarah Ann Goodwin(b(7.5)☻1821 - )
James Alfred Goodwin(c(4.3)☻1841/B(1.7)☻1841 - ) m.1862(1.7) Emma Humm(m(1.7)1841 - )
George William Goodwin(B(1.7)☻1843 - )
Julia Ann Goodwin(B(1.1)☻1845 /c(4.2)1846 - ) m.1865(1.7) Thomas Thompson(m(1.7)1844 - )
Ethelinda Goodwin(b(1.7)☻1847 - )
Charles Henry Goodwin(b(1.7)☻1848 - )
Delia Goodwin(c(4.3)☻1851/B(1.7)☻1851 - )
Emma Goodwin(c(4.3)☻1856 - ) m.1862(1.7) Samuel Green(m(1.7)1834 - )
William Goodwin(c(4.3)☻1858 - )
Jane Goodwin(c(4.3)☻1861 - )
Of Sarah we know that she was present in 1841(4.1) with the rest of the family at Parsonage House. Since however in this Census the relationship to the head of family is not specified, we have no guarantee that she is John1's daughter. She could be a visiting niece or a cousin.
Whereas for all the other girls we have at least a marriage and a Baptism Pr, for Sarah there is twice nothing.
We were however lucky enough to find a St. Catherine's marriage record(7.5)☻ for a Sarah Ann Crickmore dated the 26th of September 1841, a few months after the Census. In the Certificate, Sarah Ann's father is John1, whose profession is given incorrectly as Husbandman, and witnesses to the marriage are John Goodwin, whom we think is the groom's father or brother, and Susanna Crickmore, the bride's sister. The wedding takes place in St. Giles, Colchester and the groom is James Goodwin, the son of John Goodwin, both Husbandmen. The bride and groom are aged respectively 21 and 25. The fit is perfect and strongly suggests that Sarah Ann is in fact Sarah, John1's daughter.
We have since found the marriage Pr in St. Giles Pr(1.7)☻.
While researching John1's whereabouts during the 1861 Census, we have also found Sarah's family with whom he is living in St. Giles, Colchester. Her family's composition at the time is shown in the ftd above.
James, George and Charles, like their father, work as Agricultural Labourers while Sarah Ann is a Laundress.
There ought to be an 1851, 1871and possibly an 1891 Census record for this girl.
We have consulted the 1881 Census LDS and found the following record:
1881 Census LDS
Dwelling: Harwich Rd
Census Place: Colchester St James, Essex, England
Source: FHL Film 1341432 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 1792 Folio 85 Page 22
Rel
Marr
Age
Sex
Occ
Birthplace
James Goodwin
Head
M
67
M
Labourer
Colchester, Essex, England
Sarah A. Goodwin
Wife
M
62
F
Laundress
Colchester, Essex, England
Jane Faint
Lodger
W
23
F
Tailoress
Colchester, Essex, England
We have found most of the children, including Etheline who is not present in the 1861 Census in Baptisms D/P 324/1/6 Fiche no. 2 and the burials ought to be of some interest.
Curiously enough, of all the children, Julia Ann is the only one to be Baptised in St. Lawrence. A difficult pregnancy or a hrd moment in the couple's life?
While lookimg through the St. Giles Prs we have found three marriages for the Goodwin children: James Alfred Goodwin to Emma Humm in 1841, Emma Goodwin to Green in 1862 and Julia Ann Goodwin to Thomas Thompson in 1865.
Susannah Crickmore and George Turner
Susannah Crickmore(B(1.1)1822 – bu(1.1)☻1880) m.1844(1.1)☻ George Turner(b(7.5)☻1815 – bu(1.1)☻1881)
Susannah Ann Turner(B(1.1)☻1844/c(4.5)1845 - ) m.~1870 William Heath(c(4.5)☻1842 - )
William Heath(c(4.5)☻1870 - )
Amelia Heath(c(4.5)☻1872 - )
Charles Heath(c(4.5)☻1873 - )
George Heath(c(4.5)☻1874- )
Sarah Heath(c(4.5)☻1876 - )
John Heath(c(4.5)☻1878 - )
Layer Heath(c(4.5)☻1878 - )
Golden Heath(c(4.5)☻1879 - )
We know that Susannah was Baptised(1.1)☻ on the 2nd of June 1822 and that she married(1.1)☻ George Turner (although in the Prs we have noted Garner), the son of a Miller, on the 8th of May 1844.
Witnesses to the marriage are sister Ann and brother James1. Susannah, like her siblings, is illiterate. We have, from rjc's Database, a St. Catherine's marriage record(7.5) dated the June quarter of 1844.
We have obtained the Certificate(7.5)☻ from which emerges that at the time of the marriage George, who is 29, was a Coal Merchant, son of George Turner, presumably his eldest son. Curiously enough, the date of the marriage is the 6th of May 1844, two days before the Church wedding. John1 is described as a Farmer.
We think we have identified George Turner in the 1841 Census(4.1)☻ living alone in East Donyland Street.
We have traced the couple through an extract of the 1851 Census which appears as part of the history of the White Lion(7.11).
In this Census he is with wife Susannah and daughter Susannah Ann aged 6 and therefore born in 1845(4.2). In fact, Susannah Ann was Baptised on the 15th of August 1844 which can be reconciled with the age derived from the Census if we hypothesise that she must have been born between March and August.
Since we have examined the Baptism Prs with a view to finding any possible siblings born between 1844 and 1851 and have not found any, we are inclined to think that Susannah Ann must have been the couple's only daughter.
Also present in the census return are a Mary Ann Barel aged 15, from Layer de la Haye, in Essex, a servant and a visiting Sailor by the name of Samuel Willett, aged 40 and born in East Donyland.
In 1861(4.3) the couple is living alone, no daughter or servant nor any visitor. He is aged 45 and she 38. His profession is given as Victualer and of course they are resident at the White Lion, in Rowhedge.
On the 8th of december 1873 we catch another glimpse of George Turner as he acts as a witness to the Will(3.6) of Henry1.
We have traced George in the 1881 Census(4.5) where he appears as the publican of the White Lion Inn, in Esat Donyland by the river bank, living with daughter Susannah (Ann), aged 36, and her two sons William and Golden Heath aged respectively 11 and 2.
One would be inclined to think that she is a widow, or somehow separated from her husband but, in that same Census return we find, living next dooe to the pub William Heath a 39 years old Sailor, without a wife and in the company of six children.
We think that the name, the age and the fact that they are next door to each other is sufficient circustantial evidence to infer that William Heath is Susannah Ann's husband.
Susannah, her mother has just died on the 10th of January of the previous year and George will die on the 13th of December of that same year, and Susannah Ann could well be assisting her sick father through his last days and may well have moved in with him to do so.
We would then be in a position to better define Susannah Ann's family using the data from the 1881 Census.
Besides William and Golden, aged 11 and 2 respectively, there would also be: Amelia, Charles, Sarah, George, John and Layers (a strange name – like the place were the servant in the 1851 Census had been born!) aged 9, 8, 5, 7 3 and 3 with John and Layers being twins.
We have looked for some trace of their marriage or indeed the birth of their children in the St. lawrence Prs without success as if hey had married and had their children elsewhere and only returned to assist Susannah Ann's parents. The 1871 Census ought to be of interest and until we shall find further proof, we shall leave the names of Susannah Ann's husband and other children in italic.
Finally there is some doubt as to where george Turner was born. In 1841 he is otp but we know that that statement is virtually meaningless. In 1851 he was said to have been born in Gestingthorpe, Essex, a little village outside Sudbury, a few miles North West of Colchester. In 1861 he is said to be of east Donyland while in 1881 he gives his placeof birth as Great Maplestead, Essex, within spitting distance of Gestingthorpe.
Maybe the truth lies in the fact that he was born in a farm or indeed a Mill, considering his father's profession, somewhere between Gestingthorpe and Great Maplestead.
In 1851(4.2)☻ there is the record of a Thomas Turner, aged 62, and his family in Brook Farm, Gestingthorpe. One would not be surprised if this were his uncle who also has a son named George.
Ann Crickmore and Henry Wisby
Ann Crickmore(B(1.1)☻1827 - ) m.1848(1.1)☻ Henry Wisby(c(4.1)1826 - )
............................................
Unknown Wisby( - ) m.? Unknown Unknown( - )
Lewis Wisby(c(4.5)1877 - )
Their Story can be ferreted out using the 1851, 1861, 1871 and possibly the 1891 Censi and the Mitcham, Surrey, Prs. There may also be some information relating to the pub, The Eight Bells.
We have found Henry Wisby in the 1841 Census(4.1)☻, aged 15, in Rowhedge St., East Donyland, living with his mother, whose first name is illegible, his sister Emma aged 20 and a William Mason, Mariner also 20.
The name of Henry Wisby's mother detail of the 1841 Census
Rowhedge Street does not exist so, maybe, the Enumerator meant Rowhedge High Street which runs prallel to the Colne.
Ann marries(1.1)☻ Henry Wisby on the 29th of May 1848 in St. Lawrence. Henry is a Fisherman and by the looks of it proud of the fact since in 1881(4.5)☻ he tells the enumerator that he is '... Formerly Mariner – (and a) Beerhouse Keeper...'.
When they marry they are both '...of full age...'.
Also present in the 1881 Census(4.5)☻ is a Lewis Wisby, Grand Son, born in East Donyland four years previously. This would lead us to believe that the couple's move from East Donyland must be fairely recent or at least after some of their children had got married and settled there with their families.
We have now come to the end of the second generation and we believe that, to avoid confusion, it is best to follow each of the four scions to the end before passing on to the next. We have the families of John2, Henry1, William1 and James1 and we shall start with John2.
Research notes:
Look at the 1851, 1871 and 1891 Censi for Sara Ann Goodwin in St. Gyles, Colchester.
Look at the St. Giles Prs (1840 – 1870) for details of Sarah Ann Goodwin's children.
In Chelmsford there are two filing cards in a filing cabinet next to the entrance door to the reading room. One relates to Birchbrook Cottage, which we think is James1 house and the other to Glebes Lands. We wonder whether this latter card has any connection with John1's house: Glebe Farm. Need to have a look at these two sets of original documents.