RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Warwickshire => Topic started by: JosiahS on Wednesday 02 August 06 11:13 BST (UK)
-
My GGG grandfather Joseph Pickard was born in Coventry Holy Trinity in 1776, somehow got into the East Middlesex Militia for 5 years from 1793 to 1798 and was posted to Alnwick, Northumberland where he married and settled.
On his son's marriage certificate Joseph's profession is marked as 'silkweaver', and that is also the profession noted on the church register for Joseph's death.
There is no history of Silkweaving in Alnwick at all so I can only presume that these documents refer to what he did in Coventry or in London (I presume he must have been there to end up in the Mdx Militia)
Does anyone know of the history of silkweavers in Coventry? Often Joseph's name is spelled Picard and I was wondering if his family were Huguenots. I've also noticed Pickards who are silkweavers in Coventry in the 1841 census. Does anyone have links to them?
Many thanks
Jos
-
Hi Joe
If you google silk weaving Coventry quite a bit pops up including
http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/features/local-history/a-brief-history-of-cash-s-in-coventry.shtml
Cheers Jan ;)
-
Thanks Jan - helpful in establishing Huguenots in Coventry
Cheers
Jos
-
Hi
Silk was a massive trade in Coventry, especially around the Foleshill area.
Anita
-
Hi Joe
As someone said silk weaving was massive in coventry
cash's which was foleshill road produced some fantastic work. Mt father worked there for many years he had amazing nails which any woman would kill for. he had to keep them long to undo the knots in the thread. I have some of the silk pictures which my father helped to weave
http://www.jjcash.co.uk/history.htm
-
I too had silk weavers in my family, way back when, in Coventry. It is fascinating to read all the information about it. MY branch went to America and settled in Paterson, NJ, to continue the silk trade there. And the sister of my direct line married one of the few convicted in the riots. Fascinating stuff.
Kath
-
Hello Josiah
I was most interested in your Pickard silkweaver family as my amcestor William Pickard, son of a Coventry coal merchant, William Pickard. was apprenticed to Eliz & Jane Bourne of Coventry, Staymakers. 5 Nov. 1790. My records prior to this are somewhat hazy and it seems a possibility I may latch onto your family tree eventually as they were also in Holy Trinity, Coventry. Would be pleased to hear how far back you go with Pickards in Coventry.
Happy Hunting
Graham
-
Graham,
I am interested in how you found out about your apprenticed ancestor. I have just found out that one of mine was, in Coventry, but that is all I know. I would love to learn more about the whole process and where I might be able to find information regarding paricular individuals.
Thanks.
Kath
-
Hello Kath
The Dugdale Society publish records for Warwickshire which include the Copventry Apprenticeship Register. I have a copy [1781-1806] if you want anything looked up.
Graham
-
Hi Jos, Happy New year!
Sorry, can't add anything to the silk weavers, but I've been doing some similar investigation on brass founders in Islington in the same era - it was the Silkweavers 'tag' that caught my eye.
However on reading your post I was also attracted by your names list. I have a Fenwick brother-in-law who was born in Co Durham, trained as a mining engineer and has spent the last 40 or so years travelling the world as a mine manager (or better) - Rhodesia, Namibia, South Africa, Brazil, etc. and is now retired and resident in South Africa.
We visited him a couple of years ago and he very proudly showed me a map of the Border country that he has framed and hanging on a wall. It flags up Revier families and locations and he was very proud of his reiver background.
He had brother who died recently who had been a school teacher in Spennymoor I think.
I would be interested to hear more of your Fenwick line - what period are you interested in?
Vic
-
I'm afraid my Fenwick line is not very well developed at the moment - I'm just about to move on to the Finlay/Fenwick marriage and work from there.
At the moment I'm looking at the 1700s at a Hannah Fenwick from Chester-le-Street who married a John Finlay in Gateshead.
I too have reiver blood - I come from the Armstrongs of northern Cumberland.
Cheers
JoS
-
Graham,
Thanks. I will go through my notes and see what I can come up with. I might have a couple queries for you.
Kath
-
I know your post was along time ago now and you may now have all this info.but I have the same Joseph Picard in the family tree
I have information sent to me by Coventry achives some years ago from an apprentice enrolement register for Joseph Pickard to his father John a Weaver 19th july 1787. Also a baptism for Joseph Pickard to John Pickard and Elizabeth 26.4.1772 at Holy Trinity Coventry.
Joseph married Mary Thompson in Alnwick and my family's connection is through his daughter Joan
It is possible by the way the Militia recruited ,that Joseph joined up in Coventry when the Middx reg stopped their on their way North
(they were in the north from 1793 to 1801 two years of which 1796 to 1798 in Northumberland
-
For those interested in silkweavers in Coventry area, an interesting book is
"Starving in Bedworth will not pay the loan : the Bellairs family and their contribution during the ribbon famine" by Tony Davis. Tony lived in Coventry and was into family history. He died a few years back, but you may find a copy in a local library.
Dawn M
-
Hello Bar Sum
Yes I have the same information - I checked the Militia records at Kew - my notes read as follows:
Joseph served in the East Middlesex Militia in the Lt Colonel's Regiment from 12 April 1793 until 7 May 1799.
During that time he was sent recruiting between June and December 1793, was on detachment between June and December 1794, and was absent at Dungerness in the period between December 1794 and June 1795, as were many of his colleagues. He took 2 months 'furlow' in January and February 1799 during which time the regiment was at Colchester.
The regiment was posted to Ireland about the time that Joseph left it.
As you probably know, Joseph died just about the time that Joan was born. I am descended from her elder brother George.
Our oral family history says that the Picards were from France and it is interesting that Joan married into a Huguenot family in London - maybe there was some sort of connection.
As for John Pickard my conviction is that he was the one born in Ansty in 1748 - if he was using English Naming System then that one is correct with the first son being called John and the first daughter Ann (his parents being John Pickard and Ann Carey), the second son after his eldest brother and the third after his wife's father.
I have a copy of the apprenticeship index showing Joseph apprenticed to his own father as well.
Do stay in contact if you pick up any further information.
All the best
Ashley
-
Hi Ashley
you have a bit more militia information than me so thankyou. I had not gone any further on John Pickards side and on the Thompson side I have Joseph's wife Mary born to a Robert Thompson and Mary at Alnwick 6.10.1776 and her death 3.10 1849 also in Alnwick Have you any further back than that ??
Yes Joan Pickard went to London and married into the La Roache family who were Jewellers and Goldsmiths It is her daughter Frances Jane La Roache (La Roche ) that my husband's family are descended from. Again oral family history says they were Huguenots I have contacted the Huguenot Society in London and apparently this is quite a common tale and not always strictly true but there are Laroches in their records. very interesting and could explain why Joan went to London if the Pickards were French originally too. Frances eventually moved to Scotland to live with one of her sons and died at a ripe old age of 98
I will let you know if I find anymore information.
Regards
Barbara
-
Hello Barbara
I've had rather a negative experience of contacting the Huguenot Society in the past - they seem to be rather snobby about their ancestry and to want to make it exclusive.
William La Roche was born Clerkenwell 1805 the sone of William La Roche and Christiana Jackson (m. 2 Mar 1802 London St Pancras). That William was born 1781 in London (bap 12 aug 1781 London St Giles in the Fields), the son of David La Roche and his wife Elizabeth.
David was in turn the son of Pierre Cezar La Roche and his wife Catherine Janes (m 3 feb 1733 London St Anne Soho) and bap in the same church 30 May 1742.
Pierre Cezar La Roche (bap 10 mar 1709 London Leicester Fields Huguenot Chapel) was the son of Cezar la Roche and his wife Marie Flury. The records I have are that Cezar was born in about 1676 in Angers, Maine et Loire, France, and Marie Flury about the same time in Isere, Rhone-Alpes France.
If that isn't Huguenot I'll eat my hat (without salt)
Hope that helps
Ashley
-
Thanks Ashley
I had got as far as Peter (Pierre ) and Catherine Janes marriage and have a copy of the marriage register for St Anne Soho. This was 1734 as we would know it today and the register shows it as February 1733/4 Peter Laroche to Catherine Janes of this parish by banns. I was really pleased to see you had got further back to prove the Huguenot connection.
Back to the Pickards I have records of the Pickard gravestones in Alnwick church namely the family of Joseph Pickards eldest son Joseph ifyou are missing any.
Many thanks
Barbara
-
Hi Barbara
Many thanks indeed for the kind offer - yes I'd love any headstone transcriptions you may have - please either post theem here or send them via a PM.
All the best
Ashley
-
Hello Ashley
Sorry for delay This is the family of George and Joans eldest brother Joseph
Transcripton of headstone in Alnwick church graveyard (parts of stone damaged -------)
FRANCES
daughter of JOSEPH and FRANCES
PICKARD
who died 4th April 1833 aged 18 months
JOSEPH PICKARD
Father of the above died July12th
1839 aged 41
WILLIAM SMART son of above who
died 20th May 1852 aged 25 years
JOSEPH -----son died in London
April----------aged 43
GEORGE their son died in London
16th July 1870 aged 35
James their son died 27th March
1872 aged 36
also FRANCES PICKARD mother of the above who died 8th April
1872 aged 75 yrs
Question is who is William Smart ??
Regards Barbara
-
Hi Barbara
Many thanks for giving that information - it is always good to get the detail.
William Smart Pickard was born in 1829 - baptised 13 May 1829.
Smart was, of course, the maiden name of the mother, Frances.
Some of the sons seemed to be attracted to older women - Joseph their son married a Frances Stoker nee Redhead 19 Jun 1842 in South Shields - he was 21 and she was 40! She still bore him a child - Josephine in 1844 (she had children from her first marriage too). Josephine married into a family called Cornelius in London and had 11 children as far as I can tell. Joseph and Frances seemed to be estranged in the census before his death.
Their son James also married an older woman but I don't think he knew how much older she was. He married Adelaide Maxwell in Richmond Surrey in 1859. In the early censuses she looks just a few years older than him but in fact she was 12 years older. He probably wondered why they didn't have children.
All the best
Ashley
-
Thanks Ashley
The Pickards are an interesting family.
Did you know that Mary Pickard (nee Thompson ) died of cholera in 1849 whist living with the Embleton family in Clayport Street Alnwick
I have a copy of her death cert. I cannot find her on the 1841 census and apart from her bapt 6.10.1776 to Robert Thompson and Mary I cannot confirm any more of her family details. As you know there are lots of Thompsons in the Alnwick area.
Regards
Barbara
-
Hello Barbara
Yes I have the death certificate too - sad after such a long life to go with cholera.
Take a look at this website http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/Alnwick_C16.htm (http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/Alnwick_C16.htm)
You will find Mary listed amongst the deserving poor of Alnwick and see the payments she got from the parish. Considering where the family was at that time Joseph and George certainly built up quite a business and it appears that all of the children of Joseph and Mary were literate.
All the best
Ashley
-
Hello Ashley
Many thanks for the website .
Yes the family all did very well and Joan of course made a good marriage.
Regards
Barbara