RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Westmorland => Topic started by: Jill Shaw on Saturday 09 February 08 17:43 GMT (UK)
-
Hello,
Does anyone have any information about the birth family of Rebecca Garnett (B.1805), who married David Myers in Orton, Westmorland, on 25/12/1826?
Thanks.
-
Hi Jill
Pigot's 1828/29 has no Garnetts in Orton, though of course there may have been some not listed.
There are however, James Garnett schoolmaster and Joseph Garnett butcher, in Shap not far away.
Good luck.
Emms
-
The 1851 census has a David and Rebecca Myers, of the right sort of age, living in Drigg, Cumberland. He is a farmer and gives his birthplace as Lancashire.
If this is the right family, Rebecca was born in Kendal, Westmorland, so it may be worth looking for her in records there.
Jen
-
Yes, this is the right David and Rebecca Myers. Thanks for the information on Shap and Kendal from both of you. I'll follow it up.
Jill
-
Re my earlier posting, I have discovered from another contact that Rebecca Garnett was born in Sedgwick near Kendal, though she married in Orton. On censuses, her son John Myers gave his place of birth as Levens.
I'd be glad of any information about the Garnett family or the village. I do have info about John Myers' subsequent whereabouts.
Thanks,
Jill
-
Hi Jill,
I dont know the Garnetts, but some of my ancestors lived in the same area at the same time, although they seemed to have moved away c.1812.
There is no church in Sedgwick, the nearest being either Natland in the Parish of Kendal, or Crosscrake in the Parish of Heversham which are both about a mile from the village.
A lot of the land in the vicinity was owned by the Strickland family of Sizergh Hall and some of their records were referred to on A2a if you knew her father's details.
The village itself is dominated by Sedgwick Hall, owned by the Wakefield family. In 1764, John Wakefield built the first Gunpowder works in Cumbria alongside the River Kent. This industry grew over the years to support the local mining industry and provided employment for people living in the area.
The Lancaster Canal may well have been under construction through the village when she was a teenager, being completed to Kendal by 1819. This was used to transfer the gunpowder and other goods such as limestone and coal.
Hope you find this background info. useful.
Regards
Chris
-
That's interesting. Thank you. I'll try to explore the area in summer.
Jill
-
It's some time since my last posts but I've recently been to Kendal Record Office and found no trace of my Rebecca Garnett, though thre are many entries of that surname. I was advised to look in the parish registers of Heversham and Crosscrake, but no joy except...I found a Betty of the right birth year (1806/7), 'natural daughter of James Garnett, weaver of Heversham and Bella Cleminson d. of the late Matthew Cleminson of Milnthorpe'.
Is it too big a stretch of the imagination for the vicar to have asked "Name this child," and the parents to have replied "Becky", which was misheard as Betty? The parent was probably illiterate so wouldn't have been able to correct any spelling mistake.
Another alternative is that she wasn't baptised because the family were quakers or other non-conformists.
Isn't it unusual for a 'natural' child to have both parents named in the register?
Rebecca's marriage entry at Orton describes her as "of this parish". Anyone got any more ideas of where I should look?