RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Northumberland => Topic started by: Avril3 on Saturday 12 March 11 15:55 GMT (UK)
-
I would love to find out more about the birth and early life of my 3g grandfather FREDERICK WIGNEY.
He was probably born in 1820/1821 somewhere in Northumberland, maybe at Preston, North Shields, although that is by no means certain.
He married Eliza Reed at Tynemouth Christ Church on 20 March 1851, but only states of full age and of this parish so no help there.
His father is given as WILLIAM WIGNEY, a maltster, and I have been unable to find out any more about him either, and although there was a family of Wigneys who were brewers in Brighton I have not been able to make a connection there.
Frederick was a mariner, but in 1856 he travelled to Australia on the “Heather Belle” as part of the South Australian gold rush, and I have copies of letters he sent home to his wife. He eventually died in 1902 in Maldon, Victoria.
The only census I have found him on in 1851 Scotland, where he and Eliza are staying with her brother William Reed and his wife Elspeth at Annan. His age is given as 30, but I have some evidence that he lied about his age in Australia so I don’t know how accurate that age is. I assume he was at sea for other censuses and was not listed.
I have searched through parish records and BTs for Christ Church from 1817 - 1824 trying to find his birth but drawn a complete blank.
Can anyone out there offer any other information?
-
Hi
Have you got a copy of Frederick's death certificate from Victoria? Most Australian states have very informative death records though of course it as always depends on who supplied the info and what they knew.
See here:
https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/CA2574F700805DE7/page/Family+history?OpenDocument&1=60-Family+history~&2=~&3=~
If that link is too long just google for Victoria Australia historical death records.
Looks as if you can purchase a scan of an uncertified image of the record, all on-line - instant gratification!
Good luck,
Matilda
-
1852 they are living in South Shields,
image 236/638 BT South Shields,
September the 12th William John Frederick Wigney son of Frederick and Eliza of South Shields, father a mariner,born July 17th
He may have been home again in 1855 as Eliza is baptised May the 6 th 1855,born 28 th February South Shields
-
Hi - it's an unusual surname. If you wanted to rule out, or in, the banking and brewing Wigneys of Brighton, they are well represented among the PCC wills: http://www.rootschat.com/links/0c8g/
Otherwise, there is a Willam Wigney who seemsto be running a pub in Huddersfield in the 1820s, eg here: http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/17858/pages/1630 (second line).
Regards
Rob
-
One of the Brighton Wigneys was called Frederick too - not all that common a forename at the time: http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/22010/pages/2082
-
Thanks to all,
I already have the information about the birth of William John Frederick and Eliza Annie (my ancestor) from St Hilda’s South Shields parish registers.
The Brighton link seems to be a dead end, I can find no link at all. The Frederick mentioned as a bankrupt in the London Gazette also went to Australia and set up a printing business there which is quite well documented but alas he is not my Frederick. There was also a Frederick Russell Wigney born in Brighton around the right time, but he is not mine either.
I have been in contact with several people researching the Wigney family both here and in Australia, and none of us can make any connection between my lot and Brighton. Most of the Brighton lot left the country and emigrated to North America and Australia as their businesses (mainly banking and brewing) collapsed. It would appear that the Brighton branch most likely originated in the north of England, probably Yorkshire.
Frederick was in fact a bigamist. He married Elizabeth Middlemiss in 1860 in Sandy Creek, and they went on to have 7 or 8 children. I have a copy of his marriage certificate, and his signature on there matches perfectly with that on his letters to his first wife Eliza, so we definitely have the same guy. We have no letters from him after 1858. Eliza continued to live in North Shields until she died in 1899, there was no divorce, and on census records she is listed as married until 1891 when she is a widow. I wonder what she thought? Probably that Frederick had been lost at sea or died in the goldfields. There are no family stories that I know of, maybe he wasn’t talked about!
He gave his name on the second marriage certificate as Frederick Reed Wigney (First wife Eliza Reed) and stated that he was a bachelor – naughty! He also gave his age in 1860 as 29 years, which does not tally, his father’s name as William Wigney, butcher, and his mother as Elizabeth Reed – co-incidence???
I also have a copy of his death registration. This states that in 1902 he was 83 years old, and the son of William Wigney, butcher, and Elizabeth Reed, which is at least consistent. His place of birth was given as Preston, Northumberland. I also have a copy of his obituary from his local newspaper, and he appears to have become a model citizen. If only they knew…
There are a couple of possible Williams, one in Manchester St Ann, baptised 11 Jan 1786, and others in Yorkshire. No definite links with any of them.
So you can see I know quite a lot about his later life but nothing at all before his marriage in 1851, or anything about his parents William and (maybe) Elizabeth Reed. He seems to have been quite a character, and I would love to have met him, but he was not always truthful, which makes research even more difficult.
If anyone can offer any ideas or any information I’d be delighted.
Avril
-
Hi Avril3,
Frederick Reed Wigney was also my ancestor and I've just started researching about him as well. I'm an Australian descendant from his second marriage (although I have his second wife's name as Janet Middlemiss on my records). It was very interesting to read what you had written there. You said you had copies of his letters to his first wife, I would love to see these. Would you be able to share these with me or tell me how I may access them?
-
Hi Avril3
Have you tried looking in the A-Z Name folders at North Shields local studies? You never know - there maybe more to be found in there. Researchers such as the staff and family historians put info into these. I have often found these folders to be a great resource.
-
Frederick Wigney was a mariner - he was not in the Royal Navy so searched Merchant Navy records on FindMyPast and found:
Frederick Wigney - born Halifax, Yorkshire -birthdate 13/3/1818.
Height 5' 7", Hair Dark Brown, Complexion Fair, Eyes Hazel.
Cannot find a birth for him BUT a William and Hannah had children baptised between 1821 and 1838 (the only Wigney's in Halifax baptising children at the time - they'd previously been some earlier baptisms but in Halifax Wesleyan church to an Edward and Betty):
Martha bp.26/8/1821 Halifax, Yorkshire
Sarah born 3/4/1825, not baptised until 18/3/1838 Halifax
Hannah bp.5/7/1829 Halifax
Mary Ann bp.6/1/1833 Halifax
Since Merchant Navy Frederick Wigney is said to have been born in Halifax 1818 and 'your' Frederick, mariner, shown bc.1821 in 1851 Scotland Census I feel sure this is the same person.
If the 1818 date is correct (may have been slightly inflated to enable him to join the merchant navy) and born in Halifax surely he can only be the son of William Wigney and wife Hannah?
This William Wigney was, however, a cordwainer/shoemaker, and didn't marry wife Hannah until 1820:
William Wigney and Hannah Hitchen 3/7/1820 Halifax (both shown to be of that parish).
Cannot find a baptism for Frederick under Wigney or Hitchen though.
In 1841 Hannah Wigney is living with her daughters in Halifax and 1851 (a widow) with married daughter Martha (now Ibbotson) - Hannah died in 1855. I don't know if Hannah was already a widow in 1841 but cannot find a likely burial/death for husband William. Perhaps he did a runner too?
Hannah Hitchen bp.5/1/1794 Halifax, dau. of Joseph
Cannot find a likely baptism for William Wigney in Yorkshire (of 2 possibilities one was a farmer and married to someone else and the other was unmarried).
So, still more questions than answers but feel sure that merchant navy Frederick Wigney and mariner Frederick Wigney are the same person.
Annette
-
My Wigney interest is covered in Annettes post above, specifically Mary Ann bp 6/1/1833 who married Henry Blakey(Blackhow) the nephew of my 3xgt grandfather. In addition, and just by chance, I have recently read the book Weavers, Wanderers and Wigneys, which traces the history of Wigneys from Halifax to Brighton and later out to Australia, Canada and back Huddersfield. Professions included banking, brewing, printing and farming.
Whilst I too am stuck on the father William (cordwainer) unable to find baptism or death and cannot tie him into the Wigneys in the book, the mention of Skircoat in registers does indicate part of the larger family who were based in Pye Nest area of Halifax immediately next to Skircoat.
As for Frederick my thought is that he could possibly be a son of William (1784-1861) who moved to farm in Huddersfield with his family before becoming innkeeper of the George Hotel Hudderfield in 1816. So he could have been a Maltster (brewing his own beer) in 1818 at Frederick's birth. This ties them into the part of the family that moved from Skircoat to Brighton as his uncle William and cousin Isaac Newton were the bankers and another cousin George Adolphus snr was a brewer there.
It was several of George Adolphus snr. children (inlcuding another Frederick) who migrated to Australia in the 1850's. So it is quite possible that the Frederick of the post also followed his distant cousins.
There are several William's and Frederick's in all generations of the family and in fact another Frederick was born in Brighton in 1818 but died there in 1835.
Just a few thoughts which I hope may help and please please anyone who can help with William the Cordwainer who married Hannah Hitchin in 1820 get in touch. :)