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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Cornwall => Topic started by: Jeff 1853 on Monday 30 April 12 08:12 BST (UK)
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I am writing a book on my Great Grandfather CHARLES JEFFERY who served in the Royal Navy. While I have been able to obtain a lot of naval information I have been unable to find his marriage to ELIZABETH ANNE BEER in Penzance about 1859.
Charles was born in West Cowes I.O.W on 26-5-1832 and the 1851 Census lists him as an unmarried Sailmaker living with his family.
On 4-7-1853 he joined the Royal Navy as a Sailmakers Mate on HMS Sybille that sailed from Plymouth to China and returned on 13-5-1858.
According to my Grandfather he then worked as a Sailmaker in Penzance and married Elizabeth Anne Beer.
He rejoined the Royal Navy on 3-2-1859 as a Sailmaker on HMS Termagant that sailed from Portsmouth to Vancouver Island and returned on 9-1-1863.
Between ships this gave him almost nine months to get married.
The 1861 Census lists Charles as marrried on HMS Termagant in Mexico. This Census also lists a Elizabeth Jeffery as married in a schoolroom in St Teath, Cornwall - Occupation Sailmakers wife - Born in St Teath.
On 18-2-1863 he transferred to the Coastguard in Ireland and he and Elizabeth Anne went to Dublin were my Grandfather and his siblings were born.
The 1911 Irish Census lists Charles & Elizabeth Anne Jeffery in Dunfanaghy Ireland and married in 1860 [when Charles was on HMS Termagant.]
Any help in finding the marriage would be greatly appreciated. Regards Jeff.
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1911 census says married 51 years but if accurate they could have been married 1859 or 1860. However, it's not uncommon for there to be mistakes on census forms.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Donegal/Dunfanaghy/Dunfanaghy_Town_2_files_file_1/483904/
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there is nothing on the Cornish online parish records site:
http://www.cornwall-opc-database.org/search-database/
and nothing coming up on freebmd. could they have been married at sea??
Diddy
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Thank you aghadowey and diddymiller. You have confirmed my research from afar that the marriage does not appear to have been recorded in the normal records.
Charles was a Petty Officer but I do not know under what circumstances a marriage would take place on a British war ship.
However while HMS Tremagant was commissioned on 29-1-1859 it did not leave English waters until 8-8-1859. Some records show Feb.1859 at Portsmouth. 18-5-1859 at Southampton. Late July to early August 1859 at Devonport. And then 8-8-1859 sailed Devonport for South America.
At this stage I don't accept that the marriage did not take place as Charles appears to have been a man of integrity. He started as a Petty Officer and then earned the total number of good conduct badges. He later reached the highest rank in the Coastguard and was placed in charge of a number of stations.
I think that the RN and Coastguard recorded marriage details to qualify for pension paments to widows but I do not know how many of these records still exist.
Unfortunately it is still a baffling mystery.
Regards Jeff.
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Hi
Could they have married with a licence rather than banns? I believe there are documents called Bishop's Transcripts you can check.I think Cornish records could be held at Exeter?
Ecila
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Thanks Ecila. I will see what I can find on-line re Bishops Transcripts.
Regards Jeff.
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I don't know whether it's relevant, but St Teath is a fair distance from Penzance (55 miles on today's roads) - and the journey would not have been possible by railway in 1859. If Elizabeth was born in St Teath, and is living there in 1861, why would she have married in Penzance?
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Thanks Galium,
I can only assume that Elizabeth Anne perhaps left the small village to get work.
However last night I looked on www.findmypast.co.uk and found a marriage for a Charles Jeffreys at Plymouth, Devon 1859 and also a marriage for a Elizabeth Beer at Plymouth, Devon 1859 under their "Parish Records Collection." Charle's ship HMS Sybille returned to Plymouth from China after 5 years away in 1859 so that part fits.
Today I have to go away for two nights, but when I return I may purchase some credits and see if those entries are related.
After a few years of looking unsuccessfully for this marriage I do not know if I should be excited or not at this stage.
Kind regards Jeff.
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I have since discovered that the 1859 Devon marriage participants - Charles Jefferys and
Elizabeth Beer are nor related. This marriage is still my brick wall.
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Hi,
You may already have this but, there are documents relating to Charles available on the National Archives site at a cost of £3.50
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=8337507&queryType=1&resultcount=31
I expect that these would give details of his service & may give more info about his marriage.
Good luck
Jacqui
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Thanks very much Jacqui. I have downloaded Charles Jeffery's Naval and Coastguard recods from The National Archives but they did not give marriage details.
However in the maze of documents, musters and ships logs held by TNA there possibly could be a record of marriage that has survived to support a will or a payment to a widow in case of death.
I live in Australia and hope to visit England next year. I will then try to get to the TNA and look through some of the records myself.
Also I have been waiting for the digitising of the records of the newspaper - "Derry People and Donegal News" that is held in the Dublin Library to see if there was an obituary for Charles who died 11-04-1914. Although this has been put off a few times already it is now scheduled for September 2012. Regards Jeff.