RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Essex => Topic started by: Geordie daughter on Monday 18 August 14 14:03 BST (UK)
-
Thomas Reynolds, born c. 1780, whose family I am currently tracing, was a coachman for the Fitzherbert family of Tissington Hall, Nottingham. The FitzHerberts were at Smith's Hall, West Farleigh, Kent, at the time of the 1851 Census which gives Thomas's place of birth as KELDEN, Essex, but I can't find Kelden on any maps. Thomas dies in 1859, so I can't check with the 1861 Census. Was there such a place, or is it an abbreviated version of Kelvedon, perhaps? I'm hoping that someone with local knowledge will be able to enlighten me.
-
I would say it is most likely Kelveden.
-
Kelvedon is in the Braintree area postal town Colchester but there is also Kelvedon Hatch which is in the postal town of Brentwood
-
HO107; Piece: 1616; Folio: 148; Page: 12
If you compare the first letter of Thomas' place of birth with the 'K' of 'Kitchen maid' I would say the place name begins with 'R'.
Josey
ADDED: Whoops, actually sorry, there is a 'Kent' higher up the page of which the 'K' looks the same as the 1st letter of Thomas' pob.
-
This one's a real poser: Essex OPC entries mention "Kelden parish," but I can't find it anywhere else either online or in my map book. Other possible alternatives could be Maldon, Essex or Kelham in Nottinghamshire. Thomas's baptism would solve the problem but I can't find that either!
-
Hi,
My first thought was Kelvedon.
Regards.
-
Could Kelvedon be sometimes pronounced 'Keldon'?? Place names recorded elsewhere in the country are often misinterpreted due to local accents.
Josey
-
Could it be Peldon, south of Colchester?
-
Thanks for your input everyone! Josey, I also wondered about the accent being to blame. After all, if you say Kelvedon to someone (e.g. an enumerator) who isn't familiar with your accent, quickly, and without putting any emphasis on the "v", it would sound like "Kelden." One woman who married into the Reynolds family was born in Brixham, and her place of birth has been rendered as "Brisham" by the enumerator on at least one occasion. Ideally, I need to be sure as I possibly can that there isn't an actual place called Kelden, so I don't go making wild and inaccurate statements about his place of birth in my family tree!
The fact that Thomas moved about a great deal with his job also makes it difficult to be sure of his origins. His wife, Mary Ann, was born in Great Bromley, Essex, but may well have met him in London while he was there with his employers. As far as I can work out, the couple had three sons: William and Daniel were born in Worksop, Notts, and a note on William's May 1815 baptism says "menial servant at Osberton." A little research revealed that Osberton Hall in Worksop was owned by a landed family called the Foljambes, so it looks very much as if they were Thomas's employers from 1815 to circa 1819, Daniel's approximate birth year. The third son was baptised in Tissington in Oct 1822, but I found an earlier Tissington baptism for a child of theirs dated June 1820 (another Thomas) who presumably died. This means I can roughly date Thomas senior's employment with the FitzHerberts from 1820, but as I said before, I have no idea where he and Mary Ann met or married, or if they had other children prior to 1815.
-
I am also researching a Thomas Reynolds who was a furniture dealer and worshipped as a Catholic at Kelvedon Hall in Brentwood Essex.He was good friends with my ancestor John Corrigan.This Thomas Reynolds was born at Chelmsford in about 1807 but i was just wondering whether it's the same Reynolds family perhaps this Thomas Reynolds father ?
-
There are Reynolds being baptised around that time in Kelvedon hatch to robert and a george reynolds. There is also mention of a keldon hall. Haven't found thomas yet. Got to 1782. reynolds in maldon too. No thomas.
-
Thomas Reynolds son of Robert and Margaret baptised 12 July 1787 in stondon Massey, which is the next parish along to kelvedon hatch. Census ages were rounded down, so this is a possibility. He may have been born a bit earlier.
-
Jasswiss, it's entirely possible your Thomas Reynolds is a relation of my man, although I'm not able to help much on that score as I haven't been able to pin down any hard facts on 'my' Thos. Reynolds yet, I'm afraid!
Nannyj, thank you for digging up that baptism! As you suggest, my Thomas may have been born a few years before. You mention KELDON Hall, so it does sound as if Kelvedon was often spelled (and probably pronounced) Keldon. I see Stondon Massey is not all that far from Kelvedon Hatch, and the evidence does seem to give a good case for my Thomas being born here rather than at the Kelvedon between Chelmsford and Colchester. It's entirely possible his parents were servants at, or tenants of, Kelvedon Hall, and would certainly explain how he came to be a coachman in later years. At present I'm experiencing some problems with my computer (hence the delay in replying to your post, Jasswiss) so I can't access my family tree program to check facts until it's been reloaded, but the info you have dug up sounds promising. As soon as I have had the bugs in my computer ironed out, I will do some more in-depth digging.