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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: M_ONeill on Monday 22 June 20 18:43 BST (UK)
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I've been very lucky to recently hit on a seam of good records that has taken one of my branches back to the 17th century.
I'm currently focused on a Thomas Lovatt who (potential margin for error this far back in a tree notwithstanding) I believe to be my 10x great grandfather.
As Thomas was alive during the civil war, I'm looking to see if there are any clues as to his experiences during that time, whether or not he may have fought, which side he might have supported, etc. I'm hoping some of the military historians on this site may have some insights about life and times during the civil war.
I believe Thomas Lovatt was baptised in 1625 in the parish church at Lapley, Staffordshire, though he probably lived in the adjoining hamlet of Wheaton Aston.
It seems likely that Thomas was the son of Richard Lovatt and Rose Wildie and had three siblings, Mary, Anne and John. Richard looks to have died in 1629/30 when Thomas was only 4 or 5 years old, his mother remarrying in 1631.
Thomas would have been around 17 years old when the king raised his standard in Nottingham in 1642. Lapley itself seems to have been on something of a borderline between the warring factions, at least initially.
Lapley church and the nearby Lapley House (later Lapley Hall) were initially held by a garrison of 70 parliamentarian soldiers captained by a Robert Smith, before falling to a Royalist force in 1643. There seems to have been at least some skirmishing fought in and/or around the village.
The royalist garrison was for a time commanded by William Careless of Broom Hall in nearby Brewood - famous several years later for his night spent hiding in the Royal Oak with Charles II.
As far as Thomas goes, there is definitely a gap in the records around the time of the civil war. I can find no record of his marriage to his wife Margery (surname unknown), nor to the birth of his eldest son Richard. His second child, Ann, appears as normal in the Lapley parish registers, baptised in June 1651, about 9 months after the war was ended at the battle of Worcester. After that, his subsequent children appear in perfect series.
In fact, there seem to be no Lovatt records in Lapley of any kind during the war, including for Thomas' brother and sisters. Given that there do seem to be *some* marriages and baptisms being conducted at the church right through the war, I don't know whether this is simply disturbances to record keeping or whether it actually denotes the family were absent from the area.
So that's the picture so far. I'd be hugely grateful for any thoughts or ideas on avenues of enquiry, or even if anyone could give me a more detailed picture of what was happening in the area during the war.
Thanks in advance! :)
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Found out some extra information:
The man Rose married in 1631 was a John Fennihouse (written 'Pheneas' in the marriage entry). This seems name seems to be very, old, very local and very variant in spelling. The name is mostly found around Lapley and Blymhill. They had at least four children together with Rose dying in 1641.
This online genealogy page says that brothers John and Richard Fennihouse later had their estates confiscated for supporting the royalist cause. I have not yet determined what, if any relation they hold to the John who married Rose.
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I was really interested to read this as I had traced my family back to Thomas Lovatt, son of Richard and Rose, but now I am not so sure. I have a 4x great grandfather, Draper Lovatt married to Mary Marrian in Bobbington 1775 who is living in Wheaton Aston by 1777 and buried in Lapley June 1830. As it's quite an unusual name the only possible baptism I have is St Andrew, Holborn, Mar 1743, son of Thomas and Bridget (nee Draper). Bridget seems to have been born in London and married Thomas Lovatt in 1739 at St Bride, Fleet Street. What I can not determine is whether Thomas Lovatt is from London or if he is the son of Joseph Lovatt of Lapley, born 1711. Joseph being I believe the grandson of your Thomas Lovatt born 1625, son of Richard and Rose (nee Wildie).
Interestingly Draper and Mary had four daughters, two of whom, although baptised in Lapley, married in London, so there must still have been a connection with the two places.
Have you come across Draper Lovatt in your research?
Lizzie
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Hi Lizzie, great to hear from you - I hadn't found many leads on this part of my tree since I last posted to the thread, so it's nice to hear it helped spark some possibilities in your own research. :)
So I did a little digging on the Draper Lovatt you mentioned in your post. You likely have all of this info, but I'm typing it out to help get it straight in my own head:
Draper Lovatt (the elder) leaves a will executed in 1830. It lists him as being of Lapley, Staffordshire, husband to a Mary.
Six children are listed in the will: Daughters Susannah Herbridge (possibly Hambridge), Elizabeth Garratt (widow) and Letty (Elsewhere Lettice) Blakemore. Also named are sons Jeremiah, Draper and John Lovatt.
Looking through the Lapley baptismal records gives a more complete record of Draper and Mary's children as follows:
Mary Lovatt bap. Lapley, 28 Dec 1777 (not mentioned in will, possibly deceased by 1830)
Susannah Lovatt bap. Lapley, 26 Dec 1779
Elizabeth Lovatt bap. Lapley, (unknown) 1781
Jeremiah Lovatt bap. Lapley, 28 Jul 1786
Draper Lovatt bap. Blymhill, 8 Feb 1789
Lettice Lovatt bap. Blymhill, 3 Jan 1792
I can find no baptismal record for John, so unsure where he fits in the sequence.
Now the first thing I notice with these children is a number of shared names with Lovatts in my tree. Draper isn't among them, but Jeremiah stands out, as does Ann and Elizabeth, all three being names that go back in the family to at least the early-to-mid 17th century.
Looking at Thomas Lovatt and Bridget Draper, I can see the 1739 marriage you found in St Bride's , Fleet. The local records are a bit confused, but I can see a number of children likely born to this couple; Mary (The FindMyPast record transcript has her born on 02 Jan 1739, baptised St-Mary-in-the-Fields, Westminster, 20 Jan 1740 - a child born out of wedlock?), Jeremiah (b. 1740, bap. Clerkenwell, 1741), Draper (bap. Holborn, 1743) and Francis (bap. Holborn, 1744). We see the repetition of names again here.
Now this seems to be a very long-shot given the distance, but there is a set of Lovatt children born to a Thomas and Bridget Lovatt in the village of Scotton, Lincolnshire between the years 1752 and 1766; Ann (bap. 1752, d. same), William (bap. 1759), Thomas (bap. 1761), and Luke (bap. 1766).
I can't find many references to Lovatts in the village before 1752, but there are a number in the decades afterwards (mainly in the nearby village of Scotter). It's perhaps possible that the Thomas and Bridget who appear in Scotton left some children who settled in the area. If they *were* the same couple who were in London, (again, perhaps a long-shot), then what would cause them to move to the north? Even if they had in fact stayed in London, what would cause their son Draper to move to Wheaton Aston? There were a number of Drapers in that part of Staffordshire, as well as Lovatts. Was Draper returning to the ancestral stamping ground?
A thought occurs that Draper (the elder) may have obtained his first name from his mother's surname. It's a tradition that I've seen in the Irish part of my tree, though not in the Irish. If so, that would potentially explain why the name appears in your branch of Lovatts but not mine.
I'll keep digging at this, it's a very interesting line! ;D
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Thanks for your response. I think I can add a little more detail
I believe the daughters in the will are:-
Susanna Herbage ( married John Herbage 16 Jun 1801 Westminster St George, died in Shoreditch in 1835)
Elizabeth Garratt ( married Edward Garrett 12 Sep 1807 St Mary, Marylebone Road, possibly in Wolverhampton by 1841)
Letty/Letticia Blakemore ( my 3x GGM married Benjamin Blakemore 2 Jan 1815 in Lapley, living in Wolverhampton by 1851, died 1869 in Wolverhampton, buried in Lapley)
Of the other children
Mary bap 1777 probably died 1805 ( buried 29 May in Lapley)
John seems to have been baptised 2 Nov 1794 at St Peter Wolverhampton
I agree Lincolnshire is a long shot, I hadn’t come across Luke but had noted the others however I wonder if Bridget is too old to be the mother of the Lincolnshire Lovatts
Could Bridget Draper be the daughter of Thomas and Martha born around 1716, baptised St Giles Without Cripplegate 3 Jan 1717
Draper (the elder) was 32 when he married Mary Marrian age 17 with the permission of guardians, it makes me wonder if this was some sort of arranged marriage? The Marrian family has a very well documented history and seem to have been established in Bobbington/Tong for several generations.. not found a London connection yet which does point to Draper moving and settling in Wheaton Aston, but then 2 of his daughters married in London
Going back to the Thomas Lovatt that married Bridget Draper I have two possible baptisms for him, a London one 16 Jan 1716 St Andrew Holborn, son of William and Sarah or a Lapley one 6 Dec 1711 son of Joseph and Francis ( this would link him to your Lovatts)
Will keep looking and interested to hear if you discover anything further too.
Regards
Lizzie
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Ah, that explains why I couldn't find the marriages of Susannah and Elizabeth in the Lapley records, they were married in London!
In terms of potential baptisms for Thomas in Lapley, I've done some digging through the records and if your Thomas was indeed the son of Joseph and Francesca, we may have some trouble with the dates when it comes to matching up with my tree. I checked my records and I have my Joseph (son of John Lovatt and Mary Blakemore) as being baptised in Lapley on the 15th Oct 1699. That would make him only around 12 years old in 1711 when Joseph and Francisca were wed and Thomas born.
Now there is a Joseph Lovatt baptised in Lapley in 1681 who would have been nearer the right age to marry Francisca, he was the son of a Joseph and a Mary. I can find five children born to this couple in Lapley:
Mary (bap. 1678)
Thomas (bap. 1680)
Joseph (bap. 1681)
Richard (bap. 1684)
Margaret (bap. 1686)
Strangely, I've yet to find a marriage record for the parents Joseph and Mary. It's possible that this elder Joseph is the son of Thomas and Margery. The latter was baptised in 1653 so he'd be around the right age to marry and start having children in the 1670s - but I need to do a bit more work on that to confirm it.
My current (unconfirmed) hunch is that we very possibly do share descent from Richard and Rose, but your line may not descend through the particular people you thought it did. The repetition of names makes it particularly difficult! ;D
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Another possibility (though perhaps slightly too old for your Thomas, as he'd have been around 45 in 1739) is the following Thomas:
Thomas Lovatt - bap. Lapley, 09 Oct 1694 { Parents: Richard Lovatt & Hana Sayer (possibly a variant on 'Sawyer'). The couple were married in Lapley on the 24th December 1693.
Now based on the ages involved, as well as other documentary evidence, this Richard is almost certainly the same Richard that was the son of Thomas Lovatt and Margery (maiden name unknown). He is the only one of their children who I have not yet found a baptismal record for. Given the birth years of his siblings (1651 - 1666) I believe he is most likely the eldest child, probably born during the later years of the civil war. Since his parents were possibly wed somewhere outside of Lapley, it is also possible that he was born elsewhere.
He is referred to in his father's 1685 will (in which he received a table board from the house, a 'neading tubb' and twenty pounds in money). Notably though, he doesn't seem to have been present at his father's death. The deceased Thomas' will was apparently an oral one given on his death bed and three of his sons had to go and swear on oath before an official to have it made legal. The document bears the signatures of Joseph, John and Jeremiah Lovatt, but not Richard. It makes me wonder where he might have been.
Richard is at least present in Lapley when he marries Hannah Sayer in Dec 1693. The couple had two children: Thomas (bap. 1694) and Margery (bap. 1696) - named after Richard's parents, perhaps?
Richard died in 1700 and left a will, with executors John Lovatt, and Sam Sayer (his brother and brother-in-law, respectively). The will left an obligation on the two men to jointly take on Richard's two children to foster and educate:
To whom the tuition & education of Margery Lovatt & Thomas Lovatt natural and lawful children of the said deceased, being in their minority, is by the above namd Wm Walmesley committed & granted doe & shall well and sufficiently educate, foster and bring up the said children - with sufficient & convenient meate, drink, washing, lodgeing & apparell meet & decent for their estate & calling during their minority...
I think Margery may have married a William Jones in Lapley, 1716 (yet to confirm that one), but I can find no parish marriage record for any Thomas Lovatt in Lapley after he would have come of age around 1715. The next earliest is all the way in the 1770s.
Now this suggests that, if he lived, he may have married somewhere else. Though of course, the same goes for Thomas Lovatt, son of Joseph and Francisca Goldsmith. The latter would have also been of a more 'usual' age to be married in 1739 (although as you point out, Draper was also relatively 'late' marrying).
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I've been doing a bit more research, casting a bit of a wider net over the Lapley Lovatts. A few things stand out:
There appears to be no obvious record I can find of any Lovatt presence in Lapley or Wheaton Aston prior to Richard's 1622 marriage to Rose Wildie (The Wildie family by comparison seem to have been settled there since at least the early 16th century). This makes me think that Richard may have moved into the area from elsewhere. There seem to be large numbers of well-established Lovatts found further north in Staffordshire, especially in areas around Stoke-on-Trent.
Wherever Richard came from, the possibility that the Lapley Lovatts were (relatively) new arrivals in Wheaton Ashton makes me think it more likely that Draper's family had a direct link to Richard and Rose. It seems highly likely to me that *all* the Lapley Lovatts share that descent, and I think it strengthens the likelihood of a familial motive for Draper et al. moving there from London.
Second thing is that I found the will of Samuel Sayer. Turns out that he was married to Ann Lovatt, daughter of Thomas and Margery, and sister to the Richard Lovatt that married Hannah Sayer (I suspect also the sister of Samuel).
The important thing is that the will was witnessed by three men: John Sayer, Thomas Lovatt and Thomas Rathbone (see attached image)
Now given that Thomas the husband of Margery was long dead by 1706, this leaves two main candidates for this signature, based on baptismal records in the village:
- Thomas (bap. 1680 - son of Joseph and Mary, aged ~26 in 1706)
- Thomas (bap. 1685 - son of John and Mary Blakemore, aged ~21 in 1706)
While probably too young to sign the document, the third Thomas found in the baptismal records is worth mentioning as he was Samuel Sayer's ward and possible nephew:
- Thomas (bap. 1694 - son of Richard and Hannah Sayer, aged ~12 in 1706)
All three of these Thomas Lovatts seem to be great grandchildren of Richard and Rose via their shared grandparents, Thomas and Margery.
Lizzie, I don't know if you have any documents bearing the signature of the Thomas Lovatt that married Bridget Draper, but if you do you could compare the signature with that on Samuel Sayer's will and see if there's a match.
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Thank you so much for the additional information, it is certainly all getting very interesting and complicated.
In the Lapley parish records I have found baptisms for five Thomas Lovatts
1. Thomas 1680
2. Thomas 1685
3. Thomas 1694
All these are almost certainly grandsons of Thomas 1625 and Margerie
4. Thomas 1711 son of Joseph and Francis
5. Thomas 1724 son of Thomas and Anna
These almost certainly being great grandsons and Thomas 5 possibly son of either 1, 2 or 3 ( but not found a marriage record in Lapley).
Date wise if my Thomas married Bridget Draper in 1739 and is from Lapley, he is most likely Thomas 4, or possibly Thomas 3.
Thomas and Anna appear to have had the following children, although there is a large gap in dates:
Thomas 1724
Rosa 1726
Maria 1732
Jeremiah 1743
If this last son is correct then it points to likely being Thomas 3 as Thomas 1 and 2 would be quite old by then at 63 and 58 respectively.
Looking at Burial records it certainly points to two of the Thomas's having left Lapley as there is:
Thomas 1759, Pater Familias
Thomas 1777, Senex
Thomas 1798.
There is also the possibility my Thomas, father of Draper, is the son of William and Sarah (Ewer) of Shoe Lane married Clerkenwell 1710. William being the possible son of William and Mary (Page) married Clerkenwell 1679. But this doesn't account for the Lapley connection. Although I do feel he may have inherited family land or property. Interestingly there doesn't seem to be many records for Lovatt births and marriages in Lapley around this time so he may have been a slightly more distant relative inheriting.
Maybe when Richard moved to Lapley a sibling went to London, I can find Lovatts in the register for St Martin in the Field from around 1582.
Definitely need to keep researching and looking at siblings etc.
Kind regards
Lizzie
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It's a tough one for sure, but I think I've made some headway!
I came across the 1768 will of a Jeremiah Lovatt of Lapley. It's a sizable document, both in size (FindMyPast has it as one page split between six(!) images), as well as in financial terms; Jeremiah leaves money to various relatives all over the local region, as well as bequests for the poor, widows and orphans of Lapley. In short, Jeremiah seems to be pretty well to do.
Going by the network of relatives he mentions, it's fairly clear to me that this is Jeremiah the son of John Lovatt and Mary Blakemore (bap. 1690). At the time of his death he seems to be unmarried and childless, as he leaves his property to his nephew Joseph, son of his brother Joseph 'late of Shifnal - deceased'. Later he also makes reference to Joseph's widow Mary and three daughters Mary, Anne, and Elizabeth. The son Joseph was baptised in 1737. Joseph the elder appears to have been a tanner.
Jeremiah's will also mentions his niece Mary Sansome, daughter of his brother Thomas Lovatt - deceased (this would be the Thomas baptised in 1685). Having done some digging, I feel fairly sure that this is the Thomas who married Anne as you mentioned in your last post. Their son Thomas would have been Jeremiah's nephew, but he is not mentioned in his will.
As we've now pinpointed Joseph and Mary of Shifnal, along with their children, I think we can now probably narrow down the earlier Joseph and Mary who live in Lapley. I'm not 100% yet, but I'm still fairly sure that this Joseph is the son of Thomas and Margery (bap. 1653). He is, as far as I can see, the only Joseph in the tree of the right age to be having children between 1678 and 1686.
That brings us to the Joseph (bap. 1681) who married Francisca Goldsmith (and fathered one of the Thomas Lovatts on our list). I think there's a good chance he's the son of Joseph and Mary of Lapley. He's the only Joseph I can see who fits in the age gap to be married in 1711. He would also have an elder brother named Thomas.
So, long story short, I think I can now place all of our previously listed Thomas Lovatts in the tree.
Referencing them as per their relation to Thomas and Margery, I'd say we're looking at:
- Thomas (bap. 1680) Grandson of Thos. & Marg. via their son Joseph (wife Mary).
- Thomas (bap. 1685) Grandson of Thos. & Marg via their son John (wife Mary).
- Thomas (bap. 1694) Grandson of Thos. & Marg. via their son Richard (wife Hannah).
- Thomas (bap. 1711) Great grandson of Thos. & Marg. via their grandson Joseph (wife Francisca) who was brother to Thos. (1680) and son of Joseph (wife Mary).
- Thomas (bap. 1724) Great grandson of Thos. & Marg. via their grandson Thomas (wife Anna) who was the son of John (wife Mary).
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Quick addition to the last post - Jeremiah's burial record in Lapley lists him as a widower and 'Pater Familias' - clearly the head of household for the wider Lovatt family.
This Jeremiah was married to an Anne Green in Lapley by license in 1719. Also signing the obligation was Fennihouse Green of Longnor, Anne's brother.
I can only find two possible children of the couple in the local area, a William Lovatt in Lapley, 1730 and a Thomas Lovatt in Church Eaton 1733 - though as these would both be fairly late children for a couple married in 1719, it makes me wonder where the couple would have been prior to 1730.
Interesting aside, Jeremiah's marriage to Anne would make him the uncle of John Fennihouse Green (https://taskscape.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/john-fennyhouse-green/) (1721 - 1777), son of Fennihouse Green and later Under Clerk of Works to the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Company. He seems to be considered one of the founding fathers of Stourport-on-Severn, as he was the surveyor who went out and plotted the canal basins that led to the development of the town.
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I've continued to hack away at this. I've put together a list of all of the Thomas Lovatts I can find baptised in the immediate region around Lapley between 1625 and 1830. Here they are, split into rough generations:
- Thomas bap. 1625 - d. 1685 - son of Richard Lovatt & Rose Wildie
- Thomas bap. 1680 - d. ? - son of Joseph and Mary
- Thomas bap. 1685 - d. 1759 - son of John Lovatt & Mary Blakemore
- Thomas bap. 1689 - d. Same - son of Jeremiah Lovatt (likely mother Katherine Grateley)
- Thomas bap. 1694 - d. ? - son of Richard Lovatt & Hannah Sayer
- Thomas bap. 1711 - d. ? - son of Joseph & Francisca Goldsmith.
- Thomas bap. 1724 - d. ? - son of Thomas and Anne (1)
- Thomas bap. 1733 - d. Same - son of Jeremiah and Anne Green
- Thomas bap. 1793 - d. 1794 - son of Thomas and Anne (2) (possibly Turner)
- Thomas bap. 1813 - d. 1814 - son of Thomas & Mary (possibly Tomson)
This leaves four Thomas Lovatts without confirmed death dates.
Looking at the local death/burial records we have the following unmatched deaths:
- Thomas Lovatt bur. 05 Feb 1721 - Brewood
- Thomas Lovatt Jr - d. 1780 (probate/admin.) - listed as 'formerly of Penkridge, but late of His Majesty's Frigate Surprise, a soldier'. Died on board. Administration granted to Thomas Lovatt the Elder, father.
- Thomas Lovatt bur. 06 Apr 1777 (senex.) - Lapley
- Thomas Lovatt bur. 22 Dec 1788 - Brewood
That would theoretically match us one for one with the baptisms, though there are the following later burials that don't match any of our baptisms:
- Thomas Lovatt - bur. 1819, aged 73 (b. c.1746), resident Four Crosses, parish of Wolverhampton.
- Thomas Lovatt - bur. 1831, aged 83 (b. c.1748), resident of Penkridge
- Thomas Lovatt - bur 1839, aged 65 (b. c1774)
As far as I can see, the local parish records seem to be mostly complete through the 1740s and onwards, which makes me wonder if some of these Thomas Lovatts moved in from elsewhere.
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Sorry for the delay replying, very busy at work at the moment. I need a big sheet of paper to map it all out on but after the info from Jeremiahs will it certainly seems likely that the Lapley family had spread to neighbouring villages and ultimately into Wolverhampton.
Lizzie
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Can you just clarify that the Jeremiah you think might have married Ann Green is the same Jeremiah that left the will of 1768, and that unmarried and childless means he was widowed and his two potential sons had predeceased him.
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With regards to
Thomas Lovatt Jr - d. 1780 (probate/admin.) - listed as 'formerly of Penkridge, but late of His Majesty's Frigate Surprise, a soldier'. Died on board. Administration granted to Thomas Lovatt the Elder, father.
We only have one Thomas,son of Thomas, that is Thomas born 1724 son of Thomas born 1685 who married Ann. Thomas senior being the brother of Jeremiah who left the will in 1768 referring to his late brother Thomas,so he must have died by 1768 and therefore can not be Thomas the Elder granted probate in 1780
Lizzie
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With regards to Jeremiah's will mentioning his niece Mary Sansome, daughter of his late brother Thomas Lovatt. I have found a marriage record for Mary in Lapley, 1755 to John Sansome, she is 22 and John age 21, of Pattingham. Witnesses Thomas Lovatt ( possibly her brother) and Edward Sayer. Marriage is by Licence with consent of Parents, indicating her father (Thomas b 1685) is almost certainly alive which fits with the burial record of 1759
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Can you just clarify that the Jeremiah you think might have married Ann Green is the same Jeremiah that left the will of 1768, and that unmarried and childless means he was widowed and his two potential sons had predeceased him.
Yes, I'm pretty sure this is indeed the same man. I know that his son Thomas predeceased him as said child died in infancy (1733). I'm less sure about William, though as I'm not 100% sure that he is even the child of the same couple it may be irrelevant. We know that Jeremiah was widowed at the time of his death from his parish burial record in 1768. Ann Lovatt (formerly Green) was buried in Lapley, 1766.
With regards to
Thomas Lovatt Jr - d. 1780 (probate/admin.) - listed as 'formerly of Penkridge, but late of His Majesty's Frigate Surprise, a soldier'. Died on board. Administration granted to Thomas Lovatt the Elder, father.
We only have one Thomas,son of Thomas, that is Thomas born 1724 son of Thomas born 1685 who married Ann. Thomas senior being the brother of Jeremiah who left the will in 1768 referring to his late brother Thomas,so he must have died by 1768 and therefore can not be Thomas the Elder granted probate in 1780
Yes, I had a similar thought - we seem to have an extra pair of Thomases that we haven't yet placed in the tree.
I think the Penkridge branch of our Lovatts begins with Jeremiah Lovatt, son of Thomas and Margery (this is ignoring one Richard Levett buried in Penkridge in 1641 who may or may not be related). This elder Jeremiah seems to be the only one of Thomas and Margery's children that settles outside of Lapley (although only three or so miles east). He marries a Katharine Grateley in 1688.
I can find at least four children baptised to Jeremiah and Katherine: Thomas (died in infancy, 1689), Margaret (bap.1693), Jeremiah (bap. 1697) and Joseph Lovatt (bap. 1700). I'm not confident that this is the whole family as there are a number of Lovatt records which I can't place. For example: Alice Lovatt who marries a Robert Reanolds by license in Penkridge, 1721 (document signed by a Jeremiah Lovatt). She would be of the right age to be a potential child of Jeremiah and Katharine, but I can find no local baptismal record for her. Either there is a gap in the records somewhere or families are moving around.
There are a number of Lovatt baptisms with a Thomas listed as a father in Penkridge:
Abel Lovatt - son of Thomas Lovatt & Susannah Benton (1736)
Elizabeth Lovatt - daughter of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1778)
Joseph Lovatt - son of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1779)
Ann Lovatt - daughter of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1783)
Joseph Lovatt - son of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1785)
Hannah Lovatt - daughter of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1788)
Sarah Lovatt - daughter of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1790)
Thomas Lovatt - Joseph Lovatt - son of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1793)
Now obviously the range of dated makes it fairly likely we're dealing with two separate series of children here (Abel being separate from the rest) but I post to show that there is at least one Thomas, possibly a series of them, in the Penkridge line of the family. How they fit into our tree isn't exactly clear, but my hunch is that they descend from Jeremiah and Katherine (being thus cousins to the Lapley branch of Lovatts descending through Thomas and Margery).
An interesting note on the military side of things. The Penkridge parish registers list a marriage on Dec 14th 1738 between 'George Washington of General Wade's Regiment and Elizabeth Lovatt, sojourner, at Stafford'. Given the later career of Thomas Lovatt (d. 1780), it makes me wonder if any more of the local Lovatts embarked on a military career.
With regards to Jeremiah's will mentioning his niece Mary Sansome, daughter of his late brother Thomas Lovatt. I have found a marriage record for Mary in Lapley, 1755 to John Sansome, she is 22 and John age 21, of Pattingham. Witnesses Thomas Lovatt ( possibly her brother) and Edward Sayer. Marriage is by Licence with consent of Parents, indicating her father (Thomas b 1685) is almost certainly alive which fits with the burial record of 1759
It's possible that Edward Sayer is some degree of cousin - Thomas' aunt Anne married a Samuel Sayer in 1681.
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With regards to the Penkridge Jeremiah I have also come across a document referring to the marriage of Elizabeth Lovatt in 1701 to a William Bishton of Kilshall which mentions John and Jeremiah Lovatt,
Reference: 1781/2/137
Title: Marriage settlement
Description:
1. William Bishton of Killshall, yeoman
2. Elizabeth Lovett of Wheaton Aston, Staffs, spinster
3. John Lovett of Wheaton Aston, Staffs, yeoman
Jeremiah Lovett of Pillington, Staffs, yeoman
Although she would be about 40 this seems likely to be Elizabeth daughter of Thomas and Margerie and her brothers John and Jeremiah. She has a son William in 1704 which is also the year she dies.
This son marries Lucy Whiston, whose sister Ann marries a Jeremiah Lovatt ( born c 1703) of Pillington, Penkridge in 1733.
There is a Gateley listed in the Hearth Tax, Pillington 1666 so they seem established in the area.
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Ah, I hadn't yet narrowed down Elizabeth's marriage, but I agree - William Bishton seems to be the most likely candidate.
In fact, Elizabeth marrying late would explain her prominence in her father's 1685 will. After his wife Thomas makes Elizabeth his primary heir; Margery then adds a codicil surrendering her claims in favour of her daughter). At that point Elizabeth would have been the only remaining unmarried daughter. Perhaps Thomas and Margery wanted to ensure she was financially secure in the event she didn't marry.
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The age is slightly off, but I think the Jeremiah Lovatt who marries Ann Whiston is probably the son (bap. 1698) of Jeremiah and Katherine Grateley. He's the only Jeremiah of the right age/location in the area that fits the marriage.
This marriage may introduce a slight complication into the tree - namely with the parentage of Thomas Lovatt (b. & d.1733). The parish records of Church Eaton list Jeremiah and Anne as his parents - but this could be either Jeremiah and Anne Green or Jeremiah and Anne Whistons.
The former couple is closer geographically, but also somewhat older having been married since 1719. The latter couple are a much nearer match on date, but potentially somewhat further away depending on where exactly they settled.
Interestingly, there are no local baptisms registered to parents Jeremiah and Anne after 1733 until John Lovatt in 1813, in Lapley - obviously too late to belong to either of our above listed couples.
There is obviously the possibility that Jeremiah and Anne Green remained childless, but it makes me wonder what happened to Jeremiah and Anne Whistons. Did they move elsewhere? Did she die young?
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We know that branches of the family were being established in and around Shifnal by the early 18th century. There's Elizabeth's marriage to William Bishton for one, but two of her nephews by her brother John and his wife Mary Blakemore also appear to have settled there: John and Joseph.
John Lovatt through an unknown partner fathered a Mary Lovatt. I believe she later married a Robert Brookes/Brooker by license in Shifnal, she is mentioned under her married name in her uncle Jeremiah Lovatt's 1768 will.
Jeremiah married a Mary (maiden name unknown) and appeared to be plying his trade as a Tanner, based on his children's baptismal records.
Strangely, I've yet to find a marriage record for either John or Jeremiah. Based on their baptismal dates and the children we know of, I'd expect them to have married in the 1720s-1730s.
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Looking further into the archive records about William Bishton I can see mention of Killsall White House Estate, located in the parish of Tong, Shropshire. Now interestingly Draper Lovatt married Mary Marrion and the Marrion family are established in Tong by 1660s which is possibly another clue linking Draper to the Lapley/ Wheaton Aston Lovatts. I need to do some more digging.
Lizzie
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The family as a whole definitely has links in the Tong/Shifnal area.
By the time of Jeremiah's will in 1768 my branch of the family had stopped being Lovatts and become Masefields; Jeremiah's elder sister Elizabeth married a Richard Masefield in Lapley in 1706. Their marriage license lists him as being of Marston, which is just outside Wheaton Aston.
The 'Richard Masefield of Weston' mentioned in Jeremiah's will may be this brother-in-law or it may be his nephew by Richard and Elizabeth. Either way, there seems to be a clear drift in this part of the family, starting from Weston, where Richard the Elder initially lived, moving down through Blymhill and Weston which are obviously both very close to Tong.
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I got a chance to visit my local library today and access the Find My Past website. I looked at Jeremiah Lovatts will, you are correct, it's a large one!.
I also discovered one for Richard Lovatt dated 1631 which mentions Maria, Thomas, Ann and John although I couldn't make out the name of his wife Rose in it.
I then came across a will of Thomas Lovatt dated 1798 which I thought could have been the year my potential Thomas, born 1711 had died, ( based on the fact that the other likely record of his death 1777 denotes senex but he would not be that old). However this will makes no mention of any family but to a John Perry(?) labourer of Wheaton Aston and his wife Elizabeth and a Margaret wife of John Downes.
Lastly I found the will of Joseph Lovatt dated 1687,this mentions Jeremiah and Elizabeth and widow Maria or Mary, this presumably being Joseph born 1653,son of Thomas and Margery
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I haven't got 100% confirmation on this yet (so just strong supposition at this point), but I think the John who inherited from Thomas in 1798 may have been the husband of Elizabeth Taylor (not that one!) and thus related to the Lovatt/Masefield family branch by marriage.
To fill in the blanks: Jeremiah's eldest sister Elizabeth married Richard Masefield in 1719. Their eldest daughter Elizabeth married a Francis Taylor of Lapley in 1737. Their eldest daughter Elizabeth (bap. 1739) is I believe the likeliest candidate to be the Elizabeth Taylor who married John Perry in 1777. I believe this would make her Jeremiah's grand-niece.
Now obviously no direct relationship is listed between John and Elizabeth Perry in Thomas' 1798 will, which makes me think he may have been a more distant relative in the tree (possibly another branch of the family?).
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If your hypothesis is correct then it seems most likely the Thomas who left a bequest to the Perry's, who I think were living with him, possibly in a carer capacity may have had no family and, due to the connection with Jeremiah of the 1768 will, he is probably the son of Thomas Jeremiah's brother and wife Ann ie Thomas born 1724. This seems more probable than him being the father of Draper.
I think I need to further investigate the will of Joseph dated 1687 for any clues as he could potentially be the grandfather of my Thomas of 1711.
Can I ask, as you seem to have a lot of experience in genealogy, if you think I am likely to find more wills etc other than those on Find My Past if I visit the records office?
Many thanks
Lizzie
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In terms of wills, I'm not sure whether there'll be any more at the record office. The ones we've been looking at are all in 'Staffordshire, Dioceses Of Lichfield and Coventry Wills and Probate 1521-1860' and it seems to fairly cover the family in Lapley and the surrounding regions.
That said, seeing as the question we're investigating is whether some members of the family moved away, it's possible there are relevant wills elsewhere. Do you know if any of the London-based branch of your family left wills down there prior to Draper's (possible) return to Staffordshire?
Concerning the Joseph of the 1687, his wife was a Mary, surname unknown; I have not found a marriage record for the couple. Based on the baptismal date for their eldest child I would put their marriage c.1677-78. They had the following children:
Maria - bap. 1678
Thomas - bap. 1680
Joseph - bap. 1681
Richard - bap. 1684
Margaret - bap. 1686
Margaret being born a year before her father's death in 1687. His will notes that he died intestate. He would have only been 34.
Joseph's death would have left his wife Mary a widow with five young children and I wondered whether she would have remarried. Checking the records does show a 1708 marriage license between a Maria Levitt (sic), widow, and a John Manning, bachelor and Husbandman of Blymhill.
However, I did a further dive and found a reference to this marriage in 'Collections for a History of Staffordshire'. This lists this widow Mary as the Mary Lenthall, daughter of Edmund Lenthall Esq. and Susannah Brereton. Susannah being a daughter of Sir William Brereton of Handforth, Cheshire 1st Baronet.
According to this source, Mary Lenthall's first husband was apparently a John Levett. It has this to say about him:
The first mention I meet with of the Levetts in connection with
Blymhill is on November 30, 1682 (30 Car. XL), the date of an
agreement between Sir Thomas Wilbraham, of Weston-under-
Liziard, Bart., Thomas Lane, of Bentley, co. Stafford, Esq., Thomas
Jobber, of Aston, co. Salop, Esq., John Levett, of the Inner Temple,
London, Esq., Walter Skrymsher, or Orslow, co. Stafford, gent.,
Jonas Asley, of Wood Eaton, co. Stafford, gent., and Thomas James,
of Market Drayton, co. Salop, gent,, whereby it was agreed between
the said parties that, whereas they are, in their own right or in
right of their wives, seized of several parcels of land lying within
the township of Brynton, co. Stafford...r
Now, the question is whether this 'Levett' family is a separate surname from our Lovatts or whether it is simply a variant spelling. I note that this John Levett had a London connection, namely the Inner Temple (http://Inner_Temple), suggesting he was practicing law. St-Mary-in-the-Fields
Now this may be a completely tangential reference, totally unrelated to our research - but I thought I should list it just in case it had any relevance.
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[deleted - posted in error]
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Hi again
I have been looking into Draper Lovatt's children to see if they can give any more clues but not discovered much. Have decided to research another branch of my tree for now but will definitely revisit this line again.
In the meantime thanks for all your assistance and good luck with your research
Lizzie
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Hi there,
I've just found this chat and posts. I believe that I am related to Draper Lovatt (Lapley area). We have worked a family tree upwards.
Also there was a Jeremiah Lovatt who founded a charity in Wheaton Aston / Lapley in the 1750's. We have a copy of his will so I know who his living relatives were.
The missing piece of the jigsaw for me is who Draper's parents were and which bit of the Jeremiah tree they come from.
I must admit to being confused by your potential London connections given the number of Lovatts in the Lapley area.
Are you guys (M and Izzy) still on this chat ?
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Hi George,
I don't know about Lizzie, but I still drop in and out of the forums!
I have you right, then the Jeremiah you mention is the one listed as 'Pater Familias' (head of the family) in the records; his will being an exceptionally large one with many bequests. I believe that I descend through Jeremiah's eldest sister Elizabeth (married surname Masefield).
I am also yet to find a confirmed link into Jeremiah's branch, although there does seem to be one. There's a Draper Lovatt who dies in 1830 who seems to (potentially) have taken over the Lovatt family holdings in Wheaton Aston by the time of his death.
I've wondered if he may be from another branch of the Lovatt Family, linked to Jeremiah somewhat more distantly. There are definitely a few of them threaded through the local region. As for the London link, I have it pencilled in as a possibility, but I've yet to find any hard evidence of a connection.
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Hi, Great to hear from you.
Yes this is the same Jeremiah. We have found his will is brilliant for the family tree as it helpfully mentions his siblings names and nieces and nephews. Yes his sister Elizabeth was born in 1683 and married Richard Masefield. Jeremiah clearly had no living children (that he was happy to leave property / wealth to) but had siblings / nephews and nieces.
My interest comes from falling over a Lapley parish magazine article in 1980's about the Jeremiah Lovatt charity and knowing that my great great grandfather was also Jeremiah Lovatt from Lapley / Wheaton Aston (we have his scholar certificate 1856).
Working upwards believe that we have determined that this 1856 Jeremiah (b1842) was descendant of Jeremiah (b1786) son of Drapier Lovatt.
So the search was always to determine how the two linked. So close in years and so missing in information.
I hadn’t given any consideration at all to the Civil War although it would be rather fun to know which side we were on. I will look back at my information to see if I have anything interesting but it won't be for a couple of weeks now
Thanks for coming back
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Hello
I have not been doing much research recently but it's great to hear from you. The London connection is by no means certain except the only Draper Lovatt I can find was baptized there and according to the names of Draper's daughters in his will there is also an indication they were in London. I will have to revisit the records and see what else I can find
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Hi. Me too (with the revisiting). I hadn't worried about the girls as they weren't part of the Lovatt line but its a good point. I too have a copy of the Draper will. I'll have another look (when I get a chance)
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Hi,
The younger daughter Lettice who married Benjamin Blakemore in 1815 is my 3x great-grandmother. She seems to have remained in Lapley until 1840s and then moved to Wolverhampton where in 1851 census she is a widow living with her daughter and son in law.
Two other daughters are Susanna Herbage and Elizabeth Garrett both of whom appear to have married in London
Marriage, 16 Jun 1801 • Westminster St George, Hanover Square, Middlesex to John Herbage
Marriage, 12 Sep 1807 • Saint Mary, St Marylebone Road, Westminster, Middlesex to Edward Garrett
Draper himself I believe married 3 Jan 1775 • Holy Cross, Bobbington, Staffordshire to Mary Marrion, he was 32 and she was 17. Her family history is very well documented, however I am unsure about his parents.
Lizzie
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I have the following which seems to be consistent with all the previous posts (note that some years may have been changed to reflect the change from the Julian to Gregorian calendar):
1 Hugo Lovatt d. 1615 Stone m. Joana Huddlestone 1590 Stone
1.1 Richard Lovat b. 1590 Stone St Michael d. 1629/30 m. Rose Wilde 1622 Lapley All Saints
(Rose married (2) 1631 John Fennihouse/Pheneas with whom she had four more children)
1.1.1 Marie Lovatt b. 1624 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2 Thomas Lovatt b. 1625 Lapley All Saints d. 1685 (See Will) m. Margery
1.1.2.1.Anne Lovat b. 1651 Lapley All Saints m. Samuel Sayer
1.1.2.2 Joseph Lovat b. 1653 Lapley All Saints d. 1687 (See Will) m. Maria Lenthall
(Maria m. (2) John Manning in 1708 Blymhill
1.1.2.2.1 Maria Lovatt b. 1678 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2.2.2 Thomas Lovatt b. 1680 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2.2.3 Joseph Lovatt b. 1682 Lapley m. Francisca Goldsmith 1711 Lapley
1.1.2.2.3.1 Thomas Lovatt b. 1711 Lapley All Saints m. Bridget Draper
1.1.2.2.3.2 Maria Lovatt b. 1713 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2.2.3.3 Anna Lovatt b. 1716 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2.2.3.4 William Lovatt b. 1720 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2.2.4 Richard Lovatt b. 1684 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2.2.5 Margaret Lovatt b. 1686 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2.3 John Lovat b. 1656 Lapley All Saints m. Maria Blakemore 1682 Lapley
1.1.2.3.1 Elisabeth Lovatt b. 1683 Lapley All Saints m. Richard Masefield 1706
1.1.2.3.2 Thomas Lovatt b. 1685 Lapley All Saints d. 1759 m. Anna
1.1.2.3.2.1 Thomas Lovatt b. 1724 d. 1759 m. Ellizabeth Walker 1747 Newport
1.1.2.3.2.1.1 George Lovatt b. 1749 Brewood
1.1.2.3.2.1.2 Michael Lovatt b. 1751 Brewood
1.1.2.3.2.2 Rosa Lovatt b. 1726 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2.3.2.3 Mary Lovatt b. 1732 Lapley All Saints m. Sanssome
1.1.2.3.2.4 Jeremiah Lovatt b. 1743 Lapley All Saints d. 1748
1.1.2.3.3 Maria Lovatt b. 1687 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2.3.4 Jeremiah Lovatt b. 1690 Lapley d. 1768 m. Anna Green (d. 1766)
m. 1719 Lapley All Saints and Blymill (He was shown age 26 but would have
been 29. She was shown as 25 years)
1.1.2.3.4.1 Jeremiah Lovatt b. 1721 Penkridge d. 1740 Penkridge
1.1.2.3.4.2 William Lovatt b. 1730 Lapley All Saints d. 1730 Lapley
1.1.2.3.4.3 Thomas Lovatt b. 1733 Church Eaton d. 1733 Lapley
1.1.2.3.5 John Lovatt b. 1693 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2.3.6 Anna Lovatt b. 1696 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2.3.7 Joseph Lovett b. 1699 Lapley All Saints d. 1763 m. Mary d. 1781
1.1.2.3.7.1 Mary Lovett b. 1735 Shifnal
1.1.2.3.7.2 Joseph Lovett b. 1737 Shifnal d. 1770
1.1.2.3.7.3 Anne Lovett b. 1739 Shifnal
1.1.2.3.7.4 Elizabeth Lovett b. 1743 Shifnal
1.1.2.4 Elizabeth Lovat b. 1660 Lapley All Saints m. William Bishton
1.1.2.5 Jeremiah Lovat b. 1663 Lapley m. Katharine Grateley 1688 Penkridge
1.1.2.5.1 Thomas Lovatt b. 1689 Penkridge d. 1689
1.1.2.5.2 Margaret Lovatt b. 1693 Penkridge d. 1689
1.1.2.5.3 Jeremiah Lovatt b. 1698 Penkridge d. 1772 m. Ann Whistons 1734
Blymhill and Donnington (shown age 30 but would have been 36. Ann was 19.
In presence of William Bishton and The. Pinches)
1.1.2.5.3.1 Jane Lovatt b. 1743 Penkridge
1.1.2.5.3.2 Richard Lovett b. 1745 Penkridge
1.1.2.5.3.3 Lucy Lovett b. 1746 Penkridge
1.1.2.5.4 Joseph Lovatt b. 1700 Penkridge
1.1.2.6 Richard Lovatt b. c1669 Lapley m. Hana Sayer 1693 Lapley All Saints
1.1.2.6.1 Thomas Lovatt b. 1694 Lapley All Saints m. Susannah Benton
1.1.2.6.1.1 Abel Benton b. 1736 Penkridge
1.1.2.6.2 Margerie Lovatt b. 1696 Lapley All Saints
1.1.3 Anne Lovatt b. 1628 Lapley All Saints
1.1.4 John Lovatt b. 1630 Lapley All Saints m. Anne
1.1.4.1 Francis Lovat b. 1654 Lapley All Saints
1.1.4.2 James Lovat b. 1656 Lapley All Saints
1.1.4.3 Martha Lovat b. 1659 Lapley All Saints
1.2 Lawrence Lovatt b. 1593 Stone
1.3 John Lovatt b. 1596 Stone
(Sorry formatting appears to have gone astray)