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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: wiltshire21 on Tuesday 19 April 22 09:44 BST (UK)
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Can anyone tell me if bigamous marriages were common in the early 1800s. My 4 times great grandmother Ann Sellwood married William Bint on 26/08/1827 at St Mary The Virgin church Marlborough Wilts. The had a son Charles born in 1828, but in 1832 she married Elijah Davies on 13 December in Upavon Wiltshire. She describes herself as a widow on the banns but I can not find any record of William Bint's death. A William Bint married Amelia L(H)ooker on 28/09/1840 in Milton ?, Wiltshire parish church but I am not sure if this is the same person. He died in 1868. All the marriages were in a small part of Wiltshire, would this have been possible ?
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You appear to have the exact date that William married Amelia. Do you have the marriage certificate and if so, what does William say regarding his marital status? Single or widower?
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He describes himself as a bachelor
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More likely to be a cousin or other namesake than the same man.
You'll not find a record of a death at that era, only a burial. Not all burials are transcribed.
What age(s) do you have for these names?
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Deleted
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Hmm, so probably not your William. Difficult to know for sure. I assume that the age was just noted as of full age, i.e. over 21.
There were probably quite a number of bigamous marriages in the early 1800s.
Have you followed this William with wife Amelia through the census records to see where he says he was born and what sort of birth year is given?
The 1868 death of William gives a birth year of 1803 and Milton Lilbourne is in the Pewsey registration district. Was that where he was living in the 1861 census?
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In 1851 William says he was born in Pack or Park Wilts as does Amelia, they have 4 children born in Milton (Ellen Eliza, Thomas and Henry). He says he's 45 (b abt 1806), but that might be to narrow the gap between him and Amelia who says she's 33.
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The 1868 death of William gives a birth year of 1803 and Milton Lilbourne is in the Pewsey registration district. Was that where he was living in the 1861 census?
GRO has him as 61 at death, birth abt 1807. Although burial record says 65.
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Hmm, still difficult to say if the William with Amelia is the one who married Ann. If there is no burial record found for William by 1832 when Ann marries Elijah, this brings up the possibility that both Ann and William committed bigamy.
Have to see if William is in the 1841 and with whom.
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Found him in 1861 transcribed as Bish on FindMyPast, age is 55, Amelia has become 40. Difficult to read POB for birth.
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Might be a coincidence but in 1841, there's a William Bint age 25 with Amelia Bint age 45 and Mary Bint age 3 in Hampton in Arden Warwickshire. William is a railway labourer. All born out of county. If our couple, Mary's birth would predate their marriage.
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There's an Amelia Looker bapt Marlborough on 03 Oct 1819 d/o Joseph and Hannah
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William Bint baptism on 16 Mar 1806 at Preshute, residence Park s/o Joseph and Elizabeth
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Did Charles BINT. Marry ?
What did he put as father's proffession .
Did he keep surname or take on that of his step father ?
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Can't find marriage for Charles yet. He is listed as Bint on 1841 census with step father Elijah davies, Mother Ann and several half siblings. On Charles's baptism, William Bint is listed as a shoemaker. The William Bint with Amelia is a labourer.
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In 1851 Charles as Bint or Bent is still with Ann and Elijah, his occupation is sawyer, as is Elijah's
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By 1861 Charles has married Emily, they have two children William and Fanny. Lodging with them is Henry Davis 22 married occ sawyer b Upavon (Henry's wife not in household). Looks like Charles's half brother
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oldest child of Charles could be William Elijah Bient (sic) reg Q1 1858 Cricklade mmn Hicketts
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Found him in 1861 transcribed as Bish on FindMyPast, age is 55, Amelia has become 40. Difficult to read POB for birth.
I'm struggling to keep up with who's who, but as no-one has done a decipher yet, I think this is Savernake Park.
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Emily Hicketts m Charles Brint (sic) on 10 jan 1853 at Freshford Somerset
He says his father is William, occ shoemaker
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Found him in 1861 transcribed as Bish on FindMyPast, age is 55, Amelia has become 40. Difficult to read POB for birth.
I'm struggling to keep up with who's who, but as no-one has done a decipher yet, I think this is Savernake Park.
Savernake Park looks good, Wikipedia says it's near Clench Common
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In 1834 William Bint and Henry Bint both of Milton were sent to the house of correction in Devizes for 2 months for breaching the game laws.
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There's a Henry Bint bapt at Preshute on 29 Oct 1815, s/o Joseph and Elizabeth, so looks like he's William's younger brother. So that puts William in Milton after Ann's remarriage and before he married Amelia.
Do we know name of William's father and what William stated as occupation on the 1840 marriage?
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I personally think the William BINT. Shoemaker who died between 1827 and 1832 is likely to be a different man
It would be hard to have bigamous families in such close proximity and I don't see someone going from shoemaker to labourer
Its quite common to have cousins of same age and name . So it would help to find any proof of name of either William's father.
But could be related
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Up until I discovered that Charles's father was a shoemaker and Amelia's husband was a labourer, I thought it was one William, but I agree to go from a shoemaker to a labourer is unlikely.
I think the 1806 baptism in Preshute residence Park aka Savernake Park is Amelia's husband. Brother Henry can be found on censuses and his birth as Savernake park / Extraparochial is much clearer.
For Charles's father there are several candidates in West Berkshire not so far away. There is a William with Charles as a father bapt 01 Jun 1806 Lambourn. He might be worth eliminating.
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Found him in 1861 transcribed as Bish on FindMyPast, age is 55, Amelia has become 40. Difficult to read POB for birth.
I'm struggling to keep up with who's who, but as no-one has done a decipher yet, I think this is Savernake Park.
Savernake Park looks good, Wikipedia says it's near Clench Common
Clench Common is a dot of a place, not in the forest. I’d guess the Park would refer to the forest and land around Tottenham House, a stately home in the forest
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There is a burial in 1830 Newbury which might be the William b 1806 in Lambourn and fits nicely with the time frame for the death of William Bint (Charles's father)
The George Awbrey who is a witness to William B and Ann's marriage is also a shoemaker. He married in 1840, signature the same as witness on W B's marriage. Images on Ancestry. GA was born abt 1809 Marlborough.
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Pursuing the William Bint of Lambourn a bit more. His parents were charles Bint and Jane nee Higgs. Charles and Jane just make it to the 1841 census. Charles was buried Dec 1850 and left a will. He appears on Berks Probate index in 1851. His occupation was cooper.
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Thank you everyone for your replies :)