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Some Special Interests => Travelling People => Topic started by: curtainhooks on Thursday 30 June 22 16:09 BST (UK)
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I was wondering if anyone had any information on the Pelham travelling showmen.
I have gone back to Henry Randall Pelham (1806-1885) married Catherine, but struggling to find his parents.
They travelled around the surrey/middlesex area but I don't know the name of their show or circus, so if anyone knows that would be helpful.
Someone on this website previously said a french man had travelled to England and taken the name of a travelling Pelham (his wife) to hide his identity, does anyone know anything more about this?
Thanks, any information appreciated.
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There is a baptism for a Henry Randall Pelham on 16 Mar 1806 (dob 12 Feb 1806), the son of a Joseph Pelham, and wife Elizabeth. Baptism was in St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster.
Six years earlier, on 9 Feb 1800, also in St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, a Joseph Pelham married an Elizabeth Keede.
It looks like they also had an earlier son than Henry, that being Joseph Walter Pelham, bapt. 04 Jan 1801, also in St Martin in the Fields, Westminster, Middlesex, England.
Also, Henry Randall was first married to Hannah Marshall, in 1830 (although the banns were in 1827... seems odd!)
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Good Afternoon
possible baptism for Joseph at St Margarets Westminster
Joseph s of Richard and Rachel Pelham born 30 Jan 1780 bapt 12.3.1780
possible burial 21.11.1819 of Half Moon Alley age 40 at St Botolph without Bishopsgate
other children Ann Elizabeth 25.12.1803 Westminster
Charles Frederick 15.5.1808 St Botolph Bishopsgate
Louisa Caroline 24.6.1810 St BBishopsgate
Mary Ann 20.10.1812 Lambeth
Harriet Josephine 12.10.1815 bapt 26.11.185 St Mary Newington soldier
Ciderdrinker
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Henry Pelham travelled with the Pettigrove, Bailey and Bird family fairs. He was originally a baker and had a toy stall and a pannum stall. His daughters married showmen and became wealthy. I’m also descended from him via the Birds and Pettigroves and interested in his ancestry. He always says he was born in 1804 in records I’ve seen. They used to open up in the famous winter fairs in the Royal Agricultural Hall in Islington
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Thank you for that information!
I am doing my friends family tree, and they are descended from Charles Frederick Pelham (the son of Henry Pelham).
Do you have the names of Henry's parents? People have suggested Joseph and Elizabeth Pelham.
If you know anything about Charles Frederick Pelham that would be great help too, I know he married Sarah Ann but don't know her last name....
Thanks again for your help :)
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Charles married twice first to Mary Hall who died, he had several children with her then he married Sarah Ann Hyatt also a widow and had one child. I haven’t found any parents for Henry Pelham yet, it’s difficult as there’s another family with similar names as ours but that Henry Pelham was a titled gentleman whereas our Henry was a travelling showman who doesn’t show up in the records in the same way. If you do find anything out please let me know and I’ll do the same. My research has confirmed what my grandmother told me about her ancestors.
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Thanks again for the information, do you know if Sarah's maiden name was Hyatt or was Hyatt her married name from her previous marriage?
I'll keep looking to see if I can find anything about Henry's parents
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Sarah Ann was nee Hyatt and she’d been married to a Hall previously. Hope that helps. Henry Pelham was not Henry Randall Pelham BTW that’s a different person.
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Yes thank you that helps. Just realised I got that wrong, Henry Randall Pelham was the other Henry Pelham, thanks.
Do you think Henry Pelham was the first one to have a travelling lifestyle if he was originally a baker? Just wondering if his dad or brothers/sisters would have also been travelling or if he was the first.
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I’m not sure about whether he was the first of the Pelhams to start travelling it’s possible but there were fairs and entertainment venues in London for centuries including at moorfields so they could have been involved in the business within the city before the roads and wagons were improved in mid 1800s.
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Henry’s daughter my My 3times great grandmother Catherine was interviewed by the worlds fair and she said she was born in a wagon (1837) and never lived a day in a house.
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Oh wow, where did you find out about that interview?
I know the person who i'm doing this for's grandmother lived in a caravan most of her life and hated living in houses.
Is it correct that Catherine's sister (mary)'s daughter married the famous Frank Bostock?
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I’ve got the cutting somewhere it was handed down in the family but you could probably find it on the newspapers online. She was at Mitchum fair the oldest showman in the business at the time (1920s). Catherine’s sister married Francis Bailey and their daughter married a Bostock
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Hi all others researching,
I have been helping the Pelham family to research their family history for several years. So pleased to find this strand.
It was Henry Randall Pelham (baptised 1806) who married Catherine Ford nee Mills and they were the parents of the famous Isabella Pettigrove nee Pelham, Catherine who married George Bird and Mary Ann who married Francis Bailey. It was their daughters who married into the Fossett family (Isabelle married Robert), Francis Bostock (Susanne)and the Manders menagerie family (Henrietta).
The daughter of the one surviving son of Henry Randall and Catherine the family - Charles was Caroline Pelham who married into the famous Freeman-Biddall family. We have more information about all these women if anyone is interested.
We know that Henry and Catherine were on the road from 1839 at the latest when their firstborn son Henry was born in Hitchin, baptised in Uxbridge (parents shown as living in Lambeth) and died at 18 months (buried in St Georges Southwark). We wonder if Catherine might have been a member of the famous Mills traveller and/or circus family (given the other fairground and circus connections.
We know that the father of Henry Randall was Joseph as someone pointed out possibly. We also found the baptism in 1780 in St Margaret's church Westminster - the only one we were able to find. The parents of that child were Rachael and Richard Pelham. No marriage for them has been found and it is possible Joseph was illegitimate. We have a couple of other ideas about the identities of the couple as yet unproved.
We would love to know if anyone has more info about Catherine nee Mills - Henry Randall's wife. We have different years c 1806 and places of birth (Bristol and Bexley) for her. Again we have theories but nothing concrete.
Also if anyone has been able to trace the parents of Joseph Pelham baptised 1780 we would love to hear.
All best Madeleine