Baptisms Stroud/Rodborough area

[slewi4]

Thanks Angela,
Yes, the restumping is all done - I'm back on the level!
Sandra

[AngelaR]

Hi Sandra

Well, you won't believe this but I did finally make it to the library 

Not sure how popular I am there since one of the librarians thanked me for enabling her to expand her knowledge of Stroud area information (I'd asked her a question she couldn't answer....... she was really nice......)

Anyway - I checked Rodborough Parish church records between 1829 and 1838 and no sign whatever of your Walters family. The only baptisms on Oct 9th 1836 were for Daniel and Caroline, children of Daniel and Eliza English.

I was really pleased I went there because I didn't realise they also had a set of non-conformist records copied from the Kew archives, so checked the  Rodborough Tabernacle records as well. They are, or were, 'Calvinistic Methodist' and also had no Walters baptisms over the whole period I looked (about 20 years).

I looked at various other Stroud churches with no luck - you wouldn't believe how many there were in the mid-1800s 

I'm not completely despairing about it  - it seems the whole area around Stroud was known as Stroudwater at the time, so I could well have missed one. I'm pretty sure I've got all the non-conformists now. No idea about the Catholics (could they have been Catholic?) but I could look at some of the other Stroud C of E churches when I go back (next few days, hopefully)

Sorry not to have been more help, but I'm fairly sure your contact who said they were baptised at Rodborough was wrong. Did they mention a particular church? (Because I haven't found any Catholic baptisms and don't know where the nearest church was at the time.)

In all the churches I looked at I only found one mention of a Walters, so thought I'd mention it in case it rang any bells - at the Stroud Weslyan church on 27 June 1837, as Martha Walters, daughter of Thomas and Martha Walters was baptised. She was born on 2nd April 1811 (near your Joseph?) and Thomas was described as a farmer at Rodborough.

Best I can do at the moment. but I'm happy to have a look at other parishes in the Stroud are if you like!

Regards

Angela

[slewi4]

Thank you very much Angela,

This just gets stranger and stranger!

The other researcher that I mentioned in my earlier post claims the Martha that you found baptised in 1837 as a sister of "our" Joseph - she is the last child of 8, and he is the 7th, so there is a 10yr gap. The only other "siblings" that appear on the IGI are Mary, christened 1790, died 1791 in Stroud; and Thomas, christened 5 Aug 1798 in Rodborough. This researcher says that Martha married Andrew Bishop in 1834 in Rodborough, and had 9 children, the first of which (Georgina Martha) appears on the IGI baptised at Stroud Wesleyan in 1837. If she was married in 1834, she should have been baptised as Bishop, not Walters in 1837!

I feel a bit like I have been telling fibs now - Harriet Jnr's birthplace was stated as Stroudwater twice, but since I had read that Stroudwater was actually Stroud, I just said Stroud  I didn't realise that there was a difference. Sorry!

The only other church that was specifically mentioned was Kings Stanley. There is a burial of an Elisha Walters (claimed to be the infant son of the Thomas above) in 1832 at St George Anglican church Kings Stanley.

As far as religion goes, this family were 'swinging voters'. Joseph Jnr seems to have been a presbyterian.
Harriet jnr had 7 children, 5 of whom lived to adulthood. Her son's children were baptised as anglicans/presbyterians, and her daughters both married catholics.

Thanks for putting so much time into this for me. I really apreciate it.

Sandra

[AngelaR]

Hi Sandra

I'm happy to look at the records for you, although I'm MUCH happier when I can actually find something 

This term 'Stroudwater' has been bothering me for some time and I've been asking around locally in order to make sense of it. The only  historic use of the term I was at all familiar with was in reference to the Stroudwater canal. However, since a lot of the people quoting Stroudwater as a birthplace were weavers (not bargees), it seemed unlikely they were born on the canal 

However, I've recently come across the term as referring to an area in the cloth industry, which makes a lot more sense. Apparently, the river (stream) now known as the Frome was also known as Stroudwater and the mills were located along its banks.

Upper Stroudwater seems to cover the region from the hills around Bisley right down to Stonehouse and the river Severn, whereas Lower Stroudwater goes down to the river Cam and Dursley.

Not at all a helpful term to have when looking for parish records - it's a vast area 

The library at Stroud doesn't seem to have records for Kings Stanley, but quite a few people go to the main Record Office in Gloucester fairly regularly and would probably look there for you. I'm not likely to go myself for a little while or I'd have a look.

I'm sure we can sort this out a bit better for you - my brain isn't working well today (lack of sleep due to work pressures) so I'm not thinking straight. I'll have another think when I've recovered a bit!

Angela

[Keziahemm]

I'm in the Glos. Record Office tomorrow, will look at King's Stanley 
Think I'd better take a copy of all this info with me 

Angela any other records that your library doesn't have?

Susan 

[AngelaR]

Hi Susan

It's easier to say what it DOES have (it's only titchy but  an easy walk away, so useful  )

It has C of E records for Berkeley, Coaley, Dursley, Elmore, Frocester, Longney, Nympsfield, Owlpen, Painswick, Rodborough, Quedgeley, Stroud, Sapperton and Stonehouse

Non-conformist records for -

Avening Forest Green - Independent
Avening Upper Forest Green - Independent
Bisley France Meeting House - Independent
Downend - Wesleyan
Painswick Upper Chapel - Independent/ Congregational
Pitchcombe - Independent
Randwick Ebley Chapel - Countess of Huntingdon (?!!)
Rodborough Tabernacle - Calvinistic Methodist
Stonehouse - Methodist
Stroud - Baptist
Stroud - Wesleyan
Stroud Old Meeting - Independent

It goes without saying that if anyone wants any of these checked - I'm your person 

Have fun at the Record Office tomorrow 

Angela

[Arranroots]

Randwick Ebley Chapel - Countess of Huntingdon (?!!)

Find all you need to know about The Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion (sic) Here

kind regards, Arranroots 

[AngelaR]

Thanks very much for that Arranroots - really fun reading 

I wonder how these chapels differed from other Calvinistic Methodists, such as at Rodborough  ?.........

.......... No, no I really don't have to find out - I was just curious 

Angela

[Keziahemm]

Hi All,

Mystery solved!  It was Stroud at Church of St.Lawrence

9th Oct. 1836 

Eliza daughter of Joseph & Harriet Walters    High St.    Inn Keeper
   born 10th July 1831

Thomas son of Joseph & Harriet Walters        High St.    Inn Keeper
   born 25th May 1833

Maria daughter of Joseph & Harriet Walters   High St.   Inn Keeper

and

20th Oct 1837

Joseph son of Joseph & Harriet Walters    High St.   Inn Keeper & Horse Dealer

So, I believe, you can safely say the 1841 Bristol family is one and the same 


Susan