SHENTON family in Chelvey

[DerekB]

Looking for anyone with connections to the Shenton family in Chelvey ca 1750.
I have a lot of information on the descendants of this family and am looking to their origins, they did not come from Chelvey, no mention of the name in the parish record prior to 1747.
Shenton is not a common name in Somerset does anyone know where they came from?
Thanks
Derek B

[DebbieDee]

Hi Derek

I've recently discovered that I am descended from a John Shenton (b c1800) in Somerset.  According to the censuses he was born and lived in Congresbury.  I'm pretty sure he must be linked to the Chelvey Shentons but haven't proved it yet.  For a while I thought another John Shenton who married in Kingston Seymour was the same person.  I found the Chelvey Shentons through tracing him back but I am now certain they are two different people. 

Sorry I can't really help much at the moment but it's good to know there is someone else interested in this family.

Debbie

[DerekB]

Hi Debbie,
Good to know that I'm not alone but there are so few Shentons in Somerset that there won't be many looking for them and there is a good chance that they are all related.

I don't have a John Shenton b. ca 1800 in my tree but I have only managed to trace my line through Chelvey to Nailsea and Yatton.

My sources:
I have a copy of the Chelvey, Yatton and Nailsea parish registers on microfiche.
The B&A FHS North Somerset index of marriages for 1754 - 1837 on CD this index only lists 12 male and 5 female marriages for name Shenton.

Others must have married in villiages south of the area covered by the B&A FHS index.
There are some marriages in the index that I can't place, possibly children of people whose marriages I have not located.

These are the Shenton names I have in my tree.

Generation 1
Thomas Shenton b. c 1720 married Hannah but not in Chelvey actual place is still unknown.

Generation 2
The children of Thomas and Hannah were:
James   b. 25 Jan 1747
Mary    b. 19 Jan 1749
William b. 19 Sep 1750
Thomas  b. 29 Apr 1752
Hannah  b. 21 Feb 1755
John    b. 14 Jul 1756
Sarah   b. 27 Oct 1757
Jane    b. 28 Oct 1760

James married Mary King in 1773 in Nailsea - my line.
Hannah probably married Robert Hasel in Barrow Gurney in 1777
John probably married Betty Goodenough in Wrington in 1882

Generation 3
The children of James and Mary were:
Mary     b. 26 Mar 1775
James    b. 7 Apr 1779
William  b. 9 Sep 1781
Thomas   b. 9 Mar 1783

James married Sarah ?, place and date unknown but not in the area covered by the B&A FHS index.

Generation 4
The Children of James and Sarah were:
Sarah    b.  24 May 1804
Ann      b.  23 Mar 1806
James    b.  5 Jun 1808
Harriet  b.  14 Apr 1811

Sarah married Samuel Chidsey - my line. Lived Yatton and then Bedminster.


End of known Shenton names.

The Chelvey PR shows 3 Thomas Shenton marriages 1762, 1774 and 1782 but it is unclear to which Thomas Shenton they refer.
The 1762 marriage can not be Thomas son of Thomas b 1752 so this is probably another Thomas Shenton (?brother of John?)
On the other 2 marriages one is a widower so a second marriage but I can't decide which Thomas it was that re married, father or son as they both may have married Hannahs. Needs more work.

Regards
Derek

[uksiss]

Hi Debbie and Derek

My wife can trace her ancestory back to John Shenton, born 1799 in Congresbury. We think his father was also called John and was born in Axbridge in 1766. Both these John's were agricultural labourers who appeared to have difficulty in settling anywhere too long.
John Shenton (jnr) married Mary Mashman in Congresbury in about 1840. Mary was 15 or 16 at the time.  I've found four children from that marriage:
William 1842, Louisa 1843, Eliza 1845 and John 1849.
Louisa later changed her name to Lucy Lukins, had three illegitimate children by a local married farmer, probably John Lukins and then in 1873 married 20 year old John Adams in Portbury. It looks like Louisa/Lucy had a total of 12 children.

Hope this helps

[DerekB]

Hi Uksiss,
The Shenton name in Somerset is according to one archivist at the Somerset Record Office ' Very rare' so there is a very good chance that your John 1799 in Congresbury is related to my Thomas b ca 1720. Axbridge is only 9 miles from Chelvey and 5.5 miles from Congresbury. Ag Labs seemed to have moved to where the work was and don't seem to have settled anywhere for long, which makes them difficult to trace. At least with an uncommon name like Shenton when you find someone with the right name and age there is a good chance it is the right person.
I have checked the Chelvey PR back as far as 1668 and there are no other Shentons, I have also checked other nearby parishes while looking for other families and have not found any earlier Shentons. I assume that as you have a 'brick wall' with your John, the early Shentons are not in Congresbury or Axbridge either.
Looks like you and Debbie are possibly descended from the same John Shenton.
A John Shenton married Mary Whippy in Street on 6 March 1764, possibly the parents of your John snr.
I understand that the LDS are soon going to extend the coverage on the IGI for Somerset so hopefully it will include this area. It will make finding places to check easier witout having to fruitlessly search parish by parish.
If I find a connection between your Shenton line and mine I'll let you know.
My other names from this area are Chidsey/Chidgy, Coomer and King.
Regards
Derek

[DebbieDee]

Hi Uksiss,

As Derek says, it certainly looks like we are descended from the same branch of the Shenton family. 

I also have a John Shenton marrying a Mary Mashman in Congresbury on 08 Sep 1829.  The family are living in Congresbury in 1841
 
John Shenton 35 
Mary Shenton 35 
Sarah Shenton 15 
Betsey Shenton 13
Jane Shenton 11
Thomas Shenton 9 
James Shenton 6
Maria Shenton 4
William Shenton 1 

Mary Shenton appears to have died and was buried in Congresbury 24 May 1846. 
In 1851 John has children William 9, Louisa 7 and Eliza 6 with him which match yours...haven't found John born in 1849 yet though, if you could please give me more details.

I am descended from Jane who was baptised in Congresbury 09 Oct 1831. 
In 1851 Jane and James Shenton are living with their sister Sarah in Kewstoke, Somerset.  By then Sarah has married Thomas Bailey and they have Sarah's daughter Emma Mashman (b abt 1843) living with them.  I am guessing from this that Sarah Shenton in 1841 is the same person as Sarah Bailey (nee Mashman) in 1851. 

I think both Betsey and Sarah could have been Mary Mashman's daughters from a previous marriage/relationship. 

Debbie

[donb]

I am Burgess descendent of Prudence and can supply details of Burgess tree if required. I am also aware of Chidgey 's residing in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. I realise you have some of above but it may help.
donb

1 Prudence SHENTON. Born in 1787. Prudence died in Congresbury on 26 May 1872; she was 85.

In 1809 when Prudence was 22, she married Robert BURGESS.

2 Thomas SHENTON. Born in 1753 in Congresbury.

On 11 Apr 1782 when Thomas was 29, he married Sarah EDWARDS, in Chelvey.

3 Sarah EDWARDS. Born in 1757 in Nailsea.

4 Thomas SHENTON. Born in 1720 in Congresbury. Buried on 13 Dec 1795 in Chelvey.

In 1745 when Thomas was 25, he married Hannah.

5 Hannah. Born in 1720 in Congresbury. Hannah died in Chelvey in 1761; she was 41.

[geraint gregory]

Hi this message is a bit of a long shot.
Do you have any of your Shenton's as shown in your message linked to the following family ancestor. My GGGG Grandfather A Mr Henry Kelway brn 27th Jan1758 from Falmouth, Cornwall married a Mary Clist Shenton on the 29th October 1780 in Falmouth.
I do not have her birth date or where she was born or who her parents were hence this enquiry. Other than the listing above the surname Shenton does not appear in Cornwall as far as I can ascertain in any other BDM records.

I am of the opinion that the name originates from either Cheshire or Leicestershire 
My late parents gave me the name & a number of relatives both living & dead have also been given the name Shenton as part of their names. Are you able to help in my quest for more info on the Cornish 'Shenton' family?. Thank you
Geraint Shenton Gregory.

[DerekB]

Hi,
I have a number of Female Shentons un accounted for but none that realistically could be your Mary Shenton.
As you say the Shenton name does occur more frequently in Cheshire and Leicestershire but also in Derbyshire, Lancashire, Shropshire and Nottingham.
There are a small number in Devon which is closer to home and a scattering in other southern counties.
If I find anything more I'll post it here but I have been looking for 6 years.
Best
Derek