Pigot/Piggott/Piggatt of Guilden Morden/Wisbech St Mary

[John Whysall]

In the upper branches of my mother's side, I encountered a grinning Cambridgeshire cat. These felines have most of the characteristics of the Cheshire sub-species, but are more elusive.

To change the metaphor, my main man is the magnificently-named Matthew Tempest Pigot, born in 1858 at Wisbech St Mary. His father was Tempest Piggott (of whom more in a moment). The change of surname spelling is not entirely ancestral ignorance: the above-mentioned MTP is supposed to have started life as a blacksmith; lost an arm; became a "letter-carrier" (and later post-master); and allegedly used the shorter spelling to save writing the longer version.

Tempest Piggott, born "Golden Morden" (i.e. Guilden Morden) ?1815, is married twice: to
[1] Mary A., born Wisbech St Mary ?1818; and
[2] Elizabeth Marriott [nee ?Andrews], also of Wisbech St Mary. This second marriage certificate is dated 28 May 1883.

I was quite happy with all of that until I came across Tempest Piggatt, born ?1854 at "Marden" (try that with an East Anglian accent), Cambridge, and registered for the 1881 census at "Aldershott". Gone a-soldiering?

At the moment there are too many queries for comfort. However, any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome.

[bedfordshire boy]

1871 census Guilden Morden
Robert Pigott head marr 55 b Guilden Morden
Mary Pigott wife 54 b Spaldwick cambs
Tempest Pigott son 19 b GM
Frederick Pigott son 17 b GM
Walter Pigott son 13 b GM

I believe Robert was the son of Rowland and Mary Pigott, and probably brother of your Tempest b c 1818. Rowland appears variously in the GM parish registers as Pigott or Pigott Docwra (with any permutation you like of 1 or 2 “g”s and “t”s). Look at the Docwra website

http://www.docwras.org.uk

for details of the Guilden Morden Pigotts – which include Tempests in the late 1700s. I recall transcribing these Guilden Morden entries a couple of years ago for the lady who runs the Docwra website, so that’s why the name rang a bell with me. But I didn’t see a Tempest baptised in the right time scale.

Also check out the Cambs FHS website 

http://www.cfhs.org.uk/Search.html

where you will see on the 1851 index Tempest Piggott aged 6mths at Guilden Morden, as well as your Tempest aged 33 at Wisbech (who in the full census transcription is shown as being born at “Maudlin”!). But again there is no Tempest baptism around 1818 on the Baptism Index

My two penn’orth, for what it’s worth, is that Tempest b 1850/1 is probably the nephew of  your Tempest b c 1818

Regards

David

[John Whysall]

Very rudely, two years ago, I omitted to thank Bedfordshire Boy for his magnificent input. It should have fired me into full burn: unfortunately, like Philip Larkin, I had the "toad Work squat[ting] on my life".

Ignoring the various siblings and collaterals I have sniffed at along the way, the following sums up what I now have, over six generations. Again, I appeal to all-and-sundry for correction or confirmation. All offerings gladly received.

To make things explicit, let me start at the end of my Pigot line. Edward Wilson Pigot (the father my mother never knew) is one of the 1800 in the care of the CWGC at Doullens, on the Somme. He was born 1887, son of Matthew Tempest Piggott (1858-1932) and Susannah Wilson -- which is where this thread started.

The next up-the-line is Tempest [Piggott] Docwra, as Bedfordshire Boy acutely noted. The 1881 Census has a wife, Mary A, born 1818-9. As far as I can determine, the reversion to "Piggott" as a surname came with Tempest removing from Guilden Morden to Wisbech St Mary.

A further generation back is Rowland Piggot Docwra (1789-1863) and his wife, Mary Farmington (born c.1794). Sticking with the Piggot Docwras, the previous generation is Robert Piggot Docwra (1768-1807) and Henrietta Sell. The Sells feature on the Bassingbourn register, well back into the early 1700s.

Then comes the "indiscretion" between Robert Rowland Lacey Piggott and Elizabeth Docwra. http://www.docwras.org.uk/doc-r.htm has the christening of their son Robert Piggott Docwra at Bassingbourn on 8 Apr 1782. IGI has his birth date as 1768: apart from one crytic note added to a citation of the christening ("age 14"), I have no more.

And that is where I currently am. To repeat: all comments and any brick-bats accepted, provided they move this thing along.

[nannienz]

Only a slight addition, to mention that the first wife of Tempest Piggott Docra was Mary Ann Warrington.  I have been following the line for my daughter's paternal side of the family.  This family really liked changing their names.  Tempest's great grandson changed his surname from Piggott to Hicks.  Really confusing.  Good luck with the research.