Barnwell Parish Registers

[Loates]

Barnwell
At the first census in 1801 the population of St Andrew the Less parish was just 252. In the 1841 census there were 9486 - that's what I call growth! Yes it was a slum and much of it remained so until the early 20yh century. All my family came from there.

[Redroger]

My maternal grandmother was born in Cambridge Place, her maiden name Brignell, other surnames in her tree Willis, Hoye and Moule. Her Willis ancestors were born in Shelford and Hauxton in the 1810s, so were presumably part of the great incoming which swelled the parish of St. Andrew the Less.

[Loates]

Re:- Barnwell
Local historian Mike Petty has a column in the Cambridge News called 'Looking Back' where he reprints articles from the paper from way back. This was reported on March 9th 1910.
"It was incredible to hear of the conditions that existed in Barnwell", said the Rev Gwinn. "There was one road which in winter was almost knee-deep in mud. The children could not step from their doors without going ankle deep. Five children in that street had been taken away with scarlet fever recently, partly owing to the sanitary arrangements and partly due to stuff that was thrown out into the road".

 I had an ancestor who was living in Cambridge Place in 1824. I've never been able to find out where it was. The current Cambridge Place, or what's left of it is just off Regent Street and not in the Barnwell area.

I have a lot of parish registers published by the Cambs Family History Socy. Is there anyone you'd like me to look up?


Cheers     Andy Loates

[Redroger]

Thanks Andy? Will get back to you on that one.
Roger

[bramcor]

Hello, was just browsing the threads here & saw the name Barnwell. I'm interested as I've reached a brick wall with the search for my g-grandfather. He died here in Australia but all his records show him as being born in England...the difficulty is that there is conflicting information. We have no birth certificate but I do have those of his children, his second marriage & his death. Even when he was the one providing the info, he gave his birthplace as variously Barnwell St Andrews, Norths; Brampton, England; Huntingdon; & Cambridge. His death certificate says Northamptonshire.
I am wondering if anyone can offer help to find William Watson, b. c 1821. His marriage certificate gives his father as James, gardener. By my reckoning, he came to Australia around 1835 (family lore has it that he was a boy convict but I have yet to prove that).
I'll check out the info given in this thread but I'm hoping someone might be able to add some points that will help me.
Thanks...Judy

[Loates]

Hi Judy
You have the wrong Barnwell. Judging by your info. you need the Barnwell in Northamptonshire. Google 'Barnwell Northants' and see what comes up. I've been onto famiilysearch.org (IGI) but at the moment they are having a sort-out on their site. You mention Brampton also. An ancient shire over a 1000 years old but politics wiped it off the map when it was amalgamated with Cambridgeshire in 1974. Bramptonm and Barnwell would no have been far apart. I'll fish around some to see what turns up.    Be lucky    Andy Loates

[Loates]

Of course I should have said that Brampton was in Huntingdonshire !!!!!
Sorry.   Andy

[bramcor]

Thank you, Andy. My William Watson is proving very elusive prior to his second marriage to my g-grandmother & the subsequent birth of many children (only know of the first marriage because he was described as a widower on the second marriage certificate, & the previous marriage is mentioned on the birth certificates of the first 2 children). Sometimes I wonder if his birth name was something else (maybe a confused spelling or a deliberate change), or perhaps he was older than he owned up to.
I check Freegen every so often in the hope that old Northamptonshire & Huntingdonshire parish transcripts might fnally appear & I can browse for possibilities. I realise Place of Birth & Baptisms could be different - might be a possible explanation for the vagaries in the certificates I have.
I would appreciate any possible information - this is one brick wall I would dearly love to break down as William & his wife Margaret are virtually invisible prior to their marriage. It's one family branch that I just can't trace back at all. 
Regards...Judy

[Loates]

Judy.
I see what you mean!!
There is a chance he was never baptised/christened and births are only registered after Jul 1 1837. Also if his parents were 'dissenters' i.e Methodists, Wesleyans, Anabaptists etc. his christening may be tucked away and not yet published online. Have you checked the passenger lists for poms? There is a good Oz site for this. Look out for variations. Those who compiled the passenger lists were not fussy. I had trouble finding a Loates that went out there. He turned up listed as Looks !! But again, how many variations of Watson could you get? Going deeper, he may not have been a Watson. If he was a boy convict and smart kid he could have given a wrong name from the outset.

I'll keep digging this end.