Hedges of Wingrave/Aylesbury

[Jojosam]

My great grandfather Isaac Hedges was born in Wingrave on 5 June 1861 to Samuel Hedges and his wife Martha (possibly Arnold). I found them, plus his sister Ellen, on the 1881 Census (although Isaac is listed as Henry Isaac on that one) but I can't find any reference to Samuel and Martha's marriage.

I'm wondering if the parents made it on to the 1861 census, to give a 'before' date for their marriage and where they were living, or if they are identifiable on any other census. Samuel was an agricultural labourer, born around 1833 and Martha was born around 1831 (these dates based on info in 1881 census).

Isaac married Margaret Bailey in Wingrave in 1883 and they came to Australia in 1888 (they had one daughter in England and my grandmother was then the first of their children born in Australia).

Also - and please excuse my ignorance - how close is Wingrave to Aylesbury?

Thank you

[RuthT]

Hope this helps a little!

1871 census; Wingrave, Bucks

Samuel Hedges 37  Wingrave, Buckinghamshire, England Head  labourer
Martha Hedges 45  Wingrave, Buckinghamshire, England Wife 
Isaac Hedges 9  Wingrave, Buckinghamshire, England Son 
George Hedges 7  Wingrave, Buckinghamshire, England Son 
Ellen Hedges 4  Wingrave, Buckinghamshire, England Daughter 
...........................................................

Wingrave is 7.1 k (4.4miles) south west of Aylesbury.

.....................................................

1851 census has;



 Wingrave

  1721  592  0134  Church Row
 William         HEDGES             HD  M    50  M Farm Labourer      Wingrave          BKM
 Mary            HEDGES             WI  M    50  F                    Aldbury           HRT
 Charlotte       HEDGES             DA  U    19  F Straw Plaiter      Wingrave          BKM
 Samuel          HEDGES             SO  U    17  M Farm Labourer      Wingrave          BKM
 Emma            HEDGES             DA       14  F Straw Plaiter      Wingrave          BKM
 Josiah          HEDGES             SO       12  M Straw Plaiter      Wingrave          BKM
 Ellen           HEDGES             DA        8  F Straw Plaiter      Wingrave          BKM
 George          HEDGES             SO        1  M                    Wingrave          BKM


AND;

 Wingrave

  1721  581  0042  Nap End
 Thomas          ARNOLD             HD  W    69  M Pauper             Wingrave          BKM
 William         ARNOLD             SO  U    42  M Farm Labourer      Watford           HRT
 Martha          ARNOLD             DA  U    26  F Plaiter            Wingrave          BKM

[Jojosam]

It actually helps a lot, Ruth - thank you for doing that.

The occupations lead me to another point - finding out what a straw plaiter did/does (besides the obvious two word answer given by my husband and children). 

Uncovering ancestors whose occupations were things like cordwainers and silk piecers and straw plaiters  gives me glimpses into social history which are really fascinating; and I'm now doing as much trying to get descriptions of the places and times so we end up with more than names and dates.

[RuthT]

Hi
I agree, that all the different occupations, some long forgotten, are so very interesting.

It says a little on these websites;

http://www.brookmans.com/history/archive2.shtml

http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/occupations/occupations.htm#Straw%20Industry:

[Leeh81]

Hi

Isaac Hedges is my 2nd Great Grandfather - Samuel George is my Great Grandfather!

I searched Hedges of Wingrave and your this post came up in my search results, thought I would reply

Cheers

[Jojosam]

Hello Leeh81

Thanks for your post. Have sent you a personal message.

Jojosam

[Nup End Gang]

The Wingrave Heritage Association are in the process of documenting life in 19th Century Nup End (sometimes recorded as Nap End) and we would be really interested in any information or photographs you may be willing for us to use as we are now putting together a small book. From the census alone we have identified nearly 700 residents so it is unlikely we will be able to record anything other than names and dates for most of them. But where possible we are attempting to make some of the residents come alive. As you may be aware Isaac and his brother George were convicted of assaulting a member of the Bucks Constabulary who also lived in Nup End in 1881 and this tied in with Isaacs later emigration to Australia would, we feel, make interesting reading.

Also as we only have records of one Martha Arnold living in Wingrave at that time it is likely that she is the 'spinster' with the same name who had a daughter (Caroline Elizabeth Hart) baptised on 9th January 1853.

The Nup End Gang

[ToriaR]

I'm very late coming to this, but I've just uncovered that Martha Hedges née Arnold was the daughter of my 5x great grandfather Thomas Arnold. 

Everything official recorded for Wingrave is down as 'Aylesbury' as that's the main town in that district, so if a birth/death/marriage is shown as Aylesbury it probably didn't actually take place there and was actually in Wingrave - Aylesbury is just the district.

Martha and Samuel Hedges are on the 1861 census in Wingrave at Lays(?) Cottage (not totally sure that's an 'L'), with Martha's father (my 5xgreat grandfather), a widowed pauper, living with them, also Martha's daughter Caroline Arnold and another elderly pauper widower lodging with them, called Thomas White.  Thomas Arnold is listed as head of the household, so maybe that's why you couldn't find it?

Intrigued as to how Martha's daughter Caroline could have been called 'Hart'?  She's Arnold on the census and might have been Hedges when she died.     

Keen to find out more about the family and the area.  That branch of my family looks to have moved just about every generation and eventually ended up in South Derbyshire so I'd never heard of any of these places.