Cambridgeshire Bastardy records

[sabrina]

Can anyone tell me if there are any records for Children born Illig. in Burwell Cambridge about 1835.  My Ann Barnes had 3 boys born Illeg.  I have their ch: records, but was wondering if there any bastardy records available for the area.  My relative was Charles Harding Barnes  ch: 17.09.1837 Swaffham Prior, Cambridge.

I was wondering if Swaffham Prior was an area, or a large home/ estate

Sabrina

[rosie99]

Hi

Sorry I can't help as to bastardy records, though I would think if they existed they would be at Cambridge Record Office.

Swaffham Prior is an adjoining village to Burwell.

Rosie

[sabrina]

Thank you rosie

sabrina

[Paco]

I have the CD of parish records for Swaffham Prior, and St Mary Swaffham Bulbeck, which are two areas in Cambridge. The church for Swaffham Prior is St Mary. It has the details that you quote 17th September 1837 Charles Harding Barnes born to Ann Barnes spinster of this parish. There are also a lot of likely suspects named Harding in Swaffham Prior, so this is possibly the name of the father.

[sabrina]

Thank you paco.  I have had the film out years ago, and photocopied some of the certificates.  Ann had 3 illeg. sons.  One Charles Harding, and I think one was John after Ann's father and I have misplaced the other in my packing as I have moved twice.  Ann the mother later married Matthew Bowers in 1847.  Charles married Matthews daughter Mary.  I have the misfortune that the 1851 census is missing for that area - which would have shown both families living together to prove the marriage of Ann and Matthew (there was another Ann Barnes out there)   In the 1861 census Ann and Matthews were under Barnes which I presume was a mistake - they were living next door to Charles and Mary (Barnes)

Thank you for your help.

sabrina

[Paco]

Ann Barnes and Matthew Bowers married Dec. Qtr 1847 at Newmarket volume 14 page 200; Charles Harding Barnes married Mary Bowers Dec. Qtr 1858 at Newmarket volume 3b page 1177. You could get these marriage certificates, and then you would see if Matthew was Mary's father.
regards.

[sabrina]

I did download the marriages and also Mary's births along with her two sisters off the film(they didn't get baptised untill about 18 years old).  Mary's mother was Mary Bridgeman.  I would have loved to see the 1851 census (however it is lost forever).  I would love to find Charles Harding Barnes father.  I am not sure of Ann's father John.  Although the marriage certificate says she was born in Burwell, I am not sure of that.  The two witness (married to each other) at Ann's wedding both came from below  London, and this William Barnes(married to Keturah had a father John like Anns father.  This William had a brother with the name Harden in his christian name.  My relative Charles Harding Barnes called his first son Charles Harden Barnes - so maybe the Harding was a mistake, and should have been Harden.

I suppose there are some things you will never find out.  I would just like to go a bit further back. I have too many maybes.  We should be grateful for what we have found.  I was recently sent photographs of both my 2XGr grandmother and 3XGr grandfather both born in Cornwall and died in California.  How great is that.  I don't even have a photo of my grandfather and never met him.

Thank you for your help.  Don't you wish you could go back and ask them some questions.

sabrina

[bedfordshire boy]

English marriage certs do not include birthplaces - just the residence at the time of the marriage, which isn't the same thing

David

[Paco]

There are some Bridgeman's on the CD, but no Mary. There are also some Harden's and Harding's as well. If the father of Charles was of a similar age to Ann at the time then you could possibly narrow it down to about 5 Harding's and a couple of Harden's as all the others would have been too young. This would however only be guess work, which is probably not a good idea.