Puzzle at The Red Lion

[Shalena]

Well done John.

I am just about keeping up with all the intricacy!

Shalena

[johnP-bedford]

from the list of licencees of the Red Lion (from the Beds Archives article)

William Tebbs, senior 1841 - 1844
Mary Tebbs, 1844 - 1847
William Jenks, 1849
John Jenks, 1850 - 1854

I think William Jenks is a non-entity ....
I was looking at the Petty Sessions records at the Beds Archives this morning. It contains licencing applications & transfers and every September there is a record of the licencees for each public house in Bedford town parishes.   

For the Red Lion, High Street, St Paul's

Sept 1846 & 1847 Mary Tebbs, widow
Sept 1848 to 1852 John Jenks
Sept 1853 to 1855 Thomas Peatling

On 7 April 1848 John Jenks applied for a transfer of the licence from Mary Tebbs.
On 8 July 1853 John Jenks applied to transfer the licence to sell exciseable liquors in the house of his occupation to Thomas Peatling & Sons - Application refused
On 5 August 1853 John Jenks applied again & it was approved

Interesting to see that on these lists of licencees, one Thomas Partridge of 'The Cherry Tree' public house in St Mary's up to Sept 1849, he being brother to my gt-gt-grandfather 

cheers John

[Shalena]

So the brother of your gt; gt; grandfather...Thomas Partridge of 'The Cherry Tree'... was there in Bedford at the same time, doing the same job, and presumably, had knowledge of our John Jenks who was the Father of Augusta who married my Gt; Gt; Grandfather, Thomas Priestley. 

What a small world this is, John...wonder if your gt; gt; grandfather knew them as well? 

Shalena

 

[johnP-bedford]

Regarding Sarah George seems to be William George's sister. Still don't know who Lucy is though.

Following up David's suggestion earlier in this dialogue; there is a marriage licence index dated 6 Feb 1793 that has Robert George, bach, age 21&over, marrying Elizabeth Dunham, spinster, minor, daughter of Samuel of Wilstead; surety given by Sam Dunham, farmer of Wilstead.

Robert & Elizabeth baptised son William Samuel at Wilstead on 11 Feb 1794, and later children around Bedford parsihes. At St Johns, Martin 20/9/1795 & Charles 26/4/1802. At St Marys, Sarah 31/3/1797 & Betsy 7/8/1799. At St Pauls, Elizabeth 13/11/1809. I am assuming it is the same Robert & Elizabeth, but why would they have an Elizabeth after a Betsy - when I can't find a burial of the first one.

There are burials at Bedford St Pauls of Elizabeth, wife of Robert (at Old Meeting) on 11 Nov 1811 & of Robert on 5 Jul 1818 age 46 making him born 1772.

From a contact off Ancestry I have this information. Penelope Church, b 1811, Higham Gobion married in Welwyn, Herts on 15 Oct 1856, William George widower, b 1794,Wilshamstead. From the marriage certificate William's father is Robert George, farmer. Witnesses are George Shaw & Susan Shaw.William's residence is Houghton Conquest,Beds. Wife Sarah was buried Houghton Conquest on 3/6/1843 age 46. In 1841, William & Sarah plus a 4 month old Emma are living at How End in Houghton Conquest. In 1851 Penelope Chuch was house keeper to son William George, master butcher in Ampthill.

[johnP-bedford]

This Houghton Conquest connect intrigues me. In 1841 we have William & Sarah George farming in How End. On that same census we have William & Mary Tebbs farming in How Hill. If this Tebbs couple then go on to be licencees of the Red Lion has not been proven. Then if John Jenks & wife Sarah George were to go visiting her brother in HC then they might be aquantained with the Tebbs which could account for him marrying Mary in 1847.

Any thoughts ?

[Shalena]

Fantastic work John...

It seems entirely possible that JJ (having visited William with his then wife Sarah), would have met/known Mary and her then husband William if both families were farming in the same area.  Communities were much smaller then, and tended to know each other well...whether they liked each other or not!

As for the problem regarding the birth of an Elizabeth (after a Betsy that does not seem to have died), I have something to throw into the pot.  What if Robert & Elizabeth were not the 'real' parents, but their daughter Sarah was (at age 12 or so), and they just took her on as theirs?  I add this because we have come across another very young birth in a part of our family (again 12 yrs old), and this baby was taken on by her parents before finally being re-united with her 'real' mother later when she married.

I have no idea how this could be proved one way or the other...but it may be a possibility.

Shalena

[Shalena]

I was looking through the 1867 Ampthill Directory and found the following:-

William George - Butcher - Bedford Street.........and
Elizabeth Gudgin - Butcher - Woburn Street....(just round the corner).

So, not only was William still trading there but it seems a possible relative of his Father's 1st wife, Sarah, was a rival butcher too...a woman butcher at that!  Didn't know they had female butchers back then.

I found some early 1900's photos of the two streets, and a few were of butchers in both Bedford and Woburn Street...but not knowing the address of either, I couldn't make out if any were of either of their properties.  Very interesting to see what they may have been like 30 odd years before, as apparently they hadn't changed all that much.

Shalena

[johnP-bedford]

from the list of licencees of the Red Lion (from the Beds Archives article)

William Tebbs, senior 1841 - 1844
Mary Tebbs, 1844 - 1847
William Jenks, 1849
John Jenks, 1850 - 1854

For the Red Lion, High Street, St Paul's

Sept 1846 & 1847 Mary Tebbs, widow
Sept 1848 to 1852 John Jenks
Sept 1853 to 1855 Thomas Peatling

Further delving in the Petty Sessions minutes yesterday for 1840- 1844 Beds Archives reference PS BB1/1

William Tebbs is listed as the licencee of the Red Lion in Sept of every year 1840 - 1845; however it turns out that for 1840, 41 & 42 it is William Tebbs, the younger; who on 8th May 1843 applied for consent to transfer licence of The Red Lion, High Street to William Tebbs, ther elder - Consent Granted. Thus William Tebbs & wife Mary were only licencees from 1843 onwards.

On 12th May 1843 Elizabeth Bass applied to transfer the licence of The George Inn, High Street to William Tebbs, the younger, as from Sept 1843 onwards he was licencee of The George until his death in 18512, when the licence transfered to his wife Eliza.

Move on a few years, on 21 Mar 1863 there is an entry for the licence of The New Inn on Tavistock street, St Pauls to be endowed to John Jenks. Then on 13 April 1863 a licence to sell excisable liquors at New Inn, Tavistock Street was granted to John Jenks. However JJ was only there the one year.
   

[Shalena]

Thank-you for the new information you have found John.  I did have amongst my notes that JJ was at The New Inn in 1864...but I am still a bit perplexed about these dates as different sources say slightly different time spans.  Let me see if I have it correct up to now:

c 1847 - JJ goes to Bedford to marry Mary.
                                                                                                                                                      1848 - 1853  -  JJ is running the Red Lion Inn and living there before handing it over to Thomas Peatling.

1853 - 1861  -  He marries Susan in 1859, but there is no mention of where he is living, or what he is doing.

1861  -  census says that he is an Innkeeper, but no mention of where.
          -  no mention of living at any address at time of bankrupcy on 10th April.
          -  appears to have moved into 7, Union Street, Bedford and working as a Lime Burner.

1863-64  -  The New Inn is endowed to JJ and he takes over the running of the place for a year.

1864 - 1871  -  it is not known where JJ and Susan are until they turn up on the census in Poplar, London in 1871, where he lives until his death in 1873. 

Does that sound about right to you?   

Shalena