George Batey

[fergussonfamily]

Many thanks for that. I'll have to look at my research again. That all matches the 1841 Census except for the birth of Mary (but the 1841 census is notoriously unreliable for ages.) I found a George Batey there at Hanover Square, Newcastle. The parents were John Batey (b. 1791) and Elizabeth (b. 1801) both from Belford, Northumberland and married at All Saints, Newcastle in 1820 as I mentioned earlier, and that is not a match with Hannah Brown.

I'd like to believe the family rumours were true after all, and I already had found Hannah Dodds (the daughter of Ellen Boutland) but didn't know about the Boutland shipbuilding connection, so as you say, the circumstantial evidence persuasive.

[Richardj]

Ellen Boutland was the daughter of John Boutland who was one of only 30 survivors of the Felling Pit disaster of 1812.  Her grandfather and uncle of the same surname were killed in that disaster.  Her grandfather was a half brother to the father of the William Boutland who founded the Boutland Shipyard at Heworth.  How strong the family ties between these branches at that time can not be known.

There had a been a family story passed down one branch of the Boutland family that relatives had been killed in the pit disaster but for a long time no evidence could be found to support this.  Evidence was recently found so don't give up on these family stories there could well be some truth in them.