COLTHORPE of Framsden/Sweffling/Farnham

[Nick_Ips]

Hi,

I am trying to locate the birth/baptism of William COLTHORPE who married Elizabeth SKEET 14-04-1783 in Framsden, both 'of this parish'.

The COLTHORPE family subsequently moved to Sweffling and Farnham.

Although there are later baptisms of COLTHORPEs in Framsden there are none I've found for William around the right time, nor in nearby parishes.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Nick

[Annette7]

A John and Sarah Colthorpe had 3 children baptised at Sweffling:

Joseph bp.7/6/1759
Rebecca bp.27/12/1761
Henry bp.10/2/1765

Boyds Marriage Index shows a John Colthorp married Sarah Spendlove 1748 Suffolk Archdeaconry - unfortunately, doesn't state where.

Your William appears to have been buried at Farnham 6/12/1832 aged 78 i.e. bc.1754.

I would guess that William bc.1754 is the son of John and Sarah - unfortunately, we don't know where they were 1748 to 1759 but wherever it was bet William's baptism is there.

One step forward.

Annette

[Nick_Ips]

Thanks Annette,

The 1832 burial is 'my' William... I forgot to put the 1754 in my original post - sorry, I'm new to this!

Thanks for the John/Sarah marriage info, I think I'll check the likely parishes for this the next time I'm at the Suffolk record office and keep my fingers crossed.

SRO have a settlement certificate (FC126/G3/43) from 1790 for William and his family, including a daughter named Sarah... so maybe a connection there, or just a coincidence.

There is also a certificate dated 1779 for John COLTHORP and Charity of Rendham if anyone is looking for them.

Nick

[Sue626]

Hi Nick

I don't suppose you made a note of the witnesses at the 1783 marriage did you? It might give you a bit of a lead, me too, as I believe I am a descendant of the same family.

Sue

[Nick_Ips]

Hi Sue,

The entry was very difficult to read, witness one looks like Jno (unreadable surname) and witness two James ABLETT.  It is entry number 87 on page 27 (located on Framsden fiche 4) in case anyone likes the challenge of reading impossible writing!

ABLETT doesn't mean anything to me, how about you?  Is it the COLTHORPE line you are connected to?

Best wishes,

Nick

[Sue626]

Hi Nick

It often seems to be the case that names are difficult to read, especially when they are on microfiche, but Ablett doesn't mean anything to me either. What a pity.

I am a descendant of William & Elizabeth Colthorp's daughter Sarah, bapt 6th July 1788 at Sweffling, & who married William Hammond 11th Sept 1814 at Farnham, Suffolk ... or at least I believe I am! 

Good hunting, Sue

[Nick_Ips]

Thanks Sue,

Being a bit cheeky here, but would you be willing to share the stuff you've got on the COLTHORPEs, particularly Sarah's line?  I only recently discovered Sarah, so at the moment only have her baptism.  I'm happy to exchange my stuff with you, I've got about 160 descendants of William and Elizabeth if you are interested.

I've also had a bit of a eureka moment this afternoon after seeing your message that Sarah married a HAMMOND.  Back in 2002 I got a death certificate for an Elizabeth COLTHORPE who died in 1839.  The informant was a Sarah HAMMOND.  I'd filed the certificate away because at the time I didn't know that William married an Elizabeth and was actually looking for someone much younger (the first wife of one of William and Elizabeth's grandchildren).

I've just dug the certificate out and it shows that Elizabeth COLTHORPE died at the Plomesgate workhouse on 20-08-1839 age 93.  This would make her birth around 1746 and therefore about right for Eilizabeth the wife of William.  As Sarah HAMMOND, a resident of Wickham Market, was the informant, I wonder whether I've found the right person by accident?

Best wishes,

Nick

[Sue626]

Hi Nick

Yes, that sounds about right for Elizabeth Colthorp, as she was buried [presumably with her husband] at Farnham on 25th Aug 1839 a.93. As one of your other replies suggests, I too wondered whether John & Sarah of Sweffling were William's parents?

Have you come across James Skeet born c.1775/76 at Framsden? He is recorded as a 'Greenwich Pensioner' living with Wm jnr./Mary Colthorp in 1851 & 'Formerly a Sailor' with my Wm/Sarah Hammond in 1861. He was buried 16th April 1863 a.87 in Wickham Market, where the Hammond's lived. He does say he was widowed, but I can't find him in 1841 & have no idea who he is! However, it did cross my mind that he was of an age to have been a child of Elizabeth Skeet prior to her marriage to William Colthorp. I suppose she could have been a widow?

Other than that, I really don't have any more info. on the Colthorp family to share I'm afraid - they seem to be very illusive! Oddly enough though, while I was rooting about today with this question in mind, I did come across a marriage by Licence for a Robert Skeet to an Elizabeth ABLITT on 10th Oct 1828 at Rushmere St. Andrews. I wonder if there's a connection?

Regards, Sue

[Nick_Ips]

Hi Sue,

I'm going to have a root around the next time I'm at the Suffolk Record Office to see whether I can find anything for John and Sarah around 1754... but it might be a case of having to wait until there are more Suffolk PR's searchable online.

Yes, I'd found James SKEET in 1851, and having found the Elizabeth SKEET connection I looked for his baptism.  I've got 7th June 1776 at Framsden to Elizabeth SKEET, baseborn.  There's also a baptism 9th March 1780 for Elizabeth daughter of Elizabeth SKEET.  So I've assumed that Elizabeth had two children before she married William COLTHORPE.

There's also a double baptism on 18th November 1770 for Elizabeth and Hannah daughters of Eliz SKEET (wid).  No ages are given so I'm not sure whether these are also children of 'our' Elizabeth, another person, or even possibly that this is the baptism for Elizabeth herself when she was aged about 24.

I found James in 1861 today, but there seems to be only one person with that name in 1841 in the whole country. As a 'Navy Greenwich Pensioner' in 1851 I wonder if he was serving overseas at the time of the census?  I'd not found him in 1871 so was working on the 1863 death - its good to have your confirmation of this.

I see that William and Sarah HAMMOND had Robert, Martha and James with them in 1841 - are these their children, and do you know if they have any more?

The COLTHORPEs are a difficult bunch, it doesn't seem to be a common surname, but there are so many spelling variations of the name it takes a lot of patience to find them sometimes.  When I started looking, the BMD records were still in book format at the Family Records Centre, so checking all the name variants was quite a task.

Best wishes,

Nick