Surety?

[c-side]

I'm with Radcliff on this one - Brancepeth was/is very rural and Agricultural workers were notorious for moving around - children baptised all over the place!

Information on Brancepeth here -

http://www.joinermarriageindex.com/pjoiner/genuki/DUR/Brancepeth/index.html

If she was in service she could have hailed from anywhere but I would start by searching the neighbouring parishes - remembering that not all records are online.  She could be lurking anywhere!

Christine

[Radcliff]

I see from the bishops transcripts page 237 Chester Le Street that Samuel and Isabel had a

daughter Mary baptised 10th April  1788,his occupation is weaver ,
,
followed by a son Mathias ,June 14th 1789,

and Ann 31st July 1791,

[Hurley]

Radcliff,

Thank's for that one. I hadn't found Mary's birth  and always suspected Isabella may have been expecting a baby when they married. I have all the other children, Mathias (Mathew) being my 3x g grandad. The Dickinson side has been quite easy to research. I have most of the family back to 1720 but the branch of Hartley's are proving more difficult. I think the fact that Isabel was expecting points to her being married away form home because of the shame of pregnancy out of wedlock at that time. I know from others in my tree that young women either went away or were sent away to save their families the disgrace. Oh how times have changed!

Hurley.

[Hurley]

Radcliff,

Maybe you could help me with this one! Samuel Dickinson married Isabella Hartley. On the licence his occopation is Yoeman. They move to Chester le street and on their childrens birth records his occupation is weaver until his daughter Ann dies in 1792. On this record he is recorded as a pauper. How do you go from a yoeman to a pauper in 4yrs? He then died aged 36yrs from decay (pauper)in 1799. What do you think could have happened?

Hurley.

[Radcliff]

Possibly to ill to work  as a weaver ,hence he couldn't work,I am no historian so I cant actually give you any facts ,so possible scenario,
weavers some times had tied cottages ,loses his job and home ,gets taken on as a yeoman again his health deteriorates and he becomes a pauper,I don't know but lets face it there would be no medical care as such available to our ancestors ,
we are so lucky today that we don't have to struggle as they did just to survive,

Yes when I found the birth I thought that's it they had to hurry and marry ,it was so common to be pregnant when people married ,no shame was cast unless they didn't marry before the baby was born,

[c-side]

The nearest modern day equivalent to a pauper is someone who is claiming benefit.

Because he died so young it sounds like he either developed an illness or had an accident - either would prevent him from working.

'benefit' payment was very localised then - every person had a 'legal place of settlement' (the parish responsible for them financially) which could be the parish in which they were born, served an apprenticeship, rented property above a certain value and others.  Read up on the Poor Laws for more detail.

Do you know what happened to Isabella after he died?  Unless she re-married quickly she too would have to make a claim on the parish but not necessarily the same parish as her husband.  You could search records for Chester le Street to see whether there is any mention of a Removal Order or other documents relating to Isabella.  There's a chance that this could lead you to her place of birth.

Christine

[Radcliff]

Hello did you decide to pursue the birth of Isabel in Gateshead ,daughter of William

there is a marriage in Gateshead for a William Hartley and Margaret Lisle 10th March 1764,

[Hurley]

Hi Radcliffe,

Yes I am looking into the family you mention above. I am also going to look to see if Isabella made a claim to the parish after  Samuel Died as Christine suggested. It's just knowing where to look as all this is fairly new to me. There is a marriage of an Isabella Dickinson to a John Minto both aged 60 in 1822. The death for Isabella Minto is in 1847. I know age is slightly out for Isabella but I am looking into that marriage also. I've looked for Isabella Minto in 1841 to see if it gave her birthplace but can find neither her or John on the census.

Heather.

[Radcliff]

I have  had a look at the transcript for the marriage it doesn't actually say widow ,but at sixty I would think it strange if she hadn't married,
entry into the register is 490,page 47/884 Chester Le Street,

John Minto of this parish aged 60 years and Isabella Dickinson of this parish aged 60 years were married in This church by banns ,this 18th day of February in the year 1822,

by me John Dodd sub curate,
both marked with a cross and the witness was a William Lewins also a cross the other witness appears on other entries so I guess he is some thing to do with the church,