thomas butler of little stukeley

[enamay]

The 1841 census for Huntingdon Union Workhouse lists 3 Butler children as inmates - Emma 7, James 5 and Thomas 3.  I assume these were 3 siblings and would like to know if these children were baptised at Little Stukeley and who their parents were.  Thomas is my ancestor and states on his marriage certificate his father was William Butler, farmer. On 1851-1871 census Thomas was born Little Stukeley 1837.  His birth is not on the GRO index.   
Can anyone help?
Many thanks
Enamay

[bedfordshire boy]

Welcome to Rootschat!

It seems as though Thomas was the only one of the three to have survived for long. Emma Butler aged 8 was buried at Lt Stukeley on 5 Oct 1841, and James Butler aged 8 on 22 Mar 1844. The full entry might give parents, or the death certificate might do likewise.

There's also a burial of Mary Butler aged 43 on 4 Nov 1838 and I wonder if she might have been their mother. No sign of a burial of a William in Lt Stukeley though.

Huntingdon Archives online catalogue at http://calm.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ArchiveCatalogue/SearchArchives.htm shows admissions to Huntingdon Union Workhouse on 1 Jan 1841 of Emma Butler born 1833; James Butler born 1835, and Thomas Butler born 1837, all of Lt Stukeley.

They were also admitted on 15 Oct 1840. Possibly the full entry might contain more detail.

But there are also entries in 1840 of William Butler, farmer, 47 of Lt Stukeley who was accused of horse stealing and was sentenced to 15 years transportation on each of two convictions on 19th Oct 1840 (4 days after the children went into the workhouse) at Huntingdon County Sessions. If the mother of the three children was the Mary who died in 1838, and if their father was the William and he was transported in 1840-41, then it would explain why the children were in the workhouse. One of the entries states that William was a native of Gt Raveley, Hunts.

But the only marriage in Hunts of a William Butler and Mary was in 1813 in Abbots Ripton - William Butler of Ramsey and Mary Bond. Whilst it doesn't look too promising, there are also Butler burials in Lt Stukeley of George infant on 12 March 1828, Martha age 21 on 23 May 1837, and Elizabeth age 14 on 6 Apr 1838. If this was all one family then an 1813 marriage would be feasible.

There's a member submission on the IGI, which I never place much reliance on but this one looks better than most, which shows a burial of Elizabeth Butler on 6 Apr 1838, which is right, and a christening on 11 Dec 1825, which again looks right, where her parents are shown as William and Mary.

Little Stukeley parish register hasn't been extracted onto the IGI or BVRI other than baptisms 1803-22 which shows three children of William & Mary - Mary Furness Butler 4 Oct 1818, Ann 10 March 1822, and William also 10 March 1822. Hunts FHS has produced a transcript of Lt Stukeley parish register.

I now move on from speculation to pure fantasy!

Why did Mary baptised 1818 have the middle name Furness?

IF the 1813 marriage is the right one and Mary Bond was the one producing children in Lt Stukeley there's a marriage in 1785 in Alconbury between Robert Bond of Stukeley and Mary Furness which might be worth pursuing. Was Mary Bond the daughter of this couple? Said it was fantasy!

It would also be worth looking at transportation records to see if William went to Australia and what happened to him when he got there

David

[magslote]

Hello,hopethis will help, all childen  bapt
to William/Mary Butler,Farmer,
WILLIAM SON JOHN/ANN 31.12.1797
MARY  FURNESS   8.10.1818
WILLIAM,10.3.1822.
ANN  10.3.1822
SUSANNAH   6.10.1822
SARAH  11.12.1825
ELIZABETH 11.12.1825
JOHN 9.8.1829
FURNES, DAU, 28.1831
EMMA  19.5.1834
JAMES  19.10.1835
THOMAS 5.4.1837,         
have marriages and burials, if you wish, Margaret.

[bedfordshire boy]

Margaret

Can you check the burials that I listed and see if there's extra information eg wife of William, dau of William and Mary etc

Thanks

David

[magslote]

Burials,Butler,
Little Stukeley,
GEORGE      INFANT,12.3.1828
MARTHA  23.5.1837, 21
ELIZABETH  6.4.1838,   14
MARY  4.11.1838   43
EMMA  5.10.1841    8
JAMES,  OF THE UNION HUNTINGDON   22.3.1844    AGED8.
Margaret.

[enamay]

Dear David
Thank you so very much for your most helpful information. This is the first time I have ever joined a chatroom or forum (very nervous) and am so delighted with the response.
This is such a sad little family.  Thomas was my 2xgreat grandfather.  After finding him on 1851 census as a 14yr old servant, he became a railway man and moved to Devon and married there, had 6 sons (1 died young),moved to Yeovil, when he became an engine driver and died in 1872 aged 34 of Smallpox Confluent.  His death certificate states he had it for 9 days and he died at home so it must have been an awful death.  All his remaining 5 sons worked for the railway, 2 becoming engine drivers (including my great grandfather) and 3 inspectors/foremen.
Back to Little Stukely - I have been gleaning info all over the place recently,
familysearch, freereg etc and I did find a marriage for William Butler of Ramsey to Mary Bond at Abbots Ripton 1 May 1815.  Their first child Martha was baptised at Abbots Ripton 25 Sep 1816 - dau of William and Mary, farmer of Stukeley.  I believe this Martha was buried Little Stukeley 23 May 1837 aged 21.  From the info you and Margaret have so kindly supplied me and with the bits and pieces of my gleanings, I am sure this William and Mary Bond are the parents of the Little Stukeley children.  They had 12 children in total, my Thomas being the youngest. Most interested in William and the horsethieving, will follow up transportation records.  Have also sent off for Mary's death certificate.  Once again, many many thanks for your help.  Enamay

[enamay]

Dear Margaret
Thank you so much for your kind help.  I am now able to piece together William and Mary's (nee Bond) 12 children.
Thanks to David who has solved the Furness/Furniss connection (I'm sure he's right in finding a marriage between a Furness and a Bond).  William and Mary named their 2nd daughter Mary Furness Butler, and another daughter Furness Butler.  Their son William (b 1822) named one of his daughters Jessie Furness.
I have sent for Mary's (buried 1843) death certificate and have lots to follow up,most intruigingly the horse thieving/transportation of William.
I shall now contact Huntingdon Record Office and request photocopies of the Stukeley register entries you and David have supplied, so I hope they have a good photocopier!
Thanking you again, regards Enamay

[enamay]

Margaret and David, thought you might like to know that I have now received copy death certificate for Mary Butler died 31 Oct 1838 aged 43 wife of William Butler, farmer of Little Stukely, she died of consumption.  William and Mary had 13 children in total and William must have found it hardgoing after her death.  Have found on Australian Convict Transportation Register that following William's trial on 19 Oct 1840 (2 counts of horsethieving = 15 years transportation on each offence) he was put on the convict ship "Duncan" which left Sheerness 16 Dec 1840 and arrived Van Dieman's Land 18 Apr 1841.  There were 259 male convicts boarded and 259 landed so we know William did survive the journey.  But considering his age of 47 when he left England and his sentence of 30 years, he probably didnt last long - I would expect him to have died within 10 years.  Enamay

[tessyw]

I am descended from the Bonds of Stukeley, Potton and Biggleswade. Robert Bond born 1762 was the brother of my Great x 3 Grandfather Richard Bond. There was another brother Samuel; does anyone know of him?