Part of Herts or not?

[rpweedon]

Dear All,

I am trying to locate Thomas Weedon using militia lists.  I have the Herts militia lists on DVD but am unsure whether they would cover Thomas Weedon if he were living in Elstree and attending St Maegaret's church there.  Wickipeadia gives the following description:

The ancient parish of St Margaret’s was larger than the manor and included parts of Elstree in the north, but not land south of Deans Brook and Edgware Brook, or lands west of the Edgware Road.

Is this parish part of Herts?  If not, which county and are militia lists available?

Thank you for your help.

Peter

[Rick]

Hi Peter

According to Chris Reynolds on his Genealogy in Hertfordshire site who is a very reliable source.

http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/index.htm

Elstree (or Idlestree) is a village, in Cashio hundred, Barnet Union and county court district, rural deanery of Watford, archdeaconry of St Albans, diocese of Rochester, and North-Western Metropolitan postal district, 5½ miles north from Harrow railway station, 5 south-west from Barnet, and 11 from London, through Edgware, situated at the intersection of the road from London to St Albans (the ancient Watling Street) with that from Bushey to Barnet; the later road divides the county of Herts from Middlesex: the four parts cut off by these roads are in four different parishes and two counties; the north-eastern portion, in which is the church, is in Elstree parish and Herts county; the north-western in Aldenham, Herts; the south-western in Little Stanmore, Middlesex, and the south-eastern in Edgware, Middlesex. The church of St Nicholas is a handsome building, with tower and spire and 2 bells, having been rebuilt by private subscription. The living is a rectory, annual value £804, arising from 200 acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the Lord Chancellor, and held by the Rev. Charles John Plumer, M.A., of St John's College, Oxford. There is a National school. The area is 1370 acres, and the population in 1861 was 402.

Thus if Thomas lived in the north eastern portion near the church he was in Herts.

Rick

[[Ray]]

Hi

I couldn't post on this thread yesterday but we had an offline chat  (via pm)

Because of the geography, it would seem to come down to Herts or Middx or Herts&Middx (regiments)

Peter, Remind us of Thomas's dates please?


Cheers!
Ray
 

[rpweedon]

Hi Ray,

Thanks for the offer of assistance.

I am seeking information about two Thomas Weedons and one Samuel Weedon.

Thomas (senior) was the son of Samuel Weedon and Mary Dann (quakers) and was born in 1737.  He married Sarah Nash in St Albans in 1756 and their first son Thomas (junior) was born in 1756 or 1757.  Soon afterwards, Joseph Weedon was born and both boys were baptised at St Albans Abbey on October 14, 1759.  Joseph died in 1840 at stated age 84.  He was a master cordwainer and lived in St Albans most of his life.  I have tried to determine where Thomas senior ended up.  I do know that he had two additional children (Stephen and Sarah) but they died as infants and Sarah Nash his wife died in 1761 in chidbirth.  I do not know where Thomas senior went but perhaps back to Watford as he was given a settlement certificate from Watford overseers when he moved to St Albans in 1756.  I do not know what happened to Thomas Weedon junior although there is a burial record for a 77 year old Thomas Weedon in St Peter, St Albans in 1828 (in the same church that Joseph Weedon was buried in 12 years later).

One hunch is that Thomas senior is the Watford based carpenter who shows up in the Herts militia lists but I cannot be sure.  Thomas junior should also appear on the militia lists (like his brother Joseph does for St Albans) but I am uncertain.  It could be that Thomas junior married Sarah Peacock (by licence) in 1785 and moved to Elstree then.  This couple had at least 7 children between 1785 and 1797 one of whom was Samuel Weedon the sheep stealer who was hung at Newgate in 1828.

The Samuel Weedon I am looking for is a son of Joseph Weedon who was baptised at St Albans Abbey in 1798.  He 'drops off the map' so to speak.  Seems not to get married or have children.  Samuel is not the chap hung at Newgate in 1828.  I can rule that out.

Any suggestions would be welcomed.

Peter

[bevj]

Hi Peter
Re. Thomas junior -
I think we have discussed this before,  but do you rule out the marriage between Thomas Weedon and Ann Ralph at St. Stephen,  St. Albans on 24/5/1784?

[rpweedon]

Bev,

Have not ruled it out. 

Suppose I should see if they had children and try to develop a descendency.

Have you found issue?

Peter

[bevj]

I only ever found one child for the couple, John Weedon b. 1786 in Aldenham.
There must be siblings around somewhere.
I have seen on other trees that John married Leticia Baldwin and had 5 children in St. Stephens.  The IGI also has them: Thomas, John, George, James and William, but I haven't found the marriage of John and Leticia.

Bev

[MacadamiaNut]

Hi Peter,
If it is of help, there is an excellent 1741 map of London and the home counties, which you can freely view or download from wikimedia. Since that fits your timeline nicely, you may find it of use. It shows Elstree being just across the border into Middlesex at that time. Hope that helps, and if not, you might just enjoy looking at the map, like I do
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1741_Homann_View_and_Map_of_London,_England_and_Environs_-_Geographicus_-_London-homann-1741.jpg

[benzon]

Hi there

Re the militia lists - it is my understanding that if the person was married with quite a few children then they were unlikely to be balloted as if called to serve the parish would have the responsibility of financing the care of the children which would become uneconomical.

In my experience although the militia lists are another research tool, in reality they hold very little information.

Benzon