Help me solve a mystery!

[FarrandFamilyTree]

Hi there,

I've been looking into the history of my Farrand family for some time now and have managed to trace this line of my ancestry back to the mid 18th century.

However, I've always been transfixed by a family mystery that I've uncovered, and wondered if anyone based in Nottingham/ Notts who might be able to help.

My great, great grandfather William Farrands died at the young age of 49 in 1869, and according to his death certificate was found in a privy pit. His death was of an unknown cause, which leads me to think of potential foul play.

Together with a brother in law, he created new technology for shawl manufacturing in Hucknall Torkard. Based on google street view of the home of his brother in law, there seems to be an indication that this new process made both families wealthy.

However, as far as I can tell, William died without registering a will, my GG Grandfather Edwin Hugh then relocated some 100 miles away in Marske, North Yorks.

Finally, after the death of William, the family all changed their name to Farrand. Anyone have any idea why this might have happened?

Hope this is of interest to someone!

Also, in 1882/ 83 Williams widow phoebe and her eldest son (my grandfather) were the defendants in an equity case brought by William G Cursham, who at that time was a Solicitor and a mine owner. I don't understand why he would be bringing a bankruptcy or other equity case against my ancestors.

So I was wondering if anyone could help me with any of the following:

Copy of the case details for this equity case held in the Notts Archive - Ref No CY/1/7/60 Jan 1882 - Jan 1883
If its possible to find the coroner's record of the death of William Farrands, and where I might have to look for it. I know that at the time inquests were normally held in public houses....
If there were any other probate information records I could look into to gain insight into why my GG Grandfather would chose to move so far away from home...

[weste]

It might be worth looking in the local newspapers for the area for that time as there probably was a write up in it. Although there's a few reasons for name change. Yhere's obviously something that's gone on that they don't want to be associated with be it debt or something that william himself had been associated with. Have you tried just putting his name into a search engine and perhaps the area he lived in or his occupation? We have a name change in our family but it's supposed to with greatgrandfather's father ill treating his sister and he did n't agree with what was going on but i think there's more to it. The greatfather has more than on relationship, his first son has an alias and in great grandfathers probate stuff on ancestry his middle name is on there but also as otherwise with the sam christian and surname but no middle. So it may be he used the middle name on some occasions but it may also be a name that's added. The great grandfather had also previous to this changed his surname and it is common in certain areas. Your surname does n't sound too common may be if yu have a look along female lines you my find it.

[Dizzifish]

Hello .....

Welcome to Rootschat...

I can't tell from your profile where you are but if you are UK based you may have access online to the 19th Century Newspapers online via your library card.

There is an article relating to your William Farrands.

Nottinghamshire Guardian (London, England), Friday, March 05, 1869

If you don't have access I can let you have the details... we can't use the personal messages on Rootschat until you have made three posts.

Regards

Sheila

[Dizzifish]

I have just checked and William Farrands did leave a Will - he died 26th February 1869 - Probate 28th April 1869

Maybe the reason you haven't found it is because Ancestry have indexed him as William FARRANE ! on the original page it plainly says Farrand.

[larkspur]

Nottingham Guardian March 5 1869 Birth Death marriage column.
At Hucknall Torkard on the 26th ult. Mr William Farrand hosiery manufacturer aged 48.

[larkspur]

March 5 th 1869 N G
A Man found dead at Hucknall Torkard- An inquest was held on Friday by Mr Coroner Heath , at the Jolly Colliers, on the body of William Farrands, 48 years of age, who was found dead in a privy the day before.-Phoebe Farrands, wife of the deceased(who was a frame work knitter)said he left home on Thursday morning about seven o'clock, saying he should not be long before he returned,but he did not come back until Thursday evening when he was quite drunk.He went out again about half past seven o'clock, saying he would not be long away, but he never returned.He had upwards of £5 in his possession on Tuesday, but he had given the £5 to his wife on Wednesday.There had been a little unpleasantness between him and his brother Thomas Farrands some time ago.- Sarah Ashley landlady of the Half Moon Inn said that he and a man named Lowe came to her house on Thursday night at about nine o' clock when they had some drink, and left about 11 0'clock quite drunk.-Thomas Ferrands, brother of the deceased said he did not see him on Thursday night, but found his body, next morning, in a hole near his (witnesses ) house.-Whilst fetching some water for breakfast.-The jury returned a verdict of " Found dead in a privy pit, but how he got there, there was no evidence to prove"

[larkspur]

In 1884 there was a meeting of the creditors of Edwin Farrand a confectioner of Long Row, he owed £374 .18s and 2d, it appears a Mr H Thorpe bailed him out.

[larkspur]

On the 1861 census William Ferrand was a frame work knitter and Phoebe was a dressmaker, as he left a will a few years later leaving less than £100, I think you may need to re evaluate his circumstances.
Frame work knitter rather than hosiery manufacturer....The street he lived on in 1861 was full of FWK.
1871 Phoebe and Edwin are in Bulwell under FARRANCE, I cannot read Phoebe's occupation.
1881 Park St Worksop Edwin Hugh Farrand is with his aunt Charlotte Gibson, he is a telegraph clerk.
1891 Radford as a telegraph engineer mother is with him no occupation for her. Betsy his sister is also with them she is a domestic servant.
1901 Coatham Yorkshire with his wife Edith and daughter Phoebe, he is still a telegraph engineer.

[Dizzifish]

Not helping much re your mystery and you may have come across this site before - it is interesting and helps confirm some of your family links -  Ben Woollatt was Phoebe's brother

http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/hucknall1909/hucknall18.htm#19thcentury

Nottinghamshire History - J H Beardsmore, The History of Hucknall Torkard, (1909)

http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/hucknall1909/hucknall26.htm.

About the year 1852 (said the late Mr. Andrew Radford) the Shetland hosiery industry sprang up, and gradually gave employment to the men who had been previously engaged in spider-work stockings and gloves. Mr. Radford told the writer that Mr. James Wood, of Nottingham, bought a knitted fall in the Shetlands and asked Mr. Robert Widdowson, postmaster and stocking-maker, if he could not make something similar on a frame. Mr. Widdowson submitted the task to Messrs. Wm. and Thomas Farrands, who were aided by Mr. Ben Woollatt, in adapting a frame for this class of work, and very soon Messrs. William Barker, William Calladine, Michael Wilkinson, Henry Rhodes, Joseph Stainforth, Thomas Dawson, and Reuben Cale were engaged in this class of manufacture.
A little more than 30 years ago many journeymen were tempted by the boom in this trade to set up as master hosiers, but the period of depression which supervened reduced their numbers, so that to-day the leading firms in this industry are Messrs. H. and I. Rhodes, Wm. Woollatt, Wm. J. Calladine, and John Buck, and the principal foreign markets for their produce have been America, Russia, France, and Spain.
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mention of Frank Farrands (of the cricketing fame)
http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/suttoninashfield1907/sutton10.htm
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http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/hucknall1909/hucknall24.htm

here is a list of the instrumentalists of seventy years ago: — Bassoons, Ben Kerry and Joseph Hutchinson; Clarionette, Robert Widdowson; Bass Fiddle, George Starr; Fiddles, Luke Wagg and Richard White; Ophecleide, John Brown; Trombone, James Widdowson; The Serpent (a bass instrument), Mr. Dabill. The singers were Elizabeth Fell, Elizabeth Allen, Ann Brown, Leah Hankin, Elizabeth and Mary Mellows, Thomas Brown, Thomas Farrands, Samuel Barnett, John Wagstaffe, and John Cutts
 ~ ~ ~

http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/articles/mellorsarticles/basford6.htm

Robert Mellors, An address to the young folks of Stapleford, 1906.

MILNES FARRAND, a member of an old Basford family of bleachers, and afterwards a soap manufacturer at Whitemoor, deserves to be remembered. He voluntarily played the organ in the parish church 42 years, and provided the music for the use of the choir at his own cost. He died in 1906, aged 77.

Milnes Farrand left a Will dated 1907
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