Unusual surname Tarvin Halstead/Steeple Bumpstead

[CheshireSteve]

Met a guy who came all the way from West coast USA to Tarvin, Cheshire because his surname is Tarvin and he thought he might trace his roots - but we have no records of that surname in Tarvin! However FreeBMD shows almost all Tarvin surname matches seem to start around North Essex (Halstead then Risbridge). It occurs to me 1851 census would have place of birth for these people which could be useful, maybe they moved there from Cheshire, so wondered if anyone could help with that. I have looked in the newspaper archive and there was a farmer William Tarvin who's elderly mother lived in Steeple Bumpstead in 1856.

Anyone with any ideas on the root of the Tarvin surname? It certainly is very rare.

Steve

[nannyj]

Does he have any tarvins in particular that he’s looking for?

[CheshireSteve]

Oh yes, there was a Richard Tarvin apparently born Liverpool 1691 who emigrated to USA, but there are no Tarvin's in Cheshire in any census return (1841 - 1911), so if there are Tarvin's left in UK then they moved out of Cheshire, and just about the only ones on the BMD are the Essex ones - hence me asking for a census lookup trying to see if there are any clues if they moved there from elsewhere. 1851 census is the earliest that has place of birth, so might be useful.

I can look them up myself if I can wait until Tuesday when out village library is open. Though I would ask here though.

Odd to find a surname where there are only maybe 10 or 20 people in the whole country with it back in 19th century. You would think it would make things easy to track down.

Steve

[Wendy2305]

Had a quick look on Family Search and most of the Essex Tarvins were born in Essex Stambourn for the older ones and Steeple Bumpsted for the younger ones

[philipsearching]

there was a Richard Tarvin apparently born Liverpool 1691 who emigrated to USA

Is it possible that he was born in Liverpool while his parents were waiting for a ship?

Philip

[CheshireSteve]

Had a quick look on Family Search and most of the Essex Tarvins were born in Essex Stambourn for the older ones and Steeple Bumpsted for the younger ones

Thanks for that. So by older ones I guess up to something like 50 or 60, so that Tarvin line was still in North Essex c 1790 to 1800. I will have to dig in some parish records. So the ones that BMD show as in Halstead, could have been living in Stambourne, and born there too, as I think Stambourne falls under Halstead registration district.

Steve

[CheshireSteve]

there was a Richard Tarvin apparently born Liverpool 1691 who emigrated to USA

Is it possible that he was born in Liverpool while his parents were waiting for a ship?

Philip

So you are suggesting that the fact he was born in Liverpool could be because thats where the ships left from, and not a reflection on where the family came from. That's possible - but if the research of others on Geni is correct then his father was christened in Northenden (South Manchester) in 1653 and died in Liverpool in 1725, and his elder brother died at just 16 weeks old in Chester in 1687. It looks more like there was a Tarvin family in Cheshire/Liverpool c 1680 to 1725, but maybe no males made it to adulthood except for the one who emigrated, and so the name died out. I haven't had a chance to verify the Geni entries - I thought I would try working it the other way round. Find the Tarvin's in the census to see how they were distributed across the country - and then I was stunned how rare the name was, so I thought it might be worth trying to work back towards 1700 and see if things link up.

In 1841 census seems to be 4 Tarvins in Essex (probably one family), and 4 in Hertfordshire (a widow and 3 daughters so that name would have not been passed down), and 7 Tarvens in hampshire - and that is it. Rarest name I have ever looked up.

I'll try a hyperlink to the Geni page .. https://www.geni.com/people/Richard-Tarvin-II/6000000001316301104

Steve

[Wendy2305]

Had a quick look on Family Search and most of the Essex Tarvins were born in Essex Stambourn for the older ones and Steeple Bumpsted for the younger ones

Thanks for that. So by older ones I guess up to something like 50 or 60, so that Tarvin line was still in North Essex c 1790 to 1800. I will have to dig in some parish records. So the ones that BMD show as in Halstead, could have been living in Stambourne, and born there too, as I think Stambourne falls under Halstead registration district.

Steve

not quite I would say 1800 to 1810 although the latest born in Stambourne was c 1819 also there  were 2 males born c 1805 in Steeple so there seems to be Tarvin families in both at the same time

[CheshireSteve]

Thanks for that Wendy.

I might be being caught out here by gaps in the records - as I can see there are Tarvin's in Lancashire in the 1851 census, but I can't see any corresponding entries in FreeBMD, or in 1841 census (using the free access to UK Census Online).

I also found an advert for a concert 'For the benefit of Sally Tarvin, of Manchester (late of Shaw Chapel)', with Sally apparently lead vocalist - and the concert was 13th July 1767. So Tarvins in Manchester back then.

So maybe the BMD and 1841 census records for some bits of Manchester are missing and leading me astray. But then the Lancashire entries seem to have vanished again in 1861 and 1871 census. Very odd. I hope they weren't travelling musicians !

Steve