Mary Cratchley - 1700s - have I missed something?

[K127]

Good morning all.

I'm looking at the parents of my ancestor Martha Brinkworth, nee Heaven baptised in 1756 with father recorded as Humphry Heaven (mother not named in baptism record).  All of this and the below is in Kings Stanley, Gloucestershire.

I believe my Humphry is one baptised 1713 and who married Mary Cra(t)chly baptised 1710.  I think there's a big bunch of children, starting with Francis in 1737 which is the year Humphry and Mary married. 

What's making me wobble a little is the last child I can see is Humphry Heaven (Junior) born in 1759. That would make Mary 49 years old or so when she had him. Is this likely in the 1700s? I know in 2024 with advancements in health and modern medicine etc women are happily able to become mothers into their late 40s, but I'm not sure about 1700?

I thought perhaps as only the father is listed on these baptisms, maybe Humphry remarried and it's a different wife to Mary (which changes things on my line as I come from the penultimate child) but I can't find any other marriage for Humphry.   In 1738 and 1740ish I can find 2 Mary Heaven deaths in that area but they seem to be Humphry's children who died soon after birth.

Hats off to Mary if it is her but I just thought I'd run it past those with more experience before I plough on down the Cratchley line. Thank you!

[trish1120]

It is possible.

I was born in the 50's to a Mother age 46

[K127]

It is possible.

I was born in the 50's to a Mother age 46

Thanks, Trish  

I'm learning that so much of researching family history is putting 2 + 2 together and hoping you haven't come out with someone else's nan!

[Ermintrude46]

Could there be a subsequent Mary Cratchley for the same family if the one born 1710 died in infancy? I was caught out, think my ancestor Jane had her last child very late only to realise there was another Jane born five years later after the first had died. Or could Humphrey born 1759 be a grandson of your Humphrey? Often sons named after their father are amongst the eldest children, could there be a Humphrey born before they married in 1737? Especially with names prone to different spellings it’s worth trawling through the original films if you haven’t already done that in case you spot something that’s been mistranscribed or missed 🤔

[K127]

Could there be a subsequent Mary Cratchley for the same family if the one born 1710 died in infancy? I was caught out, think my ancestor Jane had her last child very late only to realise there was another Jane born five years later after the first had died. Or could Humphrey born 1759 be a grandson of your Humphrey? Often sons named after their father are amongst the eldest children, could there be a Humphrey born before they married in 1737? Especially with names prone to different spellings it’s worth trawling through the original films if you haven’t already done that in case you spot something that’s been mistranscribed or missed 🤔

Hi Ermintrude, thank you for this!

I'll go check on the Humphrey/grandson point, thank you! Nothing comes up in searches for a subsequent Mary Cratchley but I think that's a good suggestion of yours to trawl through the films (gah!) and have a look myself. They're very scrawly and waterdamaged in places so maybe a later Mary fell through the gaps that way.