Grace Hustler/Hostler or Dodsworth - Thornton Dale

[Lewis21]

Hi all,

I've come up against a brick wall in the form of Grace Hustler, who I suppose to be my 5x great-grandmother.

From what I can see she married a Thomas Dodsworth by licence on 15 May 1798 at Thornton Dale. The licence (I haven't seen the original but it is on FamilySearch) states he was 50 and she 22. They had six children: John (1801), Richard (1804), Robert (1805), Henry (1808), Elizabeth (1810) and James (1812-1814).

It appears that Thomas Dodsworth died in the meantime because I next find Grace having a series of children with surname Dodsworth, but which have only her name as their parent, noted as a widow. So presumably the next set of children are by someone else: Timothy (1814), Samuel (1817), Joseph (1820) and Hannah (1822 - my ancestor).

There is a Grace in the 1841 census "Grace Dadson" living at Farmanby with (possibly?) her son Robert, her age is only 45 though. In 1851, presumably the same woman is living at Farmanby aged 56 - name "Grace Dodsworth", born at Cloughton.

I then find a burial record for a Grace Dodsworth at Thornton Dale on 23 Feb 1859 aged 80, abode Ellerburn. This I think is the right woman, as it implies at birth year of around 1778/9.

The issue I'm having is two-fold: firstly I cannot seem to find a baptism for Grace at all, which is surprising given the name is fairly uncommon. I'm not aware of any other forms this name could take except in Scotland (Grizel). Secondly the census records above in some ways seem right but the age is way off, so is this even the same person?

I think I have pored over these records so many times that I can't see the forest for the trees! Any help on her origins would be greatly appreciated. This is my matrilineal line so in some way it feels like quite an important one to trace.

Many thanks in advance,

Lewis

[amondg]

There is a Thomas Dodsworth buried 10 October 1813 at Thornton Dale age 76 -- born circa 1737

If this is your Thomas then he would have been 60 when he married Grace.

[amondg]

Not sure if this helps but if you look at the marriages on the same page for 1798  and the right hand

page a John Hustler/Hustlar is a witness to 3 marriages.

Perhaps they are related, although he does not witness Grace's marriage. They were John Hodgson and John Mann.

[rosie99]

There is a John Hustler burial 24th June 1813 - he was 61  .  (2 entries before Thomas Dodsworth)

[Mabel Bagshawe]

Not sure if this helps but if you look at the marriages on the same page for 1798  and the right hand

page a John Hustler/Hustlar is a witness to 3 marriages.

Perhaps they are related, although he does not witness Grace's marriage. They were John Hodgson and John Mann.

There's a John Hustler buried Thornton Dale 17 Nov 1802 age 77. He's noted as late parish clerk, which might explain his regular appearance as a witness

[amondg]

My there are a lot of families named Hustler/Hostler/Hostlar  in Thornton Dale.

I believe there is a possibility  that John Hustler (1841 census) and his wife Ann nee Collier

could be related to Grace as he was born circa 1777.

 

[Lewis21]

That's really interesting, they surely must be related in some way or that would be quite a coincidence. The John buried in 1813 is a perfect age to be her father, and the elder John her grandfather, though it's a case of proving it. Her first son was named John too.

Looking at the John that amondg mentioned in 1841 - he seems a good candidate to be her brother. If I have the right man, he appears to have a son Richard baptised in 1815 at Scalby. Grace had a son called Richard and I noticed another Richard who died in 1800 at Thornton Dale too.

It would be so much simpler if her baptism were to be found, that's still a complete mystery. I've manually looked through the originals for both Thornton Dale and Ellerburn for the period and there is no entry that would match her.

[Rena]

I see Grace's father had a high position in the area of a clerk.  I couldn't find mention of the occupation of Thomas but I doubt the father would allow his daughter to marry a labourer..

Surnames starting with "Dod" go back to the invasion of England and a man named "Dodda".  A son of Dodda would be dods +the word  worth = "enclosure"  (The Enclosure belonging to the son of Dodda).

The history of the surname Dodsworth and especially somebody with a family name that has been passed down the ages, such as:  "Thomas Dodsworth"  is interesting :-  "When Thomas Dodsworth was born in 1365, in Yorkshire, England, his father, Sir John Clervaux, was 17 and his mother, Beatrix Mauleverer, was 20. He married Agnes Thoresby in 1415, in Thornton Watlass, Yorkshire, England. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 1 daughte"

Apparently the surname "Hostler" is a southern England surname and surfing showed that it was most common in Norfolk and suffolk on the east coast of England.  I have an ancestor who was born in the south and moved around because she worked for the Duke of Norfolk as a servant until she married in Hanover Square, London, Middlesex.  As with most pregnant wives, she made her way back up north to have her first baby in the presence of her mother in Yorkshire. Once a bride knew what to do to deliver a baby she had the later babies in the home she had made with her husband.  Maybe your bride journeyed to have her first baby delivered by her own mother.

I would be asking why the old man needed another wife.  did he have young children to look after and as most men in those days had no idea of how to cook, etc., presumably he needed  a younger woman to look after his younger children(?)   His young wife obviously had a paramour, maybe her husband knew all about him.  Did the husband own property, did he leave a will .  Widows in the country would have worked on a farm gathering in the harvest, did she take in sewing, or did she take in dirtylaundry to feed her children?