Inherited Craziness
A place to share all the nuts found on my family tree

Showing posts with label Brand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brand. Show all posts

Thursday 31 October 2024

William Carter and Lucy Hockley

St Mary, Stebbing
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/398874

William Carter (bap. 11 Oct 1807 in Stebbing, Essex) son of Edward Carter and Mary Archer, married Lucy Hockley (bap. 26 Oct 1817 in Great Dunmow), daughter of Daniel Hockley and Sophia Mason, in Stebbing on 31 Oct 1834. The witnesses are faint, but look like William Byatt and Charles Cock.

William and Lucy Carter had seven children in total:
  1. Jane Carter bap. 27 Sep 1835 in Stebbing
  2. John Carter bap. 4 Nov 1838 in Stebbing
  3. Eliza Carter b. 1841 D Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 12 Page 75, bap. 7 Nov 1841. Died at 6 or 7 in 1848 S Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 12 Page 54 and was buried on 17 Aug 1848 in Stebbing.
  4. Edward Carter b. 21 Jan 1846 (1846 M Qtr in DUNMOW Vol 12 Page 90), bap. 1 Mar 1846 in Stebbing. Died at 21 in 1867 M Qtr in DUNMOW Vol 04A Page 248, buried on 16 Feb 1867 in Stebbing.
  5. Mary Carter b. 26 Jan 1848 (1848 M Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 12 Page 83), bap. 2 Apr 1848 in Stebbing
  6. Unnamed Male Carter b. 1850 M Qtr in DUNMOW Vol 12 Page 94
  7. Emma Carter b. 1855 M Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 04A Page 320. Died 1855 M Quarter in DUNMOW Volume 04A Page 265
The mother's maiden name on all birth registrations is HOCKLEY.

In 1841, William Carter (25), Lucy Carter (20), Jane (5) and John (2) were living with William's widowed father, Edward Carter (55) at Stebbing Green.

In 1861, William Carter (listed as 52) Labourer; Lucy Carter (42), John Carter (22) and Edward Carter (15) were once again living at Stebbing Green with William's father, Edward Carter (79).

William Carter died at 53 in 1861 J Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 207 and was buried on 12 May 1861 in Stebbing.

On 2 Jan 1865, Lucy Carter, Widow, married William Brand (b. 18 Feb 1823 in Stebbing, Essex), Bachelor, son of John Brand and Frances Cowell. 

In 1871, living in Stebbing were William Brand (47) Agricultural Labourer; Lucy Brand (52) and Henry Shuttlewood (21) from Bocking, Lodger.

Lucy Brand died at 63 in 1880 M Quarter in DUNMOW UNION Volume 04A Page 314 and was buried on 24 Feb 1880 also in Stebbing.

In 1881, William Brand (57) Widower, Ag Lab was still living in Stebbing.

There is a marriage of a William Brand in 1883 which may relate, but so far have been unable confirm this, or to locate a relevant death.

Tuesday 1 October 2024

John Doe and Jane Brand

All Saints Church, Little Canfield, Essex

John Doe (b. ~1730 in Great Canfield) and Jane Brand (b. ~1732 in Little Canfield), a pair of my 6th Great-Grandparents, married at All Saints Church, Little Canfield on 1 Oct 1750 to become John and Jane Doe

After the requisite pause for giggling at this unlikely combination of names, I wondered when and where the custom had began to call people who you couldn't identify, either John or Jane Doe, depending on gender. We mostly tend to hear the term when an unidentified corpse turns up in a US crime drama, but in fact, the origins are in medieval English law, beginning perhaps as early as the reign of King Edward III (1327–1377): "Originally, John Doe was a sham name used to indicate any plaintiff in an action of ejectment (a legal action to regain property) in civil court. Richard Roe was the counterpart, to indicate the defendant. These fake names were used in delicate legal matters, a practice that was abolished in English law in 1852. Since then, John Doe has been used to indicate any man of unknown name, with Jane Doe used for females." - The Old Farmer's Almanac. Quite why these particular names were picked, however, is lost in time. It may have been simply because they were among the most common names in use at the time.

It would appear that John and Jane Doe had four children (or at least there are records for four), all baptised at St Mary's Church, Great Canfield:
  1. Henry Doe bap. 19 May 1754
  2. Elizabeth Doe bap. 23 Apr 1758 
  3. John Doe bap. 20 Sep 1760 (Presume buried 14 Nov 1761)
  4. John Doe bap. 20 Dec 1761
There had also been a burial of a John Doe in Great Canfield on 7 Mar 1756. This doesn't mention the age of the deceased and there is no corresponding baptism, but this could have been a further child of this family. The burial, at St Mary's, Great Canfield, on 14 Nov 1761, is clearly stated to be for that of a John Doe 'Infant'. One must, sadly, assume therefore that the subsequent child was named John, immediately after his brother had died.

There was a burial of a Jane Doe in Great Canfield on 18 May 1768 and another in 1803. Either could relate, but there are no ages listed on the transcriptions to give any clues. There was another burial of a John Doe in Great Canfield on 10 Mar 1805. Again it does not mention an age at death, so we cannot be certain, but this could relate to John Doe Snr of this family.

Back in 1731, at this same church, there was a burial of a 4 year old John Doe, listed as 'son of John Doe'. These could simply be just very common names - all the more spectacular to be able to trace them back so far - or, I suppose one must entertain the idea that, once upon a time, there was a parish foundling, who the overseers named John Doe, whose descendants thereafter followed the common tradition of naming son after father ...

These pages are my notes on work in progress. Follow That Page can monitor changes, as further research is done. Where something is unconfirmed, I've tried to make this clear, but include the information as it may provide further clues.

General Register Office (GRO) references for births and deaths, where appropriate, are quoted, so that you can more easily locate certificates. I do not routinely purchase certificates for any, other than my direct ancestors, which I'm willing to share.

If you have information, certificates, etc., you can offer, please get in touch.