Another brain needed please!!!

[CatOne]

Look forward to hearing from you..... I know from my grandma that I have Bower/Woodward relatives in Kent, descendants of Henry Bower Woodward's son George I believe. I would be interested to find out any connection.

Catherine 

[G]

I have no knowledge of relatives in Kent,but I have traced the Bower family in Mattersey back to the mid 1700`s,and the Woodward link came into being when William Bower married Ann Woodward and sometime after this there were two strands to the family.I am a Bower,originally from Mattersey.

G

[CatOne]

I would be interested in your findings. Below is my link to William and Ann -

Me!
daughter of
Linda May Marland b. 1947 m. Geoffrey Richards
daughter of
Lucilla Margaret Marland b. 1930 m. Frederick James Shaw
daughter of
Frances May Bower Woodward m. Robert Marland
daughter of
Henry Bower Woodward b. 1878 Everton, Notts m. Lucilla Hunt
son of
John Woodward Bower b. 1844 Mattersea, Notts m. Elizabeth Bingham
son of
William Bower m. Ann Woodward b. 1816 Leverton North, Notts
son of Thomas Bower

One of Henry Bower Woodwards sons, George, went down to Kent but I know nothing of the family down there, other than the odd name that my grandma can remember.

Look forward to hearing from you
Regards,
Catherine 

[G]

Hi Catherine

OK here we go..............

Me (Gillian Bower)

Joe Bower married June Nicholls,1949

Joseph Bower married Lillian Brown

George Bower,brother of John Woodward Bower,married Elizabeth Graham,1881

William Bower married Ann Woodward,1845

Thomas George Moody Bower married Elizabeth Hodgkinson,1816

Thomas Bower married Elizabeth Moody

Thomas Bower married Mary Priest,1758

As you can see my side of the family were just Bower.
I suspect that there may have been a falling out and that John became Woodward Bower to differentiate between the two.Idont think they woud have been able to afford to buy the name as they were all farm labourers at that time.

John`s son George had a son called Horace,and horace and his sister emigrated to Australia around 1900.Horace was killed at Gallipoli and served in the Australian Light Horse.

Regards

G

[CatOne]

Hi 

I'd got back to Thomas Bower and Elizabeth Moody, but didn't know who his parents were so I can now add another generation to this side of the tree.

Interesting to know there are still Bowers in Mattersey. Are there any Woodwards too that you know of?

Somehow, when John Woodward Bowers son, Henry was born he changed the surnames around and became Bower Woodward, so all his descendants are now using just the name Woodward. I have Henrys birth certificate and his name has been put down as Henry Woodward Bower, father John Woodward Bower. But the registrar has written a "22" next to Henry's name, so I believe that means part of the name is wrong, but they havent actually wrote which part, although  it does look like the Bower has been crossed out, so he should just be Henry Woodward.

Dont know why he would want his son registered as Woodward instead of Bower though, unless this was part of the feud you mention and he was making a point of disowning the Bowers??

Nice to have someone else confirm the research I've done so far. I get a bit wary pre 1837 when having to rely on parish records/IGI etc. I've found there are so many possiblities on some lines of my tree that its impossible to know if I'm following the right one, seeing as siblings seem to like naming their children the same!! 

Regards,
Catherine 

[G]

There are some Woodward Bower family in Mattersey,Ranskill,Everton and Maltby,but strangely enough they are now just Bower.I remember my grandmother saying that we were in no way related to the Woodward Bower family,but of course we were.That is what makes me think there was some sort of estrangement,and this was possibly linked to the family home at Mattersey Woodhouse which is where the Bower family lived certainly as far back as the late 1700`s.The house is still there by the way,I saw it last week.

Regards

G

[CatOne]

Wow, would love a pic if thats possible? Or directions and I'll drag my less than enthralled husband there one weekend!  (We only live in Scunthorpe so not too far)

Whats the house like? I'd have thought farm labourers would live in a little ramshackle cottage that wouldn't really be worth fighting over, or even owned by the farmers they worked for......

My grandma and mum are fascinated to know they've got "cousins" still in Mattersey. This is the first time I've actually found someone with common ancestors!  (or rather, they've found me)

Regards,
Catherine 

[G]

Hi Catherine

I do have some pictures of Mattersey Woodhouse,and it is a nice house.It has been added to over the years and obviously modernised.It is at Mattersey Thorpe,about a half mile from Mattersey.It is at the end of a lane which is full of potholes.The house and buildings are now a boarding kennels and cattery.

The strange thing about the house and land,and the Bower family were actually freeholders of about 30 acres,is how they got all that in the first place.Was it gifted from somewhere or someone?Perhaps it was given following services to the crown.Nice thought,but you never know do you?

Regards

Gill       

[CatOne]

Dont suppose its a Bower/Woodward family living there now then?

Are they acquaintances/friends of yours? Dont suppose you could be cheeky and ask if theres anything in the deeds that would give you a clue as to how the Bowers came to own it    (My building society gave me the old papers out of my deeds cos they didnt want them!)

Do you know who the local landowner was at the time? Wonder if your theorys right and the crown/local lord of the manor granted them the land......

Would be nice to solve at least one family mystery  (Wonder why they're listed on censuses as Ag/Farm labs if they actually owned a small farm....)

Best Wishes
Catherine