Felin
I have been reading this thread with great interest and wondered if you had any information regarding the parents of Elizabeth Mayor as I think she may have been the sister of my ggggg grandmother Ann Mayor.
I can see baptisms on FS in Hamsterley for Elizabeth Mair in 1737 and Ann Mair, father William Mair. In Boyd's marriages there is a marriage of William Maire to Jane Lawson in 1722(he seems to have been transcribed as William Main in Genuki). There is an entry in the national burial index for William Mayer in Hamsterley 20/3/1750 b c 1688 and in the Cleveland MIs one transcribed as William Maer, 1688 -1750. I have found a probate bond from 1751 for a William Maine on the NE Inheritance database but his relict signs herself as Jane Mayor on the actual document. There is also a probate bond from 1716 for a John Maire, one of the signatures being William Mayer.
Ann Mayor, I believe, married John Hardy in 1755. He became a coal owner. I suspect his original partner was Christopher Parkin. The company ran Crakescar colliery and subsequently became Hardy, Kendall and Hodgson. Christopher Parkin left a will but I have only been able to locate the attached bond on FS. John Hardy (1811) and his son William (1817) both left a will. William's son John, I believe' married Jane Parkin, the daughter of Alice Parkin. Alice's sister Jane married Jonathan Kendal. Her will, written in 1831 but not proved until 1839, would make interesting reading, if you have not already seen it, as would that of her husband. The provisions of these wills certainly suggest that the Kendall interest in the colliery was through Jane.
Hope I have not rambled too much.
Regards
William
