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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Derbyshire => Topic started by: Boy Scout on Thursday 06 September 18 14:48 BST (UK)

Title: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: Boy Scout on Thursday 06 September 18 14:48 BST (UK)

Several years ago I was given some notes on the Fynney/Finney families of Derbyshire dating roughly from 1596 to the 20th century. These notes contain no sources but show dates of births, marriages and deaths of many Derbyshire Finneys and their spouses. In some instances mention is made of details contained in wills.
I have researched some of these persons and expanded certain lines and have found that generally the details recorded are correct.
Reference is made to a Thomas Fynney born 1776-1847 and a marriage to a Harriet (Harriot) Fernell 1786-1850, I have found three children for these; William, Charles and John Fernel Fynney.
With regards to Harriet the notes say that she was the daughter of Captain Fernell of “Keeler Hall”, Chesterfield. I have been unable to discover any reference to this hall does this mean anything to anyone?
Family Search show her father as John Burgoyne Fernell 1733-1789. Her mother was Betty Adlington 1750-1797.
Any help would be appreciated.

Boy Scout
Title: Re: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: goldie61 on Friday 07 September 18 05:26 BST (UK)
Not sure how much of this you have already got, but did some digging (in lieu of more pressing things such as house work!)

Harriot Fernell baptised 4 Oct 1786, Chesterfield. The baptism register gives her father as ‘Mr John Burgoyne Fernell’ - so a 'Gentleman’.

She married Thomas Finney 12th  Oct 1807 at Chesterfield, by licence - she signs Harriet Furnell. The marriage entry (difficult to find as not images for Chesterfield on any of the usual sites - had to go to familysearch catalogue and go through the actual film), tells us she can sign her name. A withess is Ann Burgoyne Needham - no doubt a married sister (she crops up later in mother Betty’s will). Also I think, her brother W(illiam) B(urgoyne) Fernell is a witness.
The licence tells us she was aged 21 or over.
Also with Thomas Finney, gentleman of Hartington, ‘William Burgoyne Fernell, gentleman’, goes to swear the licence. WB Fernell must have one of the most flourishing signatures I’ve ever seen!

The will of John Burgoyne Fernell in 1789 says he is of ‘Spring House’, within the Liberty of Calow, parish of Chesterfield, and a Gentleman.
Also has a property in Southwark, Surrey. (in Will Street? - bit difficult to make out).
Also a property called School End in Oakingham, Berkshire.
And ‘several closes, Lands hereditaments and premises’ in Calow in the possession of Jethro Adlington.

John Burgoyne Fernell married Betty Adlington 13th Jan 1773 at Chesterfield.

The will of his wife Betty Furnell in 1798 also gives her as of ‘Spring House’.
Some interesting snippets in this. She mentions her husband’s ‘gold topped cane’ and watch. Also’ fowling piece and brace of pistols’. ‘Four shooting pieces in the Hall’, and the Painted Arms of the Furnell (sic) Family. Also ‘a painting of shipping over the sideboard’. Perhaps he had been to sea at some point? Wild speculation on my part!

John Bourgoyne Fernell was baptised 16th July 1750 at St Mary Magdelene Bermonsey, Surrey. Also a brother William baptised there, both of William Fernell and Ann.
PR gives father William Fernell as ‘Gent’.
So John didn’t have  much time to ‘go to sea’  - certainly not to get to the rank of Captain anyway - he was born 1750, and married 1773, so only 23 when he got married. And died 1789, so only 39 years old.

William Fernell (John's father) married Ann Burgoyne 8th Dec 1748 at Rotherhide by licence. He is of St Marys Rotherhide, and a widower. She is of the same parish, spinster.

William, John ‘s brother, writes a will in 1772.
He is of the parish of St Mary Magdelene. Bermonsey, ‘Gentleman’, and is going off ‘on a voyage’ to be ‘fifth mate’ on ‘the good ship Clive’ under Captain John Allen to the East Indes. (Fifth mate sounds pretty lowly to me for a ‘gentleman’?).
Leaves mostly to his brother John Burgoyne Fernell (no place of residence given).

Nowhere have I come across ‘Keeler Hall’, or the fact that John Burgoyne Fernell was a ‘Captain’, as in the notes. He seems always to be just given as ‘gentleman’.

I did find this interesting little snippet in the Chesterfield register from 1784.
Perhaps be was called up to be in this  - possibly because he was Mr Fernell, he was made a ‘Captain’? Especially considering all those guns he possessed.
(Or like my grandfather - who died when my father was only 2, but was evidently called ‘Captain’. No evidence whatsoever to verify this. He worked on the railways. Perhaps because he sailed to Australia in 1884 to start a new life, but it all turned to custard and he returned to England, he gave himself the self styled epithet ‘Captain’. Who knows?!)

Sorry, not very helpful as to 'Keeler Hall'. Google throws up nothing at all.
I think the notes you have are type-written? In which case it could have been a transcription error somewhere along the line. Just an idea.
Title: Re: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: maddys52 on Friday 07 September 18 05:26 BST (UK)
Can't help with Keeler Hall (yet), however there is this reference to John Burgoyne FERNELL and his wife Betty in a list of inscriptions at All Saints, Chesterfield:

"Here lies interred the body of John Burgoyne Fernell, esq, who departed this life the 9th day of October 1789, aged 39 years.
Here lies interred the body of Betty, the wife of John Burgoyne Fernell, esq, who departed this life February 4th, 1797, aged 47 years."

"The history and gazetteer of the County of Derby : drawn up from actual observation and from the best authorities : containing a variety of geological, mineralogical, commercial and statistical information" by Charles Cotton, Stephen Glover and Thomas Noble
Vol. 2. Derby : Printed for the publisher by H. Mozley and son, 1831-1833.

Also:
MARRIED ...
On Saturday last, at Chesterfield, in this county, Mr Thomas Oddy of Bubnell Hall near Basslow, to Miss Fernell, daughter of the late John Burgoine Fernell, Esq., of Spring House, near Chesterfield."

Derby Mercury, Thursday, February 17, 1803
Title: Re: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: maddys52 on Friday 07 September 18 05:30 BST (UK)
Another newspaper notice:

"Early on Thursday morning set off on a matrimonial expedition, from Chesterfield, Mr Elias Needham, with Miss Fernell (aged 17), eldest daughter of the late John Burgoine Fernell, Esq."

Leeds Intelligencer (Leeds, England), Tuesday, June 1, 1790

Modified to add:

And a death notice
"At Springhouse, near Chesterfield, John Burgoine Fernell, esq., in the 39th year of his age."

"The European magazine, and London review" Volume XVI for 1789
Title: Re: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: goldie61 on Friday 07 September 18 05:35 BST (UK)
Another newspaper notice:

"Early on Thursday morning set off on a matrimonial expedition,


What's that then? A honeymoon do you think?  :)
Title: Re: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: maddys52 on Friday 07 September 18 05:39 BST (UK)
 ;D ;D

Lovely way with words!
Title: Re: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: goldie61 on Friday 07 September 18 05:49 BST (UK)
Just to add a little more weight to not believing everything in the 'notes' -

They say that Harriet Fernell married Thomas Finney in 1807. Tick.
However, the notes say that Harriett was born in 1797. That would make her 10 years old at her marriage.
The licence states she is 21 or over, so that fact in the notes is not right.
Not inconceivable that other bits are not right as well. (I plead guilty of transposing the wrong dates or information once or twice when copying things out).

It had crossed my mind it might be a different HArriet Fernell, with father John (we have only assumed it is John Burgoyne Fernell), but I think with the signing of Harriet's sister Ann at her marriage in 1807, and the signing of her brother both in the register and on the application for the licence for the marriage, we can say this is the right family.
Title: Re: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: maddys52 on Friday 07 September 18 08:10 BST (UK)
Their marriage notice:

"MARRIED ...
On Thursday last, at Chesterfield, Mr. Thos. Finney of Moneyash [sic], in this county, to Miss H. Fernell, of Spring House, near Chesterfield."

Derby Mercury, Thursday, November 19, 1807
Title: Re: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: Boy Scout on Friday 07 September 18 09:25 BST (UK)
Thanks to Goldie61 for all the information and depth of search from which we have much insight into these individuals. You are right about the notes there are many discrepancies in them. As you say the notes are typed, I have not seen the original.

I was not aware that Ann Fernell was Nee Burgoyne it explains a lot.

As for Captain and the "Hall" given all the references found you would have thought that something would have shown up. The Fernell residence of Spring House crops up several times. I see on a quick search that there is a Spring House Close, at Ashgate, Chesterfield, perhaps that house has gone.


maddys52: thanks for all the newspaper articles they provide much confirmation I don't know too much about Derbyshire but a quick search shows that the Bubnell Hall mentioned is indeed an old property and still up nd running. I saw an advertisement for its sale in 2014 just short of £3 M.


Boy Scout.
Title: Re: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: maddys52 on Saturday 08 September 18 10:00 BST (UK)

I was not aware that Ann Fernell was Nee Burgoyne it explains a lot.


I love looking through old newspapers!  ;)

"Yesterday was married Mr William Fernell, of Rotherhith, a Gentleman of large Fortune, to Miss Nancy Burgoyne, of the same place, one of the Co-heiresses of Humphrey Burgoyne, Esq, deceased, a young lady of distinguished Qualifications to make that State happy, with a fortune of 12000 l."

General Advertiser, Friday, December 9, 1748 (and a few other newspapers of the time too)

Modified to add:
Using the National Archives Currency Converter, 12000 pounds is the equivalent of approx 1.4 million pounds, so no wonder she was well qualified!
Title: Re: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: goldie61 on Saturday 08 September 18 11:55 BST (UK)

I love looking through old newspapers!  ;)

"Yesterday was married Mr William Fernell, of Rotherhith, a Gentleman of large Fortune, to Miss Nancy Burgoyne, of the same place, one of the Co-heiresses of Humphrey Burgoyne, Esq, deceased, a young lady of distinguished Qualifications to make that State happy, with a fortune of 12000 l."

General Advertiser, Friday, December 9, 1748 (and a few other newspapers of the time too)

Modified to add:
Using the National Archives Currency Converter, 12000 pounds is the equivalent of approx 1.4 million pounds, so no wonder she was well qualified!

Good find Maddy!
Quite the heiress.  :)
No wonder the children, and some of the grandchildren, all carried on the name Burgoyne.
And no wonder they all styled themselves 'gentlemen'!
Title: Re: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: maddys52 on Saturday 08 September 18 13:01 BST (UK)
Getting a bit off track from "Keeler Hall" here, but found this interesting snippet about Humphrey BURGOYNE in "English Catholics and the Supernatural, 1553–1829" by Francis Young

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01mo8/
Title: Re: Finney, Fernell and Keeler Hall, Chesterfield
Post by: Boy Scout on Saturday 08 September 18 13:42 BST (UK)
maddys52

That ghost story reads like something out of an M R James book; fascinating this genealogy.

Thanks for that and the further details of the Burgoyne family. The story gives an insight into the lives of the wealthy at the time, how they would have loved a digital 'phone/camera and social media instead of quill and copper plate etchings.


Boy Scout