Dover Family - Barnsley - My First Brick Wall! Help!

[Simma]

I have never hit a true brick wall before and so was wondering if anyone could help me solve a mystery, or point me in the right direction!

On Christmas Day 1849 my great great great grandfather John Swaine (or Swain) married my great great great grandmother, Alice Dover. The marriage took place at Silkstone Parish Church and the couple were living in Barnsley, Yorkshire.

Alice was 22 and a spinster. John was 29 and had been married before in 1840 - he was widowed in 1846. Both bride and groom worked as weavers.

Alice's father is given as Robert Dover, a weaver.

Here starts my problem - I can find no trace of Alice in Barnsley, or Yorkshire, before the marriage. I have checked the 1841 census for Yorkshire and cannot find a single individual with that surname in the whole county. I have also checked the IGI, which I know is incomplete, and cannot find any record of an Alice Dover being born that fits the bill. I cannot find another record of any other Dover being born in the area.

On the 1851 and 1861 censuses Alice says she was born in Gawber, Yorkshire (a village close to Barnsley), and in 1871 and 1881 she says she was born in Barnsley. She died in 1887.

There is one Robert Dover who fits the bill in terms of age and occupation to be her father on the 1851 census - however, he was born and lived in Norwich and had no obvious connection to Barnsley, or even Yorkshire.

Can anybody help me find out who Alice was? Or offer any advice about where I could go about finding her?

[peggypatch]

Since you know approximately when she was born and have two possible places you should investigate the parish records for those places (or have you done so already?) If not, ideally go to the appropriate record office yourself, or if that is not possible ask someone on here to a look up for you or write to the record office and ask them to do a search for you, it shouldn't cost much as there is a limited timescale to check.

[Tybalt]

Hi,
I know this is Ann old post, and guess you have gone through the brick wall by now! However if this helps...in my husband's family I have a Margaret Dover, born 6 August 1802, daughter of John Dover and Jane. This is as far as I have for now with this name, but wonder if there is some connection, as the family were weavers, this would connect the areas. Also there's a Strong Quaker link, so there may well be different records to research, albeing much more informative than the usual sources.
This may well not help at all, but much closer connection than Norwich.
Good luck
Helen