Rickwood mystery

[Truebrit]

Hi

I am trying to research a John Rickwood who i have lost track of.  I have John marrying Mary Thorne (born abt 1815 in Hinckley, Leics) at St Mary, Hinckley, Leics in 1833.  He is listed as a Shoemaker on the birth of daughter Ann's birth certificate in 1837.  They also have two other children, Edward (1836-1912) and Maria (1840 -1840). 

However, John is not on the 1841 census with his wife - she is with her father in Hinckley.  I cannot find John on any census, or a suitable death or burial, and his wife Mary dies in 1848.  Unusually she is not described as wife of John on her death certificate, just a framework knitter.

Rickwood is not a name associated with Hinckley or Leicestershire and there really aren't any others in the area.  I therefore suspect that John moved to the area.  I have searched census's and find quite a few Rickwoods in Suffolk and Kent.  I have found a John Rickwood born in Ampton, Suffolk in 1810 listed on the census' as a shoemaker although he is married.  I am wondering if perhaps my John was a bigamist.  My John signed his name on his marriage entry in Hinckley and i am therefore wondering if this matches the Suffolk John's signature on his marriage to wife Sarah Porter on 12/03/1831 at St James, Bury St Edmunds that John also appears to have married again in 1868 to a Mary.

Whilst i have not found a connection (yet), Edward - the son of my John and Mary Rickwood dies in Lyminge, Kent in 1912 and i am  not sure why he moved south....

If anybody can check the original Suffolk marriage entry to see if the signatures match (i have attached the Hinckley signature) or can help me unlock this mystery i would be most grateful.

Regards

TB

[PJWO]

Hi Truebrit from PJWO

I am new to Rootschat, but I am finding it helpful with a number of searches.  I am very interested in a line of descent from the William Burton of Hinckley that you posted on earlier. Can we exchange information. The line of descent leads via Williams son John who moved from Hinckley to ROtherham and his grandson David, who married and started his family in Rawmarsh Rotherham but then moved back to Stony Stanton near Hinkcley. The children of David Burton lead to my own family. I do have further details and would be interested to learn more of this family.  I believe that William Burton was a petitioner in a pamphlet published 1843 and reprinted in "The Cradle and Home of the Stocking Frame" Arthur J Pickering 1940.

[Truebrit]

Hi

Yes William Burton is my 4x Grandfather.  I am descended through his son Joseph Burton and still remain in the Hinckley area.  Once you have posted 3 posts we can exchange contact details via private message.

William Burton was a challenge to research although i have managed to uncover his ancestors, which were not as obvious as we first thought!

Regards

TB

[PJWO]

From PJWO

Following the earlier discussion of William Burton of Hinckley, my family is related as he is a 3xgreat grandfather.  His son John Burton born in Hinckley, Leics about 1831 had four children with his first wife Sarah nee Harrod, but following the death of his first wife Sarah, John Burton moved with his children to Rotherham where he remarried.  One of the children,  David Burton (born Hinckley 1851) of the first marriage, is a great grandfather.  He  married Eliza Askham in Rawmarsh near Rotherham but subsequently moved back to the Hinckley area and his son Hubert is a grandfather.

I am interested in understanding why John Burton moved from Hinckley area to Rotherham and would like to learn more about Samuel Askham, born about 1833, and his wife Mary nee Gill, the parents of Eliza Askham.

I would also love to learn more about William Burton and his family prior to the 1841 census.

PJWO

[redican_fox]

Edward Rickwood is also in my tree. His mother, Mary Thorn and my 4x great grandfather were brother and sister. I have Edwards father John as coming from Broughton, Leicestershire. This could be what is now Broughton Astley. I see you are from Hinckley, so am I and I still live here. The places mentioned on the cencus for Hinckley should sound familiar. 1841 Edward is in Bluebell yard. 1851 he is living with his aunt Elizabeth Sketchley in Castle Street. 1861 he marries Elizabeth Sarah Martin in Croyden and he is a Police Constable. 1871 he's in Clapham and still a Police Constable. 1881 he's in Islington, still a Police Constable. 1891 he is landlord of the Feathers Pub in Rickmansworth. 1901 he is in charge of Grove wharf near Langleybury and Watford. 1911 he is retired on police pension in Lyminge.
Don't know if any of this helps 

[Truebrit]

Thanks for your post.

I am still researching this family so it is nice to see someone else is.

Like you, I have managed to trace your Edward through the census' until his death in Lyminge in Mar Q 1912 to see if that revealed any clues.  I don't think that I saw his marriage details from memory and so wonder if this revealed any clues on his fathers status (deceased?) or trade at that time?

I see that you have Broughton as a birth-place.  I have thoroughly searched the Leicestershire records and can find no other Rickwoods in the County.  I think Broughton is therefore unlikely although John Rickwoods's wife Mary Thorne had a Broughton connection in that her mother Sarah Thorne (nee Callow) had an illegitimate child Elizabeth who later lists herself as born in Broughton.  Elizabeth was christened as daughter of John and Sarah Thorne in 1804 in Hinckley, with a birthdate referenced as 1801, following the couple's marriage in 1803.

As John Rickwood is absent from all census I therefore feel that he perhaps moved to the area for intermittent work as a Shoemaker - if only I could find some other documentation to support this!  I still wonder if he was a bigamist and had another family elsewhere.  His wife's father, John Thorne, was also a Shoemaker and that is perhaps how they met.

On a separate note, have you managed to find John Thorne's wife, Sarah Thorne (nee Callow), on the 1841 census?  She is not with husband John Thorne who is in Hinckley with his daughter Mary and therefore should be somewhere as she died in 1843.  Both were buried at St Peter's Catholic Church, Hinckley.  They don't appear to be separated as she is listed as wife of John Thorne on her death certificate. 

If you have any other info or ideas I would be grateful to hear from you.

Regards

TB

[redican_fox]

Hello TB,

Thanks for your post. we definatly have the same family, but I am wondering now about the Broughton connection as I didn't know that Sarah Calow had a illegitimate child. This must be the Elizabeth that I believed to be John Rickwood's sister. Back to the drawing board on that one! ....If you can get onto Ancestry.co.uk, you can find my tree under Helena-Ann Carson, redican_fox@yahoo.com......I was able to find a copy of Edwards marriage to Elizabeth Martin in Croydon, and his father is just listed ad John Rickwood, Shoemaker. No mention of him being deceased.
Regarding the marriage of John Thorne and Sarah Calow, I find it a bit strange that they were both buried in St Peter's Catholic Church, as they were married in St Mary's C of E parish church, and their children were baptised there as well. I have a photocopy of the entry for their marriage and there is another word after Sarah's name, but it hard to read. Perhaps this refers to her faith, or even that she was an unmarried mum!....The next time I go to Wigston Records Office, I'll ask to see if I can view the original..... I haven't found her on the cencus either. She is a bit elusive!.

If I found any more info I will let you know.

Best wishes Helena

[Truebrit]

Thanks Helena

Yes, John and Sarah Thorne appear to have frequented the Catholic Church.  Sarah Thorne was baptised at St Peter's Catholic Church as an adult in 1843, just a week or two before her death.  Sadly no parents are listed although a birth year of 1778 is stated.

I have looked at my copy of John and Sarah's marriage and the word after her name is 'of the same', in reference to John being 'of this Parish'  (i.e. Hinckley).  The words after her signature are 'her mark'.  John however appears to have signed his own name.

Who are your direct ancestor's in this line?

Regards

TB

[redican_fox]

I'm a direct decendant, through John Thorn 1811, Sarah Thorne 1858, Dinah Dorman 1882 (my great Grandma), Florence Brookes 1906 (my grandma),  and Florence Fox (Helen) 1933...Helen was my mum and used to own a market garden off Leicester Rd in Hinckley called Helen's of Hinckley. I still live in Hinckley. I'm going to have to do a bit of catching up as I didn't know Sara Calow was baptised Catholic....this is a real eye opener....

Regards Helena