Bassett Families of South Wales

[DAttride]

I have a significant amount of information about many Basset and Bassett in south Wales from a number of years of research.  Contact me if you are interested.
David

[Bergenia]

Hi, David - I have in my family tree Harriet Adelaide Bassett (or Harriot) born approx. 1836, place of birth unknown.  All I know (from her marriage certificate) is that her father was David Bassett, a bailiff, that he was alive when she married in December 1857 in Westminster and that he signed his name with a cross.  Looking at subesequent deaths of David Bassetts, most of the right age and timing appear to be in South Wales.  I have searched census records but can't find any matches. Thanks, SUE.

[DAttride]

Hi Sue,
To whom did Harriet A. Bassett marry in 1857?  I would like to try finding her on the England census of 1861 to see what birth parish is listed.  I checked my rather large Bassett database and do not find her or a David Bassett that seems to fit.  However, my Bassett research has been almost exclusively Welsh.  There are so many English Bassetts I have not tried to catalog their branches.
Do you know anything more about her father David?

[Bergenia]

Hello, Harriet Adelaide Bassett (my 2xgreat-grandmother) married William Reader Gagen in December 1857, both of full age; they married at St Martin's in the Field and David Bassett (her father) left his mark.  All I know about him is on the certificate (of which I have a copy).  It just said that his occupation was bailiff.  I can't find Harriet on any censuses before 1861.  The 1861 census does not give her county of birth; later ones give Wandsworth, Surrey; however, I can't be sure of that as I can't find any records of her birth or early years in Wandsworth (though it was where they lived most of their married life, and where all their children were born).  The only feasible death records for people called David Bassett are in South Wales.  I have often wondered if David was not his first or given name.  My father told me (and photographs of some of their children and my great-grandfather's army record) suggest that they were dark in appearance: very dark brown eyes, swarthy skin and dark-brown curly hair.  This suggests possibly Welsh ancestry, but I have also considered Gypsy, as where they lived there was a Gypsy community.  This might account for there being no records.  However, a professional genealogist in my family tells me that a Gypsy would not have got a job as a bailiff.  I can't be sure of Harriet's year of birth but I think it's 1836.  Thanks for your help.  SUE.

[DAttride]

Hi Sue,
I spent some time checking England Census of 1851 & 1861 for David Bassett.  I also looked for and found your Harriett Bassett Gagen.  I see what you mean that the 1861 census for her does not list her birth parish. I also tried to find a David Bassett on the 1841 parish (born 1795 to 1815).  I found one living in Staffordshire and one in Hampshire but neither had a daughter Harriett or Adelaide.  I also checked the 1841 Wales census and found 1 David from Llanelly.  I have him in my database but no Harriett/Adelaide.  Sorry I can't be of more help.  Another shire I have little Bassett info on is Gloucestershire.

[Bergenia]

Thanks for all your help.  I, too, have looked at every record I could find over the years, without matches.  I wonder if perhaps a lot of the census records may not have survived as, up and down the country, there seem to have been few David Bassetts - after all, the name combination would not have been unusual.  William and Harriet's address on ther marriage certificate is clear (one of the roads near the church).  I went to Westminster Archives and looked at their scans but they were very faint and I couldn't read many of the pages.  I have no idea what William was doing in Westminster as he had been born in King's Lynn.  It's annoying that my father seemed to know the origins of his male great-grandparents but not of the females.  I think we can presume that Harriet was not from Norfolk as otherwise this would show on the later census returns (all saying Wandsworth for her and King's Lynn for William).  I have looked right through the various records for Wandsworth and there are hardly any Bassetts until the latter 1800's.  It's possible that all the family was not living together.

[bassettgenealogy]

It is interesting to see that although her marriage listed David Bassett as the father, the first three males born to her and William were William Gagen, Richard Gagen and George Gagen.

[Bergenia]

Yes, it has struck me as strange that Harriet did not use the name David for any of the boys.  William was her father-in-law's name.  I have wondered if perhaps David was also known as Richard (or another name), particularly as I can't see any Richards in the Gagen line.

[bassettgenealogy]

I see there are three other Bassett marriages in Saint Martin in the Fields. I wonder if it would be beneficial to check the Susannah Bassett who married James Stephens 1 Sep 1857 to see if she might be related?