ring hurd

[Richard Knott]

You presumably know that you can look at Philip Hurd's will here for £3.36:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D332691

If you Google his name he seems to have been very active in Wincanton.

Richard

[roly]

Misfortunately, I'm not in a position to be able to spend monies on lookups in the National Archives.  It's a constant frustration - but the pension just doesn't cover that sort of thing.

So it's especially nice that Rootschat correspondents are so kind.

roly

[roly]

Having started a hare: I can at least, in pursuit, add the following information.  Mary Short, who married Hurd in 1846, died after 'a visitation by God'.  What, exactly, does this mean, I wonder?  Hurd's third wife was Martha MILLER and the place of her birth is spelled in records in three or four different ways...I'm still not rightly sure where ('Kelvedon' or 'Haldersin' or whatever) is in Essex.

What I lack and what Rootschat is, slowly, providing, are details of Ring Hurd's own family.  previously, I thought that Philip Price Hurd, son of Patience, Hurd's first wife, was the only issue; and he died in 1835.

My research into the Hurd business, done mostly through internal evidence in the ballads he printed, has moved the known date of his operations (Pigot 1830 and the British Book Trade Index) right back into the 1810s.  When he ceased to print ballads is a date still unknown to me.  It is, though, clear from records (censuses, for instance) that he continued to work as a bookseller during  the larger part of his later life.

I have to add that an article is in preparation for a specialist website.  Anybody who is interested may contact me for details.  Meanwhile, any further morsels would be useful.

roly

[confused73]

I was wondering if the kelvedon was kelvedon Hatch, looking at the second place name you mentioned Roly.

[LizzieL]

I've found Martha in 1851, but Ring isn't with her. Piece 1851 folio 113 page 8. Residing in High Street with a servant called Rhoda Lush. Her place of birth looks like Kelderton Common. Most likely to be Kelvedon, Essex, on A12 approx halfway between Chelmsford and Colchester.

[LizzieL]

Found a few more things which may be connected.

I note that ring was born in Wincanton according to 1861 census. Also in Shaftesbury is a James Hurd, a surgeon born in Wincanton as well. He is similar age to Ring - possible brother??.

Baptisms etc from dorset opc site in case you haven't seen them:

In St Peters Shaftesbury

James Hurd base born son of Mary Hayward  bapt 5 Apr 1807
Charles Hurd base born son of Mary Hayward bapt 18 Dec 1808
Letitia Hurd base born son of Mary Hayward bapt 20 May 1810

James Hurd and Mary Hayward married 30 Jul 1811

John son of James and Mary Hurd bapt  2 Aug 1812
Caroline dau of James and Mary Hurd bapt 29 Oct 1813
William son of James Hurd age 1 buried 26 Jun 1816 - can't find William's baptism but a 1815 birth would fit in well
Martha dau of James and Mary Hurd bapt 25 Dec 1817, buried 26 Nov 1818 age 1 year

Charles Hurd Hall son of John and Letitia Hall bapt 3 Mar 1843. There is a marriage for Letitia Hurd and John Hall but didn't note date.


Shaftesbury St James:

24 Dec 1838 Robert Hurd married Charlotte Hayward. Robert Hurd's father's name has been omitted but it does say he was a weaver

I noted the last one because the father was a weaver like Ring's father and he married a Hayward like James.

Robert's occupation was a Hawker. I will try and find him on census to get an age and place of birth.

No sign of any other children for Ring apart from the one you have

 

[roly]

Lizziel: many thanks - tho' I think that your info. bespeaks complications in the family hierarchy...

Ring Hurd's father's name was Philip.

I got James Hurd, surgeon, from records; but, unless being a surgeon was a much less important profession than one might imagine, it's odd that James was a brother of Ring (I did think this initially) whose profession was one existing at the point of poverty or even bankruptcy - a well-enough known phenomenon amongst printers. 

The James who married Mary Hayward would not seem to be the James, 'base born' son of Mary.  The dates just don't add up.  So who was he?  Another Hurd altogether?  James the surgeon?

The family hierarchy beginning with Laetitia seems to make sense in its own right but I can't see any connection with Ring Hurd yet.

Perhaps there were several Hurd families in Shaftesbury at the time.

Nothing can be dismissed; but little adds up so far.

Oh!  I did find out that Ring Hurd was born in Wincanton.

Onwards and sideways, then.

roly

[LizzieL]

Just found a newspaper reference of Monday 14 May 1804 Salisbury and Winchester journal which says that Ring Hurd had been appointed a  commissioner for taking special bail for Dorset and several surrounding counties at court of King's bench. Don't know what that means but he must have some high standing in the community. He was described as printer, bookseller and stationer. So his business goes back to at least 1804

[LizzieL]

From the sequence of births, it looks as if James and Mary Hayward were having a long term relationship and then after 3 illeg children they married and had 4 more (including William whose bapt I couldn't find).


Maybe One of them was previously married and they had to wait for the spouse to die.