How helpful are naming patterns

[Milliepede]

For some years now I have been struggling to get back with any certainty beyond my ggg grandparents James & Sarah Hinchliffe who married in 1816. 

James is only on the 1841 census so I don't have a birthplace for him to find a baptism.  A possible one c1794 has parents William & Martha but no children were called those names.

Their first son was called Mark.  How likely is it this was his fathers name?  Or Sarah's fathers name? 
Other sons Thomas then George. 
Daughters were Eliza, Charlotte, Amelia, Herodia or Rhoda, Elizabeth and Emma.

Could any of those names lead to anything?  Some of them have been passed down my branch but it's backwards I want to go not forwards!

I can't seem to find any likely Mark Hinchliffe's around.  I struggle to see how to get further back without using guesswork which isn't real proof I have the right people 

Their first 5 children were baptised around Cumberworth so am guessing James came from that area before moving into Huddersfield before 1841.  I haven't found any baptisms for the younger 4 children.

All thoughts appreciated as ever 

[clairec666]

I've had a quick look in my tree at all the males born around that time, and... well, I was quite surprised, far less of them are named after family members than I imagined. Often the name of the first born son had some kind of family connection (not always the father as I thought), but sometimes the name doesn't occur anywhere in the family at all.

So it's worth pursuing the name Mark to see if it takes you anywhere, but be prepared that it might be a dead end.

Incidentally, putting Mark Hinch* into familysearch brings up quite a few records in the Yorkshire area.

[mike175]

Some families seem to have a strong tendency to name children after parents/grandparents while others do not. I would be guided by the presence of naming patterns in other families in the particular line you are researching.

Mike.

[SmallTownGirl]

There's a baptism at St John's in Kirkheaton of a Mark Hinchliffe, son of Mary, on 25 Apr 1776.

And a marriage on 3 Apr 1791 in Dewsbury to an Elizabeth Gill.

And a burial of a 52yo Mark Hinchliffe at St Peter's, Huddersfield on 3 Aug 1836.

Any good?

STG

[avm228]

I have not found strong naming patterns in my Yorkshire families (including Hinch(c)liff(e) lines in the Huddersfield area).  Certainly not strong enough to draw reliable inferences from the names given to a couple's children (in contrast to my Scottish ancestors who adhered strictly to a pattern).

Is the relevant marriage James Hinchliff/Sarah Wood at Kirkburton, 4 Nov 1816?

If so have you traced the witnesses who include a Uriah Hinchliff?

[LizzieL]

A Uriah Hinchliffe married in 1808 at Clayton West with High Hoyland. The record says he was of the parish of Emley. The image is on Ancestry and Uriah signed, so if the record where Uriah is a witness is an original, perhaps the signatures could be compared.

[Milliepede]

Is the relevant marriage James Hinchliff/Sarah Wood at Kirkburton, 4 Nov 1816?

If so have you traced the witnesses who include a Uriah Hinchliff?

Yes that's right.  I have tried to investigate Uriah before but didn't come up with anything of note so thought maybe he just happened to be someone with the same surname that wasn't related 

Thanks for the Mark suggestion STG will have a look at that one.

[LizzieL]

I've found James and Sarah's marriage record now. There are some similarities with the signature of Uriah, but not certain, but they would be 10 8 years apart. Uriah witnesses another marriage on the smae day as James and Sarah, with the same two other witnesses. It's the marriage between George Broadbent and Elizabeth Kirk, maybe they're connected.
Kirkburton is only 3 miles from Emley.

[Milliepede]

Thanks for looking Lizzie.  Less encouraging Uriah was witnessing another marriage, those names are not familiar to me but will have a look at them just in case.  It may be he just happened to have the same surname and there is no family connection.

I find it really difficult to go backwards.  I suppose wills are helpful but mine don't seem to have any, none that I have found anyway.

Incidentally Sarah has Kirkburton as a birthplace on the 1851 census.  Then in 1861 she has Cumberworth where she is living with her second husband.  I was hopeful of a fathers name being on her second marriage but there was no father listed so scuppered again there