Hello Goldie
Thanks for your post. This may end up being quite long, so don’t hesitate to tell me if it becomes too boring.
I’ll start by saying that I am descended from Ellen Hurst who married Isaac Clayton in Bollington in 1732. She died in Adlington in 1775. Unfortunately, another Ellen Hurst married William Skelhorn in Adlington in 1734 and died in Adlington in 1735. The two possible baptisms are Ellen, daughter of Henry, (Ellen1) baptized in Bollington in 1698 and Ellen, daughter of Hamnet (and Mary Lownds), (Ellen2) baptized in Adlington in 1714. (By the way, I work on the way current calendars are done, that is, if the baptism was shown as February 1697, I call it February 1698, so I am consistent!)
Hamnet, the father of Ellen2, married in Adlington in 1713 and died there as Hamnet Hurst junior in 1718. Until I saw Joseph Hyde alias Ward’s will, I had the Hamnet Hursts worked out! There were three – Hamnet baptized 1638 in Poynton and buried in Adlington in 1726 (Hamnet1), Hamnet son of Henry baptized in Poynton in 1699 (Hamnet2) and Hamnet son of George (Hamnet’s son baptized in 1670) baptized in Shropshire in 1711 and buried there in 1738 (Hamnet3). I assumed Hamnet2 was the one married in 1713 and buried in 1718, father of Ellen2, although he would only have been about 14 when he got married. However, Joseph’s will refers to another Hamnet being a son of Hamnet1 (Hamnet4), so it is possible that he was the one who married in 1713. I am still one burial short, though!!!
Also, after I sent the last post to you, I realized that Hamnet2 (baptized 1699) could possibly be the son of Henry (probably buried 1726 Poynton), the son of Henry (buried 1669 Poynton), son of Henry and Katharine, rather than Henry, brother of Katharine Broster (? son of Hamnet). This is because I have the following children for Henry, brother of Katharine Broster, that I think is Hamnet’s son – James (1695 Adlington – 1715 Pott Shrigley), Ellen (1698 Bollington), Hamnet (1699 Poynton), Elizabeth (1701 Pott Shrigley/Bollington married Thomas Newton), Mary (1703 Pott Shrigley/Tidderington married Nathaniel Harrop), Sarah (1706 Pott Shrigley/Tidderington – 1707 Titherington), John (1708 Pott Shrigley/Tidderington) and Henry (1712 Pott Shrigley).
Hamnet stands out because he is baptized in Poynton and is very close to Ellen. I hadn’t worried about it because I thought there were only three Hamnets and he had to be the one married in 1713. Now that Hamnet1 had a son Hamnet4 (from Joseph’s will), I am extremely confused. Joseph referred to Hamnet4 in connection with property in Adlington, so he may be more likely to be the one who married in Adlington in 1713, especially if the Henry baptized in 1699 was the son of Henry in Poynton, not Henry in Bollington. Hamnet4 would not have been young, but he did die rather quickly after fathering three children! There is no Hamnet referred to in the will of Henry buried 1728, but that could be just because Hamnet had died in 1718.
I lean towards my Ellen Hurst being Ellen1 for three reasons:
• Ellen1 was baptized in Bollington, rather than Adlington, and my Ellen married in Bollington.
• my Ellen had a daughter Sarah (and I am fairly sure Ellen1’s mother, the wife of Henry Hurst buried 1728, was Sarah buried 1722 Pott Shrigley) and no daughter Mary (Ellen2’s mother’s name). She only had one son, John, and one other daughter, though.
• Peter Harrop (son of Nathaniel Harrop and Mary Hurst – Ellen1’s sister) was the executor of her husband Isaac Clayton’s will.
Obviously, none of this is conclusive, but I think I am most likely descended from Ellen the daughter of Henry buried 1728, whom I think most likely was the son of Hamnet1. I don’t have a will for Hamnet1, but I wish I did, because it would have to make life easier. The children I have for him are mainly from burials – George (1670 – 1745), Hamnet (Joseph’s will), Joseph (buried 1680), Ellen and John (both buried 1691) and possibly Henry and Katharine (the names certainly fit, being his parents’ names!).
I know that the 1667 marriage licence shows Hamnet as a farmer from Poynton and Ellen Mottram from Adlington. I think (!!!) her father could be John Mottram buried Adlington 1681, because Hamnet Hurst is one of the people who did the inventory (probate 1682). However, despite the fact that there is supposed to be a will, as yet I have only found the inventory – I will be looking further. (John Mottram would explain Hamnet’s son John and Hamnet’s move to Adlington!)
Thanks for the reference for Richard Broster – I look forward to reading it. I presume you have Katherine Broster’s burial and know Richard was married previously.
I hope this hasn’t bored you too much. I’m not sure about RootsChat protocols, but I would be happy to email if you want.
Thanks
Brittania