John Ford was from a family living near Hawkshead, then in Lancashire, now Cumbria, baptised at Hawkshead in 1729. His father Richard's will, dated 1754, left John a legacy, but a codicil of 1756 included the phrase 'whereas my son John is since deceased' and the intended legacy was now to be split between daughters.
A family tree, probably drawn up in the Victorian era and found to be unreliable in other details, has this against John's name: 'd. 16 Oct 1756 at Houghton-le-Spring. Curate there.'
Is anyone able to assist with confirmation of this burial please? [ADDED: In case anyone can do at look-up at Durham Record Office, I believe the burial register for 1756 is in a volume indexed as EP/Ho5 or microfilm ref M42/164.]
There is an oddity about this man's history. To be ordained and have the office of curate he would have had to have a degree from Oxford or Cambridge at that period. Venn's published list of Cambridge alumni has an entry for a John Ford which matches the year of his birth and father's details, but the list of parishes where he served includes dates beyond 1756, as far as 1771, when a burial was recorded at Colwich, Staffs for a vicar of that name.
This may be an error on the part of Venn, and perhaps there were two clerical John Fords. I am working on that aspect.
Any help will be gratefully received
Ainslie
