Looking for help on William Garft

[JLH1965]

Hello
   I'm new to the Chat boards and hoping that this could be what helps break a mystery on my mothers family line.
   
   William Garft is one of my Great Grandfathers, he was born in Cheshire, England and Married Frances Whitlow and died in Sandiway, Cheshire, England (b: 1781, m:1802, d: 1842).
   
   We do have information that he was a Huntsman in the Cheshire Hunts but that is about all we have.

   Any help would be of great help

[willsy]

Hello and welcome to rootschat JLH1965

Did find an earlier reference for the name 1788 Boston, Lincs

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01kno/

There are a couple of references to him in the newspapers when auctions are held at his house,

05 December 1820 - Chester Courant

...the house William Garft, known by the sign of the Sportsman Inn, in Northwich, in the county Chester

Chester Courant 06 March 1821

[Malcolm55]

You might try the British Newspaper Archive. There's a couple of mentions there worth looking into.

Edit: I see willsy has beaten me to it!

[emeltom]

Not sure how much of yhis info you have.

According to Bertram Merrells Index of English Marriages (englishmarriages.byu.edu)
William was 34 when he married and Frances was 17. Her father was Thomas Whitlow.

familysearch has the following baptisms for children of William and Fanney in Whitegate

Thomas 1805
Henry 1807
John 1809
Martha 1811
Richard 1813
James 1815
Robert 1818

The last three baptisms - Richard, James and Robert - also appear on the Cheshire Parish Register Database (cprdb.csc.liv.ac.uk) and give Williams occupation as Huntsman. One mentions Kennels so he may have also been in charge of the dogs.

Emeltom

[willsy]

There's a piece entitled Famous Huntsman, which gives a little history

Nantwich Guardian 02 January 1914

''Will Garfit or Garft (who for thirteen seasons used no horn and trusted to his voice''

[Malcolm55]

The Cheshire Archives hold tithe maps (these were created after 1836) and these are available online. They have a record of a William Garft occupying three plots at Weaverham, which is not far from Sandiway (about 2.5 miles), owned by one James Hugh Smith Barry. Here's a link.

[willsy]

I do believe the ref to Will Garfit 1914 is him as there is an archive book online

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01knp/

Sir Harry, after a reign of nineteen years, gave  them up in 1837. His first huntsman was Will Garfit, who left in August 1820, when John Jones took his place, coming from Lord Scarborough, and
continued until May 1823

John Jones also mentioned in the 1914 article

There are 3 refs in the link

He worked for Sir Harry Mainwaring

[willsy]

There's a PDF online

Hunting songs - (SCETI) - UPenn - University of Pennsylvania

has Jan 12 65 as the opening date if you search for Garfit

[Malcolm55]

William appears to have been the licensee at the Sportsman Inn, Town Bridge, Northwich, between 1820 and 1822. He is recorded in Pigot's Commercial Directory of 1922 (page 22).