Author Topic: Benjamin Joyce b. about 1812 in Fenlake, Beds  (Read 1749 times)

Offline MJ2009

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Benjamin Joyce b. about 1812 in Fenlake, Beds
« on: Saturday 11 November 17 22:49 GMT (UK) »
I'm trying to find the birth records of Benjamin Joyce who was my great great grandfather. All the census records show that he was born in about 1812 in Fenlake, Bedfordshire. However I can't find anything in the parish records. As Fenlake falls within the parish of Cardington, I bought the Cardington parish CD from Bedfordshire FHS and it does show his marriage to Sarah Mason in 1832, but no sign of his birth.

I've looked everywhere I can think of and not had any success. Can anyone help?

Offline StevenG

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Re: Benjamin Joyce b. about 1812 in Fenlake, Beds
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 12 November 17 09:12 GMT (UK) »
I know of four children, none of whom were baptised as a child. (George was baptised as an adult at Stagsden in 1873.) Tho only Joyce family in Cardington/Eastcotts in the "census" of 1782 were given as dissenters, so I think it almost certain that Benjamin and his parents were non-conformist and there was no baptism. I don't see anything useful in the Bedfordshire Archives catalogue, either, nor any wills, so this is, I'm sorry to say, going to be difficult.
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Offline MJ2009

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Re: Benjamin Joyce b. about 1812 in Fenlake, Beds
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 12 November 17 17:44 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for replying. He did have 4 children, the eldest was Elizabeth and she was baptised in 1833. Benjamin was living in Harrowden at the time and it seems that he lived there for the rest of his life. I wasn't aware that George was baptised as an adult.

Do you know if any records exist for non-conformist births at all?

Offline StevenG

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Re: Benjamin Joyce b. about 1812 in Fenlake, Beds
« Reply #3 on: Monday 13 November 17 14:58 GMT (UK) »
I'm sorry about my mistake on the baptisms. I overlooked that the date of the earlier baptisms were before the start of my database. :(

A lot of non-conformist registers are part of the RG4 series at the National Archives. They can be seen at Ancestry at https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2972&path=. I'd imagine they are on FindMyPast too, but I don't currently have a sub to that. These records don't seem to include your family. Cotton End Chapel is included amongst them, so that's one obvious possibility excluded.

The full list of registers held by Bedfordshire Archives is at http://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/FamilyHistory/Non-AnglicanRegisters.aspx. There was no obligation for non-conformist chapels to keep registers, or to deposit them if they did. Some denominations didn't baptise until adulthood, anyway, so there's no guarantee that any records exist of a baptism for Benjamin.
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Offline johnP-bedford

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Re: Benjamin Joyce b. about 1812 in Fenlake, Beds
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 14 November 17 09:18 GMT (UK) »
I've looked for possible parents and have found a John JOICE who married Hannah Minney at Cardington on 22 Dec 1807. This John Joyce was buried at Cardington on 5 Jan 1834 aged 71 and his abode was Fenlake. So making him born around 1763.

After his death, widow Hannah Joyce of Greyfriars Walk, father John Minney, married widower John Willmot at Bedford St.Pauls on 15 Dec 1837. Hannah Willmot was buried Bedford St.Pauls on 30 Mar 1845 aged 67. So that making her born around 1778; a Anna Maria Minney was baptised at Cardington on 15 Feb 1778, daughter of John & Lucy Minney. This Minney family is included in The Inhabitants of Cardington in 1782
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Partridge - North Beds; Northants & Peterborough
Bishop - Bedford; Hunts, Hemingford Grey
Allen - Hunts, Hemingford Abbotts
Clement - Croydon
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