Bridget COYNE of Gateshead area - missing birth???

[Relsearcher]

Hi Everyone!  I'm hoping someone can spot what I am clearly overlooking!!!

The relative I am researching was called Bridget Coyne.  I know she married a man called James Green in 1884, Birtley, Chester-Le-Street.  The marriage cert has her father as Thomas Coyne, Labourer, deceased.  Her age is listed as 21 yrs (making YOB c1863).  Home address is listed as of Eighton Banks.

I have looked in previous census returns - 1881, 1871 and 1861 and found a likely Coyne family.  In 1861 the family is living in the area of Wrekenton, Gateshead, and in 1871 and 1881 they are living in Gateshead, Ecclesiastical area of Eighton Banks.

Bridget's year of birth is 1864 according to the 1871 census, and 1865 in the 1881 census.  Her parents are Thomas (a mason's labourer) and Bridget Coyne.  She has several siblings.

I found the only likely birth for her in 1865 Gateshead and purchased the certificate to find the mother in this cert was called Maria Coyne nee Berighan (or Berrigan).

Puzzled, I checked the census returns and found another Coyne family in Gateshead with a father called Thomas (a chemical journeyman/labourer), mother called Maria and daughter called Bridget (plus other siblings).  This family was mainly located around the South Shore area of Gateshead where the chemical works were.

So it seems the birth cert I originally thought belonged to 'my' Bridget Coyne actually belongs to another Bridget Coyne, born at a similar time and in a similar area, with both fathers being called Thomas.

I just cannot find a likely birth for 'my' Bridget Coyne.  In the census returns she is listed as being born in Wrekenton, Durham (which is just north of Eighton Banks and just south of South Shore, Gateshead).

What a coincidence to have 2 Coyne families in the same area with both fathers being called Thomas and both daughters being called Bridget and both being born more or less the same year and place???

Can anyone make any suggestions for the birth of 'my' Bridget?  I have manually searched the birth registers and used various spellings of Coyne but haven't come across anything likely.

Sorry if this is all rambling and garbled - it is a reflection of how my mind has become trying to work this out!

Many thanks,

Nina

[myluck!]

Have you found Bridget and James on census returns after 1884 to see where she states she was born?

[Relsearcher]

Bridget died in 1886 after birth of her second child ... so no further census returns for 'my' Bridget.  Cannot find a 1891 one for the 'other' Bridget ...

[myluck!]

That is unfortunate as she may not have been born in the area at all!

[Relsearcher]

It is, very unfortunate!  However, her siblings before her were also listed as being born in the same area ... not that that really means anything! 

[Tickettyboo]

Census returns for 1871 and 1861 confirm that Wrekenton was classed as being in the civil parish of Gateshead.
This page confirms that the Civil Parish of Gateshead was within the Gateshead Registration District 1837 -1974
https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/gateshead.html

Do you have registrations for any of her siblings? If so the GRO site will enable you  to find the mother's maiden name. If you don't have any of the registrations and don't have the MMN, then have you tried baptisms? Sometimes baptism registers give that sort of detail, as the parents were from Ireland there is a chance the family were RC, RC records give MMN more often than Anglican registers.

Possibilities are that either her birth was not registered at all or when it was registered the informants accent (parents were Irish) meant that the Registrar misheard. If the informant was not able to read and write they couldn't spell the name out and therefore the registrar made their best guess and wrote down what he thought he had heard. (I have had a couple of cases like this, drove me crazy but  eventually I managed to suss it out)

I'd suggest first trying to find out the MMN, then once you have as much info as possible contact the Gateshead Registrars.  Give them the details clearly laid out - that will make it easier for them to follow and act upon, they are helpful but very busy.

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01lsk/
that page has an email address for them, but try their online indexes first from that page (using the soundex for surname) to see if anything likely turns up.  They say on there that if you can give them  details (child's name, year of birth, where they were born, parent's names - as much of the info you have that would normally be in the register) they will search the relevant register for a year either side. In my experience they are really helpful and will try their best to find the relevant entry if it exists, though a wider search would involve a fee, so double check  and compare all the records you have to get the best idea of her year of birth.

Fingers crossed you get a result. If I think of anything else I'll post back.

Boo

[Relsearcher]

Hello Boo ... thanks for your reply.

Actually I haven’t been able to locate any of the siblings births either, and therefore no hint of the MMN.  The first child of Thomas and Bridget Coyne was Thomas born Ireland c1849, then John born Scotland c1853, Peter born Wrekenton c1856, Mary born Wrekenton c1859, On.... (an illegible daughter) born Wrekenton c1861, then finally Bridget born Wrekenton c1863ish.

I did think that Baptisms might be a more likely find, but do you know of any Baptism records for the Wrekenton area that are online?  Bridget married at St Joseph’s RC Church Birtley ... I wonder if her baptism would have also been there?

I have searched the Gateshead online BMD records with no joy, and the GRO, a while ago.  I will do another search and then I will email what info I have to the Gateshead Registrars as you suggested if still no luck.

I also felt that their surname could be spelt many ways and misheard if written by someone else.  Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh .............

Thanks again for your input ...

Nina

[Tickettyboo]

Wrekenton didn't have an RC Church till St Oswald's was built in the 1890s. I'd think St Joseph's in Birtley would be your best bet at least as a starting point.

https://twarchives.org.uk/collection/user-guides-and-information
RC church holdings are listed in the relevant section, if you aren't able to visit the archives in person  try asking in here for a look up if someone has time when they visit?

I looked at Scotland's people for the boy who was born in Scotland but without knowing 'where' there were way too many John Coynes to be able to pin him down.

On a later census, rather than just Ireland or Galway a place was mentioned for the father (and dittoed for his wife) it says Cliefdon.They would have been married too early for civil registration (started in 1864 in Ireland) but you may find it in the parish registers. The nearest match I can see is Clifden Rc Parish and the Rc registers are online at https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/1046 Unfortunately they are not indexed so you have to page through and they can be very challenging to read .

Boo

[Relsearcher]

Thanks for your info Boo ... really useful ... I shall have a look at the archives link and the RC registers tomorrow, as well as rechecking the Gateshead online registers and the GRO.  Fingers crossed!  Nina