JOHNSON Henry -- Avenue Head on the road to Seaton Delval.

[jim234j]

Greetings from Winnipeg Canada

When I had research done on my surname Johnson before computers, the researchers I retained all came to the following entry and stopped there.

Name Thomas Johnson Gender Male Christening Date 15 Jul 1753 Christening Date (Original) 15 JUL 1753 Christening Place EARSDON BY NORTH SHIELDS,NORTHUMBERLAND,ENGLAND Father's Name Henry Johnson of The Avenue Head- " a farm on the road from Seaton Delaval"
(No other children found)
They then both had reached the end of the money I had gave them but one suggested Henry could of been from Alnwick but it was speculative.

I went to LDS and Ancestry records and as Thomas was christened 1753 and as I did not know of any other children I looked from 1720 to 1735 for a christening for Henry
I got the following possible christenings for my Henry
1724 Bamburgh Father Ralph
1724 Bamburgh Father Ralph
1720 Alnwick Father Henry
1733 Ovingham Father Ralph

I found two possible marriage for Henry
1751 Allendale Mary Mulcaster
1747 Eglingham Ann Bell

I looked at  his sonThomas who married Jane Archbold and  they named their children Reay , Mary, Anne, John,
Jane, Thomas, Edward, Henry and Mable.

I think I am at a dead end due to the common name and also due to the fact I dont know if there are more possible Henry's.

Any advice appreciated and thank you for all the help

Jim

[Tickettyboo]

May be relevant?

Newcastle Courant, 12 October 1765, page 3, col 1.

To be LET, and entered upon at May-day next

A FARM of LAND, at the Avenue Head, near Seaton Delaval, containing 293 Acres of Arable Meadow and Pasture Grounds, now in the Possession of Elizabeth Johnson, as Tenant, Tithe-free


Boo

[Jomot]

Northumberland Archives has the following document that may or may not shed some light, given how close the date is to Henry's baptism:

Date: 30 April 1752
Title:   Lease of Avenue Head Farm, Earsdon, Northumberland.
Description: Let to Roger Nixon for an annual rent of 90
Format: Deed
Ref No: 2DE/1/1/1

They also have photographs of the farm before & during its demolition.

[jim234j]

Thank you both for your replies.   
They are much appreciated.

Elizabeth Johnson interests me.    It is 12 years after Thomas Johnson birth, she puts the land up for rent  but perhaps she is  his fathers Henrys wife or relative and is renting out the land as he passed but that is me just speculating,

I will also look at the 1752 lease as  as Jomot indicated may shed light and I may see he leased it from a Henry Johnson.

It has opened the dead end a bit for me

Jim

[Tickettyboo]

I looked at Probate records, no way to know if its the same Elizabeth (or even your Henry) but worth putting in the possibles category I think.


Henry Johnson, farmer of the chapelry of Earsdon.  Administration bond, penal sum £100, 22 July 1772
Sadly there was no will, but the administration of his estate was granted to his widow Elizabeth Johnson who at that time was living at Horton.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QWQ-4R7?i=101&cc=2353049

In case you aren't aware, pre 1858 probate records for the Diocese of Durham - which included Northumberland, are searchable here: http://familyrecords.dur.ac.uk/nei/data/simple.php and results are linked through to images on Family Search.

Boo

[c-side]

The lease reference of 2DE/1/1/1 is, I think, one of those used for the Delaval family papers.  Hardly surprising as they owned all the land around that area.

I've spent many fascinating hours reading through those papers and would be happy to look at the lease if you need someone to do that.

Christine

[jim234j]

That is very kind of you.   I would really appreciate you having a look

Would you think and I know that this is a very speculative question that if a Henry Johnson shows up in those papers, that appears to be my direct ancestor that he would have been born in a village close by or perhaps even on the farm owned by Delaval family?

Jim
Winnipeg Canada

[c-side]

Speculative, as you say, but with such a common name I would certainly be looking for him closer to home than Anlwick, Bamburgh or Ovingham.

If he is a local lad then his baptism is likely to be in the parish church of Earsdon (Seaton Delaval being in that parish).

Christine

[c-side]

That was a good call on the lease, Jomot, because it says -

“…30th day of April in the 25th year of the reign of our sovereign Lord George 2nd…..
Between Francis Blake Delaval of Seaton Delaval in the county of Northumberland Esquire on the one part and Roger Nixon of Howith in the county aforesaid and Henry Johnston of Bedlington in the county of Durham Yeomen on the other part”

Before you go to Durham looking for Henry you need to know that Bedlington is very firmly in Northumberland - just a few miles from Seaton Delaval - but that area (and two others in the county) belonged to Durham at that time.  Guaranteed to confuse the unwary 

The rent was “ninety pounds of lawful money of Great Brittain (sic) same to be paid on two days of payment in every year”

I looked at the Rent Accounts and Stewards Disbursements 1753 - 1757 and his payments were made in May and November .

I also looked at the Rent Accounts for Seaton and Ford Estates 1761 - 1762.  This book contained a page for each tenant.  Interestingly Henry’s page had his name at the top but with an addition which said “now Elizabeth”.  I’m thinking that a death/ burial record should be sought for Henry around this time. Also by 1762 the account appears to be in arrears by £45 - there being only three payments against 4 sums due.

Christine