Searching for Sarah GUY

[technoviolet]

I have been searching for the correct Sarah GUY for some years...for the last couple of weeks I had many reasons to believe she was born in 1778 in Chipping Norton.  Now, new information has come to light that proves this to be wrong - the Sarah born in CN died when she was just 9...

So I'm back to searching for Sarah again.  This is what I know of her:

She was born about 1778, as her headstone in Adderbury reads d. 4 Aug 1839 age 60.  She married Charles WALTER at Oxford St Martin on 3 Oct 1792.  She is described as 'of Adderbury' at her marriage, but I believe this may be incorrect.  Charles was certainly from there, so maybe this is where the error occurred; there are no GUY events in the Adderbury PRs.  I can see only 3 children for Charles and Sarah in Adderbury (Samuel, Elizabeth and Hannah; I'm descended from Elizabeth).

Does anyone have access to the PRs for Oxford St Martin?  Maybe she was born there after all and I've missed something.  Or does anyone have a spare Sarah Guy who could just possibly be mine....

Hopefully...

Jenna - very disheartened but returning to the search again :-)

[Pennie]

Hi Jenna ...

Have you tried a search of the OFHS's Oxfordshire Baptism Index for Sarah?  It includes a fair number of the parishes around Adderbury - full details at http://searches.oxfordshirefhs.org.uk/#oxonbapts.

Pennie

[technoviolet]

Thanks Pennie,

I'm reasonably confident that Sarah isn't from Adderbury or the surrounds, as I have the OFHS transcripts for that area and the name GUY doesn't appear at all often.  However, the website you've shown did tell me of the search service, which I was not aware of, so I might just give it a go for Oxford St Martin to start with....

It's all worth a try right now!

Jenna :-)

[ANYAS]

Hi,

I just wondered, and I hope I am not being offensive, if you had considered that she might have been born out of wedlock and therefore given her mother's maiden name.

I had a similar experience with my GGM.  I travelled to London looked at the registers but could not find her.  I eventually found that she was registered under her mother's maiden name but given her father's surname as a christian name!  Her parents did eventually marry and she quoted her father's surname as her surname on her marriage certificate although her birth certificate had a different surname if you get what I mean !!

Anyway, just a thought, good luck.

ANYAS

[technoviolet]

Ooh..that's something worth considering (and not offensive at all).  I also couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was a widow when she married in 1792, and either didn't say anything at the time, or that information was not recorded.  There are just not any Guy events in Adderbury so far as I can see, so whether it was her 'real' birth name, or indeed her mother's maiden name, I'm thinking she must've come from elsewhere.

I have sent a request to the OFHS search service; not heard anything yet, but it is holiday time and all.  Never can tell, might turn up something - sometimes negatives can be just as useful when it comes to eliminating people.

Thanks for the idea,

Jenna :-)

[Pennie]

Hi Jenna ...

Your search for Sarah GUY seems to have got under my skin!

I'm sure you have probably considered some/all of the following, but just in case ...

*  Sarah's 1839 headstone (giving age of 60) would make her born c1779.

*  This would make her aged 13 at the time of her marriage.

*  And only 14 at the time of her eldest child's baptism.

*  Did the marriage take place in Oxford because they didn't want to get  married in either of their home parishes (possibly because of Sarah's tender age?).

*  Have you done any research in the nearby Northamptonshire parishes.  Perhaps the Northants. MI would throw up a GUY marriage pre-1779 close to Adderbury that would be worth investigating further.

*  Having another look at the Oxon. MI, I can confirm that there's no record of a "Mr." GUY marrying a Sarah between 1778 and when she married Charles, so it seems unlikely that she was a widow (at least as far as Oxon. is concerned).

Would be interested to know if you have any luck with the OBI!

Pennie

[technoviolet]

Thanks for all those thought and ideas Pennie!

Had an interesting result from the OBI - what a great service this is :-).  The man who conducted the search was also kind enough to take another look at the wedding and, indeed it is true that the wedding was by licence.  Like you, he also thought this could mean that there was some 'need' to perhaps avoid marriage in their home parish(es).  It is also worth noting that Charles is described as being from Oxford and Sarah from Adderbury...whilst this may have been so, I'm reasonably (ha! I perhaps shouldn't be after the Chipping Norton Sarah incident) happy that this is the correct couple, and that possibly their home parishes have been swapped along the way....?

I seem to have a note from a while back that there were no suitable marriages between a Charles Walter and any other suitable Sarah in Northants, another reason to lead me back to this marriage.

Whith regard to her age - lets say she was born in 1778, making her only 14 at the time of marriage.  A good reason to avoid the 'home' parish maybe?  I do have one other very young marriage like this, on one of my Mum's lines.  In that case, the bride was most definitely 14, the groom 28!!  Took me some time to sure I had the right couple there, I can tell you!

The OBI does not record any other suitable Sarahs being baptised in the necessary time frame.  Always remembering there are some parishes missing at this time.  Northants would be interesting to look at, being so close, but knowing where to start searching for a baptism is something of a 'needle in a haystack.'  I've also noticed there are several GUY families on the OXF/Gloucs border...all adding to the fun LOL!

My next avenue of pursuit is to contact the record office to see if the wedding licence notes are available, and if so, whether they can tell us any more....

Thanks again for have a ponder over this puzzler :-)

Jenna

[Pennie]

Hi Jenna ...

Re. starting to search for Sarah in Northants.,  suggest you ask for a check of the Northants MI (someone does look ups on the Northants. board on this site) to see if there were any GUY marriages (Sarah's possible parents?) in parishes close to Adderbury.  This would at least give you some locations to start investigating!

Good luck ...

Pennie

[Valda]

The index for St Mary Adderbury burials gives Sarah's age on burial in 1839 as 70 not 60 which is compatible with Charles Walter's age at burial in 1827 of 59. This would place Sarah's birth year at circa 1769 and give her age on marriage at about 23. Her death certificate would confirm her age.
If Sarah was under age at the time of her marriage (under 21) then someone would have to give permission for her to marry and those details would be on a marriage licence. The licence would also indicate who was resident where.
A place of residence on a marriage is a place of residence that a person has been in for at least three weeks prior to the marriage. Marriages by banns required 3 weeks to call the banns so this is the only residency requirement.

There is this Walter Prerogative Court of Canterbury will

Will of Charles Walter, Shagweaver of Adderbury West , Oxfordshire 06 April 1804 PROB 11/1408

PCC wills are held at The National Archives but locally proved wills are at Oxfordshire Record Office. Guy is a relatively rare surname in Oxfordshire so it might be worth checking what Oxfordshire Record Office hold for Guy wills for the period you are interested in and also for Walter wills for Adderbury.

There is also this PCC will which may or may not be connected

Will of Elizabeth Guy, Widow of Saint Martin Oxford, Oxfordshire 03 April 1802 PROB 11/1372

Elizabeth was aged 71 on her burial in 1801. Other Guy burials at St Martins were

1771 Richard
1770 William

St Martins registers are not on the IGI.

Regards

Valda