RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Norfolk => England => Norfolk Lookup Requests => Topic started by: bdmayes on Sunday 07 December 14 14:49 GMT (UK)
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Does anyone have access to the Thurton marriage register for the 1840s? I have the marriage certificate of William Riches and Lydia Beck who married in Thurton on 10 Nov 1841 and in it William gives his father as Samuel Riches. However, other research indicates that William's father was Owen Riches and I would like to see what the parish register has. Thurton marriages are online up to 1837 only.
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What is the "other research" that makes you doubt the 1841 copy marriage certificate?
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Familysearch has it as Samuel
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NF9S-NZJ
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I have just found the answer to this - the register also has Samuel as the father, but I still think it is wrong. My William Riches was buried in Thurton in 1858 aged 82 and his brother Samuel Riches alias Blake was buried there in 1855 aged 74. In the 1851 census William gives his place of birth as Norwich and Samuel as Thurton, although there is no trace of either of them in Norwich (any parish) or Thurton. I have seen several deeds relating the the sale and purchase of property in Thurton by the above William and Samuel. There are several references in these deeds to an Ann Martin Blake of Ashby. This is Ashby St Mary, adjoining Thurton. I have her baptism there (illegitimate) and have also found there the baptism of a William Riches, son of Owen, in 1777 and his brother Samuel in 1782 plus other siblings. They do not appear again in the Ashby registers, so I am reasonably sure that they are my Wiliiam and Samuel. William was 63 when he married in 1841 and had both a brother Samuel and a son Samuel, so it is possible that there may have been some confusion.
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Hmmm, I wouldnt be so quick to jump to that conclusion myself. May be the case, may not. But pure speculation at the moment In an era when families all tended to name their offspring from the same limited pool of names, it is not unlikely there was a Samuel (with sons called William and Samuel), and also an Owen ( with sons called William and Samue!)in the same area, the Owen and the older Samuel possibly being brothers, cousins, or more distantly related.
I think it wouldbe worth lookingfor other Wills. Did Owen leave one? Is there one for a possible Samuel?
If these prove that both men had children of the same name, then it looks as of yours WAS the son of Samuel as per the marriage cert. If you cant find more Wills, then it doesnt disprove your theory, but it remains only a theory.
Wider research into the Riches in the area might make it clear one way or the other.
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I have all the Riches wills from this area except for John Riches of Surlingham who died in 1792. He is the brother of Owen (no will) and this may resolve it when I eventually get a copy. I should have added that Owen Riches, the father of William and Samuel, was baptised in Thurton in 1744, He married in 1768 in Carleton St Peter and is described as of Ashby.