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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Berkshire => Topic started by: Westfield on Monday 13 January 20 16:50 GMT (UK)
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I have just been rechecking some dates and trying to fill some gaps in the Deacons (of East Ilsley) line. I am fine back to Crispin Deacon (1729-1805) and his parents , William Deacon (Deakon) and Joane. But I have come unstuck with relying on other people's trees. They have William's parents as Francis Deacon and Jane Hassett - I can't find such a couple that actually fit with the dates and local area. I am always wary of 'family' turning up from another county, just like that. Also, the trees say Joane Deakon was the daughter of a Thomas Whitaker and an Elizabeth Hornblower. On closer inspection, that couple had a SON, John not a daughter, Joane.
As Deacon is THE family name, I would like to get this as accurate as possible. Is there anyone out there who can confirm the Ancestry and LDS family trees or knows ANYTHING about this branch of the East Ilsley, Compton, Chieveley Deacons, please?
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Crispin Deacon's parents were Francis Deacon and Elizabeth Giles.
Here's his baptism from East Ilsley PR.
1728 Nov 10 Crispin son of Francis & Elizabeth DEACON
Their marriage
1727 Jan 5 Francis DEACON & Elizabeth GILES, botp
Francis was the son of William and Joane, baptised 22 Oct 1701, so you've skipped a generation. Their first child recorded in East Ilsley PRs was William baptised in 1692.
Unfortunately there's no record of William senior's baptism or marriage, but if we assume he was born around 1670 (he died in 1744) he is of an age with the children of Richard & Christian Deacon, who were baptising children in East Ilsley between 1653 and 1669. (NB the mother's name is only recorded for the two youngest, so there may be some confusion here)
Sorry, no baptism recorded in East Ilsley for Elizabeth Giles, so we will have to look elsewhere for her.
ETA
Elizabeth d/o Roger & Jane GILES bpt 1 Jan 1706 in West Ilsley looks a likely candidate. There are no other entries for her in West Ilsley PR.
East Ilsley PRs proper begin in 1653. There are a few earlier records up to 1637 from BTs, but they are patchy.
There is a marriage in 1636 23 Nov Richard DEACON & Elizabeth HOPKINS
who baptise a son Francis on 1 Oct 1637
But there is a frustrating gap after 1637/8, and we don't start to get mothers' names again until 1664. But this Francis could be William's father.
Bear in mind that many parishes have gaps in the registers around the time of the Civil War, so it may not be easy to find the links.
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Oops, I DO actually have Francis and Elizabeth as the parents of Crispin. I don't know what I was thinking!😳
I also think Elizabeth Giles' mother was a Jane Smith?
You seem to be confirming The information I have, so perhaps it is correct! But the Richard Francis Deacon that I have comes from Leicester!?
I had not considered the effects of the Civil War. I suppose people could have moved around then.
Also I have a baptism for Crispin on 10 May 1729, but as Crispianas, just as Jane Smith's father is William or Gulielmi. I have found this before with other families - two baptisms, one C of E, one Catholic.
Thank you very much for your input, it is good to have a fresh pair of eyes on the subject.
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I had not considered the effects of the Civil War. I suppose people could have moved around then.
No, it's just that during the Commonwealth BMD events were supposed to be recorded by the civil authorities instead of the church, and most records were lost. So there were no Bishop's Transcripts, and although some churches continued to keep records, many did not.
This means that many records just don't exist, so unfortunately there will be people thinking along the lines of "Well, there's nobody else of that name so this must be him/her." Personally I would not be tempted to include somebody from Leicester at this period.
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I also think Elizabeth Giles' mother was a Jane Smith?
Very possibly. There is a marriage on 15 Jan 1702/3 at Hampstead Norris between Roger GILES and Jane SMITH. I don't have access to the full PRs though, just this from the Berks Marriage Index, so can't see if there are any baptisms to this couple at HN.
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In cases like this I tend to pencil someone in until something better comes along. I did that with one branch of my family - well two branches! Two families living very close to each other with children having the same names and close birth dates. I followed both until one emigrated, managed to get in touch with one of their descendants - definitely NOT my family but helped him clear up some problems he had!
You never know what you might find!
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But I have come unstuck with relying on other people's trees. They have William's parents as Francis Deacon and Jane Hassett - I can't find such a couple that actually fit with the dates and local
area.
I think people have been using the Berks Marriage Index. I don't think it's complete yet (insofar as it ever can be) and I don't think I have the most up-to date version, but here goes.
There's a marriage at Brimpton between Francis DEACON and Jane HASSELL 27 Nov 1649, so that's where that's come from. (I very much doubt it is the Francis I mentioned as he would only be 12 at the time.) However, there's another Brimpton marriage for a Francis DEACON in 1607, so it looks as though they are a Brimpton family, and I would want to look at the Brimpton PRs before adding any of these.
Also, the trees say Joane Deakon was the daughter of a Thomas Whitaker and an Elizabeth Hornblower. On closer inspection, that couple had a SON, John not a daughter, Joane.
And this one is a marriage at St Nicolas, Newbury, between William DEACON and Joan WHITECAR on 13 Sep 1691, which does look spot on for that baptism of William jr in July 1692. Again I would want to look at St Nicolas PRs to make sure that this couple weren't baptising children there, but this marriage looks worth pencilling in at least. I'd do that before worrying about who her parents are.
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That sounds promising, thank you.
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I think people have been using the Berks Marriage Index. I don't think it's complete yet (insofar as it ever can be) and I don't think I have the most up-to date version, but here goes.
There's a marriage at Brimpton between Francis DEACON and Jane HASSELL 27 Nov 1649, so that's where that's come from. (I very much doubt it is the Francis I mentioned as he would only be 12 at the time.) However, there's another Brimpton marriage for a Francis DEACON in 1607, so it looks as though they are a Brimpton family, and I would want to look at the Brimpton PRs before adding any of these.
Brimpton PRs don't start until 1678, earlier entries are from what is available from the BTs.
There is a Francis and Jane Deacon baptising children in Lambourn between 1650 and 1672, with burials for a Francis in 1706 and Jane in 1681. The burial for Jane does say wife of Francis of Lambourn so is obviously her. Their two sons named Francis (a third was apparently a daughter) were buried as infants in the parish, both entries say son of Francis.
The Lambourn baptisms do say Francis and Jane and the first is Jan 1649/50 suggesting possibly if the Brimpton marriage is correct it was a shotgun wedding. That said Brimpton is a bit of distance from Lambourn but not impossible.
I don't know though where Francis came from originally, could be Brimpton but I'm not sure if I've looked at the available BTs yet. Familysearch have digitised them so when I can get to one of the FHCs at some point I need to have a look. I've been researching the Lambourn family for about 10 years but not got much further due to lack of access to the Berkshire records. :-\
As Sloe Gin says, the Berkshire Marriage Index is far from complete, I think it is up to v4 at the moment.
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Yes, Brimpton to Lambourn is about 20 miles, a bit less for Brimpton to East Ilsley.
There certainly was a Francis Deacon in Ilsley, as there is the 1637 baptism. I should add there's also a burial of a Francis Deacon in 1656, so if that's him he didn't make old bones. But the records are very patchy as said, so there may have been an older Francis whose baptism was unrecorded, or elsewhere.
For completeness, much earlier a Richard DEKYN married Sara NEWBERY 17 Apr 1589 in West Ilsley, and baptised a son Richard on 2 Nov the same year. There don't seem to be any more entries for them so they could have moved to East Ilsley.
Then we have the confusing Richard Deacons in East Ilsley. There may be two or three of them, or they might even all be the same one!
The Richard who married Elizabeth Hopkins and sired Francis 1637
The Richard(s) named as father at the following baptisms with no mother's name given:
1653 Mary, 1655/6 Elizabeth, 1657/8 Anne, 1660/1 John*, 1663 Richard.
The Richard who baptised the following with wife Christian:
1666 Thomas, 1669 Martha
One burial of a Richard Deacon, in 1676.
*John married a Joan and had three daughters.
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@smudwhisk
I found something in the Overseers Papers that links your Francis Deacon with Brimpton.
29 March 1680 Bond of Daniel SMITH [ + ] of Brimpton, cordwainer, and Francis DECON [+DEACON] of Lambourn, collarmaker, in the sum of £40 to Overseer(s): William GALE and John PEMBROOKE re any manner of costs, etc should Daniel SMITH, his wife and children become chargeable to Brimpton. Witnesses: Ralph MAY [ + ] John ARUNDELL [ x ] Joseph GODDIN [ + ]
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@smudwhisk
I found something in the Overseers Papers that links your Francis Deacon with Brimpton.
29 March 1680 Bond of Daniel SMITH [ + ] of Brimpton, cordwainer, and Francis DECON [+DEACON] of Lambourn, collarmaker, in the sum of £40 to Overseer(s): William GALE and John PEMBROOKE re any manner of costs, etc should Daniel SMITH, his wife and children become chargeable to Brimpton. Witnesses: Ralph MAY [ + ] John ARUNDELL [ x ] Joseph GODDIN [ + ]
Thanks for that Sloe Gin, interesting. I wonder whether perhaps Daniel Smith of Brimpton married one of Daniel and Jane's two surviving daughters, it would explain the bond. They could of course be other family members. I shall have to have a look at the Brimpton records when I get a chance at an LDS Family History Centre. As you say though it does link Francis with Brimpton whatever the relationship.
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Yes, and it goes a fair way towards confirming that the Brimpton marriage is your Francis. Perhaps he's a son of the earlier Francis Deacon who married there in 1607. Would be interesting to see those BTs, hopefully they're more complete than the East Ilsley ones.
Anyway the likelihood of him belonging to the Ilsley Deacon family is receding.
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Also, the trees say Joane Deakon was the daughter of a Thomas Whitaker and an Elizabeth Hornblower. On closer inspection, that couple had a SON, John not a daughter, Joane.
And this one is a marriage at St Nicolas, Newbury, between William DEACON and Joan WHITECAR on 13 Sep 1691, which does look spot on for that baptism of William jr in July 1692. Again I would want to look at St Nicolas PRs to make sure that this couple weren't baptising children there, but this marriage looks worth pencilling in at least. I'd do that before worrying about who her parents are.
Just picked this up again. The Newbury marriage entry says Joan Whitecar "of Ilsly", so I think that settles it.
The St Nicolas section of the Berks Baptisms CD doesn't yet include the period after the marriage, but I'm inclined to feel these are our people.
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I am also interested in the Deacon family of Ilsley as I think they link up with the Deacon's of Chieveley and Jenny Deacon born 1738 is my ancestress. I believe she was the daughter of Thomas Deacon born 1699 East Ilsley and his wife Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) Their first child, John, was baptised in Chievely in 1727.
Any extra information or assistance would be very gratefully received.
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Can't help directly with that, but we do know that Thomas b. 1699 had a son named Richard.
Thomas was the executor of the will of his father, William Deacon, who died in 1744. William left property to Thomas for his lifetime, which on his death was to pass to Thomas's son Richard ("my grandson Richard Deacon, second son of the said Thomas").
Does that fit with what you have?
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Yes, that does fit with what I have. I have a 2nd son Richard baptised 1729 Chieveley.
Interestingly I have a DNA match with someone who traces back to
Elizabeth Deacon
Gender: Female
Marriage Date: 01 Jan 1823
Marriage Place: Chieveley,Berkshire,England
Spouse:
Joseph Winter
FHL Film Number: 254496, 254497, 254498
In the 1841 census Elizabeth is born in Chievely but I cannot see a baptism for her anywhere.
The mystery deepens!
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One other thing that's come to light since I looked at this thread.
The Protestation Document of 1641/2 was signed by a Richard Deacon and a Francis Deacon. This had to be signed by all males over the age of 18, so while the Richard mentioned below checks out, the Francis who signed cannot be his son as he would still be a young child.
So there must have been a Francis Deacon in East Ilsley who was over the age of 18 in 1642, and he is probably the one who died in 1656/7 (buried in East Ilsley Feb 20).
East Ilsley PRs proper begin in 1653. There are a few earlier records up to 1637 from BTs, but they are patchy.
There is a marriage in 1636 23 Nov Richard DEACON & Elizabeth HOPKINS
who baptise a son Francis on 1 Oct 1637
But there is a frustrating gap after 1637/8, and we don't start to get mothers' names again until 1664. But this Francis could be William's father.
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Yes, that does fit with what I have. I have a 2nd son Richard baptised 1729 Chieveley.
Interestingly I have a DNA match with someone who traces back to
Elizabeth Deacon
Gender: Female
Marriage Date: 01 Jan 1823
Marriage Place: Chieveley,Berkshire,England
Spouse:
Joseph Winter
FHL Film Number: 254496, 254497, 254498
In the 1841 census Elizabeth is born in Chievely but I cannot see a baptism for her anywhere.
The mystery deepens!
Thank you, that's great, looks like the Chieveley link is firming up.
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I am also interested in the Deacon family of Ilsley as I think they link up with the Deacon's of Chieveley and Jenny Deacon born 1738 is my ancestress. I believe she was the daughter of Thomas Deacon born 1699 East Ilsley and his wife Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) Their first child, John, was baptised in Chievely in 1727.
Any extra information or assistance would be very gratefully received.
Looking at the transcriptions available for this marriage on 16 April 1726 at Chieveley
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NVMZ-H48
Thomas DEARON & Elizabeth DOMFTE
Berks Marriage Index has
Thomas SCARON & Elizabeth POINTER
So I think that's them, and Pointer is the correct name for Elizabeth.
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Thank you for that - I am not surprised I hadn't found it!
Now to go looking for Elizabeth Pointer.
Gill
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The nearest baptism I can find for Elizabeth Winter nee Deacon is 1803 Pangbourne - not a million miles away and (once again) daughter of James and Sarah!
And, naturally there appear to be two Elizabeth Pointers born about the right time in Chievely (sigh)! One in 1709 d/0 Benjamin and Catherine and one in 1707 d/o John and Elizabeth - my money is on the 1795 one but .............................
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The nearest baptism I can find for Elizabeth Winter nee Deacon is 1803 Pangbourne - not a million miles away and (once again) daughter of James and Sarah!
Looking at burials, there are plenty of Deacons in Pangbourne going back as far as 1701 ("child of a harness dresser"). There may be a connection with the Ilsley Deacons, as a couple of them are mentioned as being collarmakers, which seems to have been a family trade. Harness dresser fits in there too.
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I suspect you are right and there is a connection, I note that someone I have a distant DNA match with has both Deacon (John 1736 East Ilsley) and Bunce in their tree, which is another family name. I believe James Tague, son of Jenny/Jane Deacon married Martha Bunce in Yattendon in 1785 and baptised a son Thomas in Hurst in 1786