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Wales (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Monmouthshire => Wales => Monmouthshire Lookup Requests => Topic started by: adamjack on Friday 08 May 20 13:53 BST (UK)
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Hello
Is anyone able to search for a baptism in Llanishen please? It is for William Bigham who married on 20 Feb 1776 in Christchurch, Monmouthshire (Freereg lists the marriage place as Cwmcarvan where his wife Frances Edmonds was from) and he was listed as being of Llanishen. Their first two children were also baptised in Llanishen. Thank you :)
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details from marriage register 20 Feb 1776 William Bigham of Llanishen & Frances Edmonds otp by licence. Witnesses John Edmonds & Mary Palmer. All signed. NLW has a copy of the bond, William noted as yeoman of Llanishen. There's a Robert & Mary baptising children nearby around the right time
Robert 2 May 1744 in Llangwm
11 May 1746 in Newchurch FreeReg have this as John, looks like Benjamin on the register :-\
Richard 10 Sept 1751 in Llanishen
Thomas 16 June 1754 in Llanishen
Jonas 2 Nov 1758 in Llanishen
there are gaps that could allow for a William but not showing up in online records so far.
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Hi osprey
Thank you for checking the marriage register details and finding a possible family for William. Will have to explore this further.
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Hello osprey
Going back to the possible family of my ancestor William Bigham who married in Llanishen in 1776 -
His son William (bapt. 26 Dec 1776 Llanishen) married an Ann Bigham on 30 Mar 1809 in Bristol. I found them on the 1851 census which lists Ann's birth place as Llansoy and I found her death in 1854 which lists her age as 66, making a rough year of birth as 1788, which corresponds quite well with the age listed for her on the census. I then found what I am quite certain is her baptism on 23 Dec 1789 in Llansoy, daughter of Robert and Sarah. I also found baptisms of four older siblings.
Her parents Robert and Sarah nee Cadogan married on 19 June 1771 in Llansoy. Robert was listed as being a bachelor of Llanishen. This ties in with him being the Robert Bigham whose baptism you found on 2 May 1744 in Llangwm, son of Robert and Mary, who you found later also had sons baptised in Llanishen. I also found Robert and Mary's marriage - Robert Bigham and Mary Williams on 2 June 1742 in Llangwm. Robert was listed as being of Newchurch, as he was on their son Robert's baptism (and the baptism of their next son John/Benjamin in 1746 was in Newchurch).
I believe Robert and Mary Bigham nee Williams may have also been the parents of my William Bigham, as you also mentioned the possibility of in your message. Their son Richard baptised in 1751 in Llanishen is probably the Richard Bigham, bachelor of Llanishen who married Elizabeth Lawrence, widow of Llangoven by licence on 18 Dec 1773 at Llangoven and had at least two children baptised in Llangoven.
They may also have been the parents of the John Bigham, bachelor who married Elizabeth Walters, spinster by banns on 4 May 1775 in Llanishen, both of Llanishen. Robert and Mary's son baptised on 11 May 1746 in Newchurch may have been named John as stated on Freereg. Or he may have been named Benjamin as you said it looks like on the register.
I viewed an image of the register on Findmypast and it looks like the edge of one page overlaps another page, so parts of names, including John/Benjamin's name, were cut off. So, on the left hand edge of one page you can read the letters am, and then on the overlapping page the entry continues as "in the son of Robert Bigham was baptised the eleventh day (of) May (the word 'of' is also cut off). So the only part of the name visible is amin, which makes it look like it was Benjamin. However, I haven't found a marriage or burial of a Benjamin Bigham yet, but maybe he died young. If he was named John instead then he could be the John who married Elizabeth Walters.
They had three children (John, Ann and William) baptised in Llangoven in 1776, 1780 and 1783, but there were also children of a John Bigham named William and Elizabeth baptised in Llangovan in 1774 and 1775 respectively, however I am thinking their father must have been a different John Bigham, as the daughter Elizabeth was baptised on 24 Apr 1775, less than two weeks before the marriage of John Bigham and Elizabeth Walters in Llanishen. And the William baptised in 1774 had the same name as William baptised in 1783, however I have not found a burial for the first William before the second William's baptism date.
Just need to connect my William Bigham and possibly also John Bigham as sons of Robert and Mary or find out if William and/or John were sons of another Bigham couple. Robert and Mary's son Robert's baptism date was 23 months after their marriage date, so they could have had another child born before him. Maybe that child was William or John. As you say, there were also gaps between the births/baptisms of John/Benjamin in 1746 and Richard in 1751 and between Thomas in 1754 and Jonas in 1758, even possibly between Richard in 1751 and Thomas in 1754 also.
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I searched Familysearch for a baptism of the Robert Bigham who married in 1742 and it showed two possible baptisms but they took place in Scotland. Not sure how common it was for people to relocate from Scotland to Wales in the first half of the 18th century? They were -
Robert Biggom, bapt. 17 Apr 1715, Fossoway and Tulliebole, Kinross-shire, son of David;
Robert Bigham, bapt. 8 Jul 1718, Canongate, Edinburgh, son of Robert & Elizabeth nee Hutcheson.
The only other baptisms took place too late - Robert Bigom, 1 Apr 1729, Dull, Perthshire, son of Donald & Katrin nee Boyd; Robert Bigham, 10 Dec 1728, Stepney, London, son of Robert & Elizabeth.
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I meant to say I searched Findmypast not Familysearch
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Ancestry also has the name of Robert Bigham's son baptised in 1746 in Newchurch as John.
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I just found the will of Robert Bigham (bapt. 1744 Llangwm), farmer of Llansoy, dated 17 Jul 1809 and proved 4 May 1813, on the National Library of Wales website. And one of the trustees he appointed was his brother John Bigham of Llangovan! So, that proves that the name of Robert's brother baptised on 11 May 1746 in Newchurch was John. Unless John was another brother baptised at a different time and the brother baptised in 1746 in Newchurch was named Benjamin.
I have also found the will of John Bigham of Llangoven, written 8 Sep 1811 and proved 10 Mar 1812, it mentions his children and grandchildren; and the will of my ancestor (and probable brother of Robert and John Bigham) William Bigham which mentions his second wife and his children including his daughter/my ancestor listed by her correct married name. His will was written in Jun 1812, the same month he was buried (buried 16 June 1812) and proved 13 Oct 1812.
Also found the will of Thomas Bigham the elder of Tintern Abbey, Chapel Hill, Monmouthshire, dated 10 May 1834 and proved 15 Jul 1835 (he died 3 June 1835). It mentions sons Jonas and Thomas. I haven't confirmed if this Thomas Bigham the elder was the Thomas Bigham baptised in 1754 in Llanishen, son of Robert and Mary and brother of Robert etc listed above, or another Thomas Bigham.
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My goodness, you've made a lot of progress! ;D
The move of ordinary families from Kinrossshire to Monmouthshire at that time is unlikely. Although not so in later periods, one of my families moved from Kinrossshire to the Rhondda valley in the 1850s, travelling by ship.
That baptism could be John, Monfamilies transcriptions have it as John. Think the edge of the pages confused me.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01pfy/
Is that Jonas the son of Thomas & Martha who was baptised 15 July 1776 in Chapel Hill? Thomas Bigham, labourer, married Martha Mayberry 5 June 1775, scan of the register doesn't appear to be on FindMyPast so can't check witnesses.
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Hi osprey
Yes, the Jonas listed in the will of Thomas Bigham in 1834 is the Jonas Bigham baptised in 1776 in Chapel Hill (baptism date was actually 15 June 1776 as shown on the register image, the transcription incorrectly states 15 July). As I confirmed that the will for the Thomas Bigham who died on 3 June 1835 (buried 7 June 1835) in Chapel Hill was the Thomas Bigham baptised in 1754 in Llanishen son of Robert and Mary and brother of Robert Jnr, John, Richard, Jonas and probable brother of my ancestor William.
I also read the will of Elizabeth Bigham spinster of Llangoven, which mentions her brothers William and John and sisters Frances Hall and Mary Herbert (my ancestor), It was dated 5 May 1813 and proved 5 Oct 1813. I found her burial on 31 May 1813 in Cwmcarvan, abode listed as Langoven and age as 28. Now, I know that ages recorded in burials were often incorrect, but the Elizabeth Bigham who was the sister of my ancestor Mary Herbert nee Bigham and the daughter of William and Frances Bigham, was baptised on 13 Nov 1777, so would have been aged 35 in May 1813, not 28, so it is a difference of quite a few years in age.
To add confusion to this, there was another Elizabeth Bigham who was baptised on 1 May 1785 in Llangoven and she therefore would have been aged 28 in May 1813 when Elizabeth Bigham was buried. However, she was the daughter of John Bigham (probable brother of my William) and while she had brothers named John and William and a sister Mary, who as far as I know were all still living in 1813 (they were in 1811 when their father John's will was made), I have not found a sister named Frances. Also, the will of Elizabeth Bigham in 1813 lists her sister Mary as Mary Herbert, the same as their father William's will does. Whereas John Bigham's will lists his daughter Mary as the wife of Thomas Rowlands and I found their marriage and children baptised between 1801 and 1814. Also John Bigham's will does not mention a daughter Frances.
So do you agree that the will of Elizabeth Bigham in 1813 was for Elizabeth Bigham baptised 1777 Llanishen daughter of William and Frances and that the age recorded in her burial is incorrect by 7 years?
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Or maybe William and Frances Bigham had another daughter named Elizabeth around 1785 and their daughter Elizabeth baptised 1777 died before then? There is the burial on Findmypast of an Elizabeth Bigham on 18 Jul 1777 but the transcription just lists the place as Monmouthshire, it doesn't state which parish. There is an image of the register entry but it doesn't state which parish it's for either. The entry just reads Elizabeth Bigham was buried (doesn't list father's name or parents names). But I haven't found a baptism of another younger daughter named Elizabeth. In any case, the burial can't be for William and Frances' daughter as she was baptised later that year, on 13 Nov 1777. So, I think this burial may be for the Elizabeth Bigham who was baptised on 4 Mar 1777 in Llangoven, daughter of Richard, although the register does not look like the other Llangoven register images from the same period that I've seen.
Maybe it was for an adult Elizabeth Bigham from another parish. Perhaps Richard Bigham's wife Elizabeth nee Lawrence? As I found no other baptisms of children for them other than the aforementioned Elizabeth and her brother Richard who was baptised the same day as her. It can't be John Bigham's wife Elizabeth as they had children baptised after 1777. The only other Elizabeth Bigham I've found who was baptised before 1777 is the one baptised on 25 Apr 1775 daughter of John, however she must be the daughter listed in John Bigham's will as Elizabeth Symonds, widow. Unless the Elizabeth baptised in 1775 is the one who the burial on 18 Jul 1777 belongs to and John had a younger daughter named Elizabeth who married a Symonds, however I haven't found the baptism of another daughter named Elizabeth for John Bigham.
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children are normally noted as son/daughter of but not always, women as wife of/widow of but not always. Check some of the other entries to see what the cleric usually does.
There's a baptism in Llangoven for Elizabeth Bygam dau of John 1 May 1785
Burial 30 June 1784 for Elizabeth Bygam, young child in Tregare
also in that parish July 8 Mary Bygam, young infant
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