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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Cheshire => Topic started by: PAK on Sunday 06 December 20 19:47 GMT (UK)

Title: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: PAK on Sunday 06 December 20 19:47 GMT (UK)
I've been looking through Ancestry, Findmypast and Familysearch to try to establish the birth (or at least baptism) date of my ancestor Thomas Merrick. Most of them point to a baptism at Weaverham on 24th February 1610 (equal to 1611 on today's calendar months).
However. there is a reference to a birth year of 1622, held on Ancestry under "Public Member Photos and Scanned Documents". I can't access that page and wonder if anyone can help.
He appears to have married Katherine Kelsall whose birth date was more certainly in 1622 so I'm wondering if this boils down to a simple typing error on someone's part.
If it's 1610 then I have his father as John Merrick (said to be 1589-1627) although again this is unsourced, so I guess it would be at that point that my research runs out anyway.
Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: goldie61 on Sunday 06 December 20 20:55 GMT (UK)
Can't help with findmypast at the moment - it doesn't seem to be working.

But have you seen this on National Archives Discovery?
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/c1040dde-f5c4-43b5-b88f-99617009c99f

You have to scroll down to find Merrick at Weaverham.

Might be related somewhere.

I see the one underneath Merrick, says Richard Eaton for tithe of cannabis! Really? in 1572?
Maybe it was grown for the the hemp fibre.
Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: goldie61 on Sunday 06 December 20 22:09 GMT (UK)
I've been looking through Ancestry, Findmypast and Familysearch to try to establish the birth (or at least baptism) date of my ancestor Thomas Merrick. Most of them point to a baptism at Weaverham If it's 1610 then I have his father as John Merrick (said to be 1589-1627) although again this is unsourced, so I guess it would be at that point that my research runs out anyway.

I don't know what you've been looking at on familysearch, but they have a wealth of records pertinent to this, and I don't think your research will 'run out' just yet!

There would seem to be what look like several brothers having children baptised at Weaverham in the early 1600s. John, Richard and Edward. I  looked at a couple, but they didn't give any place of residence (they may not have lived exactly in Weaverham of course). It would be a good idea to look at the actual images for all of them just in case. You are very lucky that these events are directly linked to the images in the Weaverham registers - and it's all free! It doesn't happen very often that a) you can view the registers at home, and b) each event is directly linked to the actual page in the register.

Unfortunately Thomas's baptism in 1610 doesn't give his father's name.
However, the one on 14th March 1607, which is transcribed as "Kino", gives the father as John. If you look at the image, I'd say that first name is an abbreviation is "Ricd" -  for Richard, and it gives father John's place of residence as Cuddington, Just a couple of miles away from Weaverham.

4th May 1613,"Ales" (Alice) Merricke wife of John was buried at Weaverham.
27th Sept 1627 John ("Johes" but indexed as "Johea" on fs), Merricke of "Bag Lane" was buried at Weaverham.
And there is a will for John Merricke of Cuddington written Sept 1627, I can't see the date of probate, but fs have it as 1628.
It is an absolute treasure chest of information.
John only has 2 children, Thomas and Margaret. So Thomas gets the lion's share.
I won't spoil the fun, but it gives not only John's father's name, but also the names of both his grandfathers! and his brothers are named as Edward and Richard as was thought initially.
So a gold mine of information.
It looks as though his daughter Margaret was an illegitimate child of his baptised Dec 1617. Mother Margaret Stringer.

You could also look for wills of John's brothers,  and HIS father and grandfathers of course. findmypast has Cheshire wills.



Added: surely all these records would have been on findmypast too? - did you look there?
Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: LizzieW on Sunday 06 December 20 22:59 GMT (UK)
Cheshire Wills are brilliant, most of them so easy to read too.  Well at least the ones in 1700s are, as I found when I got some of my ancestors.
Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: goldie61 on Monday 07 December 20 00:21 GMT (UK)
I thought I recognised the name Bag Lane!
It runs from Norley to Cuddington, and Weaverham is very close.
Although I live on the other side of the world now, I know that area, and in fact Bag Lane, well!
It is still very rural, and a lovely part of the Cheshire countryside.
I wonder which part they farmed back then? No doubt on leases from the local land owner.

The National Archives Manorial Documents register has a listing for Cuddington manor (Northwich, which this is) for a list of tenants in 1639 - at Cheshire Archives.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/N17257929


HAve you seen this about Thomas Merrick 1656 - 1667?
http://catalogue.cheshirearchives.org.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=DAR%2fG%2f76&pos=8

Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: goldie61 on Monday 07 December 20 00:38 GMT (UK)
Time on  my hands today! :)

John ("Johus") Merick baptised 30th Aug 1593, father Edward.
Also Richard 7th dec 1595, father Edward, and Edward father Edward 3rd April 1598.
All at Weaverham.

These would seem to be the 3 brothers from John's will of 1628.
If so, John would only have been about 35 when he died. That would fit with him mentioning his father (who is possibly still alive), and his grandfathers in his will. It would also mean he was only about 17 when his son Thomas was born. Quite possible.
There's an Edward Merrick died 1630 - and a will for him that familysearch won't let me view at the moment. Also one (well, an inventory), for an Edward died 1640, which you can view. My guess this was Edward the son.

Katherine, wife of 'Edward of Cuddington' buried Oct 1625.
Wife of Edward the father, or Edward the son? No information as to that.
Can't see a marriage of an Edward to a Katherine.
Perhaps when findmypast starts behaving itself again, the will of 1630 might give some clue.

If you get stumped with the handwriting on the wills, there is a board here on Rootschat just for that in case you haven't come across it.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/handwriting-deciphering-recognition/
Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: PAK on Tuesday 08 December 20 10:30 GMT (UK)
Well there's a lot of information there and it will take me some time to sort through it.
However,. the original point of my post was that I couldn't access the entry under "Public Member Photos and Scanned Documents" in Ancestry showing a Thomas Merrick born 1622 and I wondered if anyone could help. I have found an extract from a publication of some sort, the page is headed "The Kelsalls of the parish of Tarporley, Cheshire" and shows "Katheren bapt 10/4/1622 m Thos.Merricke" so unless corrected, I will assume that this is the document referenced in Ancestry and has been entered in error as Thomas' birth year.
Thanks for all the other information which I'm sure will help.
Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: PAK on Thursday 17 December 20 00:00 GMT (UK)
I’m really grateful for the info supplied already, and there are just a few questions now remaining. For now, I will ask just one. I hope to establish that the father of my ancestor Thomas Merrick/Merricke (1611-1683) was indeed the John Merrick whose will is available dated 1628. It mentions his “natural father” Edward, both his grandfathers and his daughter Margaret. It does mention Thomas but I can’t make out one word, which is crucial.
 
It seems to say “I give and bequeath unto my ….. Thomas Merricke” but the missing word doesn’t look  like “son” or anything that means the same. Can anyone help?
Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: goldie61 on Thursday 17 December 20 04:01 GMT (UK)
The word is 'ssonne' in the first paragraph after the preamble -
"Ffirst I give & bequeath unto my ssonne Thomas Merricke"
and then 6 lines further down, talking about the legacy from his (John's, father Edward) it says.
"give unto my sonne Thomas Conditionally......"

In the final paragraph, his goods and Chattells are divided between his wife and his
"said tow Childrene Thomas Merricke and Margareat Merricke".

This was a great will to find PAK! They're not all as good as this!
Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: LizzieW on Thursday 17 December 20 09:18 GMT (UK)
Cheshire Wills are available on Findmypast.  I haven't looked for Thomas Merrick's.  If you don't have a sub to FindMyPast your local library probably does when they're open. 
Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: PAK on Thursday 17 December 20 11:42 GMT (UK)
I never thought of "ssonne"! So that advice was worth its weight in Goldie.... Many thanks. One or two less crucial loose ends to tidy up but well on the way now.
Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: PAK on Friday 18 December 20 12:02 GMT (UK)
I wonder if anyone (perhaps especially Goldie) could help with some more transcription?
I have the marriage record of John Merrick in 1597 to Margareta Hugonett (a surname that has many different variations). Now I have been looking for any subsequent record for her, probably her death. Familysearch shows an unnamed Merricke buried 19.12.1629 said to be the spouse of John Merricke, at Weaverham. The film ref is 004201915, and image 379 of 1094 shows a Merrick baptism in one column and a Merrick burial in the adjacent column. I noted that image 1 shows Waverton but maybe Weaverham is combined on same roll.
The nub of my request is that I can't make out the forenames of either of them. The burial might be Margareta but that might be wishful thinking on my part. Any help from people with far more expertise than I would be appreciated. Thanks
Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: goldie61 on Friday 18 December 20 22:17 GMT (UK)
The Merricke burial 19th Dec 1620 says 'uxor John Merricke Oldfeild in Cuddington'.
So just 'wife of John Merricke' She is not entitled to a name.

The baptism on the other page is of 'Ellena Merricke fil(i)a ? Merricke de Oldfeild in Cuddington.
These BTs are very difficult to read. Not only is the filming poor, the writing is minute!
It looks as if the father's name may be Wm; I can't see it's an abbreviation for John, but I may be wrong.
Did your John have a brother William?

What a pity there is a gap in the actual registers for these years, as they are much easier to read.

If you need further transcriptions, it would be a good idea to take a screenshot around the item you're interested in, and post that on here with your query.
Don't just do the line of the baptism/ burial etc. We need a bit more than that to see how the particular scribe writes.
That saves a huge amount of time for anybody trying to help you.
Title: Re: Thomas Merrick, born 1610 or maybe 1622
Post by: PAK on Sunday 20 December 20 10:52 GMT (UK)
Haven't found a William Merrick yet, but John had brothers Richard and Edward.
I also looked on the maps for anywhere in the Cuddington area that might be "Oldfeild"(sic) but it looks like that name has disappeared.
I've lost access to Findmypast for this month now so will try to get this sorted as far as possible under the terms of a New Year's resolution!
Thanks and best wishes.