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Hi Deborah,

Thank you so much for your efforts. The mystery deepens! I think you're right - they must have been baptised in one of the independent chapels. There is a baptism for Elizabeth Whittle Harvey, daughter of Matthew Barnard Harvey & Mary (his first wife) at St Peters Independent, Maldon, in 1783, but no signs of our Samuel or Matthew, or any other children.

There's a new website bmdregisters.co.uk where one can search the non-parochial registers, but no sign of them there either. I think this website is still "work in progress", so I'll check back there in a few months time.

Funnily enough I do have Hiltons. Gertrude Attfield - the daughter of John Attfield & Martha Harvey  (Samuel's daughter) married Charles Norman Brooks in 1903, and he had a nephew called William Hilton Hingeston Brooks, who in turn had a son called William Hilton Brooks, born at Mistley in 1896, who died in 1959. He married Gwendolen Cato in 1925 but I don't know if they had any children, or if they named any of them Hilton.

(Charles Norman & Gertrude named their son Charles Attfield Brooks, and apparently the two Brooks cousins always addressed each other as "Attfield" and "Hilton" respectively!)

WHH Brooks's mother was Ann Hilton Edwards (1844-1901), and her father was Joseph Berry Edwards (c1807-1866) who married a Miss Hingeston. Joseph was for a time the Town Treasurer of Southwold in Suffolk. His father was Peregrine Edwards, but I don't know where the "Hilton" connection originated. maybe Peregrine married one.

Does this ring any bells?

All best wishes
John

Hi Deborah,

Thanks so much for your reply. I wish I did know the parents' names ... that's just what I'm hoping to find out :-)

I believe - but may well be wrong - that their parents were Matthew Barnard Harvey (the elder) of Witham, and Martha, formerly Moody, who married on 1.2.1804. A reference to this can be found in Google Books (http://books.google.com/) with the search term "Martha Moody spinster". M.B.Harvey was owner of the Rochford and Billericay Bank which went spectacularly bankrupt in 1814. His eldest son (by his first wife) was Daniel Whittle Harvey (1786-1863), the proprietor of the Sunday Times and the first commissioner of the City of London Police.

You're right about the Samuel Harvey in the 1881 census. His daughter Martha (...named after his mother???) married my great-granduncle John Attfield in 1865 and Samuel was living with them at Watford in 1881. He died the following year. I think 1881 was the only census where he gave his birthplace as Goldhanger - in all the others it was always Totham or Great Totham - and like you say they are very close together.

If you could take a look next time you visit the ERO I'd be eternally grateful.

All best wishes
John Attfield

Hi Mike

That's fabulous information, thanks again ...

If Arthur was 35 in 1813 he was born c.1778. That makes him most probably the Arthur Fawkes who was bapt. 17.2.1778 at Claybrooke, son of John Fawkes & Elizabeth Higgs (IGI). The older Arthur - who married in 1776 and died at Leire in 1826 - was John's brother. I'd supposed that John's son Arthur must have died young because he was not mentioned in John's will. If so, then maybe Arthur senior had a son Arthur c.1778 but if so he is not recorded in IGI (Arthur's eldest son in IGI, William Smith Fawkes, was bapt 2.12.1778 at Leire).

Meanwhile I found the following report of a court hearing at Leicester for insolvent debtors:

Arthur Fawkes, formerly of Great Claybrook Mill, Leicestershire,
Journeyman Miller, afterwards of Leir, Leicestershire,
Baker, afterwards of Leir aforesaid, Baker and Licensed Beer
Seller, afterwards Omnibus Driver to Mr. Till, of Little Harcourt-
Street, London, and late of Leir aforesaid, Licensed
Beer-Seller, and Working as Journeyman Miller, of Great
Claybrook Mill aforesaid.
Source: London Gazette, 26.2.1833.

Since Arthur Fawkes senior died in 1826 this can't be him, so it must refer to the younger Arthur who married Mary Hopkins.

So your information brings me a big step forward. The only question now is, is Arthur the son of John Fawkes or an unrecorded son of Arthur senior?

All best wishes
John

I'm trying to make a positive identification of Arthur Fawkes, miller, who married Mary Hopkins of Dunton Bassett and had 6 children (John, Arthur, William Hopkins, Thomas, George, James) at Ashby Folville between 1814 & 1824. He must have died before 1841 because Mary (b.1786) is living at Mill House, Ashby Folville, where the miller is now her son Arthur.

He might be the Arthur Fawkes, bapt 25.3.1752 at Claybrooke, son of Marmaduke Fawkes. This Arthur is mentioned in the will dated 1826 of his brother John Fawkes, where Arthur is described as a miller of Leire. An Arthur Fawkes - presumably the same one - was buried at Leire on 28.9.1826 aged 74 (Nat. Burial Index). But this Arthur Fawkes married Elizabeth Smith at Frolesworth on 21.11.1776 and they had at least 5 children (William, John, Susannah, Joseph, Hannah) baptised at Leire between 1778 amd 1787. Elizabeth might have died after 1787 and Arthur might then have re-married Mary Hopkins but the time-span seems improbably long. Or Arthur might have had another son called Arthur whose baptism is not recorded in the IGI.

Arthur's brother John also had a son called Arthur bapt 17.2.1778 at Claybrooke, but since he is not mentioned in John's will in 1826 I suppose he died young.

I'd be really grateful for help in identifying which Arthur Fawkes is which. The most valuable evidence would be a marriage record for Arthur Fawkes & Mary Hopkins, presumably at Dunton Bassett sometime between 1805 and 1810 (the marriage records after 1810 are in IGI).

Any trace of a death or burial record for Arthur Fawkes that could shed any light on the above would also be great.

Thank you very much
John

Hi!
I have the following ...

John Constable of Wix, d.1775 (will dated 10.4.1775, probate 3.7.1775)
children mentioned in will:
- John Maurice Constable (c.1765 - 1843, see below)
- Sarah Constable (d.1833 at Harwich, will probate 1.4.1833)
- Margaret Constable (d.1823 at Harwich, will probate 3.2.1823)
- Sukey Constable (1761 - before 1822, married Anthony Runnacles. Later generations of the Runnacles family are to be found in Harwich, Halstead and elsewhere)

John Maurice Constable was living at Mill House Farm, Wix, in 1841. He left a will (probate 11.4.1843) and had at least 2 children:
- John Maurice Constable (d.1832)
- Mary Constable (born c.1791, married John Deane of Wix who died in 1838 and they had at least 6 children)

The younger John Maurice Constable also left a will (probate 10.12.1832). He married Ann (c.1799 - 1868) and they had the following children, all born at Wix:
- Maurice Constable (c.1818 - 1884, farmer at Wix, married Sarah Ball in 1840, children Helen Sarah & Maurice George Constable)
- John Matthew Constable (c.1824 - 1903, farmer at Mistley, married Emma Howard, children John Maurice & Matthew Howard Constable)
- Sarah Margaret Constable (born c.1828, married John Hellen Green - farmer at Bradfield - in 1850, at least 7 children)

Maurice George Constable (1850 - 1904), a farm bailiff at Wix, married Sarah Margaret Green (daughter of John Hellen Green & Sarah Margaret Constable) in 1879. They had at least 2 children.

John Maurice Constable (b.1846), a farmer at Little Bromley, married Mary Brooks in 1873 and they had 3 children.

Matthew Howard Constable (1852 - 1894) was a commission agent for a wine merchant and married Elizabeth Griffith Eagle in 1878. They had 4 children.

Hope this helps. I don't find Francis Constable anywhere here - I can't find him in any of the above-mentioned wills - but I suppose he must fit in with these families somewhere. I'd be very interested if you have any clues.

Best wishes
John