BAILEY family, Ecclesfield - census lookups please

[Ruskie]

Hi Tati,

I got a bit confused re Harriet's birth certificate. Yes, you're right of course - getting this probably the best option. Thanks for the ref.

I'm going to check out the "Hill" name too - no idea about that yet.

Thanks for all your help with my family. It's very nice of you.
 

[alnat]

I've taken an interest in your post as I know the area well- I used to live just off Bracken Hill. The area is know as Burncross nowadays and is a couple of miles from the church at Ecclesfield.

These are the children of William and Harriet, all baptised at Ecclesfield (IGI Batch C007522). I can't find a marriage record for William and Harriet.

Ann 26 Dec 1819, Martha 16 Sep 1821, Charlotte 23 Nov 1823, Mary Ann 7 Jun 1826, Sarah 12 Oct 1828, Joseph 12 Jun 1831 and Hannah 29 Dec 1833.

The records only cover up to 1835 so your William isn't recorded.

William senior is most likey the one baptised 1 Nov 1798 at Ecclesfield but could just possibly be the one baptised 26 Dec 1791. Guess what, both Dads were William as well! (IGI C007524). Problems though as the two William Bailey's were both baptising their children in Ecclesfield around 1790 to 1805 and the vicar at that time didn't record the children's mother's names for baptisms.

One William married Elizabeth Tate 23 Nov 1790 and the 'likely' one married Hannah Marsden 26 Dec 1796, both at Ecclesfield.

[Ruskie]

Hi Alnat,

I am so thrilled to receive this information from you. It's amazing. Thanks so much. I've got zillions of pesky Williams everywhere in my tree!

I have looked at Ecclesfield on old-maps.co.uk (I love that site) but I would love to be able to "zoom in" on the modern aerial view, to see more detail.

Do you know if Thorncliffe Row is still there? I imagine it as a fairly depressed terrace - one up, one down (or is it two up, two down) back to back housing. On the other hand I may be completely wrong.

Several of my relatives lived there. There has been much discussion (and great help from a wonderful rootschatter) on the Buckinghamshire board about one of my rellies who originated in Buckingham. His name was William John Gunthorpe (brickmaker) on his marriage cert (but he appears to have been born a Guntrip - have been trying to make sense of this).

William John married Harriet Bailey (the Harriet aged 7 in the 1871 census). They married at the Parish Church, Parish of Chapeltown on 25th December 1880. They are in Thorncliffe Row in the 1881 census with the Baily (sp) family. Matthew, Harriet's brother is a witness, as is Annie Stuckbury, who lived next door.

In 1883, William John and Harriet and their baby Mary Hannah, emmigrated to Australia.

There is also the William Bailey, stonemason, with Ellen in the 1891 census - also at Bracken Hill - likely some kind of relative. What do you make of the "Hill" middle name (?) for William in the 1871 census? Mistake, related to Bracken Hill perhaps, or something significant?

Oh, I'm so excited about all this new information you have given me. I've got chores and errands to do today, but it's almost midday and I'm stuck on the computer. This is so much more fun!

[alnat]

My nephew plays cricket at Thorncliffe Rec. in Chapeltown so I would guess Thorncliffe Row would have been near there.

If you go to multimap.com and search on 'S35', click on the square that is for Chapeltown. Then click on the D on Burncross Road. The yellow road to the left of 'Barnes Hall' and 'Burncross' is Bracken Hill. The white area left of the roundabout in Chapeltown is where the cricket ground is now.

[Ruskie]

Thanks Alnat, I'll check that map out now.

I did a bit more research today and discovered that there is a Thorncliffe Industrial Estate - which sounds awful  .  There were apparently a number of iron works in the area (no longer there - surprise, surprise) so a likely connection with my iron moulder ancestor. It seems that the area was noted for manufacuturing nails and files.

Do you have any idea what the church at Ecclesfield, where all the Bailey baptisms took place, is called? And the Parish Chuch at Chapeltown - any ideas what it's called?  There seems to be a fair amount of information available on the internet, but there are several churches in each place, and I don't know which would be the ones my ancestors attended.

Thanks for your interest and for taking the time to reply.

[alnat]

Ecclesfield church is St Mary's and records go back to 1550s. It had a huge Parish until the mid 1800s when lots more churches were built. I think Chapeltown is St John.

Have a look at www.sheffieldfhs.org.uk. Click on 'services & data' and there's a guide to Sheffield churches with photos.

Some of my ancestors lived in Ecclesfield Parish and were nail makers, fork makers and file cutters. The IGI records for St Mary are good so you can often trace a family back for generations quite easily.

[alnat]

For some good photo's of the area try www.picturesheffield.com 'search picture Sheffield' then 'search database' There are quite a few from the Ecclesfield area.

[Ruskie]

Thanks again for answering my questions.

I'll have a look at the links you suggest.

It's amazing to think the church holds records from so many hundreds of years ago - mind boggling! It must get more and more diffficult to know whether you're on the right track. If I require copies of bmd entries, do you know who I should contact to do this for me? For a minimal cost, I got photocopies of marriages of other branches of my family from the local city archives or library. What would be the closest to Ecclesfield?

I managed to find Bracken Hill on multimap. I kindof imagined it to be an actual hill rather than a road. I found Eccclesfied and Thorncliffe too - I guess Thorncliffe Row is long gone - no luck with that.

I have used multimap in the past - it is excellent.

Many thanks.

[alnat]

I think all the Sheffield Parish registers are at the Sheffield Archives at Shoreham Street. I've not used them so don't know what services they offer.