Thomas BROWN [1750-1816]

[Patricia jackson]

  Hi I am looking for info  on a Thomas Brown 1750 - 1816 born in Northumberland, he married an Ann Grant in 1768 at Woodhorn St Mary's, and lived all his married life at Cresswell he and his wife had 13 children, not all made it to adulthood though, he was a fisherman.  I would really like to manage to get past him - to his parents. I do not know anything about his wife Ann, I am told she was born about 1745, but again I am not sure where, I assume it was Northumberland, Any help/ideas gratefully appreciated, thanks

[Michael Dixon]

pejay....


So Thomas could have been born anywhere, even outside Northumberland.

Ditto for Ann !

Sometimes the vicar marrying a couple, would record their home parishes
e.gs

"Thomas Brown, native of "

"Both natives of this parish"

Or a less helpful...
" Both OF this parish"

Or worse still, no clue at all to their origins !

Do you have details of their marriage at Woodhorn ?

What was name of their first son and second dtr ? (Both "shoul" have been named after his parents... First dtr and second son should have taken Ann's parents names)

Michael Dixon

[Reiver]

I have access to a list of the burials at Woodhorn.  It contains a lot of Thomas Browns of Cresswell  but not a Thomas Brown who died in 1816 nor an Ann Brown.

Sorry

Reiver

[Patricia jackson]

Hi Michael and Reiver, Thanks for your replies. Thomas Brown b 1750 married Ann Grant 19/12/1768.  at Woodhorn St Mary's. I think she was born around 1745. Their first son was also a Thomas born 1769.and 2nd daughter was an Alice born 1783, this must be a coincidence as  thomas also married an Alice in 1789 at Warkworth. I only assume they came from  Northumberland, future generations lived at Cresswell for many years before moving to Newbiggin by Sea, I have Thomas's death  16/3/1816 and Ann's 7/1/1800,I do not know where they were  buried, perhaps it was at Newbiggin St Bartholomews? I have been trying to find his parents for quite a while, but unfortunately am not sure where to start. 

[Reiver]

Pejay,
There are a number of Thomas Browns 'of Cresswell' buried at Woodhorn.  None of them is the one you are specifically looking for - they I think are all younger.  Do you want the records I made a number of years ago?  Did your Thomas have any other children apart from Thomas b 1769  and Alice?

You mention that later the Browns moved to Newbiggin.   Do you know sufficient about him/them after their move down the coast?

Reiver

[Patricia jackson]

Hi Reiver, many thanks for your reply and interest, Thomas and Ann had 13 children though not all made adulthood, they were apparently all buried at Woodhorn. Thomas 1769, Henry 1771, Alexander 1772, John 1775, Robert 1777, William 1779, Ann 1781 - 1785,  Alice 1783,  Ann 1787, Mary 1788, , Peter 1792 who died the same year  & George 1792? who died the following year. My gg grandfather Robert Brown  moved to  Newbiggin  [I think ]when he married an Isabella Twizell  about 1845, I do have some death dates for Thomas and Ann, which are March 16th 1816 for Thomas and Jan 7th 1800 for Ann, unfortunately I have no birth dates for them. I appreciate all the help and advice I can get.  I was told about Cresswell church, but it isn't old enough, was it something like  1836 or so when it opened? I know both Woodhorn St  Mary's and St Bartholomew's at Newbiggin  are very old and I think a lot ofmy ancestors were buried there. I did look around both churchyards  over a year ago, but it wasn't  a very good day, wet and cold and I ended up very damp and cold. 

[Michael Dixon]

pejay,

 A wee snippet on the Hierarchy of "Ancient" Parishes.

Although Newbiggin is old, it was once under the sway of Woodhorn.

Woodhorn Parish once consisted of....

Nine Townships ( a "township" is not necessarily pertaining to a town, but was term for a sub-division of an "ancient" parish)..........

Newbiggin
Cresswell,
Ellington,
Hurst (Hirst)
Linmouth (Lynmouth)
North Seaton
Woodhorn and
Woodhorn Demesne.


Because of population growth and patterns, Newbiggin got a "chapel of ease". And so was "promoted" from church-less township, to a Chapelry, with a chapel. But still under the mothership Woodhorn.

So then Woodhorn parish consisted of one chapelry and eight townships.

Then Newbiggin became independent of Woodhorn, and a parish in it's own right.

( If we went farther back in time, we would see "my" ancient parish, Horton, as a Chapelry within the territory of Woodhorn parish)

So, bapts, marriages and burials of Newbiggin folk, would habe been done at Woodhorn parish church, then at Newbiggin chapel/church.

Cresswell folk would have been done at Woodhorn.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trivia Angle.

Ashington was one of the "townships" of Bothal "ancient" parish. As above, Hirst was one of Woodhorn's "townships"

Today the Ashington of 1800s and Hirst, made up modern day Ashington. So the boundary between the parishes of Woodhorn and Bothal ran through the middle of modern Ashington ( border marked by north/south running, railway line). Folk living to left of border, B/M/Bur at Bothal, to the right, at Woodhorn.

Similarly Blyth, a fledgling community, grew up straddling the borders of Earsdon Parish and Horton Parish, marked today by Union Street and Plessey Road.

-----------------------------------------------------

End of Lecture No 37 (ii)b

Michael Dixon
community of Bebside Colliery, in the
township of Cowpen, in the
Parish of Horton, in the
County of Northumberland.

[Reiver]

Pejay

With the extra info you gave I had another look at my memorial transcriptions.  I did the churchyard in the late 1970s.  It has not been double checked.

As I said there were a lot of Browns but only the following MIGHT be related from the birth years you gave. You missed the 'bairn' out for the year 1785.  IF it was a second Thomas there is:-
125. Erected in memory of Margaret, wife of Thomas Brown of Cresswell,  who died January 27th 1839 aged 58 years.  Also James, their son,  who died in infancy.  The above Thomas Brown died March 23rd 1878 aged 94 years.  Mary, his second wife, died May 17th 1874 aged 84 years.

You were not sure of George's birth year (1792?) but in case:-
45.  In memory of George Brown, for 60 years a faithful servant to A. J. Baker-Cresswell Esq., died November 10th 1884 aged 86 years.  Also of Mary, his wife, died October 23rd 1882 aged 77 years.

Not very fruitful I'm afraid.

Your mention of the surname Twizzell led me inexorably  to Newbiggin.  Both Brown and Twizzell were 'fisherfolk' names. I see also you have an interest in Storey.  A book of photographs of Newbiggin was published in 1985 entitled Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in old picture postcards. Some of these are from the late 18th and very early 19th centuries.  The author William Harrison has provided lots and lots of names of those included in the photographs including Brown, Twizzel and Storey.  Was Adam Storey one of yours?

Another possible source for you is as follows:
Go to www.curiousfox.org.uk and enter the Village name Newbiggin-by-the-Sea (in full including hyphens    )
There seem to be others interested in Brown and Twizzell - though it may be yourself of course.

You say the early family were buried at Woodhorn?  Is that because you have found them in the Woodhorn Burial Register?  After 1836 I suppose they may have been buried at Crsswell though they would be entered in the Woodhorn Parish registers. Michael Dixon might confirm/correct this.  I wonder if Northumberland & Durham FHS have transcribed Cresswell.  They have done Woodhorn I know.   Later than mine but may have lifted some of the fallen stones 

I'm sorry I cannot take you any further back only possibly sideways.

Regards
Reiver
 

[Michael Dixon]

 Yes, Burials at Cresswell would be recorded in Woodhorn Parish registers.

At Northumberland County Record Office, (at Woodhorn LOL ) there are Cresswell bapts 1836-1983, marriages 1869-1981. Newcastle City library has Monumental Inscriptions from Cresswell cem.

( I get most of my info on Parish records from the Northumberland section of www.genuki.org.uk
>Northumberland>Parishes>Parish Records>  )

I visit N/C library two/hree times each week. Give me details of your targets....

Also for great old photos of Newbiggin ( and it's fisher folk)
go to

communities.northumberland.gov.uk   ( no "WWW")

>Communities>Newbiggin>Photographs

Also in the "Printed Material" section you will see old trade directories listing people etc.

Also great old maps in "Ordnance Survey" and " Plans"


Michael Dixon
now in the Township of Fawdon, in the
Parish of Gosforth, in the
County of Northumberland