William CHURCH & Mary AMBRIDGE

[Gillg]

William Church was born c 1811, probably in Beds, and died in Biggleswade in 1880.  He married Mary Ambridge, probably in Godmanchester, Hunts, in 1830. I believe Mary may have been born c 1803 in Gt Paxton, name of father possibly John.  Their children were John 1832, Mary 1834, Major 1835, Steven 1838, Ann (my ancestor) 1839, and Elizabeth 1841. 

In 1841 the family was living in Gt Paxton, Hunts, and both William and Mary were shown as having been born out of county. William was a brickmaker, and was working in 1848 at Godmanchester Brick Kilns, though he seems to have become the owner of a number of properties in his later life. 

In 1851 William & Mary were living in Hemingford Abbots, and now the census gives William's place of birth as Hunts, ?Wardwick? (can't see a parish of a similar name in Hunts) and Mary's as Beds, Wilden, with children John b Godmanchester, Hunts, Mary b Standon, Beds, Major, Ann and Elizabeth b Gt Paxton, Hunts.  (Steven died in infancy.)

In 1861 William's pob is "N.K."  and Mary's is again Wilden, and they are living with son Major and his family in Biggleswade. 

Their daughter Ann married Amos Fairey in Biggleswade in 1864.  William's wife Mary died in 1861, and it seems he may have married an Ann Chessum in Biggleswade in 1863.  I don't have the 1871 census to check this, but in 1881 there is a widowed Ann Church in Biggleswade living on income from house and property, who looks like an possible candidate.  William died in 1880.

What I am looking for is information about William and Mary's background, place and date of birth, parents, etc.  Their daughter Ann or Annie included the name Ambridge on the certificate for her second marriage certificate to John Cox in 1884, and I know that their son Major received an annuity under his father's will, so again I assume that the family had a certain amount of wealth for the children to inherit on both the Church and Ambridge sides. 

As you can see, with all these possibles, probables and assumptions, I am very hazy on some of the earlier dates and places, so would very much welcome a helping hand. 

[johnP-bedford]

Hello Gill

I'll do the easy bit first.

As you say on 1881; the widow Ann Church age 61 living in London Road. Biggleswade, says she was born Sutton/Potton, Beds

On 1871 living in London Road Biggleswade is

RG10/1551; Folio: 15; Page: 24

William Church, head, age 62, born Wool(w)ich, Kent ; Brick manufacturer
Ann Church, wife, age 51, born Sutton Beds

Regards John

[johnP-bedford]

The 1851 census image - clearly says William was born Woolwich, Kent  & he is a brickmaker.

[Gillg]

Wow! That was quick. 

Thanks, John.  Woolwich, Kent doesn't seem to fit the story at all, does it?  However, looking more closely at the 1851 image, I can now see that what I couldn't make out clearly before definitely is "Woolwich, Kent" for Williams pob!   I just wasn't looking for this.

This sheds a whole new light on things.  Hope you are able to help with further surprises.

Gill

Oh, as I was writing your second message came through.  Again, thank you.

[bedfordshire boy]

Can I do the easy bit next time John? Go on, please!

BVRI marriage 29 March 1830 at Godmanchester William Church and Mary Ambridge (sounds like something out of Mrs Dale's Diary!)

1851 does say Woolwich Kent, whatever the indexing says!

I can't find a baptism for Mary, I wonder if it might have been a second marriage? *


David

* But Hunts marriage Index doesn't show that she was a widow.

[johnP-bedford]

David; Good job I checked before I posted,  Just found same marriage on the IGI

[Gillg]

Hi John and David

With you two on the case, I don't see how I can fail.  

I do think that the fact that Annie Church included Ambridge on her marriage certificate to second husband John Cox indicates some kind of inheritance business, especially as it isn't mentioned on either her birth, first marriage or death certs.  It almost seems as though she adopted it at a critical point in time, maybe to inherit family money/property. 

In 1891 her brother Major is "living on his own means" in his late 50s with his family in Burnley.  This is a turnaround from 1881, when he was working as a blacksmith and boarding with his sister Annie and family in Easton, Hunts, while his wife Ann worked in a mill in Keighley, Yorks, as a worsted machine minder.  This seems to imply that their fortunes had changed between these two dates, maybe with father William's death??  In 1891 Annie is shown as Head, but married and under her new name Cox, though without her husband John, and is also "living on her own means" in Burnley with some of her Fairey children. (She reverts to widow Fairey by the 1901 census.)   Their older brother John had died before 1891, and I haven't yet traced the other sisters, so don't know if they also benefited similarly.  William Church's will was proved in 1880, and Ann Chessum Church died in 1883, so this could be the source of their prosperity. 

Sorry to ramble on a bit, but there might be the odd helpful clue in something I have said.  Don't know, David, if Mary Ambridge was married before William, but she does seem to have been a bit older than him (seven years according to the 1851 & 61)., which may have some significance.

Many thanks, again,

Gill

[Gillg]

What perhaps I should have said earlier was that I was also trying to discover if there was any relationship between the three Church girls who married three Fairey brothers.  I know that Rhoda and Mercy Church, who married Joseph and Isaac Fairey, were definitely sisters, and I have an extensive history of their family, but my ancestor and their brother Amos Fairey also married a Church girl - Annie - and it seemed like too much of a coincidence for her was not to have been related in some way. Annie's father William's Woolwich birth would seem to have rendered that somewhat unlikely.

[bedfordshire boy]

It's odd that there's no Mary Ambridge christening in Beds, unless they were non-conformists, which is always possible if they're in any way connected to your Fairy's, however tenuously!

It was the fact that she was 28ish when she married that made me wonder if it might have been a second marriage, but there's no sign of any kids by a first husband in 1841, and she wasn't described as widow.

Had you noticed there was an Edward Ambridge married Susannah Church in Godmanchester on 4 Nov 1816? Might be a coincidence, but I don't believe in them! Might be worth looking laterally at the two of them to see if it gives any leads.

The fact that William was born in Woolwich makes me wonder (I know, I'm doing a lot of wondering this afternoon!) if he may have had a military connection - father was a military man perhaps?

I'll keep wondering, unless the Swiss Maid*comes up with anything in the meantime

Regards

David

* too late - JP's changed his song again. Can't stand the heat now. Lovin' Spoonful! (another of their songs was "Do You believe in magic" - with some of your more challenging requests perhaps you should adopt that line Gill?) But perhaps you're much younger than John and I and don't know these 60's songs!