Clayton - Wellington and Wolverhampton area

[bekxanya]

Hi guys!

I really need some help with this one.
I've managed to trace my Clayton family back to the following person and I'm now stuck. I've contacted many different people and made lots of enquiries but I keep drawing a blank. Please can someone help?:

EDWARD CLAYTON, born/christened 21 Jan 1829 at All Saints, Wellington, Shorpshire. (Possibly born in the Poorhouse?) His mother's name was ANN CLAYTON. (I know all about his later life)

Edward can be found on the 1841 census living with the Aston family in Wolverhampton. He is down as being an apprentice. No mention of his mother anywhere.

I can't get any further back than this. It's possible that Edward ran away from home a the age of 12/13 years. There is a story that later on in life, Edward returned to the Dawley area to visit his grandparents or mother to ask for a loan to enable him to buy his own mine in the Dudley area. He was refused and apparently, because of this, he never spoke to nor spoke of his family again.

I really need some help to get any further back as I have no more info on Ann Clayton! She may not have even been from Wellington originally. Maybe someone can point me in a new direction to look even if they have no info on the Claytons themselves. I know that this is a bit of a shot in the dark but I figured it was worth a try!

Does anyone have access to the original baptism record? Maybe
Cheers
Rebecca

[Lloydy]

Hello Rebecca

Welcome to Rootschat

All Shropshire parish registers are held at the Shropshire Archives, and can be viewed on microfiche.

You mention in your post an exact date, and with this information you can telephone/email the archives, and the staff will do a 10 minute look up for free.

It's always difficult where children are illegitimate, and given their mother's surname.  There's no way to find who the father was.

I hope you have some luck with the Archives staff........they are usually extremely helpful. 

Edward can be found on the 1841 census living with the Aston family in Wolverhampton. He is down as being an apprentice. No mention of his mother anywhere.

I assume that you cannot find his mother at all in the 1841?

Finally, have you seen this about the Wellington workhouse?:
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?WellingtonSalop/Wellington.shtml

Note that the records from the Workhouse are kept at the Shropshire Archives so you could mention that when you contact them.

Good Luck

[bekxanya]

Hi!

Thanks for that! Unfortunatley I don't seem to be having much luck with Shropshire Archives so I was kind of hopeing that someone would know some other vital miss of info about my family!! Why, I can hope can't I?

But that workhouse link looks interesting - I'll check it out.

Ta xxx

[Lloydy]

I don't seem to be having much luck with Shropshire Archives

Well that does surprise me   What exactly have they said to you?

Can I also ask you where you got this information?

EDWARD CLAYTON, born/christened 21 Jan 1829 at All Saints, Wellington, Shorpshire. (Possibly born in the Poorhouse?) His mother's name was ANN CLAYTON.

[bekxanya]

Hi again,

I asked them about Poor Law and other records and this was their reply:

Dear Ms Green

Thank you for your email enquiry of 13 March 2007.

I have checked the Wellington Poor Law records that we hold but we do not
have any records that will help you with your genealogy.  We have general
minute books and general payment and income records but nothing that names
inmates of the workhouse or out relief books.  It appears that these
records have not survived.

I am sorry that I have been unable to help you with your search.

Yours sincerely
Sara Downs
Senior Archives Assistant

I found out Edward's date of birth and his mother's name from the IGI at familysearch.org and I'm now trying to get hold of a copy of the original baptism record to see if there's anymore info on there to help me. This means I've had to email Shropshire Archives again - who knows what they'll say this time!

As I'm trying to do this from abroad it's doubly difficult but I've had a few letters of encouragement from people - which helps and a lot of help from a lady at Shropshire Family History Society. I really am grateful for all the help I get!!!

Ta xx

[Lloydy]

It appears that these records have not survived.

That is such a shame

Hopefully, you will get some luck with the baptism...fingers crossed!