William Wright - Dissenting Minister?

[Gillg]

William Wright officiated at the marriage of one of my relatives at the Dissenting Chapel in the parish of All Saints, Huntingdon on 17 December 1843.  A search on Google brought up a sermon delivered by William in 1827, so he appears to have been active for some time in that area. 

Do you have William in your tree, or can you find him in a census?  This is all I know about him, I'm afraid.  I would think that he was born around 1800.  My family attended the Baptist Chapels in Spaldwick and Ellington, but I am curious about this fellow, as there are other Wright connections in the family.

Gillg

[bedfordshire boy]

Hi Gill,

In 1841 he was living in Huntingdon St Mary
William Wright 50? (painted over, difficult to decipher) Dissenting minister Not born in county
Alice Wright 45 Not bic
Eliza 14, Samuel 13; James 11; Amelia 9; Victoria 3 All b in Hunts
There's also a Catherine unreadable age 55 Independent Not bic

I'll see what else I can find after the school run

David

[Gillg]

Thanks, David!  I can always rely on you to come up with the goods. 

Looking at the IGI I can see a couple of Williams born/baptised 1790 and christened/dedicated in Independent chapels as far apart as Warwick and London (extracted records), but I am hoping that you can find his place of birth from the 1851.

These Baptists were pretty strict about who they would accept as members - one of my ancestors "came forward to give a statement of the work of Grace upon her soul"  before the congregation in 1837, but was told that her testimony wasn't satisfactory, and had try try again the following year, when she was finally accepted!

You have the school run to do, I'm off to the supermarket.  Don't know which I'd prefer.

Regards,

Gill

[bedfordshire boy]

In 1851
HO107/1748 folio 562A
St Marys Lane, St Marys Huntingdon
Alice Wright head widow 55 Annuitant b Haddenham Isle of Ely
Amelia Wright dau unm 18 b Huntingdon
Bertha Pindard visitor unm 20 b Cottenham Cambs

I can't see William's burial, but it's quite likely that it was in a dissenting church

The IGI has a marriage in Wilburton, a mile from Haddenham, on 4 Oct 1825 between William Wright and Alice Langford, which might be them.

It's not so much a "run" as a stroll as it's only 200 yards away. I don't do runs nowadays!

David

[Gillg]

Many thanks again, David.  That makes it rather difficult to trace William, unless he came from the same area as his wife. 

Maybe somone reading this will recognise the family. 

Now I really must go, or the supermarket shelves will be bare...

Gill

[bedfordshire boy]

Hi Gill

I think I would check the entry for the Wilburton marriage I mentioned, to see if William had a parish of residence other than otp

David

[Gillg]

Hmm, I see what you mean.  That IGI entry for William Wright and Alice Langford looks interesting, and it's an extracted entry.  Looking in the Cambs births/baptisms I could only find a William of Thorney, Cambs, and he had a different wife and children. 

From Genuki it looks as though the parish records for that period aren't available at Cambridge RO, just indexed transcripts - I'm not sure what exactly that indicates.  Still, it's worth an email.

Gill

[RanR]

This William Wright was my 3x G Grandfather.  His daughter Eliza Wright married my 2xG. Grandfather Rev James Henry Millard who took over from him as minister of Trinity Free church in Huntingdon.  Eliza died sometime 1850 or 1851 (we're still trying to find that one out) and then James Henry married Eliza's younger sister Amelia Wright who you have found in the census living with her mother Alice.

We can't find any record of this second marriage of James' although an Australian contact has suggested it might have taken place abroad (not in the Britist consulate record of marriages though!).  Amelia and James had my G Grandfather Edgar James Millard in Huntingdon 1866.

James' father was a Baptist minister in Hartley Row, Whtichurch, Hants and then in Lymington Hants which is why James Henry was born in Lymington 1819.  William Wright was a school master before taking over as church minister although I think he helped with Trinity Free in its infancy while also working as a school master.  His father in law (Alice's father) was  Rev John Langford who was also a school master in Haddenham in the early 1800s and then became the minister of Wilburton Baptist church in Cambs in 1808 and stayed there for 35 years.  He died 1850.  James Henry Millard died 1883.

William Wright will probably not be found in records for Cambs or Hunts as I've been informed that he was actually born in Suffolk but I have yet to be given the information about this - even though I am assured that there were lots of this Wright family in the part of Suffolk that he came from.

OK.  Hope that helps and doesn't raise more questions than it's answered!

Also, you might like to google John Ebenezer West and Ebenezer Prout.  John Ebenezer West was a composer and editor of music for Novello publishers and Ebenezer Prout (editor of Handel's Messiah - his edition is one of the two main editions still sung today) was his Uncle.  John Ebenezer West's sister Charlotte married Frank Cromwell Millard who was one of James Henry Millard's sons.  James Henry Millard signed the 400 strong petition that was presented to Parilament and helped to bring in the free education for children act in Britain in 1870.

[RanR]

You mention that a Goolge search brought up a sermon preached by William Wright in 1827.  I'm probably searching on completely the wrong thing but couldn't find anything like that. 

Could you tell me how to find it and/or give me a brief resume of the contents of the sermon please?  Was it any good?!

Thanks very much.