*Completed*HARDING brickwall - breakthough appreciated

[Philcandy]

Fellow listers

My search has taken me to an unfamiliar branch of the HARDING family from Milton Clevedon Somerset and also Stinsford Dorset, and I would appreciate some help.

Another researcher has recently unearthed a copy of the will of James HARDING from Milton Clevedon dated 1816. Based on our reading of the will, James and his wife Elizabeth (probably Elizabeth WELCH, who married on 24 Apr 1763) had five daughters. Given their appearance in the will, probably in the following birth order:
 
Mary
Ann
Elizabeth
Sarah Does she appear in Lamyatt in the 1851 Census? Where was she in 1841?
Jane
 
Of these, by 1816 only two were married: Ann was the wife of Benjamin HODDINOTT (I think she was born around 1775, and was still alive in the parish of Bruton at the time of the 1841 Census), and Elizabeth was the wife of Joseph HIGHETT; she was born about 1778 and was still alive in Lamyatt, Somerset as late as 1851.  It looks as if Ann married Benjamin HODDINOTT in 1787, and Elizabeth married Joseph HIGHETT in 1805.

Since posting this request, I have obtained the 1834 will of William HARDING mentioned below. In it, he mentions his sister Jane as being called Jane GREEN, and there is a marriage on 29 APR 1817 at Milton Clevedon Somerset between Jane HARDING and William GREEN. However she seems to have died between 17th August 1833 and a codicil to the will dated 22 November 1834.
 
From James HARDING's 1816 will, it also looks as if there were six sons (who reached adulthood), probably born in this order:
 
James
William
John
Robert
Thomas
Charles.
 
Of these, I think I have found the marriage of William in 1802 to Hannah HIGHETT (Joseph's sister) and also Robert to Mary PHILLIPS in Mere Wiltshire on 4 May 1811.  I haven't managed to find out what became of any of the others so far.

I know it's a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack, especially since HARDING is such a relatively common surname, but if anyone can find especially the six sons in, say, the 1841 or 1851 Census it may give me somewhere to look for extra family links.  I think that Robert HARDING could be in or near Chinnock in 1841.  I suspect that the place of birth would be Milton Clevedon or maybe just 'Milton.'

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Kind regards

Phil Candy
 

[Jo Harding]

Hello Phil,

Not an easy task as you say.

Would you be able to hazard a guess as to their dates of birth?

The 1841 does not show place of birth, it will only indicate whether born in the same county as the one they were living in when the census was taken.

Jo

[Jo Harding]

Hello Phil,

The only Harding born Milton Clevedon I can find in the 1851 census, is Mary HARDING born c1775 in Milton Clevedon. She is in Stourton, Wilts. Shows her as unmarried, aged 76 an annuitant. She is with Jane GUPPY, a servant.

There is a James HARDING, in Bruton in the 1841. He is aged 70 and shown as "ind", born in county. The household also has Susanna, aged 70, born in county and Susanna, aged 35, born in county.

Sarah HARDING  born c1780 Milton Clevedon, is in Lamyatt in the 1861 but you seem to have found her before.

The problem is that the Harding family tended to use the same christian names all the way through. It makes it diificult to identify them.

Jo

[Philcandy]

Hi Jo

You are of course right about the dates of birth.

When I first started, I didn't have a clue, but I have now found a few marriages and some deaths, and, linked with the order in which the names appears in the will, I would guess the birth dates as follows:

Mary HARDING born ca 1774; died in 1859 [found in Stourton Wilts in 1841 and 1851]
Ann HODDINOTT (nee HARDING) born ca 1775; died in 1843 [found in Bruton Somerset in 1841]
Elizabeth HIGHETT (nee HARDING)  born ca 1778; died ca 1864 [found in Lamyatt in 1851 and in Winterbourne Down, Gloucester in 1861; no sign of her in 1841]
Sarah HARDING born ca 1780; died after 1851 [found in Lamyatt in 1851; no sign of her in other years]
Jane GREEN (nee HARDING) born ca 1789; died in 1833 [died too early for censuses]
James HARDING born ca 1764 [nothing known at all]
William HARDING born ca 1766; died 1834 [died too early for censuses]
John HARDING born ca 1773 [nothing known at all]
Robert HARDING born ca 1785; died 1865 [found in London in 1851 and in Stourton, Wilts in 1861; no sign of him in 1841]
Thomas HARDING born ca 1787 [nothing known at all]
Charles HARDING born ca 1790 [nothing known at all]

In relation to the four men for whom I don't yet a death date, all I can say is that they were mentioned in the Will of their father in 1816, and both John and Thomas were also mentioned by name in  the 1834 Will of their brother William.  This may imply that Charles had died between 1816 and 1834.

I hope this gives you something to go on; it would be great to track down the various members of this scattered family.

Kind regards and thanks

Phil

[Philcandy]

Hello Phil,

<snip>

There is a James HARDING, in Bruton in the 1841. He is aged 70 and shown as "ind", born in county. The household also has Susanna, aged 70, born in county and Susanna, aged 35, born in county.

Sarah HARDING  born c1780 Milton Clevedon, is in Lamyatt in the 1861 but you seem to have found her before.

The problem is that the Harding family tended to use the same Christian names all the way through. It makes it difficult to identify them.

Jo

Hi Jo

I really like the James/Susannah HARDING possibility in Bruton.  It gives something to follow up; I wonder if the daughter was still around in 1851, as that would give her place of birth.

I would appreciate the 1861 entry for Sarah HARDING in Lamyatt; so far I only have her in 1851.

Thanks as ever for your help with this tricky inquiry.

Kind regards

Phil

[CatOne]

1841 HO107/963/7 Folio 4 Page 2
Lamyatt, Somerset
Sarah Harding 57 Independent Y
Elizabeth Cary 20 Servant Y
/
Robert Harding 55 Independent Y
Eliza Harding 19 Independent Y

[CatOne]

As Jo is offline, heres the 1861 as well -

RG9/1659 Folio 84 Page 3
Parish Road, Lamyatt, Somerset
Sarah Harding 81 unm Retired Milton Clevedon
Elizabeth Oram 50 unm House Serv Frome

Regards
Cat

[Philcandy]

1841 HO107/963/7 Folio 4 Page 2
Lamyatt, Somerset
Sarah Harding 57 Independent Y
Elizabeth Cary 20 Servant Y
/
Robert Harding 55 Independent Y
Eliza Harding 19 Independent Y

Thanks CatOne

These are really helpful and pretty conclusive in establishing the link between Mary and her brother Robert.  The Eliza with Robert, aged 19, was almost certainly Robert's youngest daughter Elizabeth born in 1821, who later that same year (1841) migrated to Australia with her brother. She eventually became extremely wealthy and prominent and established one of Australia's leading private hospitals, the AUSTIN Hospital, named in honour of her husband.

Thanks a lot for this very useful lookup

Phil

[Philcandy]

As Jo is offline, heres the 1861 as well -

RG9/1659 Folio 84 Page 3
Parish Road, Lamyatt, Somerset
Sarah Harding 81 unm Retired Milton Clevedon
Elizabeth Oram 50 unm House Serv Frome

Regards
Cat

Hello again Cat

This pushes the research along another ten years. In fact, I note that a Sarah HARDING (aged 92) died in 1872 in Shepton Mallet RD (which includes Lamyatt).  Could I impose on you to see if there is any sign of Sarah still in Lamyatt in the 1871 census?

Kind regards and thanks again.

Phil