Searching for Baptism - James LEACH - Filby, Norfolk

[Daisy Loo]

Hi all With great delight I fell on the online parish records for Norfolk, and happily have managed to go a bit further back.   However, I still cannot find an actual baptism record for my ancestor James (Edward) Leach.

He was born abt 1862 in Filby, Norfolk (Or so states census records 1871 & 1881 (where he is living with parents) and 1891 & 1901)  I have traced back his father, William, b. 1822 Hedenham and have him in 1841/1851/1861.  William married Elizabeth, Lucy Reeve in 1848, and their first child was born in 1848, second in 1850.  I have both their baptisms.  I continued through the baptisms, and found no more children, and certainly not James.

Now William from 1848-1861 was listed as occupation Gamekeeper.  However, the 1871 census has him in Heigham, as a Publican, then in 1881, he has moved to West Ham, and is living with his eldest son Frederick (Frdrk is Head)

Although I know the gap is not impossible, 12 years is quite a large gap between children (I realize they may have been stillborn etc)  but I am curious as to why I cannot find a baptism record, and wonder if this is connected.  Could James have been an illigitimate child?  I have searched the baptism records for heigham as well, have looked on freereg, and on the IGI, but can find nothing.  Ancestry is playing up for me tonight, and I cannot find the civil reg either!!


The other thing is that none of William and Elizabeth's children are baptised with a second name, and when James is living with his parents, he is just James.  But from the moment he marries, he becomes James Edward?

Can anyone help me?

(Corrected)

[trish1120]

Nothing on FreeBMD for Birth Reg that even remotely matches ( I even tried Peach)
Couild he be the child of one of Williams or Lucys siblings that they took in and named Leach???

[trish1120]

I checked all births for a James and James Edward  ( no Surname) in Flegg reg district for 1862
These are the results;

James Edward PALGRAVE, December 1862, Flegg, 4b 40

Just under James;
Woolstone
Ainslie
Haylett
Ellis
Ward
Allen
Lowndes

Trish

EDIT, I think you mean William married Lucy

1861 Census William/Lucy/Frederick/William are living next to the Curate of Filby. Maybe he asked them to take in a child!!
There is also an Allen Family next door.
Clutching at straws here
I also notice that William born c 1849 married Sarah Bunn sister of the nurse maid in 1851 Census.

[Daisy Loo]

*Groaning* another mystery   and I thought I was doing really well!

Thanks for the correction regarding Lucy...!  James marries Elizabeth!

I don't know what to answer you.  In every single census, he is consistent with where he was born, Filby, Norfolk.
BUT, by the time he is 9,(1871) they are living in Heigham then they move at some point to West Ham (1881).  This implies to me that he was TOLD he was born in Filby, but also his parents were reporting that that was his birthplace. I have him then in 1891 & 1901, and again Filby.

I have his marriage cert to Elizabeth, they married in Charlton in 1886, and James is listed as James Edward, father William, Carpenter.

Strangely, I couldn't find a birth reg for Frederick or William either.    found for both....William under William LEECH, registered in Flegg.

[Sonny]

Hi to all.
I have read with great interest your discussion about the Leach family from Filby,Norfolk.William Leach born c1821 in Hedenham I believe to be my Great Great Grandfather.His first born son Frederick[c1848] was of course my Great Grandfather I was delighted to find out a little more about them from your emails,particularly William's wifes name Lucy Reeve.Frederick at some stage emigrated to South Australia where he married Sarah Anne Spence in Adelaide.Frederick was the publican at the Angaston Hotel in the Barossa Valley north of Adelaide for several years before his death in 1908.I  would be very pleased to hear from anyone who could help me further with my neverending searching.

[trish1120]

Marriage from Familysearch.Org;
15 Febraury 1848, Ditchigham, Norfolk
William LEACH, Father EMMANUEL Leach
Lucy REEVE, Father JAMES Reeve

William LEACH Baptised 04 November 1821, St Peter, Hedenham, Norfolk
Parents EMMANUEL and ELIZABETH
Fathers Occp Carpenter
Abode Hedenham
(Source FreeREG, all other Siblings are on there also))

Emanuel LEACH, Single of Hebenham, Married Elizabeth FENN, Single of Hebenham, 21 July 1818 St Peter, Hebenham
Witnesses, Robert FENN and Fanny SCARLETT

Emmanuel LEACH
Date Of Birth, 27 Feb 1797
Baptism Date, 01 Mar 1797, St Peter, Hedenham
Parents EMANUEL and MARTHA Nee SMITH   
Notes, Received Into The Church July 30 1797
(Source FreeREG)

Emanue/Elizabeth age 40 can be found in Hebenham in the 1841 Census with some of their Children.

Trish

[trish1120]

Emanuel/Martha Leach are stilll alive in 1841 also.
Both down as born c 1774.
He is a Carpenter also

His Baptism is on FreeREG 1773
1848 Marriage is there also with more detail
Burials for the 2 Emanuels (Father/Son) 1850/1867
www.freereg.org.uk

[Sonny]

Hi Trish,
Thank you so much for all the detail on my Leach ancestors.It is now 8 AM on the Gold Coast in Queensland and I have just read your response.I am most grateful to you for helping me to fill in some more of the blanks in my family tree.This is my first venture into Rootschat and I am now wishing I had tried it earlier.My Father was also born a Leach and I do have a some detail of the Leach tree after Frederick settled in South Australia.If you are interested I can send it to you.Once again many thanks for your help.Sonny