Burials Northamptonshire Lookup please

[margaret1]

In the age of the railway to speed up travel I see no reason why two people should not be buried in the same churchyard or cemetary.  The Registration District is where a person died, but not necessarily where they were buried.

Orpheus

Hi Orpheus, yes, I was hoping that Mary Ann and Rachel were buried near to each other, as it wasn't possible for her to be buried with husband Ben at Charterhouse, London, even if she wanted to .......... 'burials in central London were prohibited in 1854 and although Charterhouse asked for exemption, it was not granted' quote from the Archivist at Charterhouse.
Mary Ann's brother, my great grandfather, William, was living in New Zealand and NSW Australia during this period. He died in his 90th year in 1913 in Sydney.

Margaret

[seahall]

I did not answer the above quote as I was fully aware of what
was noted.

Having transcribed Parish Records and looked at hundred of gravestones
often one relative came from another area than the last place they lived in.

Sandy 

[margaret1]

Hi yet again Margaret.

The 1888 Mary Ann seems to be the one on the 1881 Census here.

Rg11/1547 Northampton St Sepulchre. Pg 9 Folio 11. 3 Hse. Ct 3.
Scarletwell Street. It was a very poor area of the Town.

She has children with her.

This would make a good scavenger hunt except you have
already done all the work. 

Sandy

Thanks Sandy - I have been very fortunate to have had lots of helpers with this family - some right here on Rootschat. I'm always amazed and extremely appreciative of the generosity of every one of those people, you included. Now a scavenger hunt sounds like such fun!  

Margaret  

[margaret1]

Wow Sandy, that's fast work! Thank you for checking the censuses. This has been quite a complex family to track down.

In 1841, Rachel was living in the retired servants quarters at Charterhouse in London. Her husband, Benjamin Matthews, (bap 1777 Bourton on the Water, Gloucestershire, parents Stephen Matthews and Elizabeth Moss), died in 1835 and according to an MI is buried at Charterhouse. In 1841, Mary Ann is staying with her half brother, Thomas Moss Matthews in Witney, Oxfordshire.

Benjamin had had a previous marriage to Sarah Lewis whom he married in 1802 at St. George, Hanover Square, Westminster. They had 7 children. Sarah died in 1818 at St James Westminster London, leaving Ben with 6 children between the ages of 3 years to 17 years. He married Rachel Viccars (Vickers/Viccers/Viccus) in 1819 at St George Bloomsbury London. Rachel would have been like a mother to these children. Ben and Rachel had 2 children, William Lee (Lea) Matthews born 1823, (my great grandfather) and Mary Ann born 1826. I have found baptisms  at St James Westminster, London, for nearly all of Benjamin's nine children.

It was no surprise to find Rachel visiting her stepson, Benjamin George Olivet Matthews, wife Rebecca  and family in Oxfordshire in 1851. In 1861, she and Mary Ann were residing together at Beaulah Place, Elton, Oundle, Northampts. Rachel was enumerated as head of the household and there was a W.S. Snow, age 30, a Reverend Wesleyan Minister, boarding with them. Rachel died in 1862.

In 1871 and 1881 Mary Ann was living in Oundle with her cousin, Edward Peach, son of Rachel's sister, Mary, who married John Peach in Elton in 1809.

Benjamin Matthews and Rachel Viccars are my 2x great grandparents.

Margaret

I’ve just checked my information again and in 1861 Rachel and Mary Ann Matthews were living at Beaulah Place Elton Huntingdonshire, not Northamptonshire. The Ecclesiastical parish was Ely, the registration district was Oundle and the sub-registration district was Fotheringhay.  Now this matches with Rachel’s death certificate details in November 1862, i.e., from her death certificate: Died in Elton, reg district: Oundle, Sub-district Fotheringhay in the counties of Northampton and Huntingdon.

Also in 1861 Rachel’s boarder, W S Snow, Reverend Wesleyan Minister of the Church, was possibly the Minister of the Methodist Church in Huntingdon at the time of Rachel’s death in 1862.

Do you think it possible that Rachel was buried in the burial grounds of Rev Snow’s Methodist Church? If indeed such a place existed!  Do you think this should be moved to the Huntingdonshire Board to see if someone may be able to find a burial for Rachel? If so, then should I start a new post, or can this be moved across?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm just not sure what to do next.
Margaret 

[seahall]

Hi Margaret.

It is a bit confussing. 

On the 1861 census Rev. Snow is Minister of the Elton Chapel.

If Rachael changed her religion then yes, although the lodger being a
Methodist could be a red herring.

I can not see any records on the Cambridgeshire Record Office site
for such a church. Neither has Huntingdon Record Office.

Therefore it may be a good idea to ask on the Hunts board and link
to this topic also.

I wonder if you could put the actual address noted on Rachael's death
certificate.

All the best. 

Sandy

[margaret1]

Hi Sandy,

Thanks for your interest and for checking out those sites.

Yes, it is confusing and at times frustrating, but incredibly interesting too.

Just to confound things, Rachel’s death certificate doesn’t have an actual address, just ‘Elton’. Her name is correct, given age as 77 (she would have been 78years). Widow of...( no first name – i.e.,  blank), Matthews.. Cause of death, Asthma, certified. Now the Informant was Rachel Chown (she signed with her mark), present at death – Elton (no address for her either). I have no idea who Rachel Chown is. I wonder where Mary Ann was?  The fact that the informant is named Rachel, could be a coincidence, but maybe a relative,  granddaughter? Neice? I’ll need to investigate this further. I suppose she could also be a lodger or a neighbour.

Rachel's sister, Mary Peach aged 50 years was buried at All Saints Church Elton, Huntingdonshire on 16th May 1834 as was Rachel's 14 month old infant son, John Vicars, christened on 15 Nov 1810 at Elton, Huntingdonshire and buried 28 January 1812 at All Saints, Elton. John was born before Rachel's marriage to Benjamin Matthews.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,294748.0.html

I thought that she may be buried at All Saints Church, but I noticed that the Huntingdon Look-up Exchange - Parish Registers for Elton, quote: 'Parish Registers 1861-1884 Elton Bapt. MARR 1861-1957. No Burials'.  I have sent an enquiry to the volunteer today to see if she could suggest where my Rachel might be buried and now await the reply before I post this onto the Hunts board.

Margaret 

[seahall]

Hi Margaret

Thank you for listing that the actual death place for Rachel was Elton and
hopefully where Mary Ann was buried also.

The Rachel (mark) on the death certificate would have been in attendance
at death, as it was Asthma maybe it was so quick no family could have
been informed.

I have looked on the Hunts Record Office web site and note that Elton
Church still hold the burial book from 1860 onwards, so it may be an
idea to write to the Vicar in charge or find some info of use at the links below.

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/HUN/Elton/index.html#ChurchRecords

http://www.rootschat.com/links/094c/

Sandy

[margaret1]

  Thank you so much Sandy for all your help. I will follow up on your suggestions - so fingers crossed.

The links are incredibly helpful - this is great.

In appreciation

Margaret 

[margaret1]

Sandy, Rachel’s final resting place has been found!

A very generous person, from Oundle and his daughter, has found a four sided memorial at All Saints Church in Elton, with inscriptions on the four sides for my great, great, grandmother, Rachel Matthews (nee Viccars), her father Richard, sisters Mary Peach, and Jane Frier (Freer) and her niece and nephews, Marianne and Edward and Thomas Peach and their father, John.

He has described it as situated “just inside the gate on the right hand side near the church. It is an area about eight feet square with a one foot high iron railing around it and an obelisk about five feet high”.

Even though they could not read all of the inscriptions, I am thrilled that Rachel is buried with her family, including my 4xgreat grandfather, Richard Viccars who died 6th May 1845 in his 94th year. Rachel’s MI reads Rachel wife of Benjamin Matthews of London who died November 12th 1862 in her 77th year.

There are also some windows inside the church dedicated to Rachel’s niece and nephew, Marianne and Edward Peach, but the church was locked and they were unable to view these.

This is more than I had ever hoped for and am so happy and extremely grateful.

Margaret