William Walker Flute Ancestry Before 1800

[vivijune]

I'd appreciate help seeing how far back we can go with William Walker Flute's father, James Flute. His wife Sarah Walker was born in 1771 and they married in 1798 in all likelihood at Astwood. They had other sons: Thomas Walker Flute who married Susannah Wright and Jonas who may have married an Ann twice in his lifetime. (I'd also like to know where the Walkers came from and the maiden name of Jonas 2 wives.)

I'm curious about maiden names because there's a pattern moving forward where those brothers and their children stayed close together, coming up predictably on the census as neighbors or living on the next street. They would have worked the same fields together and their wives would have sat with their pillows making lace. This geographic closeness lasted well past 1900. It's been fun seeing how interwoven they were from 1840 onwards.

I'd like to dig back as far as I came on  James because the Flutes spring from that small area on the Bedford/ Bucks border: Stagsden, Astwood and Turvey. Years ago I came across a random entry that said 3 Flutes had died at a house on the London Rd at Turvey in 1665. I assume they died of plague caught from someone fleeing out of London.

[johnP-bedford]

Yes James Flute married Sarah Walker at Astwood on 11 Oct 1798, witnesses William Cozens & John Bennett. Note William Cozens also witnessed marriage of William Wright to Ann Falkner on 18 Oct 1796, they being parents of Susannah who married Thomas Walker Flute.

Sarah Walker was baptised Astwood on 18 Aug 1771, daughter of Thomas & Sarah Walker, Victualler. There is not a baptism at Astwood of James Flute. However his burial is at Astwood on 16 Mar 1851 aged 75 - making born about 1776. Shame he died before the 1851 census as that would have given his birthplace. His wife Sarah was buried Astwood on 21 Nov 1822 age 51 (=1771) with a note 'she died from the smallpox'

Jonas Flute, bachelor married Ann Ross, spinster at Astwood on 26 Nov 1832, witnesses Thomas Flute & Elizabeth Ross. He is buried 7 Sept 1862 aged 53. I cannot find burial of Ann Flute or 2nd marriage of Jonas at Astwood.

[vivijune]

Thanks so much for linking our 2 family trees as you mention on the Oscar Flute thread. I may be a sub branch but it's nice to have the connection in Astwood/Stagsden with yours! I'm trying to wrap my mind round all these Flutes so would you mind clarifying.  Your family Flute descent is through William Walker Flute''s brother Thomas Walker Flute. He had 3 male children: Joseph 1844, William James 1846- (I think he married Jonas' daughter Zilpah) and the youngest, Charles 1848 so I'm curious which one of those three goes back for you. My great grandfather (William Hart Flute 1848) would have been their cousin growing up next to them and then raising his own family next to Charles and as we know from all the census that the Wright's were neighbors too.

Would welcome your help again on this next one. I keep coming across a John Flute 1834-1916 who married Mary Ann Wright and had a family of his own in Astwood. However through all his childhood and early adulthood he shows up alone. Remembering that all these families are neighbors later on, on the 1841 census he's 5 years old with the Litchfield family in Filgrave, 1851 listed as a lodger aged 16 with the Wrights in Astwood. In 1861 he's living in much the same place in Astwood along with Litchfields who've moved to the village, side by side with Wrights, Bartocks (+my William) So since he's "born Astwood" could you take a look at his birth record?

Thanks again to you for trying to explore James Flute and making me aware that  his wife Sarah is noted as dying of smallpox. I assumed  he was born in Astwood but at least I have his birthdate now as 1776. I've got so many pieces of the puzzle in place now thanks to help like yours and some luck, one roadblock doesn't seem too bad at all. 

[johnP-bedford]

John Flute married Mary Ann Wright on 23 Nov 1863, witnesses Frederick Wright & Emma Wright. John was 28 father Thomas Flute; Mary was 24 father John Wright. This John Flute may be the one baptised 9 Nov 1834 to Thomas & Eliza (ne Ashmore). Mary Ann most likely is daughter of John & Fanny/Frances (ne Wilding) baptised 21 Jan 1839 Astwood. Frederick 1827 & Emma 1841 are her siblings.     

[johnP-bedford]

The John Wright (who married Fanny Wilding) was baptised 12 Feb 1804, son of William Wright & Ann Falkner; it was their daughter Susannah who married Thomas Walker Flute. Fanny Wilding was born 1801 Calverton Bucks & married John Wright at Hardmead on 27/12/1826.  An Ann Wilding born 1794 Calverton married John Wright at Astwood on 6 April 1818. 

The IGI has a member submission of marriage of William James Flute b 1846 to Zilpha Wilding in Apr 1869 at Hardmead  (there is a marriage index in Newort Pagnell RD in June 1869)

[vivijune]

Thank you for making it so clear with Thomas. From what I can see, William James and Zilpah move to Turvey and raise their family there. Since you are interested in Wrights around that time I thought I'd let you know, I randomly came across a court entry for William Hart Flute's stepbrother Charles Flute and Reuben Wright from March 1874. I couldn't quite read the writing but everyone below them on the page have night poaching next to their name. Maybe my William didn't go with them or get caught but they received 2 days as punishment. (They were all only about 20 years old.) Census entries show them all living as neighbors in Astwood into their 50's and 60's. 2 days seems very light so maybe they had the sack in their possession but not the rabbit!

Since you live in the locality I also wanted to ask you if you know the Dove House: an octagonal brick 3 storey building now spuced up and mostly hidden behind fences and trees on the Hardmead Turvey Road. I last saw it 8 years ago. I'm trying to trace its history. A succession of ag.lab families lived in it including William Hart Flute and his wife Elizabeth (Huckle) Flute. I have a photo of her standing outside in what I think is probably around 1915.

[johnP-bedford]

The Bedfordshire Archives has them on the Gaol Database - for stealing hay. Charles Flute age 25 & Reuben Wright age 20

http://apps.bedfordshire.gov.uk/grd/detail.aspx?id=31479

Also found William Flute age 23 of Astwood sentenced to 3 months for Non performance of Bond of Filiation.....

http://vcp.e2bn.org/prisoners/4508-1-william-flute.html

As I said before on a previous topic of yours ..... The Astwood PR also has a record of baptism on 1 Sept 1823 of John Flute, base born son of Caroline Tims, of Marston , lacemaker.  So is William, John's father ? . . . . . 

....but the QSR/26/1823/156 documents are held at Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Record Service (as found on the A2A site)  states Recognizances: Wm. Flute, Potsgrove, labr.; bastardy. WITH CAROLINE TIMMS.

So did William Flute of Astwood hail from Potsgrove ?

[vivijune]

First, many thanks for finding the court record for Charles Flute and Reuben Wright for stealing hay in March of 1874. I assume they'd run out of fodder to keep some kind of animal over the winter. Looks like they only got hard labor for one day. I incorrectly wrote that William Hart Flute and Charles were step brothers. In fact they're cousins. I'm doing my best to keep it all straight!

So William Walker Flute had a court record involving bastardy in 1824. You uncovered the base birth in another topic I posted but this new one does confirm William Walker Flute as the actual father of John with the consequences: 3 months hard labor or pay 7 pounds. In answer to your question "Did William Walker hail from Potsgrove?" I would wonder why he was working there since it's not close to Astwood?

 In the 1851 record he's shown as being born in Astwood, the same birthplace on the census in 1861 etc and that his parents James Flute and Sarah Walker married there but what's been missing is where James his father was born. Maybe William went back to his father's family village south of Woburn to find work at age 23. I looked on a map and Marston Mortaine isn't all that far way. This was Caroline Timms' birthplace.

So just as a long shot would you mind looking to see if you see any record of birth for a James Flute in Potsgrove? Yesterday we arrived at a birth date of 1776 but nothing showed up in Astwood. With a family that seems to marry within the village or neighbor families I would never have thought to look so far away.

[johnP-bedford]

firstly the Potsgrove baptisms are extracted to the IGI & there are no Flutes listed...... 

..... however .... I was discussing James Flute with a contact on Genes Reunited, & he pointed me to a baptism of James FLUDE on 25 Mar 1778 at Marston Moretaine, son of Isaac & Athiel Flude. Isaac Flude married Ethel Cooke at MM on 26 Aug 1776, So could this be who you are looking for