Catherine Merritt- Bramdean/Hinton Ampner

[dee-jay]

Having failed to find evidence in a census of the survival of Stephen MERRITT junr post-1851 and Lucy post-1861, it looks as if only the NORGATE children of Catherine married and produced children, unless you know different?  As the NORGATE boys were settled into marriage and appear regularly in consecutive censuses, it's feasible that Catherine may have joined her married daughter, but I can't find any trace of a likely Catherine/'Caroline' FOSTER in the UK born France until 1881, by which time it's likely that Catherine senr had died.

I think the only way forward is to seach the Bramdean Burials PR 1854-1863 to ascertain which of the MERRITTs, if any, feature.  Having regard to the variant spellings of the surname, I've noted deaths of 3 Stephens [1854, 1856 and 1862] and 1 Lucy [1863] in Alresford Regn District.  I'll put them on my 'to do' list for my next HRO visit and, if applicable, delve further into the later burials.

Update:  Found daughter Catherine FOSTER 1861; 1871, 1891, 1901.  If you send your email address via PM I'll provide references.  Still no sign of Catherine senr post-1861.

[dee-jay]

Bramdean Burials                  
No 177   02 Sep 1856   Stephen MERRITT    27 years   Hinton
No 201   04 Jun 1862   Stephen MERRIT    76 years   Bramdean
No 205   26 Feb 1863   Catherine MERRITT 80 years   Bramdean
No 208   28 Apr 1863   Lucy MERRITT   37 years    Bramdean
No 365   12 Dec 1903   Catherine FOSTER 87 years   Bramdean

No 265   02 Feb 1877   Henry NORGATE   59 years             Hinton
No 312   23? Nov 1889   Sarah NORGATE   68 years    Hinton Ampner

A ‘hunch’ paid off with location of the following marriage on Page 185 of St Mary Portsea Marriage Register [HRO Microfiche No 530 of St Mary Portsea M1842-1843]:
1843 Marriage Solemnized in the Church of the Parish of Portsea in the County of Southampton
No 369   11 Apr 1843 by Banns
George Lovell FOSTER      (sgd)  Full age Bachelor  16th Regt     Father:  John FOSTER, Builder
Katherine Jane NORGAT*  (sgd)  Full age Spinster  Frederick St. Father:  William NORGATE, Yeoman
   Witnesses:  X of Sophia SMITH;  James SMITH[?] (sgd)

* A final ‘E’ was not visible on Katherine’s surname signature but George clearly signed his surname FOSTER, although it appears in some records as FORSTER .