Samuel SINGLETON, Southwell, Nott.

[Anna_C]

I'm looking for information on the family of a Samuel SINGLETON who was baptised in Southwell, Nottingham, in 1692. He married in WINSHAM, Somerset, but I am trying to trace the family back further than him, and so any information on his Nottingham roots would be invaluable.

Anna

[Heather D]

Hi Anna,

I don't know how much you have but there are a clutch of baptisms to Fran(cis) and Mary Singleton in Southwell


Richard 12/12/1682
William 01/12/1684
Henry 29/07/1686
Mary 09/07/1688
Samuel 23/05/1692
Jane 06/09/1694

A marriage for Francis Singleton and Mary Collison at Southwell 06/11/1681

Sources Notts FHS marriage and baptism index

[Anna_C]

Hi Heather,

Thanks for the info!

Do you by any chance know/know where I can find out whether Francis and Mary and their family remained in Nottingham? If they did, then it might well rule out the possibility of their son being the one I am looking for. Too early to turn up on census' records, I know, but if there were death records or evidence of their children marrying in Nottingham then that might be an avenue to explore if I knew where to start looking!!

Thanks again,
Anna xx

[Heather D]

Anna, I think this is unlikely to be your family as there are several marriages in Southwell that may well be the children of Francis and Mary ...Henry in 1713, Samuel in 1715, William in 1716 and Mary in 1709 ..although I cannot say for sure. There is a burial for a Samuel Singleton in Southwell on the NBI in 1777, but unfortunately no age is given.

[Anna_C]

Hi Heather,

I've been thinking the same thing for a while now - the thing is, the LDS site has Samuel (son of Francis and Mary) marrying and living in Chard, Somerset, in 1713. It seems odd to me that he would move on his own there though, and there are Singleton's in Somerset long before that date. Several Singleton researchers though are taking this info at face value - is it likely that the LDS site has made a mistake?

Anna xx

[Heather D]

Oh dear - Chard  Sorry I shouldn't laugh but I have my Willmott family coming from there to Nottingham and have a similar problem!

The fact is, there are almost no extracted parish records for Chard on the IGI (just a few Baptist records). Somerset in general is very badly covered. Most of the entries you see will be user submitted - which generally means they are the personal work of a member of the LDS church and not always reliable.

It's not impossible that Samuel could have moved from Nottingham - both had lace industries (though I don't know how developed they were that early on) and they are historically connected, though miles apart.

Though, as you say, Singleton was also a Chard name. I suspect the only way to tell is a search of actual parish records held at Taunton. Me, I'm saving up to pay a researcher

Sorry I can't be more positive!

[Anna_C]

Thankfully I have more luck with the Winsham set, so it's not all doom and gloom!! I agree with what you say about Chard though!!

With regard to paid research - I've comissioned a couple of specific searches from the Somerset archives when I knew what info I wanted, but didn't realise there was a way to commission someone to do research in general. How do you go about finding someone - I imagine it isn't cheap!!

Thanks again,
Anna xx