I am trying to locate the origins of my 4x great-grandfather, John, who seems to have spent all his life in the area around Englefield, Burghfield, Theale and Tilehurst. I think, from other things that I have seen that his mother may well have been named Hannah, and I do also wonder if she might have been unmarried at the time of John's birth - although I might be totally wrong about that. I have seen her surname recorded as 'Hannington', and she seems to have married a John Ansted. At the time of my 4x great-grandfather's marriage (in 1809) he also used the surname 'Ansted' (the name of his step father), but then apparently reverted to 'Harrington' on his children's christening records and in census returns. (His birth year too seems to have been before his parents' marriage)
The 1851 census gives his place of birth as Burghfield and his age as 66, but in in the 1861 census he gave his place of birth as Englefield and his age as 77 - making his year of birth c1784. I have also found an apprenticeship record which shows 'John ARRINGTON aged 11 years on 1 Mar 1794' which may refer to him and implies that his birth was a year earlier than that. His death certificate, in 1868, gives his age as 87 - making his year of birth more like 1781. I am advised that if he had indeed been born at Englefield, then his parents were (and almost certainly his mother was) very likely to have been employed on the Englefield estate. I am not sure if there are any records from that period anywhere?)
I think it is safe to say that John was born sometime during the early/ mid 1780s, but his surname could be recorded as any of those shown above.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Alan
