Author Topic: Gisleham and Spexhall. REYNOLDS.  (Read 10984 times)

Online LizzieL

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Re: Gisleham and Spexhall. REYNOLDS.
« Reply #18 on: Wednesday 13 August 14 14:22 BST (UK) »
Have you got a reasonably reliable birth year for Leonora? I see on the 1841 census her age is given as 65, so allowing for rounding, she could be between 65 and 69. As the census was taken on 6th June 1841, this gives a birthdate between 7th June 1771 and 6th June 1776.
I cannot find her on 1851 census, so presumably she has died, but have been unable to find a death registration for her.

Looking at Hethersett baptism transcriptions on Freereg, there is one for a Livah (sic) Reynolds (female child) on 17th July 1771, which would fit the timespan, assuming this baby was baptised fairly soon after birth. Bit of a long shot but it could be bad, faded handwriting on the original and that was the best the transcriber could do. The parents of Livah are Thomas and Hannah.  So not the sister of Jane and Metyer (grocer). Mary Reynolds nee Peters was buried in 1802 and was described as widow of Thomas, so he predeceased her. So Thomas cannot have married again and Hannah be his second wife. It is possible the name Hannah is just a mistake, on one of the two transcripts of Metyer's baptism (the one who died young) it says Mary was crossed out and Frances inserted. There is a marriage for Thomas on 8 May 1770 in Norwich to Frances Kiddal/ Kiddele - probably the one referred to as "Kettle", so feasible for Livah to be their child. Mary was 80 when she died so born abt 1722, so a bit old to give birth in 1771.

James Postens pops up again in Hethersett. He is a witness at the marriage of Hannah Reynolds and John Brown on 28 Sep 1775. Hannah is a spinster, so can't be mother of Livah and widowed between 1771 and 1775.
Berks / Oxon: Eltham, Annetts, Wiltshire (surname not county), Hawkins, Pembroke, Partridge
Dorset / Hants: Derham, Stride, Purkiss, Sibley
Yorkshire: Pottage, Carr, Blackburn, Depledge
Sussex: Goodyer, Christopher, Trevatt
Lanark: Scott (soldier went to Jersey CI)
Jersey: Fowler, Huelin, Scott

Online LizzieL

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Re: Gisleham and Spexhall. REYNOLDS.
« Reply #19 on: Wednesday 13 August 14 14:59 BST (UK) »
Familysearch has scans of the Hethersett register. Strangely I can't find anything close to "Livah" on 17th July, but there is one other possibility on 21st July 1771. Terrible writing!

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11565-55806-73?cc=1416598&wc=92B2-ZJJ:29714601,29365801,29830601

One entry up from bottom of right hand page.

Could be intended to be Leonora. And it looks like "Mary his wife" written under Thomas "Ranolds"
Berks / Oxon: Eltham, Annetts, Wiltshire (surname not county), Hawkins, Pembroke, Partridge
Dorset / Hants: Derham, Stride, Purkiss, Sibley
Yorkshire: Pottage, Carr, Blackburn, Depledge
Sussex: Goodyer, Christopher, Trevatt
Lanark: Scott (soldier went to Jersey CI)
Jersey: Fowler, Huelin, Scott

Offline davidjculley

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Re: Gisleham and Spexhall. REYNOLDS.
« Reply #20 on: Wednesday 13 August 14 16:03 BST (UK) »
It appears Leonora's death was not registered. I'd dismissed Livah as being a misreading of Livia or Lydia but I'll have another look. The next question is what relation Parson Meyer Reynolds was as I've found no trace of his baptism, which would be ca.1713/14. Many thanks for your persistence. Oh yes, Parson Metyer's will or extract from it are at National Archives. I'll have a look this evening.

Online LizzieL

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Re: Gisleham and Spexhall. REYNOLDS.
« Reply #21 on: Wednesday 13 August 14 17:03 BST (UK) »
If the rather illegible name in my reply#19 is Leonora, then it makes Jane, Leonora, Metyer (grocer) and Mary (married J Postons) all siblings and children of Thomas Reynolds and Mary nee Peters. Also a Hannah bapt to Thomas and Mary 17 Dec 1753 so the right age to be the one whose marriage J Postons witnessed. They all fit together. Thomas was bapt 9 Mar 1716, his father was also Thomas, no name for wife - a space left on the register for her name but not filled in later. (Seen that a lot - very sloppy record keeping).
But still not a real connection to Rev Metyer apart from his being the curate in the same parish for about 4 years. The rector at the time was John Berners, but he had a couple of other parishes concurrently so probably left a lot of the everyday things to Metyer. 
There are various internet references to Metyer being presented at Hethel and Bacton which were in the patronage of the Berneys and the Branthwaites. Sir Richard Berney married Dorothy Branthwaite of Hethel, so the familes were connected. Metyer was only 4 years a curate which seems quite short, so must have impressed the rector, who was probably related to the baronets.
Rev Metyer must have come from a family wealthy enough to send him to University to get his qualifications unless he had a wealthy benefactor. If the latter was the case, one possibility is he wasn't baptised Metyer but took the name of the benefactor, and it was perpetuated in other branches of the family.
Berks / Oxon: Eltham, Annetts, Wiltshire (surname not county), Hawkins, Pembroke, Partridge
Dorset / Hants: Derham, Stride, Purkiss, Sibley
Yorkshire: Pottage, Carr, Blackburn, Depledge
Sussex: Goodyer, Christopher, Trevatt
Lanark: Scott (soldier went to Jersey CI)
Jersey: Fowler, Huelin, Scott


Offline davidjculley

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Re: Gisleham and Spexhall. REYNOLDS.
« Reply #22 on: Wednesday 13 August 14 18:09 BST (UK) »
I can read leaoney. Well that's 4 syllables at least with the first 50% correct, but quite dyslexic. In view of other factors I think this is likely to be my 4x g grandmother so thanks!
I hadn't considered the possibility of an adopted name, as a mark of gratitude to a benefactor, in fact I didn't know it happened. The Metyer family of Salhouse and Woodbastwick were noted for charitable work...there still is a Metyer charity at Salhouse. Now did the Berneys or Branthwaites have an interest at Salhouse? Perhaps it was Metyer's skill as an organist at a young age which brought him to the notice of a benefactor. I'll investigate later but plan to watch some sport on TV tonight.

Offline davidjculley

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Re: Gisleham and Spexhall. REYNOLDS.
« Reply #23 on: Thursday 14 August 14 10:04 BST (UK) »
The will of Metyer Reynolds. In summary form, headed "Archdeaconry of Suffolk". National archives. Real and personal estate to be converted to money.
Executors John Browne of Trowse nr. Norwich and Rbt. Reeves of Lowestoft, gent.
Legacies: Sarah Downing £50 a year for life. (Notes suggest she was 45).
Executors £50 each
£400 for establishment in perpetuity of a school in Gisleham to teach 6 poor boys to read.
Residue to nephews and nieces, children of my brothers and sisters, share and share alike, and if deceased to their children.
Scribbled note: value £614 duty paid £36.17 which I take to be the total value of his estate. website suggests at least £64,000 today in purchasing power.

Trowse again. The children of nephews and nieces would be the right generation for the children of Thomas and Mary at Hethersett. Likely that rector Metyer had assisted his family during his life.

Online LizzieL

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Re: Gisleham and Spexhall. REYNOLDS.
« Reply #24 on: Thursday 14 August 14 10:24 BST (UK) »
From the summary, it looks a pretty straightforward will. I wonder why disputes went on for some years afterwards. But if he did not actually name the nephews and neices (or his siblings whose children they were), then there might be people left out when the estate was divvied up and who popped up later and went to court to get their share.
The National Archive has a reference to the case so presumably hold documents relating to it. It is titled John Lowden v Henry Denny Berners and others and A-G (Attorney General), date range 1831-36 - so would be around the same time as the London Gazette was advertising for the heirs of the nephews and nieces. I wonder who John Lowden was?

This is much more intersting than my OH's Spexhall ancestors!
Berks / Oxon: Eltham, Annetts, Wiltshire (surname not county), Hawkins, Pembroke, Partridge
Dorset / Hants: Derham, Stride, Purkiss, Sibley
Yorkshire: Pottage, Carr, Blackburn, Depledge
Sussex: Goodyer, Christopher, Trevatt
Lanark: Scott (soldier went to Jersey CI)
Jersey: Fowler, Huelin, Scott

Offline davidjculley

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Re: Gisleham and Spexhall. REYNOLDS.
« Reply #25 on: Thursday 14 August 14 13:11 BST (UK) »
Its a long winded process getting access to the document above. I'm waiting for an email estimate of the cost and then they post to me....if I think its value for money. My guess would be that any dispute relates to the £400 for the school which was certainly set up. Of course the newspaper ad suggests otherwise. I'll give that a look.

Online LizzieL

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Re: Gisleham and Spexhall. REYNOLDS.
« Reply #26 on: Thursday 14 August 14 13:41 BST (UK) »
National Archive have a reference to a case over the school.
Wood v Attorney General - ref TS 18 / 1023. The date is 1893 / 1894 so quite a lot later.
Berks / Oxon: Eltham, Annetts, Wiltshire (surname not county), Hawkins, Pembroke, Partridge
Dorset / Hants: Derham, Stride, Purkiss, Sibley
Yorkshire: Pottage, Carr, Blackburn, Depledge
Sussex: Goodyer, Christopher, Trevatt
Lanark: Scott (soldier went to Jersey CI)
Jersey: Fowler, Huelin, Scott