Author Topic: 'The Rock' - a location near St Martins COMPLETED  (Read 9454 times)

Offline Lins_Australia

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'The Rock' - a location near St Martins COMPLETED
« on: Friday 29 August 14 01:16 BST (UK) »
A number of parish records (1760s for example) for St Martins, gives the family abode as being 'The Rock'.
I cant find any modern equivalent to a locality near St Martins that would have housed families, other than a place called The Rock Farm.
Somebody with some local knowledge who might know something more of this place ?
Thanks . . . Lindsay

Offline Kay99

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Offline Gadget

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Re: 'The Rock' - a location near St Martins
« Reply #2 on: Friday 29 August 14 08:20 BST (UK) »
Hi

I grew up not far from The Rock and many of my ancestors lived close by on the Welsh side.  This map might help you pinpoint it:

 http://www.rootschat.com/links/019qa/

It's to the North of St Martins,  East of Chirk and South of Ruabon.  The ground slopes steeply to the Rivers Ceiriog and Dee, hence The Rock.  As far as I can remember , the whole of that area was called The Rock. Some people were referred to by their first name and the Rock - e.g. John The Rock, etc.

I've got a book on the history of St Martins somewhere and will look it up to see if it mentions more about it.


Gadget


PS - a small photo that I took a few years ago of the Ceiriog from just below The Rock
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Offline Lins_Australia

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Re: 'The Rock' - a location near St Martins COMPLETED
« Reply #3 on: Friday 29 August 14 08:40 BST (UK) »
Thanks Kay & Gadget - I knew about Rock Farm, and if it is the only place near St Martins that can claim the title - then that answers my question.
With families from 'The Rock' in the St Martins parish records having occupations Collier / Taylor / Weaver / Mason - I assumed that 'The Rock' was a residential area.
When you look at Rock Farm on the map - it is a bit remote from more populated areas.
(Or perhaps not so in that era.)
The main bread winner of these families is not engaged in farming.
Multiple families living 'of The Rock' in the same period (mid 1700s).
(Which ties in with the fact that the property was rented out from 1719.  Multiple tennants ?).
Perhaps there were enough buildings at the farm site or nearby to allow them to all claim the address 'of The Rock'.
And I suspect these families were using both St Martins and Dudleston churches.
Which makes sense given about equal distances from Rock Farm.
(And the EDWARDS ancestry re Great Farm / Rock Farm memorial in Dudleston church).
The current main Rock Farm house was built abt 1792 - so the families I have been researching were living in this locale prior to that date.  Rock Farm has taken its name from the area - known as The Rock, it would seem.  Rock Farm had been previously known as Great Farm.
I was able to view the Restoration Home episode on YouTube.
My interest has been looking into the PARRY families of the area, including Samuel Parry (Mason).
Lindsay


Offline Gadget

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Re: 'The Rock' - a location near St Martins COMPLETED
« Reply #4 on: Friday 29 August 14 08:53 BST (UK) »
Hi Lindsay - my Parrys were at Pontyblew and the surrounding area :)

There was once a coal mine at Coed yr Allt and at Black park (some of my ancestors worked there). Both within walking distance of The Rock. The St Martins one- Ifton - was sunk later.

Gadget
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Offline Lins_Australia

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Re: 'The Rock' - a location near St Martins COMPLETED
« Reply #5 on: Friday 29 August 14 09:17 BST (UK) »
Thank you Gadget
My 'brick wall' for the past six years, has been trying to find my Richard Parry (Joiner) who married Mary Davies at Ellesmere in 1792.  Both OTP.
Mary Davies was of Eastwick (1771 - baptised Ellesmere).
Richard and Mary had 5 children baptised at Ellesmere(1793 - 1801), and a further 6 children  in Chester (1803-17).
Richard named his first two sons - Samuel and John.
Thus my interest in Samuel Parry - of 'The Rock'.  (No obvious son Richard Parry can I find).
With some Shropshire records now at FindMyPast, I came across the burials (1836 and 1838 at Dudleston) of a Richard Parry aged 67 (burial 1836) of Criftins, and a Mary Parry aged 67 (burial 1838) of Eastwick.
It had never occurred to me that they might end up back in their original Shropshire surrounds.
Thus my interest in knowing more of this area.
Thanks for your interest : Lindsay

Offline Gadget

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Re: 'The Rock' - a location near St Martins COMPLETED
« Reply #6 on: Friday 29 August 14 09:25 BST (UK) »
Have you checked the PR records for Chirk, Ruabon, Erbistock, Overton etc. for any of your Parrys. I ask because the parishes were so close together and my families used all of them at one time and another. My great grandparents, who lived at Ponyblew (in Chirk parish) were married at Rhosymedre as it was closer. I have many other instances. 

I probably cycled and walked around all of the lanes in the area in my youth  ;D

This is the book that I referred to:

http://bridgebooks.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=56

Do you have access to a copy?

I also have the one that he wrote about Chirk.


Gadget
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Offline Totnor

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Re: 'The Rock' - a location near St Martins COMPLETED
« Reply #7 on: Friday 29 August 14 09:39 BST (UK) »
Dear Lindsay,
if you are talking about "The Rock" in Shropshire, there is/was an area near Lawley called that. My grandparents lived there at one point. The road is still in existence, but a greatly changed area.
Although I realise you may have already solved your problem. But if you need more help, let me know!
Annie

Offline Gadget

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Re: 'The Rock' - a location near St Martins COMPLETED
« Reply #8 on: Friday 29 August 14 09:58 BST (UK) »
Hi Annie

Just to say that Lawley is in Telord area, while Lindsay's Rock is in  St Martins parish - on the NW border with Denbighshire


Gadget
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