Baptism of Mary Harradine circa 1705 ...

[jbml]

... or other evidence of parentage?

I have a great x7 grandmother Mary Harradine, who married Richard Richardson in Potton on 29 March 1730. I have been unable to locate a baptism or find anything about her prior to her marriage (although so far I have only searched the registers for Potton itself).

The discussion on the other Harradine thread has made me wonder whether she was either one of the children of Richard Harradine, carpenter who were settled at Potton from Moggerhanger on 21 April 1701 (BLARS P64/13/1b/7), or a further child of Richard Harradine and his wife born subsequently.

Any further evidence to prove or disprove this speculation would be very handy ...

[bedfordshire boy]

....or she might have been the Mary Haraden baptised at Blunham on 20 Jun 1708, daughter of Matthew and Mary. Mogerhanger was a hamlet of Blunham. Unfortunately the Richardsons don't appear to have baptised a son Matthew though. But there's no burial of a Matthew in Blunham, but there is in Potton in 1744. Hmmmmmmm!

I was about to look at Blunham and Potton Harradines in any event in connection with the other thread, so this may be the job for the day! More later I hope

David

[jbml]

Many thanks, Beds Boy.

When you say "Unfortunately the Richardsons don't appear to have baptized a boy Matthew though", do you actually mean that the Haradens don't? The Richardsons were the family she married into?

(They then remained in Potton for another five generations: their son William Richardson, 1737 - 1802 who married Mary King was my great x6 grandfather; their son Richard Richardson, 1765 - 1849 who married Mary Holden was my great x5 grandfather; their son George Richardson, 1808 - 1888 who married Elizabeth Giddins was my great x4 grandfather; and their daughter Emma Richardson 1831 - 13.8.1899 was my great x3 grandmother. She entered service in the household of Murfin Blott (wonderful name, that ...) in the Huntingdonshire village of Great Staughton, and when my Great x3 grandfather James Hardwick (1821 - 13.1.1890) was widowed, leaving him with two young children, he married Emma Richardson in 1853. They had six children together, including my great x2 grandfather William Hardwick (b. 29.6.1860, d. after 1911) and they are both buried in the same grave in the centre of the old burial ground at Great Staughton with a rather impressive (and still largely legible) headstone.

[bedfordshire boy]

No, I really did mean Richardsons. If the traditional naming pattern had been followed the Richardsons' second son would have been named after Mary's father. If they had baptised a son Matthew Richardson it would have been good circumstantial evidence that Mary was the daughter of Matthew. I think she was, but I can't yet prove it!

I don't think Mary was an unbaptised daughter of the Richard who was the subject of the Settlement certificate and who died in 1716. He baptised a daughter Sarah in Potton in 1705 but I can't find any children who were baptised pre 1710  (yet! Haven't been through all the variations)

I'm adding this lot to my tree at http://trees.ancestry.co.uk/tree/51997169/person/26208852431  in the expectation that I'll link them to my 4xg grandmother Ann Harradine from Southill. If you can't get into it and would like to see my thoughts on them send me a personal message with your email and I'll send you an invitation.

It's not straightforward researching the Harradines as apart from the numerous spelling variations that look like Harradine there's also the Hardin(g) variation as well which isn't picked up by Soundex, which then has its own set of variations.

And I'm still trying to differentiate between Harding as a variation of Harradine, and Harding which was a name in its own right.

Still working on them.

David

[jbml]

Aha ... I understand the point now.

No, there was no Matthew Richardson.

Richard and Mary Richardson had five children, so far as I have been able to ascertain:

Richard Richardson (baptized 25 October 1730)
Mary Richardson (baptized 11 February 1732/3)
Hannah Richardson (baptized 23 March 1734/5)
William Richardson (baptized 8 January 1737/8)
Elizabeth Richardson (baptized 23 May 1740)

Richard Richardson the elder's will is at BLARS ABP/W1779/10. He was probably widowed in the 1750s. He made his will on 7 September 1768, but then lived another ten years. There is an interesting bequest to his daughter Mary of "the gold ring that was her Grandmother's to be delivered to her when she attains the age of twenty one years". There is no indication whether this was her paternal grandmother or her maternal grandmother that we're talking about ... but if it was her maternal (Harradine) grandmother's ring, then it is just possible that there may be a mention of it in other family documents which may help to show the link.

It's not much to go on, I know ... but every little piece of circumstantial evidence helps in this game, does it not?

(I have to say, though, that I suspect the ring had actually belonged to her paternal grandmother, because this was Hannah Richardson, nee Snitch ... and the Snitch Family was reasonably prosperous. Hannah Snitch was the sister of John Snitch, who founded the John Snitch Charity  - now part of the Potton Combined Charities - and who is commemorated on a slab on the wall of Potton church.)

[johnP-bedford]

There were two Mary Harradines marrying in Potton within 6 years. First was your one to Richard Richardson on 29 Mar 1730 & then the other to James Philips on 5 Oct 1736. Have you researched both families to differentiate these 2 Marys.

Also on 22 Sept 1737 a William Harradine married Mary Clavers. William & Mary baptised 2 children Matthew 19 Aug 1738 & Thomas 6 Apr 1740. Thomas, son of W & M was buried 17 Apr 1740 & Matthew Harradine buried 27 Apr 1744 but this does not say son of.. (**)  Mary wife of William was buried 25 Dec 1744 after which William Harradine/Harrowdine married Elizabeth Payne on 6 Oct 1749 although the transcript does not state that he was a widower. William & Elizabeth baptised son Thomas on 2 Sept 1750.   

** David, I see from your tree that you've claimed him to be husband of Eleanor Bradshaw who was buried in Blunham. Have you found any further reference to the Matthew son of Willam & Mary?

Cheers John

[bedfordshire boy]

Cat pigeons are words that spring to mind! Thanks for keeping me on the straight and narrow.

The tree is just a skeleton at the moment, and I'm adding names as I find them, taking them a son at a time. But there may be other people's bones mixed in there too! May have a chance this afternoon to work on them a bit more.

I'd missed Matthew son of William (actually I hadn't got as far as him), but it does tend to cast a doubt over my theory that the burial in Potton in 1744 was the one born in 1664 in Blunham (Matthias). Could equally have been the 6 year old (although many burials at that time were described as "s/d of xxx and yyyy" and this one wasn't, as you point out). I'm definitely a Matthew burial short. But on the other hand, if you believe in naming patterns, it tends to confirm that William in Potton was the one born in Blunham in 1694, son of Matthew.

And it seems as though I'm a Mary baptism short too. James and Mary Philips baptised three children in short order in Potton, so it doesn't seem as though Mary was an aged widow.

Spent half the morning at the dentist getting a bridge repaired, the other half at Leclerc and preparing lunch for the boy, and I'm running late. More in an hour (if the bridge survives. It may be A Bridge too Far!)

[bedfordshire boy]

Been looking at the Harradines in my tree and am surprised at how many of them I have. My 4xg grandmother from Southill, a 6xg grandmother in Southill whose name was Hardin but I'm now looking at her with fresh eyes, Harradines from Hinxworth Herts, Guilden Morden Cambs and Bourn Cambs. And none of them seem to link up. Now that winter's coming I might have to do a serious bit of research on them.

David

[johnP-bedford]

Morning..... you saying ''of Guilden Morden"  triggered this. Whilst at Beds Archives earlier this week I looked at the will of Thomas Harrodine, yeoman of Southill, ref ABP/W 1691/67. He most likely is the Thomas Harraden, weaver buried there on 13 Apr 1691.

The will dated 12 Apr 1690 says amongst a lot more "I give & bequeath to my grand-son John Harraden...../...to have when he attains the age of 21"   & also "... to my grand-daughter Elizabeth Harraden, not yet 21".  It then says if anything happens to these two then "...to go to my godson Thomas Harraden of Guildon Moordon in Cambs, son of Joseph Harradon.

Executors are daughter in law Margaret Harraden & good friend Thomas Inskip.

Thomas's wife Alice was buried 12 Dec 1687 at Southill.
Thomas Harrowden married Alice Cocks on 24 Sept 1650 at Southill.