Gurney in Clophill

[nja53]

Hi, I'm looking for James Gurney, born roughly 1790-1800 in 'Sturtly', Bedfordshire. That's based on military records (b 1791) and age at death (60 in 1860). I suspect that the birth date was not totally accurate and that Sturtly is probably Streatley.

The nearest I can find online is James Ancell or Gurney baptised Clophill on 27th May 1798 with mother's name Sarah.  Clophill is close enough geographically to be a 'probable hit'. If anyone has access to the records I'd appreciate clarification/any further details of the entry and I'm open to suggestions about the two possible surnames. Might James be illegitimate and both parental surnames given or was this common practice at the time?

Many thanks, Nick

[LizzieL]

Is he the James Gurney who died in Devon and was on the 1851 census with wife Hannah and several children?
It looks like Smedley as birthplace on the census and his age is given as 57 so birth approx 1794.

[nja53]

That's him. Died 1860 - aged 60 - in Devonport (Plymouth) a Chelsea Pensioner (in the general sense) so ex-military.

But I can't find a Smedley either.

[LizzieL]

Military records give his year of birth as 1791 / 2 depending whether you look at age at attestation or age at discharge, and that could depend whether he had had his birthday in the year concerned. The age on the 1851 census calculates as 1793, but could be late 1792. I am always suspicious of age at death as a round number and would consider that least reliable. Hannah may have thought he was a bit younger (if she was informant) as there is quite an age difference. There is a baptism for a james Gurney in Apsley Guise on 12 Jun 1794 (Freereg), but I suspect this may be the James who appears on the 1851 census in Husborne Crawley as that is near Apsley Guise.

[nja53]

Death reported by daughter Thurza/Thursa/Thirza but I guess the same applies. And it was January 1860 so that might also confuse.

[LizzieL]

There is a record for bedford gaol.
james Gurney of Clophill getting 3 months sentence Dec 1809 to march 1810, unfortunately no age given
http://apps.bedfordshire.gov.uk/grd/detail.aspx?id=37049

[nja53]

That's interesting.  And as a labourer - which he appears to have been later in life. I'm guessing as he was in Exeter and then down to Plymouth that he may have been involved with the G.W.R. as a railway navvy.

[nja53]

And also that points towards the Gurney as being likely in the baptism entry

[LizzieL]

but didn't he attest for the army on the Isle of Wight? Just a few years after the Clophill James was in prison for debt. Clophill is quite a rural village, I would think most labourers there were of the agricultural type.
Many of those joining the army did so because they would have food, clothing and accommodation and regular pay, so was often better prospects than just being a labourer.