Gurney in Clophill

[nja53]

Being in debtor's prison that young seems unlikely - although the baptism may not have been as a baby.  Shame there isn't an age - and that does assume that it would be for debt and not for another offence with nowhere else to be put. Unlikely I know.

Yes on the IOW,  discharged aged 42. If there was very little at home then I guess the army was a good option The 89th Foot were at various stages in Ireland - and also in Devonport in 1831. He married Hannah there in 1833 - Thurza was born in Ireland in 1834.  I recall it wasn't unusual for soldier's wives to go with them.

[johnP-bedford]

Clophill PR burial
29 Aug 1798 James Gurney son of Sarah Ancel/Ansell

So not the  Clophill baptism

[LizzieL]

Clophill PR burial
29 Aug 1798 James Gurney son of Sarah Ancel/Ansell

So not the  Clophill baptism

And not the one who was in Bedford gaol either. maybe he was the father of this infant.

[LizzieL]

There are a couple of threads on british-genealogy about this family from about 7 years ago. One poster mentioned that James signed X on his marriage record, so he would be unable to spell his place of birth and would rely on someone writing it for him. The army record would probably be written by a clerk phonetically from what James told him. The census details would first be written on the householders form by someone and then transcribed by the enumerator, so two opportunities for misspellings. In both cases, James was far away from Bedfordshire so the person writing the place name for him is unlikely to actually know it.
As well as Streatley being a possibility, there is also Stewartby. I've also found one reference to a Sturtley End near Ravensden. But this might just be a house or farm.

http://www.archaeologyuk.org/cbasm/index_htm_files/VOLUME%2006.PDF
Long document - press control F to get a search box

[nja53]

Thank you both for your help. That certainly stops the Clophill one. I'll follow up those alternatives. I guess I'm relying a lot on the 'Bedfordshire' entry.  Maybe I can find out more of the history of the 89th foot - it certainly seems a long way to go to the IoW to enlist.

[bedfordshire boy]

Knew this rang a bell! I got involved in the same query four years ago at https://www.british-genealogy.com/archive/index.php/t-70860.html?s=d21bdf89e31567fbd690c554bca1b1f0  We went over the same ground without reaching any conclusion!

Sturtly and Smedley aren't Beds place names and I'm not thrilled about them being a phonetic Streatley as there are no Gurney events there anyway. I've been through my list of Beds parishes and hamlets and there's nothing else that looks to be a possibility. John has just ruled out Clophill, which I never fancied, and Lizzie thinks the Aspley (Not Apsley) Guise baptism is the James in Husborne Crawley in 1851, with which I concur.

Which leaves us precisely nowhere.

David

PS I've crossed in cyberspace with Lizzie's post, so I'll add my comments as a PS. It wouldn't be Stewartby which wasn't built until the 20th century for London Brick Company workers and was named after the Stewart family who bought LBC in 1920. Sturtley End must be a possibility, and whilst there are no Gurneys in Ravensden there are in nearby Renhold, so I wouldn't rule it out.

[nja53]

Gosh I had forgotten about that David! Hadn't realised it was so long ago that I was going round that side of the family.  Many thanks.