Author Topic: Wightmans of Framlingham (and Websters)  (Read 2563 times)

Offline Rezillo

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Wightmans of Framlingham (and Websters)
« on: Monday 29 February 16 09:58 GMT (UK) »
In an old (2007) Rootschat thread, there was a reference to someone researching the Framlingham Wightmans. Does anyone have any current contact details for such a person, please?

I'm currently at an impasse with a Deborah Wightman of Framlingham, who has only an 'age at death' reference to her birth date (that I suspect was guessed) and no marriage record found so far. She is wrongly identified as Deborah Last by Ancestry members.

Edmund Webster and Deborah Wightman (aka Whiteman/Wighting/Whiting, according to the print version of the Suffolk Baptism Index for their children in the SRO) brought up a family at Framlingham in the late 18th/early 19thC. They appear to have been poor, with at least one child apprenticed by the parish guardians to a Framlingham carrier - interestingly, a Samuel Wightman. Deborah's 1833 funeral appears to have been billed to the parish guardians and their gravestone in the churchyard there appears to be of a standard beyond their means, perhaps paid for by the parish.

I'm equally at an impasse with Edmund, other than knowing he was a bellringer, assumed at Framlingham church, since 1784. There's an illegible verse about his bellringing on his gravestone but I know what it was originally, as it was transcribed in an 1882 newspaper article!

Offline The Yokel

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Re: Wightmans of Framlingham (and Websters)
« Reply #1 on: Monday 29 February 16 14:31 GMT (UK) »

Offline Annette7

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Re: Wightmans of Framlingham (and Websters)
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 01 March 16 02:26 GMT (UK) »
As marriage hasn't been found just wondering how you know her name was Wightman.

Annette
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Suffolk - Grist, Knights, Bullenthorpe, Watcham
Scotland - Spence, Horne, Cowan, Moffat
London -  Monk

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Offline Rezillo

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Re: Wightmans of Framlingham (and Websters)
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 01 March 16 08:50 GMT (UK) »
Her maiden name is in the SRO/SFHS print version of the baptism records of her children, with various spellings, as per my original post. "Son of Edmund and Deborah Webster, late Wightman" etc. Wightman\Whiteman is the most consistent of them. I'm going to look at the fiches later to see just what the spellings look like.

The  Findmypast index for the same births does not have the mother's maiden name and it looks like people have been searching elsewhere for year matches. Someone in Ancestry has assigned a Deborah Last whose baptism date is, to the day, the same as a Deborah Last of Aldeburgh (who appears to marry, not checked, a John Broom in 1778 at Aldeburgh). This has then been copied to other trees - the usual Ancestry problem. One of Edmund and Deborah Webster's sons, who dies at Thornham Magna, is on most Ancestry trees as dying in Cheshire!

I've found out in the last few days that one Webster family line has an anecdote of their grandfather being told as a child that they were descended from Whitemans of Framlingham but they had no knowledge of when or who this ancestor was. One of Deborah's children is apprenticed to a carter, Samuel Wightman, possibly related but that may be coincidence as it is the parish guardians who do this, on the grounds the Webster family cannot support him


Offline Annette7

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Re: Wightmans of Framlingham (and Websters)
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 01 March 16 13:31 GMT (UK) »
Thank you for explaining, Rezillo.  I know exactly what you mean re. Ancestry trees.   

Hope you manage to unravel it all.

Annette
Scopes (One-Name Study - Worldwide)
Suffolk - Grist, Knights, Bullenthorpe, Watcham
Scotland - Spence, Horne, Cowan, Moffat
London -  Monk

Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.   Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.   Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Rezillo

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Re: Wightmans of Framlingham (and Websters)
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 17 April 16 23:26 BST (UK) »
Having checked the microfiche records, Deborah's maiden name in her childrens birth records is various spellings of Whiting, Whiteman and Wightman. There are clear links between the children with her as Wightman and Whiting while married to Edmund Webster so I'm reasonably confident that they are all the same person, especially imagining how Whiting might sound in a broad Suffolk accent!

The earliest children are with her as Whiting. I've found a marriage record online for Deborah Whiting and Edward Webster of Framlingham at Athelington in 1784. This sounds quite promising if Edward is a transcription error for Edmund - I'll have to check at SRO.

Offline Dulverton

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Re: Wightmans of Framlingham (and Websters)
« Reply #6 on: Saturday 15 February 20 12:04 GMT (UK) »
1.  Edward WEBSTER was born in 1755. He died in Jun 1834 at the age of 79 in Framlingham, Suffolk. He was buried on 15 Jun 1834 in St Michael Churchyard, Framlingham, Suffolk.

Edward WEBSTER and Deborah WHITING were married on 24 Feb 1784 in St Peter, Athelington, Suffolk. Edmund was recorded in the marriage register as "of Framlingham"
Marriage witnessed by Joseph Sadd & Elizabeth Styles Deborah WHITING was born in 1754. She died in Nov 1833 at the age of 79 in Framlingham, Suffolk. She was buried on 28 Nov 1833 in St Michael Churchyard, Framlingham, Suffolk.

Edward WEBSTER and Deborah WHITING had the following children:

   +2   i.   Edmund WEBSTER, born Jul 1787, Framlingham, Suffolk; married Elizabeth PEAK, 13 Oct 1808, St Michael, Framlingham, Suffolk; died Sep 1839, Framlingham, Suffolk.
   +3   ii.   Joshua WEBSTER, born May 1790, Framlingham, Suffolk; married Hannah SMITH, 4 Dec 1836, St Michael, Framlingham, Suffolk.
   +4   iii.   Jesse WEBSTER, born Dec 1791, Framlingham, Suffolk; married Martha KEMP, 30 May 1817, St Michael, Framlingham, Suffolk; died Aug 1869, Framlingham, Suffolk.
   5   iv.   Michael WEBSTER was born in Dec 1793 in Framlingham, Suffolk. He was baptized on 28 Dec 1793 in St Michael, Framlingham, Suffolk.
   +6   v.   Elizabeth WEBSTER, born Apr 1796, Framlingham, Suffolk; married John PIERCE or PURSE, 21 Aug 1817, St Mary, Dennington, Suffolk.
   7   vi.   Abraham WEBSTER was born in Apr 1798 in Framlingham, Suffolk. He was baptized on 1 Apr 1798 in St Michael, Framlingham, Suffolk. He died in Aug 1798 at the age of 0 in Framlingham, Suffolk.
   +8   vii.   Samuel WEBSTER, born Aug 1799, Framlingham, Suffolk; married Lucy CREASEY, 16 Apr 1823, St Mary, Framsden, Suffolk.
   +9   viii.   Isaac WEBSTER, born Aug 1803, Framlingham, Suffolk; married Elizabeth COOK, 6 Jul 1823, St Michael, Framlingham, Suffolk; died Mar 1897, Wayland Registration District, Norfolk.

Offline Rezillo

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Re: Wightmans of Framlingham (and Websters)
« Reply #7 on: Saturday 15 February 20 13:09 GMT (UK) »
There's also an earlier Elizabeth Webster b1785 at Stradbroke (up the road from Athelington), parents Edward and Deborah. She may have died at Framlingham in 1789.

Deborah's birth year is a problem as she would have been 50 when she gave birth to her last child. I suspect her age at death was largely a guess.

Edmund and Deborahs's gravestone is right by the main entrance to Framlingham churchyard. It is quite a substantial one and an inscription area is worn off but fortunately it was recorded in a 19thC newspaper article. It was a verse about Edmund being a bellringer at the church. I left a copy of this article in the church's grave index book a couple of years ago but I don't know if it is still there.

The church paid for Deborah's funeral (the bill is in the SRO) and presumably paid for the gravestone, as it is evident the couple were poor. The church also sorted out several apprenticeships for their children, again these are in the SRO.

Samuel's brother Joshua was apprenticed to a shoemaker at Framsden who had an issue with residence rights there. Joshua then had to apply for settlement rights at Framlingham in 1811 and in 1834 a Joshua Webster was jailed for causing a disturbance at the poor house (in the castle). Samuel went to Framsden, though, before dying at Thornham Magna in 1857 as a 'miller of Thornham and Framsden'. He founded a kind of milling dynasty with sons as millers at Framsden, Pattiswick and High Easter.

Jesse - lived in Framlingham but died in 1839. He was still indentured after his marriage.

Joshua - got stuck with him, with little found after his poor house antics.

Michael - a blacksmith at South Weald. joined in 1851 census by brother Samuel's son Michael, with some interesting spellings of Framlingham!

Elizabeth - farmer's wife at Dennington

Abraham - infant death

Isaac - lived in Framlingham but moved late in life to Sussex to daughter Emma's family.

There is a Webster family story that Sam Webster b1877 was told by his father that they were descended from Whitemans.

Offline Dulverton

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Re: Wightman & Webster of Framlingham
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 15 February 20 14:03 GMT (UK) »
Many of the Wightman family worked over the ages as shoemakers, cobblers & cordwainers too?
I believe that the youngest child born to Edmund & Deborah Wester was Isaac born in1803?
I also believe that the Wightman family from Cretingham & Dennington were well known campanologists before WW2