Chester-le-Street Electoral Registers – Todd and Hinchcliffe

[craven481]

        I have the Will of my maternal great great grandfather, Joseph Todd (1821-1892) written in 1891 when he says “I hereby give and bequeath unto my sister Elizabeth Hinchliffe all my share and interest in the property situated at Chester le Street in the County of Durham for her sole use during her life….”
   In his widowed sister Elizabeth Hincliffe’s (1823-1894) Will of 1894 she doesn’t refer to the property except by saying “ my real and personal estate...”
   Joseph and Elizabeth’s father was another Joseph (circa 1788-1851) an excise officer who had lived in Cumberland, Westmorland, Yorkshire and Lancashire, dying in Manchester, but I have not been able to locate a will.  Neither have I found any direct link with Chester-le-Street.  Except that a possible near relative of Joseph’s, Thomas Todd (circa 1784-1847), another excise officer, married Ann Burrell in Chester-le-Street in 1812 – the groom of Shiney Row, Houghton-le-Spring and the bride of 'this Parish'.  Thomas died in Salford, Greater Manchester but again no trace of a will but his widow, in the 1851 census, describes herself as “proprietor of houses”.  Again no will.

I wondered if the voting registers for Chester-le-Street for the period my ancestors held property there would show Todds or Hiinchcliffes having a right to vote there but that their abode was in Manchester?  If so, are there registers on-line?

A long shot I know, but I would like to know more about the County Durham connection.  Thanks in anticipation.

[stanmapstone]

The Registers are available on findmypast. A free search gives a number of Todds 1891 +/- 2yrs.

Stan

[craven481]

Thanks Stan. 
I haven't got a subscription to FindMyPast but will look these up when I next visit my library.  Will let you know if I have any success.
Ken

[Tickettyboo]

        I have the Will of my maternal great great grandfather, Joseph Todd (1821-1892) written in 1891 when he says “I hereby give and bequeath unto my sister Elizabeth Hinchliffe all my share and interest in the property situated at Chester le Street in the County of Durham for her sole use during her life….”
   In his widowed sister Elizabeth Hincliffe’s (1823-1894) Will of 1894 she doesn’t refer to the property except by saying “ my real and personal estate...”

As I understand it, the wording of the bequest means that she would get an income from his share of this property - but only during her lifetime.
If his will didn't specify what was to happen to the share and interest after her death, it would have been part of his residual estate and been dealt with by his executors according to the terms of his will.

Which is likely to be why there is no mention of it in her will. It wasn't hers to dispose of.

Boo
 

[Tickettyboo]

Though I haven't looked exhaustively, the only "ownership voter" I can see with a surname of Todd  appears 1885-1892 as a David Todd who qualified to vote as he had  'copyhold houses' at Chester le Street (to poll at Gateshead) His abode was listed in the C-l-s section as Blackpool and I checked in Gateshead and the full address was 8 Cromwell Tce, Whitegate Lane, Blackpool. 

Not Manchester but maybe a cousin or some relation that your man invested with?

Boo

[craven481]

Boo

Thanks for your two comments.  In her Will Elizabeth goes  on to ask her executors to sell her real estate as soon as possible after her demise so I was really looking for the house before she inherited her share off her brother Joseph

I've checked my tree and have no David Todd listed as a relative - yet!


I'm hoping to visit the library next week so will see if I can find anything on FindMyPast.  Meanwhile, thanks again for your input.


Ken

[craven481]

Spent an hour in the library searching the Electoral Registers and the only Todd I found who could vote in Chester-Le-Street (1885 and 1887) but who didn't live there was David (mentioned above) who lived in Blackpool and was able to vote in Gateshead because he had copyhold houses in Chester-Le-Street.

I then spent several hours investigating this David and found he was baptised at St Andrews, Penrith, in 1819 and came from Eamont Bridge, Penrith.  On the three censuses 1891-1911 he was in Blackpool as a retired Postmaster, and 1861-1881 he held this position in Chester-Le-Street.  In 1861 his widowed mother, Ann Todd, described herself as "Proprietor of houses" - so owning property goes back beyond David.

I'll keep all this on file as one day it might tie in with my Todds, who also came from Cumberland.