Help to Find Rayward Ancestors

[jonw65]

Hi Jonw65
Do you think this could be the same Matthew Cooke, book binding for Queen Adelaide?

Hi
It looks as though it must be. Very exciting find! He was also doing work for the council in Brighton.
The strange thing is that by 1851 Matthew is a working as a post office clerk.
He must have been having periodical money difficulties, and the Sussex Advertiser of 11 Dec 1837 has a mention of him being an insolvent, and being arrested for a debt!
There are quite a few bits about him in the Brighton papers down the years, including the sudden death of a brother, and a story about a letter from another brother, John T Clarke, that had arrived from Australia.

He says that he was born in Oxford Street, London, and there is a baptism at St George Hanover Square, 3 June 1804 of Matthew Cooke, son of Nathaniel and Mary. The parents later went to Brighton?

When he died in 1893, Matthew left a will, they have just reduced the price of these to £1.50, to general amazement and an apparent surge in demand (possibly causing delays!)
https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=cooke&yearOfDeath=1893&page=3#calendar

John

[jonw65]

This is the list of relatives that are my direct ancestors, fingers crossed they are correct. At least from the Australian side Charles Howard and Ernest Howard I should be spot on.

I'll have a look through it, I'm sure solidrock will as well, but you should be all right from James and Frances onwards. The unusual surname will be a help of course.

The big problem is that there is no certain sighting of James or his possible family before his marriage in Poynings. And yet he says three times in the census that he was born in Sussex!
There were some Raywards, sometimes Raward, in Brighton, that I am sure you will have seen. I think the one or two of the older males among them say they were born in London. One of those was also called James, so it's hard at the moment to see where any link might be (if there is one at all)

[jonw65]

Mother:   Elizabeth Roberts  (I have her parents as John Roberts and Mary ? Borrer) which I think I have totally incorrect, I got these from Ancestry. But I can't see how the connections of a wealthy family would allow a member to marry a lower class.

I think that you were right to doubt those ancestry trees.
I don't normally look at them at all (honestly!) but in desperation looked up Elizabeth, daughter of John Pelham Roberts and his (second) wife Mary nee Borrer.

Someone else says that she married Frederick William Griffiths. And this looks quite likely to me.
The marriage was at New Shoreham, 1 August 1832, by licence.
Witnessed by W Borrer, John L Roberts, Anne Roberts.
Image of PR here
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DBTW-JZV?i=558

and for good measure, the BT
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6L6S-276?i=108&cat=1022070 
 
I think the witness John L will be John Lindfield Roberts, the brother of Elizabeth from Hurstpierpoint. John became a clergyman.
It appears that Elizabeth Griffiths, wife of Frederick William, died in Islington in 1843, at the age of just 33.

So I think it's back to Ringmer for the right Elizabeth Roberts!
John

[ozzieconxtion]

Hi Jonw65
I'll look up my note book when I get a chance later today. If this is the correct Matthew COOKE, I  believe I found mentioned somewhere him getting a reference of sorts from a LORD ? To work in the Post Office. I think I wrote down the Lord's name.
Very excited if he worked for a Queen😃

[solidrock]

Going through you list slowly and your grand fathers linage checks out ok. Just a couple of add on's that you may not have...

William Clement Rayward previous marriage to  Ann Whanmer Rapley
Jul-Aug-Sep  1845.   Volume: 7   Page: 561   Affiliate Line Number: 117

Thomas Nathan Rayward  second marriage to  Florence Elizabeth Dixon   
    
Apr-May-Jun  1896  Greenwich, London.   Volume: 1D   Page: 1584   Affiliate Line Number: 95

[solidrock]

Re.  Henrie Hampston Rayward married to Jane Payne.
He was baptised Henry Amton Rayward
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-D1D4-M1?i=218
His death is Henrie Hampton Rayward.

[solidrock]

Do you think this could be the same Matthew Cooke, book binding for Queen Adelaide?

He could well be by appointment bookbinder to Queen Adelaide.

Cooke Matthew, Steyne Lane, Brighton - bookbinder.
In the picture of The Steyne you can see the Royal Pavillion in the background so he would have been close by.
He was made insolvent in 1838.

[solidrock]

Looks like King William IV. was living in the Royal Pavilion around the time of Matthew.

However, the Royal Pavilion’s accommodation was not suitable for a married sovereign and extra room had to be found for Queen Adelaide’s extensive household.

The tennis courts planned as part of Porden’s original scheme were never developed; instead, extra stabling for Queen Adelaide had been created on the site in the 1830s.

Queen Adelaide was married to King William IV.  Married on 11 July 1818, at Kew Palace in Surrey.

[ozzieconxtion]

Wow Solidrock and Jonw65 you both Amaze me!
You are the Family Research Gurus....
The information you can find, I'm blown away!

RE :- Matthew Cooke, I haven't got my main note book, but I did find a scribble of the name - Lord Afred Harvey, as giving Matthew like a letter of recommendation on being a Post office worker. But no other info on this little book. And for the life of me I can't remember the website either, I think I assumed it wasn't my Matthew Cooke.

And I think you are Correct Jonw65 in thinking that Elizabeth Roberts is not John Pelham Roberts Daughter only because when you go back into his Family history, you find Henry Pelham the Prime Minister. My family would be running in different circles altogether, but in saying that if Matthew Cooke indeed worked for the Queen....anything could be possible I guess!
So Ringmer it is.