Author Topic: William BIGHAM baptism Llanishen please  (Read 619 times)

Offline adamjack

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William BIGHAM baptism Llanishen please
« on: Friday 08 May 20 13:53 BST (UK) »
Hello
Is anyone able to search for a baptism in Llanishen please? It is for William Bigham who married on 20 Feb 1776 in Christchurch, Monmouthshire (Freereg lists the marriage place as Cwmcarvan where his wife Frances Edmonds was from) and he was listed as being of Llanishen. Their first two children were also baptised in Llanishen.  Thank you  :)

Offline osprey

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Re: William BIGHAM baptism Llanishen please
« Reply #1 on: Friday 08 May 20 16:40 BST (UK) »
details from marriage register 20 Feb 1776 William Bigham of Llanishen & Frances Edmonds otp by licence. Witnesses John Edmonds & Mary Palmer. All signed. NLW has a copy of the bond, William noted as yeoman of Llanishen. There's a Robert & Mary baptising children nearby around the right time
Robert 2 May 1744 in Llangwm
11 May 1746 in Newchurch FreeReg have this as John, looks like Benjamin on the register  :-\
Richard 10 Sept 1751 in Llanishen
Thomas 16 June 1754 in Llanishen
Jonas 2 Nov 1758 in Llanishen
there are gaps that could allow for a William but not showing up in online records so far.
Cornwall: Allen, Bevan, Bosisto, Carnpezzack, Donithorn, Huddy, James, Retallack, Russell, Vincent, Yeoman
Cards: Thomas (Llanbadarn Fawr)
Glam: Bowler, Cram, Galloway, James, Thomas, Watkins
Lincs: Coupland, Cram
Mon: Cram, Gwyn, John, Philpot, Smart, Watkins
Pembs: Edwards (St. Dogmael's)
Yorks: Airey, Bowler, Elliott, Hare, Hewitt, Kellett, Kemp, Stephenson, Tebb

Offline adamjack

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Re: William BIGHAM baptism Llanishen please
« Reply #2 on: Friday 08 May 20 16:43 BST (UK) »
Hi osprey
Thank you for checking the marriage register details and finding a possible family for William. Will have to explore this further.

Offline adamjack

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Re: William BIGHAM baptism Llanishen please
« Reply #3 on: Monday 11 May 20 10:41 BST (UK) »
Hello osprey

Going back to the possible family of my ancestor William Bigham who married in Llanishen in 1776 -

His son William (bapt. 26 Dec 1776 Llanishen) married an Ann Bigham on 30 Mar 1809 in Bristol. I found them on the 1851 census which lists Ann's birth place as Llansoy and I found her death in 1854 which lists her age as 66, making a rough year of birth as 1788, which corresponds quite well with the age listed for her on the census. I then found what I am quite certain is her baptism on 23 Dec 1789 in Llansoy, daughter of Robert and Sarah. I also found baptisms of four older siblings.

Her parents Robert and Sarah nee Cadogan married on 19 June 1771 in Llansoy. Robert was listed as being a bachelor of Llanishen. This ties in with him being the Robert Bigham whose baptism you found on 2 May 1744 in Llangwm, son of Robert and Mary, who you found later also had sons baptised in Llanishen. I also found Robert and Mary's marriage - Robert Bigham and Mary Williams on 2 June 1742 in Llangwm. Robert was listed as being of Newchurch, as he was on their son Robert's baptism (and the baptism of their next son John/Benjamin in 1746 was in Newchurch). 

I believe Robert and Mary Bigham nee Williams may have also been the parents of my William Bigham, as you also mentioned the possibility of in your message. Their son Richard baptised in 1751 in Llanishen is probably the Richard Bigham, bachelor of Llanishen who married Elizabeth Lawrence, widow of Llangoven by licence on 18 Dec 1773 at Llangoven and had at least two children baptised in Llangoven.

They may also have been the parents of the John Bigham, bachelor who married Elizabeth Walters, spinster by banns on 4 May 1775 in Llanishen, both of Llanishen. Robert and Mary's son baptised on 11 May 1746 in Newchurch may have been named John as stated on Freereg. Or he may have been named Benjamin as you said it looks like on the register.

I viewed an image of the register on Findmypast and it looks like the edge of one page overlaps another page, so parts of names, including John/Benjamin's name, were cut off. So, on the left hand edge of one page you can read the letters am, and then on the overlapping page the entry continues as "in the son of Robert Bigham was baptised the eleventh day (of) May (the word 'of' is also cut off). So the only part of the name visible is amin, which makes it look like it was Benjamin. However, I haven't found a marriage or burial of a Benjamin Bigham yet, but maybe he died young. If he was named John instead then he could be the John who married Elizabeth Walters.

They had three children (John, Ann and William) baptised in Llangoven in 1776, 1780 and 1783, but there were also children of a John Bigham named William and Elizabeth baptised in Llangovan in 1774 and 1775 respectively, however I am thinking their father must have been a different John Bigham, as the daughter Elizabeth was baptised on 24 Apr 1775, less than two weeks before the marriage of John Bigham and Elizabeth Walters in Llanishen. And the William baptised in 1774 had the same name as William baptised in 1783, however I have not found a burial for the first William before the second William's baptism date.

Just need to connect my William Bigham and possibly also John Bigham as sons of Robert and Mary or find out if William and/or John were sons of another Bigham couple. Robert and Mary's son Robert's baptism date was 23 months after their marriage date, so they could have had another child born before him. Maybe that child was William or John. As you say, there were also gaps between the births/baptisms of John/Benjamin in 1746 and Richard in 1751 and between Thomas in 1754 and Jonas in 1758, even possibly between Richard in 1751 and Thomas in 1754 also.


Offline adamjack

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Re: William BIGHAM baptism Llanishen please
« Reply #4 on: Monday 11 May 20 10:59 BST (UK) »
I searched Familysearch for a baptism of the Robert Bigham who married in 1742 and it showed two possible baptisms but they took place in Scotland. Not sure how common it was for people to relocate from Scotland to Wales in the first half of the 18th century? They were -

Robert Biggom, bapt. 17 Apr 1715, Fossoway and Tulliebole, Kinross-shire, son of David;

Robert Bigham, bapt. 8 Jul 1718, Canongate, Edinburgh, son of Robert & Elizabeth nee Hutcheson.

The only other baptisms took place too late - Robert Bigom, 1 Apr 1729, Dull, Perthshire, son of Donald & Katrin nee Boyd; Robert Bigham, 10 Dec 1728, Stepney, London, son of Robert & Elizabeth.

Offline adamjack

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Re: William BIGHAM baptism Llanishen please
« Reply #5 on: Monday 11 May 20 11:00 BST (UK) »
I meant to say I searched Findmypast not Familysearch

Offline adamjack

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Re: William BIGHAM baptism Llanishen please
« Reply #6 on: Monday 11 May 20 12:34 BST (UK) »
Ancestry also has the name of Robert Bigham's son baptised in 1746 in Newchurch as John.

Offline adamjack

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Re: William BIGHAM baptism Llanishen please
« Reply #7 on: Monday 11 May 20 14:46 BST (UK) »
I just found the will of Robert Bigham (bapt. 1744 Llangwm), farmer of Llansoy, dated 17 Jul 1809 and proved 4 May 1813, on the National Library of Wales website. And one of the trustees he appointed was his brother John Bigham of Llangovan! So, that proves that the name of Robert's brother baptised on 11 May 1746 in Newchurch was John. Unless John was another brother baptised at a different time and the brother baptised in 1746 in Newchurch was named Benjamin.

I have also found the will of John Bigham of Llangoven, written 8 Sep 1811 and proved 10 Mar 1812, it mentions his children and grandchildren; and the will of my ancestor (and probable brother of Robert and John Bigham) William Bigham which mentions his second wife and his children including his daughter/my ancestor listed by her correct married name. His will was written in Jun 1812, the same month he was buried (buried 16 June 1812) and proved 13 Oct 1812.

Also found the will of Thomas Bigham the elder of Tintern Abbey, Chapel Hill, Monmouthshire, dated 10 May 1834 and proved 15 Jul 1835 (he died 3 June 1835). It mentions sons Jonas and Thomas. I haven't confirmed if this Thomas Bigham the elder was the Thomas Bigham baptised in 1754 in Llanishen, son of Robert and Mary and brother of Robert etc listed above, or another Thomas Bigham.

Offline osprey

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Re: William BIGHAM baptism Llanishen please
« Reply #8 on: Monday 11 May 20 17:05 BST (UK) »
My goodness, you've made a lot of progress!   ;D

The move of ordinary families from Kinrossshire to Monmouthshire at that time is unlikely. Although not so in later periods, one of my families moved from Kinrossshire to the Rhondda valley in the 1850s, travelling by ship.

That baptism could be John, Monfamilies transcriptions have it as John. Think the edge of the pages confused me.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01pfy/
Is that Jonas the son of Thomas & Martha who was baptised 15 July 1776 in Chapel Hill? Thomas  Bigham, labourer, married Martha Mayberry 5 June 1775, scan of the register doesn't appear to be on FindMyPast so can't check witnesses.
 :-\
Cornwall: Allen, Bevan, Bosisto, Carnpezzack, Donithorn, Huddy, James, Retallack, Russell, Vincent, Yeoman
Cards: Thomas (Llanbadarn Fawr)
Glam: Bowler, Cram, Galloway, James, Thomas, Watkins
Lincs: Coupland, Cram
Mon: Cram, Gwyn, John, Philpot, Smart, Watkins
Pembs: Edwards (St. Dogmael's)
Yorks: Airey, Bowler, Elliott, Hare, Hewitt, Kellett, Kemp, Stephenson, Tebb