Thomas Lovatt and the English Civil War

[M_ONeill]

It's a tough one for sure, but I think I've made some headway!

I came across the 1768 will of a Jeremiah Lovatt of Lapley. It's a sizable document, both in size (FindMyPast has it as one page split between six(!) images), as well as in financial terms; Jeremiah leaves money to various relatives all over the local region, as well as bequests for the poor, widows and orphans of Lapley. In short, Jeremiah seems to be pretty well to do.

Going by the network of relatives he mentions, it's fairly clear to me that this is Jeremiah the son of John Lovatt and Mary Blakemore (bap. 1690). At the time of his death he seems to be unmarried and childless, as he leaves his property to his nephew Joseph, son of his brother Joseph 'late of Shifnal - deceased'. Later he also makes reference to Joseph's widow Mary and three daughters Mary, Anne, and Elizabeth. The son Joseph was baptised in 1737. Joseph the elder appears to have been a tanner.

Jeremiah's will also mentions his niece Mary Sansome, daughter of his brother Thomas Lovatt - deceased (this would be the Thomas baptised in 1685). Having done some digging, I feel fairly sure that this is the Thomas who married Anne as you mentioned in your last post. Their son Thomas would have been Jeremiah's nephew, but he is not mentioned in his will.

As we've now pinpointed Joseph and Mary of Shifnal, along with their children, I think we can now probably narrow down the earlier Joseph and Mary who live in Lapley. I'm not 100% yet, but I'm still fairly sure that this Joseph is the son of Thomas and Margery (bap. 1653). He is, as far as I can see, the only Joseph in the tree of the right age to be having children between 1678 and 1686.

That brings us to the Joseph (bap. 1681) who married Francisca Goldsmith (and fathered one of the Thomas Lovatts on our list). I think there's a good chance he's the son of Joseph and Mary of Lapley. He's the only Joseph I can see who fits in the age gap to be married in 1711. He would also have an elder brother named Thomas.

So, long story short, I think I can now place all of our previously listed Thomas Lovatts in the tree.

Referencing them as per their relation to Thomas and Margery, I'd say we're looking at:

- Thomas (bap. 1680) Grandson of Thos. & Marg. via their son Joseph (wife Mary).
- Thomas (bap. 1685) Grandson of Thos. & Marg via their son John (wife Mary).
- Thomas (bap. 1694) Grandson of Thos. & Marg. via their son Richard (wife Hannah).

- Thomas (bap. 1711) Great grandson of Thos. & Marg. via their grandson Joseph (wife Francisca) who was brother to Thos. (1680) and son of Joseph (wife Mary).
- Thomas (bap. 1724) Great grandson of Thos. & Marg. via their grandson Thomas (wife Anna) who was the son of John (wife Mary).

[M_ONeill]

Quick addition to the last post - Jeremiah's burial record in Lapley lists him as a widower and 'Pater Familias' - clearly the head of household for the wider Lovatt family.

This Jeremiah was married to an Anne Green in Lapley by license in 1719. Also signing the obligation was Fennihouse Green of Longnor, Anne's brother.

I can only find two possible children of the couple in the local area, a William Lovatt in Lapley, 1730 and a Thomas Lovatt in Church Eaton 1733 - though as these would both be fairly late children for a couple married in 1719, it makes me wonder where the couple would have been prior to 1730.

Interesting aside, Jeremiah's marriage to Anne would make him the uncle of John Fennihouse Green (1721 - 1777), son of Fennihouse Green and later Under Clerk of Works to the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Company. He seems to be considered one of the founding fathers of Stourport-on-Severn, as he was the surveyor who went out and plotted the canal basins that led to the development of the town.

[M_ONeill]

I've continued to hack away at this. I've put together a list of all of the Thomas Lovatts I can find baptised in the immediate region around Lapley between 1625 and 1830. Here they are, split into rough generations:

• Thomas bap. 1625 - d. 1685 - son of Richard Lovatt & Rose Wildie

• Thomas bap. 1680 - d.   ?  - son of Joseph and Mary
• Thomas bap. 1685 - d. 1759 - son of John Lovatt & Mary Blakemore
• Thomas bap. 1689 - d. Same - son of Jeremiah Lovatt (likely mother Katherine Grateley)
• Thomas bap. 1694 - d.   ?  - son of Richard Lovatt & Hannah Sayer

• Thomas bap. 1711 - d.   ?  - son of Joseph & Francisca Goldsmith.
• Thomas bap. 1724 - d.   ?  - son of Thomas and Anne (1)
• Thomas bap. 1733 - d. Same - son of Jeremiah and Anne Green

• Thomas bap. 1793 - d. 1794 - son of Thomas and Anne (2) (possibly Turner)
• Thomas bap. 1813 - d. 1814 - son of Thomas & Mary (possibly Tomson)

This leaves four Thomas Lovatts without confirmed death dates.

Looking at the local death/burial records we have the following unmatched deaths:

• Thomas Lovatt bur. 05 Feb 1721 - Brewood
• Thomas Lovatt Jr - d. 1780 (probate/admin.) - listed as 'formerly of Penkridge, but late of His Majesty's Frigate Surprise, a soldier'. Died on board. Administration granted to Thomas Lovatt the Elder, father.
• Thomas Lovatt bur. 06 Apr 1777 (senex.) - Lapley
• Thomas Lovatt bur. 22 Dec 1788 - Brewood

That would theoretically match us one for one with the baptisms, though there are the following later burials that don't match any of our baptisms:

• Thomas Lovatt - bur. 1819, aged 73 (b. c.1746), resident Four Crosses, parish of Wolverhampton.
• Thomas Lovatt - bur. 1831, aged 83 (b. c.1748), resident of Penkridge
• Thomas Lovatt - bur 1839, aged 65 (b. c1774)

As far as I can see, the local parish records seem to be mostly complete through the 1740s and onwards, which makes me wonder if some of these Thomas Lovatts moved in from elsewhere.

[lzzl25]

Sorry for the delay replying, very busy at work at the moment. I need a big sheet of paper to map it all out on but after the info from Jeremiahs will it certainly seems likely that the Lapley family had spread to neighbouring villages and ultimately into Wolverhampton.
Lizzie

[lzzl25]

Can you just clarify that the Jeremiah you think might have married Ann Green is the same Jeremiah that left the will of 1768, and that unmarried and childless means he was widowed and his two potential sons had predeceased him.

[lzzl25]

With regards to
Thomas Lovatt Jr - d. 1780 (probate/admin.) - listed as 'formerly of Penkridge, but late of His Majesty's Frigate Surprise, a soldier'. Died on board. Administration granted to Thomas Lovatt the Elder, father.
We only have one Thomas,son of Thomas, that is Thomas born 1724 son of Thomas born 1685 who married Ann. Thomas senior being the brother of Jeremiah who left the will in 1768 referring to his late brother Thomas,so he must have died by 1768 and therefore can not be Thomas the Elder granted probate in 1780
Lizzie

[lzzl25]

With regards to Jeremiah's will mentioning his niece Mary Sansome, daughter of his late brother Thomas Lovatt. I have found a marriage record for  Mary in Lapley, 1755 to John Sansome, she is 22 and John age 21, of Pattingham. Witnesses Thomas Lovatt ( possibly her brother) and Edward Sayer. Marriage is by Licence with consent of Parents, indicating her father (Thomas b 1685) is almost certainly alive which fits with the burial record of 1759

[M_ONeill]

Can you just clarify that the Jeremiah you think might have married Ann Green is the same Jeremiah that left the will of 1768, and that unmarried and childless means he was widowed and his two potential sons had predeceased him.

Yes, I'm pretty sure this is indeed the same man. I know that his son Thomas predeceased him as said child died in infancy (1733). I'm less sure about William, though as I'm not 100% sure that he is even the child of the same couple it may be irrelevant. We know that Jeremiah was widowed at the time of his death from his parish burial record in 1768. Ann Lovatt (formerly Green) was buried in Lapley, 1766.

With regards to
Thomas Lovatt Jr - d. 1780 (probate/admin.) - listed as 'formerly of Penkridge, but late of His Majesty's Frigate Surprise, a soldier'. Died on board. Administration granted to Thomas Lovatt the Elder, father.
We only have one Thomas,son of Thomas, that is Thomas born 1724 son of Thomas born 1685 who married Ann. Thomas senior being the brother of Jeremiah who left the will in 1768 referring to his late brother Thomas,so he must have died by 1768 and therefore can not be Thomas the Elder granted probate in 1780

Yes, I had a similar thought - we seem to have an extra pair of Thomases that we haven't yet placed in the tree.

I think the Penkridge branch of our Lovatts begins with Jeremiah Lovatt, son of Thomas and Margery (this is ignoring one Richard Levett buried in Penkridge in 1641 who may or may not be related). This elder Jeremiah seems to be the only one of Thomas and Margery's children that settles outside of Lapley (although only three or so miles east). He marries a Katharine Grateley in 1688.

I can find at least four children baptised to Jeremiah and Katherine: Thomas (died in infancy, 1689), Margaret (bap.1693), Jeremiah (bap. 1697) and Joseph Lovatt (bap. 1700). I'm not confident that this is the whole family as there are a number of Lovatt records which I can't place. For example: Alice Lovatt who marries a Robert Reanolds by license in Penkridge, 1721 (document signed by a Jeremiah Lovatt). She would be of the right age to be a potential child of Jeremiah and Katharine, but I can find no local baptismal record for her. Either there is a gap in the records somewhere or families are moving around.

There are a number of Lovatt baptisms with a Thomas listed as a father in Penkridge:

Abel Lovatt - son of Thomas Lovatt & Susannah Benton (1736)

Elizabeth Lovatt - daughter of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1778)
Joseph Lovatt - son of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1779)
Ann Lovatt - daughter of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1783)
Joseph Lovatt - son of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1785)
Hannah Lovatt - daughter of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1788)
Sarah Lovatt - daughter of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1790)
Thomas Lovatt - Joseph Lovatt - son of Thomas Lovatt (no mother given) (1793)

Now obviously the range of dated makes it fairly likely we're dealing with two separate series of children here (Abel being separate from the rest) but I post to show that there is at least one Thomas, possibly a series of them, in the Penkridge line of the family. How they fit into our tree isn't exactly clear, but my hunch is that they descend from Jeremiah and Katherine (being thus cousins to the Lapley branch of Lovatts descending through Thomas and Margery).

An interesting note on the military side of things. The Penkridge parish registers list a marriage on Dec 14th 1738 between 'George Washington of General Wade's Regiment and Elizabeth Lovatt, sojourner, at Stafford'. Given the later career of Thomas Lovatt (d. 1780), it makes me wonder if any more of the local Lovatts embarked on a military career.

With regards to Jeremiah's will mentioning his niece Mary Sansome, daughter of his late brother Thomas Lovatt. I have found a marriage record for  Mary in Lapley, 1755 to John Sansome, she is 22 and John age 21, of Pattingham. Witnesses Thomas Lovatt ( possibly her brother) and Edward Sayer. Marriage is by Licence with consent of Parents, indicating her father (Thomas b 1685) is almost certainly alive which fits with the burial record of 1759

It's possible that Edward Sayer is some degree of cousin - Thomas' aunt Anne married a Samuel Sayer in 1681.

[lzzl25]

With regards to the Penkridge Jeremiah I have also come across a document referring to the marriage of Elizabeth Lovatt in 1701 to a William Bishton of Kilshall which mentions John and Jeremiah Lovatt,

Reference:   1781/2/137
Title:   Marriage settlement
Description:   
1. William Bishton of Killshall, yeoman
2. Elizabeth Lovett of Wheaton Aston, Staffs, spinster
3. John Lovett of Wheaton Aston, Staffs, yeoman
Jeremiah Lovett of Pillington, Staffs, yeoman

Although she would be about 40 this seems likely to be Elizabeth daughter of Thomas and Margerie and her brothers John and Jeremiah. She has a son William in 1704 which is also the year she dies.

This son marries Lucy Whiston, whose sister Ann marries a Jeremiah Lovatt ( born c 1703)  of Pillington, Penkridge in  1733.

There is a Gateley listed in the Hearth Tax, Pillington 1666 so they seem established in the area.