Elizabeth Drage - Bedfordshire

[ericthepenguin1]

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead!!!

Ok maybe not so dramatic. I have a relative Thomas Coles Born 1764 in Puddington, Bedford,  Bedfordshire. Father John Coles and Mother Elizabeth Drage.

I have found John Coles birth, (1739), but not death although it may be on the UK, Burial and Cremation Index, 1576-2014 held with Deceased Online, (year of death 1783). I thought FindMyPast had that record set but nothing is coming up. So, before this poor pensioner needs to pay, if anyone has got sight of the index I would be grateful to know what information it has.

For Elizabeth Drage, i cannot fine anything for birth or death, so any help would be appreciated in tracking the lady down.

Thanks

Eric

[ericthepenguin1]

NB I believe that Puddington is now know as Podington.

[johnP-bedford]

I have a relative Thomas Coles Born 1764 in Puddington, Bedford,  Bedfordshire. Father John Coles and Mother Elizabeth Drage.

Parents - John Coles, bachelor of Podington married Elizabeth Drage of Woolaston, spinster at Podington on 17th Nov 1763

Have you checked for her baptism over the border in Northamptonshire

Cheers John

[ericthepenguin1]

Thanks John

I did notice a pod of Drage's over in Northamptonshire, I wil have another look. Where did you find the marriage between Thomas and Elizabeth?

Eric

[johnP-bedford]

Parish Registers for Wollaston & neighbouring Northants parishes are available on this excellent website...   https://www.rushdenheritage.co.uk/Villages/index-villages.html

I got the marriage from the Podington parish register transcript available from Beds Archives and/or Beds Family History Society

Cheers John

[johnP-bedford]

From Podington PR transcript....

Marriage 24 Feb 1733-34 Thomas Coles & Elizabeth Crane
 
Baptisms
1 Jan 1739 John Crane & Susannah, son & daughter 'being twins' of Thomas & Elizabeth Coles
Susannah was buried 18 Dec 1739
They baptised 3 other children 1734 - 1742 
Burial 4 Oct 1742 Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Coles
Possible marriage on 25 Dec 1745 Thomas Coles to Susan Cox at Sharnbrook
Baptisms of 5 children of Thomas & Susannah Coles from 1746-1756
Burial 27 Sep 1763 Thomas Coles, Blacksmith
Burial 26 Nov 1784 Susannah Coles, widow, pauper

Marriage
17 Nov 1763 John Coles, bachelor to Elizabeth Drage, spinster of Woolaston

They baptised the following children...
21 Oct 1764 Thomas
9 Jan 1766 Martin
13 Jan 1768 Elizabeth
22 Oct 1769 Ann

Burial of John Coles, Blacksmith on 8 May 1770

Next marriage on 18 Jan 1772 Thomas Draper, bachelor to Elizabeth Coles, widow by Licence
From Licence allegation dated 16 Jan 1772
Thomas Draper, Blacksmith of Podington, age 26 to marry Elizabeth Coles, widow
Surety given by James Sergeant

Baptisms of children of Thomas & Elizabeth Draper
18 Oct 1772 Mary
27 Apr 1774 John
15 Jan 1777 Dinah, buried 26 Jan 1777
24 Jan 1778 Samuel
15 May 1780 Dinah, buried 13 Feb 1782

Burial on 27 Nov 1795 Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Draper

Marriage 10 Aug 1797 Thomas Draper, widower to Sarah Worley, spinster by Licence
Licence Allegation dated 9 Aug 1797, Thomas Draper, widower, blacksmith to marry Sarah Worley, surety by William Bull, farmer of Podington

Burials
16 Aug 1818 Sarah Draper age 65
20 Mar 1823 Thomas Draper age 78

[ericthepenguin1]

Hi John

Fantastic work!!

I have looked at some family trees on Anc which do not have any citations so I  was wondering could you have a quick shufty for me and confirm the facts shown on your Podington PR's

They show Thomas Coles born at Hinwick, Podington 1711. Father Martin Coles, born (1679) and  Mother Ann Yeoman, born (1683). Per the tree Ann Yeoman was born in Northamptonshire so i will have to follow that up along with the records for Elizabeth Drage.

Cheers

Eric

[johnP-bedford]

Hello Eric

Martin & Ann Coles baptised 11 children at Podington between 1696 & 1724 including Thomas on 29 Apr 1711, however the marriage on 18 Oct 1700 of Martin Coles to Ann Yeomans wasn't his first, despite it not saying he was a widower on that marriage. I haven't found a first marriage which was also to an Ann, as they baptised William on 15 Mar 1696-97 & Ann on 17 Apr 1700 before then, and there is a burial of Ann, wife of Martin Coles on 18 Apr 1700 and burial of William Coles, son of Martin & his first wife Ann on 31 Mar 1719. Most baptisms, & burial & his 2nd marriage say he is a (black)smith. Martin Coles, blacksmith was buried on 20 Oct 1730 - Beds Archives has a copy of his will, you could contact them to ask for the highlights, once they resume after his current lockdown.
There is an Ann Coles buried 25 Jan 1735-36 but that may be his daughter baptised 1714-15, as there is another burial of Ann Coles on 7 Dec 1754 & this says she's a widow.

I cannot find a baptism of a Martin Coles around 1679 in Bedfordshire - I'm assuming that's just a guess of him being age 21 at his marriage in 1700. Also no baptism of an Ann Yeomans in Bedfordshire around 1783, however via an Ancestry public tree & Northants records available online there is an Ann Yeomans baptised 1783. daughter of John & Grace Yeomans in Newbottle but that is someway away from Podington. So I am not suggesting that is right or wrong. Anyway to muddy the waters further they also baptised a daughter Grace & a Grace Yeomans married in Podington in 1695. Who knows ?

Cheers John   

[ericthepenguin1]

Thanks John

Can i confirm that in the final paragraph its 1683 rather than 1783? I am a dab hand at adding 100 years myself.

I have to say if an Ann Yeomans, from Newbottle, had a sister called Grace and and an Ann Yeomans and a Grace Yeomans get married less than 5 years apart in the Parish of Podington & Hinwick i am pretty convinced they are the same family

Put it like this John, in 1788 the Parish of Podington and Hinwick total population was 340. Now the english population in 1800  would have been 10.5 million, population in 1700 5.1 million. So using that we can probably extrapolate and say that the Parish would have a population of only around 170. Sometimes if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck and looks like a duck...its a Duck!

I will have to get on to the Northants site and see if i can find years of birth of the Yeoman family in Newbottle and and see if any burials in Podington match those, (that's if any ages have been recorded).

Many thanks again

Eric