A line approximately North West from Gloucester:
GLOUCESTER-4 miles-NORTON-3 miles-THE LEIGH-3 miles-BISHOP’S CLEEVE-4 miles-GOTHERINGTON
2-7-1778 marriage at Gloucester St Nicholas (as close as you can get to Norton without leaving Gloucester) by licence of James Clark (aged 32), widower of Parish of St Mary de Grace to Sarah Fowler aged 22 spinster of parish of Holy Trinity.
James Clark son of James and Sarah born 22nd January in Gloucester, christened 25-2-1781 St Michael Gloucester, educated at Blue Coat School of Christ's Hospital, apprenticed in the office of the Gloucester Journal, then went to Portsmouth as sub-editor of Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle. From which I assume he was educated and an accurate recorder (he recorded the times as well as the dates of his children’s births).
In the 1851 census he was living in Chepstow.
I found his commonplace book / diary in a local museum and on page page 80 he writes that in 1850 he re-visited Gotherington “the dwelling of his forefathers”, the farm now tenanted by the grandsons of his uncle, there was only 1 first cousin in the hamlet (an old bachelor).
In the 1851 Census for Gotherington there were 424 people enumerated, it was mainly an agricultural village.
Given that my James Clark was 72 in 1850 the only suitable old bachelors in 1851 are:
Job Cresswell Lodger U 70 Highway Lab Born Oxenton
Joseph Hawker Brother in Law U 68 Ag Lab Born Badgeworth
Robert Williams Head U 80 Ag Lab Born Gotherington
Baldwin’s Farm Richard Fowler Head U 64 Farmer 54 acres Born Gotherington
This Richard Fowler’s will says int al
“to my nephew John Fowler of Gotherington his heirs and assigns –
Charged with the sum of £50 which I give to his brother Isaac Fowler of Gotherington,
to my nieces and nephews living at time of my decease:
the said John Fowler Isaac Fowler children of my brother,
Jane New daughter of my sister Mary”
This Jane New in 1862 married William, the son of my James.
The only brothers on a farm are:
Manor farm
John Fowler, Head,39 Farmer of 287 Acres employing 5 out door Ag Labs Born Gotherington
Isaac do, Brother, Widr, 33 do
The paternal Grandfather of John and Isaac was Richard Fowler, the numerous Fowler families in the village have prevented me from identifying their maternal grandfather.
If Richard Fowler was the uncle of my James then one of the parents of my James would be the sibling of this Richard, so that would be his mother Sarah Fowler. Richard has 2 siblings that I know of: Sarah baptised 6-9-1741 and Thomas baptized 23-11-1736.
And that is where I am stumped, because my Sarah Fowler was born in 1756 if she was 22 in 1778. I have not found that Sarah baptized 1741 was replaced by Sarah baptised 1756.
It all ties up so well apart from this 15 year gap.
A possibility is that John and Isaac’s maternal grandfather was also a Fowler who might have had a sibling Sarah, but I have not been able to find anything to suggest that.
Over to you