Hester Wadkin acquitted of bigamy

[Ili1133]

There is also a notice placed in the Grantham Journal 18 February 1860 by William Taylor saying he will not be answerable for any debts incurred by his wife Esther after this date. Could be connected to the warrant GrahamSimons mentioned.

[Brie]

Lli

Thank-you for you replies. I am inclined to think that the date is a typo as the presiding Judge clearly believed that John Bescoby had not been seen or heard of for 9 years. However, it is interesting that there is a John Bescoby of the correct age locally. Surely he can't have been living that near all the time. Or maybe Esther was prepared to take big risks! Maybe he did go to America but returned. I shall have to look into that.

I think you are right and that will be Esther on the 1861. I can't find it though either on FindMyPast or Ancestry. Where did you see it?

A strong possible for  Esther's second husband is a William Taylor in Barkston who in 1851 is married to Elenor, 24, with a son, William aged 4. In 1856 an Ellen Taylor aged 30 was buried in Barkston. In 1861 William (married but with no visible wife) and son, William, now 14 are in lodgings in Barkston. So if it is this William, his wife dies in 1856, he marries Esther in 1857, they went to court in 1860 and are clearly separated in 1861.

I think I will now post on the USA board for sightings of John Bescoby.

Thanks again,
Brie

[GrahamSimons]

FamilySearch has an immigration record for a John Bescoby b Ireland (of course the name and birthplace may be fictitious - no passports or anything needed at the time) aged 30, labourer, arriving in New York in 1848 on board the Atlantic.
Nothing else that I can see in FindMyPast or FamilySearch, nothing in census, so I wonder if he'd moved on by the 1850 census? or come back across the Atlantic? There are possible candidates for this John Bescoby in the English censuses from 1851.....

[Brie]

lli,

I think you could well be right about the John Bescoby in the 1851. As you say his baptism record would appear to be the one in 1818 Kirkby la Thorpe with George, a labourer, as the father. On John and Esther's marriage certificate at Quarrington his father is George, a labourer. Quarrington and Kirkby la Thorpe are only 4 miles apart.

Graham,

Thank-you. I suppose it could be my John Bescoby going to the US as he intended but returned by 1851. Lli's siting of John Bescoby in prison in October 1851 looks promising as well. Scopwick is in South Kesteven so on my JB's local patch. Perhaps he went to prison, came out and decided to start afresh somewhere else. I can't see the JB born Kirkby la Thorpe on later censuses.

They seem a rum lot! I was looking at the Wadkin family as I am trying to establish from where my Nottinghamshire Wadkins originated and this lot are cousins, but as always with this game you find distractions and interesting stories.

Thank-you both for your help
Brie

[Ili1133]

Here's the 1861 census reference for Esther in Grantham:

RG09/2350/19 p32

It's strange that there's no trace of her daughter Eliza - there were so many Wadkins in Barkston I'd expect her to be working there or for there to be a death recorded, but nothing.

It's an interesting story - I agree with you and Graham about John Bescoby, that he could well have spent 1848-50 in America, returned around 1851 and then taken off again. Bescoby is such a 'local' name I doubt the 1848 labourer was Irish. No doubt the news JB was around in 1851 travelled from Burton Pedwardine to Barkston, but maybe no more than that - the villages are quite close but feed into different market towns (Sleaford and Grantham).

Good luck with the Wadkin search - I have millers in my tree who jumped across the Trent a couple of times, so I know the challenges...

[Brie]

Lli,

Thanks for this. Yes, millers do seem to move about quite a bit!

Brie