John Godfrey marriage: does my reasoning stand up?

[Davedrave]

John Godfrey son of George and Sarah was baptised in Nailstone, Leics., in 1717. He was later a grazier in Shenton, Leics., according to (farmer) George’s will of 1754.

In 1745 a John Godfrey, 28 (so born 1717) married Mary Marshall in Osgathorpe by licence. Both were living in Leicester at the time so maybe Mary was from Osgathorpe (about 13 miles away).

A 1741 Poll Book shows that George Godfrey in Nailstone owned land in Whitwick, which is only some 2 miles from Osgathorpe.

I can’t find any other likely marriage for John Godfrey to a Mary and the fit of age and geographical link seem suggestive. How reliable does this look? (One thing that concerns me a bit is that the 1745 licence describes John as a “servant” but by 1754 he was a grazier )

[jim1]

It looks reasonable.
I wouldn't be concerned about him being a servant this
just means he was working for someone else at the time
not necessarily as a house servant.
Being listed as grazier indicates he was now self-employed
possibly using common land as he's not listed as a farmer.

[Kiltpin]

In living memory, letters from a government department were signed with -   

"I remain your obedient servant"   

Regards 

Chas

[spendlove]

Hi,

I think the will of George Godfrey in 1754 probate 1755 does not say GLAZIER but GRASIER.  It also states “my son John Godfrey of Shelton in ye said county of Leicester”.

Note that no children are named as belonging to John, in his fathers will.  There is a bpt in Shenton 1755 for a John son of John & Mary Godfrey so is this their first child?  If so it is a large gap from 1745 to 1755 for first child.

regards
Spendlove

[Davedrave]

In living memory, letters from a government department were signed with -   

"I remain your obedient servant"   

 Regards 

Chas

Yes, and government employees are still called “civil servants”. I suppose that in the case of John Godfrey he might have been a farm servant. Even though All Saints parish where he was living in Leicester was in the town it would have been just a short walk from the countryside at that time.

Dave 

[Davedrave]

Hi,

I think the will of George Godfrey in 1754 probate 1755 does not say GLAZIER but GRASIER.  It also states “my son John Godfrey of Shelton in ye said county of Leicester”.

Note that no children are named as belonging to John, in his fathers will.  There is a bpt in Shenton 1755 for a John son of John & Mary Godfrey so is this their first child?  If so it is a large gap from 1745 to 1755 for first child.

regards
 Spendlove
   

They had Elizabeth in 1753 and later, William, in 1758. It seems unlikely that there would have been two John and Mary Godfreys in a tiny place like Shenton at the same time. Maybe they lost the first child/children? Also I know of a woman who tried for twelve years to have a child and only had her own child, unplanned and without IVF, after adopting two children, so though it would be unusal if Elizabeth were John and Mary’s first child, it is clearly a possibility. (The will also definitely reads “Shenton” and not Shelton.)

Dave 
Dave 

[spendlove]

Hi

My apologies I typed Shelton instead of Shenton.

Do you agree it states Grasier {Grazier} and not Glazier.

I also can only find no other marriage on line, only the one you quote.  I agree there could have been other pregnancies but seems strange that she suddenly produce 3 children so close together.

[Davedrave]

It looks reasonable.
I wouldn't be concerned about him being a servant this
just means he was working for someone else at the time
not necessarily as a house servant.
Being listed as grazier indicates he was now self-employed
possibly using common land as he's not listed as a farmer.

Thanks, I don’t like to add people like this to my tree without a “second opinion” if the evidence is somewhat circumstantial.

Dave

[Davedrave]

Hi

My apologies I typed Shelton instead of Shenton.

 Do you agree it states Grasier {Grazier} and not Glazier.

I also can only find no other marriage on line, only the one you quote.  I agree there could have been other pregnancies but seems strange that she suddenly produce 3 children so close together.

That’s fine. I don’t think it was suggested that it read “Glazier”, though I did put “Grazier” when it does, as you correctly point out, read “Grasier”. Incidentally, the woman I mentioned earlier had a second child of her own not long after the first. I suppose it is also at least a possibility that John and Mary lived somewhere other than Shenton in the early years of their marriage, maybe a place from which baptism records don’t survive from that time, and that they did have children before 1753.

Dave