The death of WILLIAM CHIPPINDALL in Morecambe Bay in 1765

[GeoffTurner]

Hi all,

Thanks for all your help in the past and I am hoping you might be able to help me find some more details about my 6 x great grandfather William Chippindall (1719-1765). My friend and I are Australian descendants of his and hoped someone a bit closer to the action might have more insights. My friend has been in touch with English members of the family and they sent us a "hand-drawn" tree which I will refer to.

The well-known family story is that William drowned on Morecambe Sands on 1 May 1765 when he was caught by the incoming tide. The Lancashire OPC has him buried at Holy Trinity, Poulton-le-Sands (which now seems to be a suburb of Morecambe) on 4 May 1765. The hand-drawn tree says he "was drowned crossing Morecambe Sands and buried at Poulton" but does not give dates.

The OPC also appears to have the burial of his widow, Elizabeth Bleasdale, at Ulverston in 1792. A woman described as Mrs Chippindale, widow, was buried at St Mary, Ulverston, on 5 Feb 1792. The hand-drawn tree says she died at Ulverston in 1792.

The OPC has the marriage of William and Elizabeth at All Hallows, Mitton, Lancashire, on 19 Oct 1742.
Wm. Chippendale - Batchelor, This Parish
Elizabeth Bleazedale - Spinster, Chipping Parish
Married by Licence by: W. Johnson, Vicar, by Virtue of a License granted by Mr Yates of Gargrave

It also has the baptism of William

Baptism: 24 Jan 1719/20 All Hallows, Mitton, Lancashire
William Chippindall - Son of John Chippindall
Occupation: Yeoman
Register: Baptisms 1700 - 1739, Page 16, Entry 20
Source: Original Parish Register

OPC says it does not have the baptism records for Chipping in 1721 but from somewhere (not an Ancestry tree or FamilySearch) I have Elizabeth's baptism as
8 Mar 1721 St Bartholomew's, Chipping, Lancashire.

The marriage says she is from Chipping.

As I say, some of this is from the hand-drawn family tree and some of it is from OPC sources, and it all matches, but I would like to know where baptism details for Elizabeth come from.

And any other information, of course.

This man's grandson, William Coward Chippindall (1774-1839) came to Australia in 1815, which is why there is an Australian branch of the family.

Thanks again,
Geoff

[amondg]

FindMyPast has the image

Elizabeth Bleasdall bap. 8 March 1720 (old style)  new style would be 8 March 1721

Father Gyles Bleasdall of Thornley - Yeoman   The parish clerk never mentions the mothers names.

Chipping - St Bartholomew

[amondg]

Giles Bleasdale left a will 15 July 1771 - Yeoman of Chipping.

Probate Index of Archdeaconry of Chester

Located in the Lancashire Archives  ref: 471A/41

www.Lancashire.gov.uk/libraries-and-archives/archives-and-record-office/order-a-copy


From FindMyPast is looks like he died - buried 21 July 1767 possibly will not probated until 1771

[GeoffTurner]

Thanks for that information. We believe Elizabeth's mother was Marrian (maiden name unknown) and she was buried at St Bartholomew, Chipping, on 8 Dec 1748. "Married. Spouse's name Giles." That must be from FindMyPast as well.

[garstonite]

not all trees are correct
William Chippendall
Born in 1717 - Mitton, Lancashire, England
Deceased in 1791 - Clayton Le Moors, Lancashire, England, aged 74 years old
Buried February 17, 1791 - Great Harwood, Lancashire, England
 
Parents
 John CHIPPENDALE ca 1695-
 ? ?
 
Spouses and children
Married October 19, 1742, Great Mitton,York,England, to Elizabeth BLEASEDALE 1720-1792 with
M Richard CHIPPENDALL 1751-1832
M  William CHIPPENDALL ca 1764-1848
M Giles CHIPPENDALL
F Penelope CHIPPENDALL
......................................................................
Elizabeth Bleasdale
Born in 1720 - Chipping, Lancashire, England
Deceased February 5, 1792 - Ulverston, Lancashire, England, aged 72 years old
 
Parents Gyles BLEASDALE ca 1694-1767Marianah UNKNOWN ca 1691-ca 1748
 
Spouses and children
Married October 19, 1742, Great Mitton,York,England, to sosa William CHIPPENDALL 1717-1791 with
M Richard CHIPPENDALL 1751-1832
M William CHIPPENDALL ca 1764-1848
M Giles CHIPPENDALL
F Penelope CHIPPENDALL
........................
so - the tree owner has William dying in 1791 ?...  not 1765 ?...do we have 2 different Williams here ?   or is the tree owner WRONG
 

[garstonite]

Willam Coward Chippendall
https://gw.geneanet.org/gwennie1?n=chippendall&oc=&p=william+coward

Born May 6, 1774 - Lancashire, England
Deceased July 7, 1839 - Naas Valley, New South Wales, Australia, aged 65 years old
 
Parents
John Chippindall 1743-1782
Ellinor (Eleanor) Coward 1744-1819
 
Spouses and children
Married December 17, 1811, St Annes, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, to Henrietta Rushton ca 1785-1817 with
M William Chippendall 1803-1818
F Eleanor Chippindall ca 1805-1878
M John Giles Chippendall 1809-1886
M Thomas Rushton Chippindall 1810-1879
M Edward Charles Chippindall 1813-1895
F Hebe Chippindall 1815-1874
................
different tree owner name of G France

[GeoffTurner]

Sadly, an error is often repeated and seems to have the weight of numbers but it all can be traced back to the same error. The Clayton Le Moors death is spurious. Our William was drowned in the bay and buried in the Morecambe area. That makes sense and matches what is on the hand-drawn tree, which comes from family historians in Lancashire.

My friend (and cousin) is considered the local expert on the Chippindalls in Australia. As a matter of interest, William Coward Chippindall’s wife Henrietta had a daughter during their voyage to Australia. She was named Hebe, after the name of their ship. We have the Hebe log recording the birth.

We are careful to stick to the facts. I was just puzzled by a couple of things that I didn’t have the.sources for. I see now that I must have had a temporary membership of FindMyPast and got them from there.

It would be great if there was a newspaper report or something of the drowning, but that might be asking too much.

Thanks for all your help.

Geoff

[Gillg]

Drownings in Morecambe Bay were not rare and are still reported to this day.  At low tide it was and still is possible to cross over the sands to Grange-over-Sands, though preferably with a guide.  The tide comes in very rapidly with a bore wave https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_bore.  Within a few minutes the whole bay from Arnside to Grange is covered by the water.  At Arnside a signal is sounded before the wave is due to arrive, so that the beach can be cleared before its arrival.  The sea comes in and forces its way up the River Kent.  It's quite something to watch, though this video makes it look fairly tame.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnside_Bore

 I don't know who guides people nowadays, but the most famous guide was Cedric Robinson (The Queen's Guide to the Sands) when my mother lived in Arnside many years ago. n.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedric_Robinson_(guide)#:~:text=Cedric%20Robinson%20MBE%20(17%20February,west%20England%2C%20for%2056%20years. People used to cross with a coach and horses at one time!

[Ian Nelson]

My 3XGt.Grandfather, James Dickinson, a Shrimper in Morecambe Bay was caught out by the incoming tide along with 2 other folk and drowned.   His body wasn't recovered for 14 months.  About 1854/55.  The information came from local newspapers.
cheers, Ian