The death of WILLIAM CHIPPINDALL in Morecambe Bay in 1765

[Gibel]

There are a number of Chippindall and Bleasdale wills available to download. These are those held at Lancashire Archives.

[GeoffTurner]

We now have that Elizabeth will, thanks very much. It might take us a couple of days to go over it with a fine-tooth comb. You have all been very helpful. And I will look into the other wills you mention.

Geoff

[GeoffTurner]

I have now applied to the Lancashire Archives for a copy of the will of the Rev Giles Chippindall (1760-1823). It seems it will take about a week for them to send me a quote, and if I say yes, it will be another week before they can send it to me. But the wheels are in motion. 

In the meantime I am pursuing another query, also based on what I am calling the "hand-drawn tree". I'm told this was prepared by a Chippindall family member (Harold Chippindall?) who was an experienced historian and author of several books who had access to the relevant church records, and I have found it generally reliable.

Richard Chippindall (1751-1826) married Mary Bolton (b 1765 at Blyth, Nottinghamshire) in 1788 at St George's, Hanover Square, London. Mary was the daughter of David Bolton, who was "Preceptor in Mathematics to the Queen and Princesses", as the Morning Post in London put it.

The hand-drawn tree seems to say Mary died 20 Sep 1802. The three Ancestry trees with her (probably copying each other) say she died on 22 Jul 1813 in London. FindMyPast has a Mary Chippindall buried at Harefield (Greater London) on 18 Sep 1803.

London makes sense. The couple were married there and all their children were born there -- and all before 1802. Richard outlived Mary, so she would not have remarried as a widow. Remarrying as a divorcee seems unlikely.

FreeReg has three Mary Chippendall burials about the right time, but they are all at Waddington, on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border, so unlikely to be her. 

FindMyPast and FamilySearch are no help, other than the 1803 burial I mentioned.

I am happy to accept the veracity of the hand-drawn tree, but it would be nice to find documentary evidence, if anyone can steer me in the right direction.

Thanks,
Geoff

[Galium]

FindMyPast.  The Oracle and Daily Advertiser 25 September 1802 - DIED ...Monday, Mrs Chippindale, of Salisbury-square.

20 September 1802 was a Monday.
When Richard Chippindall sold his household goods to move to Birmingham in 1820, the address given in the advertisement was Bell's Buildings, Salisbury Square.

(A newspaper search  sometimes works better if you can search for a likely address, rather than somebody's name)

[GeoffTurner]

Thanks. That’s great.

[Galium]

St Bride, Fleet Street__ burial of Mary Chippendall  of No.1 Bell's Buildings  24 September 1802
cause of death: decline

[GeoffTurner]

Phil Dawson of Bath has transcribed an 84-page longhand document written by the drowned man's son Richard Chippindall (1751-1826) in 1824 which describes the drowning in great detail. He sent it to me and I thought you might be interested.I thought you might be interested.

I have now to record one of the most melancholy and fatal events which could have occurred in our family by which every prospect in life vanished every comfort lost and every individual overwhelmed in poisons and decays by the untimely death of one of the best of fathers. And here I must stop to shed a tear to the memory of one who was a most excellent husband and as excellent parent - of the most strict integrity a most religious man and a good Christian and lest some of the junior branches of my family who may peruse this are unacquainted with circumstances attending this distressing accident I will according to my best recollection relate particularly as they accused a relation of my Fathers Mr Joseph Chippindall of the new house an estate which he occupied near Waddington in the neighbourhood of Mason Green, who was contemporary and schoolfellow with him and intimately connected while he remained at home, he was now an Attorney of some eminence at Manchester and had married a lady of great fortune and he formerly having promised to assist my father in finding out a proper master for me when ready to be placed out in business at this time being the burgis [burgess] at Lancaster which Mr J Chippindall was always in the habit of attending my father was induced to give him the meeting there and consult upon that amongst other subjects and instead of crossing the sand with the regular carriers or postmen at the middle of the day it being spring tides and at a busy time he was induced to cross by the morning tide alone and return with them in the evening thereby saving one day On the 1st of May 1766 he started, a servant attending him at 3 o’clock in the morning and seeing him safely over the Ulverstone sands and being then daylight parted from him and returned leaving him proceeding forward to Lancaster sands, a deep fog struck in so dense that he could not perceive his usual remarks in crossing; a flash of water in his way which he imagined was shallow but proved deep water into which his horse plunged being an old dock formed by a sloop having laid there at anchor his horse was supposed through the exertion to have broken the saddle girths. The saddle parted from the horse but by that time the tide began to flow and [the horse?] was forced to swim for it and having 5 or 6 miles from land. He with some difficulty reached the shore in the road to Flookbro when he was caught and sent home and thus confirmed too justly his [William's] melancholy fate. The distress of my poor mother and the whole family is more easily imagined than described. Left a widow with 8 children the eldest though arrived at man’s estate was always in bad health and the youngest in her arms. My father left no will therefore as the Estate at Mason Green was entailed the principal part of his property came to my eldest brother John.

Geoff

[Galium]

Thank you, yes interesting to have that story about your ancestor.  I was wondering whether you had more details about what happened.
It would be a long way around by eighteenth century roads from Ulverston to Lancaster, so not surprising that people would take the shorter route across the sands when they could.  The combination of fast incoming tides and fog can be completely disorienting, and still claims lives in Morecambe Bay today.

(I am rather inclined to think that William's relative was a bit of a git, if it was at his insistence that William took such a risk.)

[GeoffTurner]

Yes, it's great to have discovered this account. It is exactly what we were hoping to find. It is hard to know, but the fact remains that it was William's choice to go when he did, and not with  "the regular carriers and postmen in the middle of the day".