Two Weddings, 2 churches, same names
BUT 13 years apart!
April 2000 - my first visit to the Fenland Museum to look at Parish Registers.
And found my Gt Gt Gt Grandfather, Joseph CAWTHORN's entry in the Baptism Register of
St Edmund's Church, Emneth; his parents were John & Martha CAWTHORN.
On checking further, I found that John CAWTHORN, widower, & Martha HUNTER, widow, botp, were
married at Emneth St Edmunds Church, by Licence, on 17 January 1786.
There was also a healthy list of baptisms of John & Martha's children:
| Ann
| baptised
| 30 January 1787
| Emneth
| Jane
| baptised
| 27 July 1788 - buried 26 August 1788
| Emneth
| Jane
| baptised
| 1789/1790 - buried 13 Nov 1790
| Emneth
| Susannah
| baptised
| 16 September 1792
| Emneth
| Sarah
| baptised
| 4 June 1801
| Emneth
| John
| baptised
| 10 August 1802
| Emneth
| Amy
| baptised
| 24 April 1804
| Emneth
| Mary
| baptised
| 27 July 1806
| Emneth
| Joseph
| baptised
| 1 April 1808
| Emneth
| Thomas
| baptised
| 25 August 1811
| Emneth
| | | | | | | | | |
The time span of these baptisms - 24 years - wasn't unusual, even with Martha being a widow at the time of her
marriage in 1788; she could easily have been a very young, childless widow.
But I must admit to being puzzled by the 9 year gap between 1792 & 1801.
So far, so good. Until the following baptisms turned up in the Elm Registers - both daughters
of John & Martha CAWTHORN, Farmer:
Ref: LDS FHL 1937668 - Bishop's Transcripts 1813-1861 Elm Cambridgeshire Register
| Jane
| baptised
| 21 August 1814
| Elm
| Martha
| baptised
| 24 March 1816
| Elm
| |
With thanks to Carol Markillie & Glen Lamb [both in California] for these listings.
Glen has transcriptions of Marriages at Emneth 1825-1837 & Baptisms at Elm 1814-1815 on his website.
I was beginning to wonder if this Martha CAWTHORN was some sort of Superwoman, when in May 2001,
Alan Gresley, creator of "The Wisbech Index" on his "Wisbech & The Fenlands" website e-mailed me.
He'd come across another marriage between a John CAWTHORN, bachelor, of Emneth, County of Norfolk,
& Martha HUNTER, spinster, of Wisbech, by Licence, at St Peter's Church, Wisbech - on 27 June, 1799!
John signed his name in the register; and Martha signed with a "X"
Alan wrote:
"Have been thinking about your Cawthorns and from all appearances, it would seem that there are two couples
of John Cawthorn and Martha Hunter who had children. The children of the first couple born from 1787 to 1792
and the children of the second couple born from 1801 to 1811. It would be a major coincidence if this was so."
- Which was rapidly becoming my way of thinking!
So it now appears that the siblings of my Gt Gt Gt Grandfather, Joseph CAWTHORN are:
| Sarah
| baptised
| 4 June 1801
| Emneth
| John
| baptised
| 10 August 1802
| Emneth
| Amy
| baptised
| 24 April 1804
| Emneth
| Mary
| baptised
| 27 July 1806
| Emneth
| Joseph
| baptised
| 1 April 1808
| Emneth
| Thomas
| baptised
| 25 August 1811
| Emneth
| Jane
| died
| 1812
| Emneth
| Jane
| baptised
| 21 August 1814
| Elm
| Martha
| baptised
| 24 March 1816
| Elm
| | | | | | | | |
1841 U.K. Census - HO 107/755/10. Upwell, Norfolk. Small Lode - Folio 29B
| CAWTHORN John
| Age 70
| Ag Lab
| bn in Cambs = Y
| CAWTHORN Thomas
| Age 25
| Ag Lab
| bn in Cambs = Y
| CAWTHORN Martha
| Age 20
|
| bn in Cambs = Y
| | |
The Enumerators for the 1841 Census rounded up [or down] ages for any one over 16. Going by
John CAWTHORN's age of 70, he would have been born about 1768 - at Emneth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BUT, where is everyone else - Joseph is with his his wife and family at Flint Drove; John [jun] is already
dead and his widow re-married; Mary is married and living in Elm.
BUT where is Martha Cawthorn, [my Gt Gt Gt Gt Grandmother] John's wife?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the 1851 UK Census, I now find:
Address: Town Street, Upwell
Census Place: Upwell Upwell, Norfolk
PRO Reference: HO/107/1767 Folio: 530 Page: 7
| CAWTHORN Martha
| Widow
| Age 72
| Alms Houses
| bn Emneth, Nfk
|
Who is this Martha??
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More to come on this topic!
| John's Siblings:
| ..........................
| John & Martha's children:
| still to find out!
| ..........................
| Sarah
|
| ..........................
| John
|
| ..........................
| Amy
|
| ..........................
| Mary
|
| ..........................
| Joseph & Hannah
|
| ..........................
| Thomas & Jane
|
| ..........................
| Jane
|
| ..........................
| Martha
| | | | | | | | |
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This page created 30 April 2002
and updated/amended 13:32 19/10/2008
