This newsletter was only going to be a short quick one, so that it could be published before the end of August. As those of you that are reading the hardcopy can see, it has finished up the normal size. We could have filled a complete set of issue with just pictures of Duckett subjects. Only, the photo copier we use to produce the newsletters, is purely a black and white machine (no halftones). They would lose most of their definition, making them not very interesting to look at.
One of these photos shows the eighty plus years young researcher Bridget Moss, meeting Charles Riley. Both descend from Sarah Duckitt who married Robert Riley on the 3-12-1822 at Kirk Braniwith in Yorkshire. James Pylant is also on the photo, as he arranged the meeting in Stephenville, Texas. The last time we heard from Bridget, she had just got back from Australia, not bad globe trotting for a young at heart researcher.
Apparently the Duckett book library is going west (geographically), as the last letter from Alan, Baron Kendal came from Tiverton. We don't yet know if this is going to be his permanent address, but anyway it will take time to set his stall out.
We have just purchased a copy of the book "Feed My Lambs" a brief history of the village school at Fenny Compton Warwickshire 1833 -1996, by Jennifer Cranfield. Although the book contains many detailed costing and other figures, they are used in a way to hold the reader's attention through to the last page.
Needless to say the Duckett's feature on most pages, but we are not going to copy all the quotation here. For one thing there would not be room, and second it would spoil Jennifer's chances of more sales. To show how the Duckett were involved in the school's development, it states, two local men J Grant the mason and J Duckett the carpenter built the school in 1833. Then on the 7th March 1874 an Ada Duckett broke the school window doing damage to the amount of 10d, we think this is your bill, John in the Wirral.
Copies of the book can be obtained direct from Jennifer. Write to:
Mrs J L Cranfield, Rose Cottage, Church Street, Fenny Compton, Warwickshire CV33 OYE with a SAE for the currant price.
(Unfortunately we have lost contact with Jenifer, RSD 2006)
By Harry D. of Sutton Coldfield
Two of Eric Banwell's "strays" from the 1851 census,(N.L. Vol.1. No.10.) seem to tie in with two Catholic Priests that 1 have come across in the Midlands area. Up to now I had not thought that the two men were related, but on the census returns both men give "LANCASHIRE" as their birthplace, which makes me suspect that this may be the case. The Census Returns also give the address as Oscott College. Erdington, a centre for training Roman Catholic Priests. No age is given, but according to my calculations THOMAS would have been 19. and GEORGE 28 at that time.
GEORGE DUCKETT - according to his Will recorded in the Index at Birmingham Reference Library"served the church in Wolverhamton, and died on the Fifth of May 1 898"It gave his age as 75, giving him a birth date in 1823 Other details are sparse beyond naming a Priest in London who had been granted probate, but this 1 find to be usual, for it is regarded that "they died in the church," and very few personal details are given. making it hard to trace back to his family
THOMAS DUCKETT could prove to be the Priest who was Rector of S.S.Joseph & Etheidreda R.C. church at Rugeley, whose memorial cross my son managed to photograph for N.L. Vol. 1 .No. 12. He was Rector for 46 years & very well loved by his Parishioners, in fact much of his Will is taken up with gifts of loaves of bread for every one of them, and a sum of money for every one who attended his funeral. To modern ears this may sound a little like bribery, but to his flock it would have been received in the same spirit that it was given.
Again, personal details are sparse, but includes bequests to his sister Mrs. MARY WALSH, & his niece & nephews, ELIZABETH MARY WALSH, JOHN FRANCIS WALSH, JAMES DUCKETT WALSH, & THOMAS MICHAEL WALSH. Another name mentioned is SYLVESTER CHRISTOPHER BRADSHAW of LIVERPOOL. but I feel that this was the Solicitor who drafted the will, & can only be of help in perhaps locating the area that he came from. He was highly regarded in Church circles too, for he was also Canon of St. Chads Cathedral in Birmingham. He was 19 at the 1851 Census living at Oscott College, & not much is known about him until he took up his work at Rugeley about 1860.at the age of 28.
Another Catholic Priest that research of the 1851 Census in Birmingham by Marge Rigby has unearthed is a JAMES DUCKETT, Priest serving in BRA1LES, WARWICKSHIRE. He gave his County of birth LANCASHIRE, Parish CLAUGHTON, & HIS AGE 59.
My Gazetteer gives three places of this name in Lancashire, one near Lancaster, one near Garstang, & one in the district of Birkenhead. I looked in the I.G.I.& found a birth registered at St. THOMAS-R.C. CLAUGHTON ON BROCK, LANCASHIRE, for a THOMAS, on 34 1831, Parents being JACOB & ELIZABETHAE DUCKETT, which may be one of my priests. The same parents had a daughter the following year, on 23 8 1832, christening her MARIA, which just could have been the MARY WALSH, mentioned in the Will of CANON THOMAS as being his sister. But perhaps a Lancashire researcher can take over at this point, & clear the matter up, for I am intrigued to find what the Lancashire connection is between these three men, all destined for Roman Catholic Priesthood.
The list of regular readers who are now on the Internet grows. With Bill Duckett, Rystone our Preston Duckett expert, Craig Cross, Edinburgh the Ducat expert and Sheila Crowson a London and Shropshire researcher adding their names to our e-mail address book.
Sheila's opening e-mail had the following in it, can anyone add to it? Just one for the record. I was looking through an old book published last century called Ye Old Parish of Camberwell by Blanch. and found that one of the subscribers to the book was R. D. Duckett, 25 Eastlake Road, Coldharbour Lane, presumably in Camberwell.
We are still getting lots of enquiries from Americans, mostly for the information generated that side of the Atlantic. Must get round, (when and if things ever settle down) to inserting the older data from these into our database.
To show none Internet users how e-mail arrives and why we say it is hard to tell where it has come from, this is a typical copy:
Subj: DUCKETT FAMILY
Date: 13/07/97 16:56:49
From: DHutchi800
To: RSD BURTON
I happend across your Homepage and was pleased to see one of our family names which we are researching. Our Anne Duckett grandmother was m. to William Butler/Boteler in MD where they lived until they went to VA. They had connections to others in TN, also. We are attempting to locate more on the Duckett family and to complete their lineage with the rest of our many lines, Thank you for having this made available to us. I have passed it along to the other cousins who are online.
Dawn in CA E-mail Dhutchi800@aol.com
The State initials give this one away, as well as knowing about the Duckett members she is writing about.
Joan Vincent who used a friend e-mail address in Australia to tell us:
I am interested in the names LEET/LEETE/SCRIVEN, amongst my research of my family I have a Ducket LEETE who is my grandfather, who married Jane SCRIVEN, thought to have been born/lived in London. (b 1800, d 1861) I have also found a Will Duckett LEET christened 5th June 1768 at St. Marylebone, St Mary St., Marylebone Road. His father was Robert LEET, mother Mary.
Can you tell me if you have any information regarding the name DUCKET, as, being an unusual name, I feel that my family must be related somewhere.
We wonder if Joan lives in the Australian outback, regarding our name?
Those of you who are reading this from the Web-site will have already seen that the Duket Web Site and rsdburton e-mail address will close at the end of August until November. Help will then be wanted to revamp the site for its new opening. One reason for the shutdown is that we will be computer less for most of that time, so either contact us before that date or it is back to the pen and paper we are afraid.
A short quick e-mail from Pierre Duckett Audet, (our flying Canadian as we have started to call him) reads:
"I am back from Paris where I spent most of May studying the French-Irish Connection of 1798 and the papers of William "the Red" Duckett."
By Harry D. Sutton Coldfield
Among my Research Notes is one that I came across in "THE CONCISE DICTIONARY ON NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY." (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.) it reads as follows -
LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOHN STEWART DUCKETT. Born 1876. Died 9-12-1952. Aged 76.
15. YORK ROAD. EDGBASTON. BIRMINGHAM. 16.
Only Son of STEWART JAMES CHARLES DUCKETT. Late 13 th. HUSSARS. of RUSSELTOWN PARK. CARLOW.
I slipped this into the file entitled "MISC." meaning to find a permanent home for it one day. The Birmingham area being one that I am trying to unravel. It stayed there until Ron's return from his trip to Southern Ireland, when among the mass of information about the family that he had found was a book entitled "THE CARLOW GENTRY," by JIMMY O'TOOLE. Under the heading RUSSELTOWN PARK. I came across the following
In some, if not all gentry families, the penalty for bringing the family name into disrepute could be severe, the ultimate sanction of disinheritance being applied to punish the perpetrator of a scandal. It was a fate that was to befall John Stewart DUCKETT, only son and heir of Stewart James Charles DUCKETT of Russeltown Park, the Dower house to Duckett's Grove, for which the architect Cobden drew the plans in 1824. Great celebrations surrounded his coming of age on 10th June 1897, and in August he joined the 9th. Lancers with the rank of Lieutenant. In February the fOllowing year he travelled to India to join his regiment, and later served during the Boer War, where 150 soldiers from County Carlow saw action. Back home his father, in response to several letters from his son on the war effort, launched a media appeal for flannel shirts for the Carlow rank and file in South Africa. In one appeal published in the "SENTINEL," he quoted a letter from Corporal Murphy of Carlow to his mother -" South Africa, March 24th. 1900, Dear Mother, There was an officer going down the country the other day, and I have given him £3,0,0. to send you in a registered letter. I hope to God you got it safe. I asked the Captain for £4 00. but kept one, and I would give it for a shirt now as I have only a half one on now and no other to change I have to remain in my skin until it dries." The cost of a shirt was 2s.6d. In response to his appeals, Stewart Duckett got 90 shirts for the Carlow soldiers. He had hoped to get one for every soldier.
But the father's pride in his son's successful. army career was not to endure. News of his son's affair with the wife of a colonel in his regiment sent shock waves through Russeltown Park, and when Stewart J. C. Duckett made his will in June 1903, he disinherited his son in favour of his only daughter Amy. named County Carlow's "Lady of the house" beauty in 1892. ironically for John, the man who would marry his sister six years later.. Major Louis Murray Phillpotts, was a fellow officer during the advance on Kimberley a few years earlier. Catherine Seton Duckett did not share her husband's embarrassment over the affair, and in her will of 1916. she left her estate valued £2,800 at the time of her death, to John. He was living in Brussels when his mother died in Middlesex on the 3rd. April, 1932. Jimmy OToole goes on to tell the history of the family in his captivating manner right up to the present day. What began as a couple of names and dates on a scrap of paper become, thanks to him, people with a real past. I only wish that he could be at my elbow to comment on my research, putting some "flesh on the bones"and a whiff of the scandal one feels may lie behind the names and dates that are all that remains for us.
As we hoped and expected, Jannet Anderson's chart from the last newsletter, brought in comments from some of you. Our own remarks at the time of publishing was that we were not going into its merits or faults, but hoped to find the person who did the research. To which Jannet has informed us that it was a member of the Reeder family, who she had written to for more details. We still await this.
The first inquirers came from Alan (Baron Kendal), who wanted Jannet to contact him. We supplied addresses, but no news yet from either side.
Then Roy Duckett in the States sent the following:
You reported in Vol #2 Number 10 that Richard Duckett Born 1672 in London (by his deposition) parents were William Duckett and Elizabeth Hinshaw . If you read "Family of Duket from the Conquest to the Present
(1869) by Sir G.F. Duckett BaRT, fSA" You will see that he list the wills of all three Williams wifes and that Richard could not be the son of William and Elizabeth Hinshaw .. Wish it were so? Need to Find Richards Duckett 1672 parents.
We take it Roy is referring to "Duchetiana" by Sir George Floyd Duckett.
Carolyn Aslund, N.C. USA, who like Roy saw the chart on our Web site. Wrote asking about the chart, after the first exchange of mail she replied with this:
Thank you for your reply about RICHARD DUCKETT. I have been looking at a Richard chr. 1679 in Yattendon, Berkshire. This person was the s/o Richard b. Ca. 1652 with wife, Mary FORD and children: Mary
1673, Elizabeth 1674, John 1676, Richard 1679, Mary 1682, and Thomas 1685. These are all names that my Richard gave his children. Can this Richard be ruled out? I don't know what happened to this man. Both of his parents stayed in the area.
A short request for Yorkshire Duckett details caine in from John Campbell in Taunton, Devon. They concerned the same Yorkshire area and dates that Elizabeth HORNE, of Jersey is researching. Our reply to him included Elizabeth's details, and a request for more on his line so they could go in this newsletter. Nothing has come back from him, so we can only guess he has found what he wanted?
This is not an isolated problem, we can all quote how time has been spent researching for others and get no acknowledgment. This subject came in a letter from Mrs Jones who informed us that details on page 115 of the last newsletter were incorrect, as she supplied information to John Dymond in Wiltshire but got none back from him. Cannot help remembering that two years ago Eric (our man in Somerset) said the same about Mrs Jones.
The last issue also had incorrect detail on page 124. As we have since found out, that Ash Nallawalla lives in Melbourne Australia not New Zealand. Which backs up the statement on page 116, it is often difficult to know where e.-mails originate from.
Following on from Ash's details, a Peter Liddington in Yorkshire (who is compiling a one name study of his name) asked if we could help with an Ann Duckett b. 1845. She married a Samuel Liddington at Hellidon Daventry in April 1868, and emigrated to New Zealand on the ship "Buckinghamshire", March 8th 1874. Settled in Masterton, N.Z. and raise thirteen children. Their eldest son Samuel was born 1868 and travelled out with them. He married a cousin Annie Duckett on 2nd October 1888.
Peter has obtained 1851 census details for Hellidon N'ants, from Northampton F.H.S.
| Duckett | Ann | 5 |
Hellidon |
| Duckett | Caroline | 36 |
Woodford |
| Duckett | Edward | 36 |
Brington |
| Duckett | George | 3 |
Hellidon |
| Duckett | John | 7 |
Hellidon |
| Duckett | Mary | 14 |
Hellidon |
| Duckett | Sarah | 11 |
Hellidon |
| Duckett | William | 9 |
Hellidon |
| A separate entry shows | |||
| Duckett | Edward | 61 |
Hellidon |
Our St. Catherine House indexes confirm the English Duckett dates, but we have nothing extra on them, other than Ash's data. This lists Annie as Annie Naomi Duckett, who married a Samuel Henry Liddington, they also had thirteen children. One of these, Eva May was the grandmother of Ash's wife.
To make the census details a closer fit, Ash needs to obtain Annie Naomi birth or marriage certificates to see if her father fits one of Ann's brothers.
From the book "Bound for Australia" by David T Hawking's 1987.
Among the names on a document from principal settlers of New South Wales dated November 1804, addressed to a Mr Robert Campbell, merchant at Sydney, was the cross of Wmn Ducket.
We think the Chairman of The Guild Of One Name Studies, has been checking up to see if we have all known Duckett records. This we can tell him is an almost imposable task (but we are getting there). He has supplied the following from his own records:
From Parish Registers:-
1774 Oct 31, Sulhampstead Bannister (BRK)
Richard BARNET (of Brimpton) married Lucy BAILEY (otp) witnesses: Richard LOVEGROVE and Peter DUCKETT
1804 Apr 02, Sulhampstead Bannister (BRK)
James LOVEGROVE married Mary WEBB. Witnesses: Letitia LOVEGROVE and Will. DUCKETT
1819 Dec 06, Sulhampstead Bannister (BRK)
Joseph LOVEGROVE (wid. otp) married Jane WOOLFORD (otp) witnesses: Charles LOVEGROVE and Wm. DUCKETT
Entry from the family history of the Horsham branch of the LOVEGROVE family: -
"John LOVEGROVE was born in 1773 at Cranham, a few miles South East of Gloucester. He married Catherine Keziah DUCKET, who had been born in 1770, came from Southrop and who died on 1856 Feb 19. He became a very successful farmer.
‘About 1802 an agent of the Duke of Norfolk went to Gloucester market to persuade farmers there to come and rent his Sussex farms. John of Cranham fell for it and took Roughey Park, and he was sorry for it sometimes. One year the rent was paid in those heavy George 111 pennies and sacks of them were taken by wagon and left outside the Agent's office... . But the old Duke liked John of Roughey Park and often took meals with him.' (Unattributed quote).John died of concussion of the spine, and was buried in Sun Oak churchyard near Horsham, Sussex. On his grave is the inscription:
JOHN LOVEGROVE DIED 26 AUGUST 1846 AGED 73
IT IS THE LORD. LET HIM DO WHAT SEEMETH GOOD
Catherine became an expert in the propagation and use of herbs. She, too, was buried in Sun Oak churchyard, her inscription being:
WE CANNOT LORD THY PURPOSE SEE
BUT ALL IS WELL THAT'S DONE BY THEE
Their children were Thomas, Joseph, Samuel Henry, William James, David, George Lewis, Lawrence, Leonard Lewis, Frances~ Kate, Elizabeth and John Ducket."