Esther Bailey (1757-1826).
My 5th great-grandmother.
Esther Bailey was the first of the Baileys to join my family tree, when she married John Weston of Banham in Norfolk on 29 September 1781. She had been born to James Bailey and Sarah Cob and baptised on 11 April 1757 and was sometimes known as Hester. John was a farmer and the couple raised their family in Banham. John died in 1809 and was buried in Banham on 27 May. Esther died in 1826 and was buried there on 29 June.
Read more about Esther and the Weston connection.
See where the Baileys fit into my family tree.
The surname was spelled in a whole variety of ways, including Bayley, Baily, Bally and so on. It could refer to a steward or other local official, or could even have referred someone who lived by an outer wall of a castle.
James Bailey (1719-1769) and Sarah Cob (?1720-1784).
My 6th great-grandparents.
James Bailey was baptised in Hockham, Norfolk, to parents John Bailey and Mary Vincent (see below) on 17 May 1719.
Hockham is around nine miles as the crow flies from Banham, where he eventually settled and had a family. Between the two villages is East Harling, where James married Sarah Cob on 17 November 1741 at St Peter and St Paul Church. On the marriage licence, which showed he could not write and had to sign with a cross, he was described as a yeoman of Banham.
There is precious little information about Sarah in the licence document, other than that she was single and also a Banham resident. The only baptism that fits relates to a Sarah Cobb baptised in Pulham St Mary, Norfolk, to William and Frances Cobb on 14 March 1723 but it seems she was buried there the following year so there remains a mystery about her origin.
The couple had a large number of children in Banham, where we assume James continued to farm. He died in June 1769 and was buried at St Mary’s in Banham on 25 June that year. Sarah died in 1784 and was buried in Banham on 9 April.
James and Sarah’s known children were:
- Elizabeth Bailey (1742-1810), my 5th great-grand aunt. Elizabeth was baptised on 11 April 1742 at St Mary’s in Banham. She was buried there on 11 March 1810, the record noting that she was a spinster. No other information has been found about her.
- Sarah Bailey (1746-????), my 5th great-grand aunt. Sarah was baptised on 9 September 1746 at St Mary’s in Banham. I’ve not been able to track her down after and there were quite a few by this name in the area at the time. Did she marry in Tibenham in 1780, noted as Sarah Jnr?
- Susan Bailey (1747-1783), my 5th great-grand aunt. Susan was baptised on 12 April 1747 at St Mary’s in Banham. She was buried there on 7 August 1783, the record noting that she was a single woman. No other information has been found about her.
- Mary Bailey (1748-????), my 5th great-grand aunt. Mary was baptised on 5 January 1748 (1749 in the new calendar) at St Mary’s in Banham. I’ve not been able to track her down after and there were quite a few by this name in the area at the time.
- Ann Bailey (1751-c1754), my 5th great-grand aunt. Ann was baptised on 9 June 1751 at St Mary’s in Banham and must’ve died as a child as another daughter was baptised Ann in subsequent years. No burial record has been found, however.
- Charles Bailey (1752/3-c1757), my 5th great-grand uncle. Charles was baptised on 5 July 1752 at St Mary’s in Banham, although some records hint that it was in 1753. He was baptised on the same day as his brother James, but the latter’s burial date means that the baptism must’ve been in 1752. Charles must’ve died as a child too as another son was baptised Charles in subsequent years. No burial record has been found, however.
- James Bailey (1752/3-1753), my 5th great-grand uncle. James was baptised on 5 July 1752 at St Mary’s in Banham, although some records hint that it was in 1753. He was baptised on the same day as his brother Charles. James was buried in Banham on 14 June 1753 so the baptism must’ve been in 1752.
- Jane Bailey (1755-????), my 5th great-grand aunt. Jane was baptised on 10 January 1755 (1754 in the new calendar) at St Mary’s in Banham. I’ve not been able to track her down after.
- Esther Bailey (1757-1826), my 5th great-grandmother. Esther was baptised in Banham and went on to marry John Weston there. See above for more as well as the Weston pages.
- Charles Bailey (1759-1832), my 5th great-grand uncle. Charles was baptised on 14 April 1759 at St Mary’s in Banham, and then married Sarah Davy there on 21 June 1784. She was from a local family and had been baptised in Banham on 18 October 1765, her parents being James and Mary Ann Davy. The couple had a large family in the village while Charles worked as a carpenter, a skill he passed on to his sons. A document from 1790 listing apprentices’s indentures showed him as master to a Samuel Rouse while a poll record for the 1802 General Election in Norfolk showed him as a supporter of the Whigs. He died in 1832 and was buried in Banham on 12 January that year. Sarah died in August 1844, described as being in her 80th year and the widow of Charles, a capenter of Banham (Norwich Mercury of 24 August 1844). Their known children were:
- Charles Bailey (1786-1866) was born on 4 March 1786 and baptised on Banham on 6 March 1786 (or 1785 in the old calendar). He married Susanna Humphrey in her home village of Kenninghall, Norfolk, on 19 April 1808 by licence and with her parent’s consent. It seems they lived most of their lives in Kenninghall, as that’s where most of their children were baptised and where the census returns from 1841 placed them. These also listed him as a master carpenter. Charles died on 21 July 1866 (date in Norfolk News 4 August 1866) and was buried at Kenninghall Particular Baptist Chapel on 29 July. Susanna died on 16 April 1868 and was buried there on the 20th.
- William Bailey (1787-1853) was born on 13 February 1787 and baptised on Banham on 15 February 1787. He married Harriet Cooke at Kenninghall on 20 April 1808 but they settled in nearby East Harling, where they had several children and census returns listed him as a cabinet maker. It’s possible he wasn’t always successful in his business. The Norfolk Chronicle of 1 March 1817 reported on the sale of all his household goods, tools, stock in trade and so on at East Harling under deed of assignment for the benefit of creditors. Harriet died there in 1820 but was buried back in Kenninghall on 22 May that year. The 1841 Census listed William in East Harling with his sister Phoebe as his housekeeper. In 1851 he was still in the village, living with his new wife Suffolk-born Mary and a servant – but I’ve found no record of a marriage. William died two years later and was buried in East Harling on 17 December 1853. Mary continued to live in the village and died in 1881, buried in East Harling on 2 June. The record said her maiden name was Hart.
- Leonard Bailey (1788-1861) was born on 20 September 1788 and baptised on Banham on 23 September 1788. He married Middlesex-born widow Mary Ann Norris at Norwich St Peter Hungate on 6 March 1823. It’s unclear when but the couple settled in Ixworth, Suffolk – they were shown there from the 1851 Census. He worked as a cabinet maker. I’ve found no evidence that they had children. Leonard died in Ixworth on 8 May 1861. Mary Ann’s fate is unclear.
- Mary Bailey (1789-1790) was born and baptised on 8 December 1789 in Banham and buried there 11 January 1790.
- Mary Bailey (1791-????) was baptised on 1 February 1791 in Banham and married George Collins nearby in Quidenham, Norfolk, on 15 October 1812. What happened to them after that is unknown.
- Sarah Bailey (1793-1871) was born on 27 January 1793 and baptised on 4 February in Banham. She married Matthew Brothers at Attleborough, his home village, on 20 January 1813. They settled there and raised their children. Matthew worked as a carpenter. Matthew died on 4 September 1862 and was buried in Attleborough on the 9th. Sarah continued to live there and was recorded with a grandson’s family in the 1871 Census. She died later that year and was buried in the village on 13 September 1871.
- Maria Bailey (1795-????) was born on 9 July 1795 and baptised on 12 July that year in Banham. I’ve not been able to trace her.
- Rebekah Bailey (1797-????) was born on 5 March 1797 and baptised on 16 March that year in Banham. She’s another Bailey who has apparently disappeared from the records.
- Miriam Bailey (1799-1857) was born on 7 June 1799 and baptised on 27 June that year in Banham. She next cropped up in London, when she had her illegitimate daughter Emily Fennell Bailey baptised in Shoreditch, Middlesex on 5 December 1823. A note on the baptism record said she was a single woman of the parish of St Mary in Islington, Middlesex. Also, the name Charles Fennell had been written as one of the parents and then crossed out. By 1851 Miriam was listed as a lodging house keeper in Brighton, Sussex, with her daughter. She was described as a widow in the census but this was probably an affectation for the purposes of respectability. Her death was registered in Brighton in 1857 and she left a will, in which she described herself as a spinster and left all her household goods to Stephen Richard Ade, an accountant. He was actually the husband of Miriam’s daughter Emily.
- Phoebe Bailey (1801-1865) was born on 24 June 1801 and baptised on 27 June that year in Banham. Still single, in 1841 she was housekeeper to her brother William in East Harling. She then married Suffolk-born widower, saddler and harness maker John Miller in East Harling on 30 November 1843. However, the evidence suggests all was not well in their marriage because by the 1851 Census Phoebe was living in Denmark Hill, Lambeth, Surrey, said to be a housekeeper but without a current occupation. I could not find her in the 1861 Census but she was not with John, who was living in Attleborough with one of his sons. By the time of her death in 1865, Phoebe was also living in Attleborough and she was buried there on 27 March that year. John died in Kenninghall Workhouse in 1870 and was buried in Attleborough on 21 February.
- George Bailey (1803-????) was born on 20 May 1803 and baptised on 26 May that year in Banham. I’ve not traced him until a Norfolk News report of 1 December 1849, which carried an advert noting that he had taken over the White Horse Inn in Kenninghall from a Thomas Bailey. The 1851 Census confirmed his residence in the village along with his wife Jane of Clapham in Surrey. However, I’ve found no marriage record for them. In 1861 George was listed as a master cabinet maker and the couple were living in Stratton St Mary. What happened to them after that is a mystery.
- Rachel Bailey (1804-????) was born on 19 November 1804 and baptised on 1 December that year in Banham. I’ve not traced her beyond this.
- Ezekiel Bailey (1806-1861) was born on 17 October 1806 and baptised on 24 October that year in Banham. He was living there with his mother at the 1841 Census, when he was described as a carpenter. He married Snetterton-born Sarah Loveday in Banham on 1 September 1847 and had three children there. Sarah died young and was buried in Banham on 15 November 1854. Ezekiel then married spinster Mary Stebbings in the village on 4 December 1857 but he died just a few years later and was buried in Banham on 28 February 1861.
- Isaac Bailey (1810-1886) was born on 6 December 1810 and baptised on 21 December that year in Banham. He married Harriet Smith in East Harling on 25 September 1833 and initially settled in the village, where they raised a family and census returns listed him as a cabinet maker or carpenter. However, from the 1861 Census they were living in Hackney, Middlesex. He died there in 1886, Harriet in 1891.
- Ursula Bailey (1762-1824), my 5th great-grand aunt. Ursula was baptised on 31 January 1762 (1761 in the old calendar) at St Mary’s in Banham. She married Robert Davy there on 21 June 1784. He came from Banham, where he’d been baptised on 19 June 1763 to James and Mary Davy. In fact, Ursula’s brother Charles married Robert’s sister Sarah on the same day (see above). The couple remained in the village and raised a family. An apprentices’ indentures document with a date of 28 November 1792 showed Robert was a cordwainer, or shoemaker, and master to apprentice William Rudledge. Ursula died in April 1824 and was buried in Banham on 19 April. Robert remained in the village, an electoral register for 1835 recording him as a freeholder of Mill Street. At the 1841 Census he was living there with son William and his family in Snailsgate Street. Robert died in 1844 and was buried in Banham on 1 March. Ursula and Robert’s known children were:
- Robert Davy (1786-1811) was born on 20 January 1786 and baptised on 21 January that year at Banham. He was buried there on 1 January 1812.
- Charles Davy (1788-1864) was born on 27 March 1788 and baptised on 28 March that year at Banham. He married Mary Whiley there on 24 October 1815 and raised a family. Census and baptism records showed that Charles and his family remained in the Banham area while he worked as a shoemaker. Mary died in 1845 of typhus and was buried in the village on 26 September that year. Charles died in 1864 and was buried in Banham on 27 July.
- James Davy (1791-1805) was born on 14 July 1791 and baptised on 16 July that year at Banham. He was buried on 24 July 1805.
- William Davy (1797-1879) was born on 25 September 1797 and baptised on 3 October that year at Banham. He married village resident Anne Hunt there on 18 July 1820 and raised a family. The 1841 Census listed them in Banham with William working as a shoemaker, but he’d become a farmer by the time of the 1851 Census. In 1853 William and several members of his family sailed from Southampton in Hampshire on the Gipsy to begin a new life in Australia, arriving in Port Adelaide on 15 April. While passenger details for the vessel are limited, information published in The Register Adelaide of 17 June 1903 confirmed it was the Banham family. It appears that William travelled with his wife Anne, son Charles, his other son William and his wife Sophia. It would appear that relatives had already made the trip, perhaps encouraging William to emigrate, as a note appeared in the South Australia Register of 12 February 1852 recording the marriage at Mardon near Payneham of Mary Ann Davy, widow of Charles Davy of Banham in Norfolk, to bootmaker Henry Brooks. William and Anne settled in and around Kapunda to the north-east of Adelaide – a town that had been established after the discovery of copper just a few years earlier. Anne died on 16 November 1859 and was buried there. William died on 7 December 1879 (The Express and Telegraph Adelaide of 11 December 1879 confirmed his death at his son’s home near Kapunda).
- James Bailey (1765-1835), my 5th great-grand uncle. James was baptised on 13 October 1765 at St Mary’s in Banham. As a teenager he was listed as the apprentice to shoemaker Nicholas Fox in Banham, the duty paid document dated 22 April 1779. He married Sarah Baxter at Banham on 17 May 1785. She’d been baptised in the village on 10 February 1766 to parents John and Ann Baxter. The couple remained in the village, where their children were baptised, but Sarah died young and was buried in Banham on 3 March 1814. James was buried there on 10 June 1835. Their known children were as follows, although it’s odd how many disappeared without any trace after their baptism:
- Elizabeth Bailey (1785-1865), who was born on 6 October 1785 and baptised in Banham on 9 October. She married village resident George Whipp (sometimes Whipe or Whip) in the village on 4 June 1816. Curiously, the family’s surname changed over time to Mapes and I suspect that was because George, who was born illegitimately to Jemima Whipp in 1793, discovered who his father was and assumed his surname. Baptism records for their children often used both surnames and showed that he worked as a labourer. He died in 1832 and was buried in Banham on 27 July. By 1861 Elizabeth was living with relative Mary Davy in Attleborough – both of them listed as paupers. She died in 1865 and was buried in Banham on 7 May that year.
- James Bailey (1788-????), who was born on 1 February 1788 and baptised in Banham on 4 February. I don’t know what happened to him and neither do I think he was the Captain James Bailey who died in Great Yarmouth in 1828 – the marriage record for this man stated that his father James was also a sailor. Unless this was an error by the clerk…
- Leonard Bailey (1790-????), who was born on 21 February 1790 and baptised in Banham on 5 March. I’ve not found him in records subsequently.
- Charles Bailey (1792-1792), who was born on 17 February 1792 and baptised in Banham on 11 March. He died an infant and was buried on 8 May 1792.
- Hephsibah Bailey (1793-????), who was born on 2 May 1793 and baptised in Banham on 6 May. I’ve not found her in records subsequently.
- Solomon Bailey (1794-????), who was born on 10 December 1794 and baptised in Banham on 16 December. I’ve not found him either in records subsequently.
- Aaron Bailey (1796-????), who was born on 8 April 1796 and baptised in Banham on 13 April. I’ve not found him either in records subsequently.
- David Bailey (1797-1799), who was born on 15 July 1797, baptised in Banham on 24 July and buried there on 16 August 1799.
- David Bailey (1799-????), who was born on 20 December 1799 and baptised in Banham on 31 December. He too disappeared from the records.
- Sarah Bailey (1802-1884). A curiosity as Sarah was both the wife of my 4th great-grand uncle William Weston and my 1st cousin six times removed. See the Westons for more on Sarah, who died in Yorkshire.
- Edward Bailey (1804-????), who was born on 16 October 1804 and baptised in Banham on 23 October. He too disappeared from the records.
John Bailey (1692-1758) and Mary Vincent (1692-1754).
My 7th great-grandparents.
John Bailey – or Bally as his surname was recorded – was born to parents William Bailey and Mary Hood (see below) and baptised in Hockham, Norfolk, on 20 May 1692. He married Mary Vincent there on 7 October 1714, although I’ve not been able to find out where she came from.
The couple had a family in Hockham but Mary died in 1754 and was buried in the village on 25 April.
Widower John remarried soon after, on 27 January 1755. His new wife was widow Mary Tofts, but he didn’t have long to enjoy life with her as he died in 1758 and was buried in Hockham in November of that year – the actual date is too vague to read accurately.
John’s children with his first wife were:
- James Bailey (1719-1769), my 6th great-grandfather. James married Sarah Cob and lived in the nearby village of Banham. See above for his family details.
- William Bailey (?1721-1722), my 6th great-grand uncle. William was buried on 1 April 1722 as a child of John and Mary but I’ve found no baptism record yet.
- Mary Bailey (1723-1723), my 6th great-grand aunt. Mary was baptised in Hockham on 21 July 1723 and buried on 1 August the same year.
- Mary Bailey (1724-1766), my 6th great-grand aunt. Mary was baptised in Hockham on 28 December 1724 and is most likely the woman who married Edward Shingfield there on 30 January 1742 (or 1741 in the old calendar). He was a widow (he’d married Mary Ann Nurse in Hockham in 1733) but his ancestry is unclear, although he may have been the boy baptised in Fakenham Magna, Suffolk, on 11 March 1706 to parents Edward and Sarah. Certainly, his age at death fits this birth year and there are no other candidates locally. Fakenham Magna is about 12 miles from Hockham. Mary and Edward had several children but she died young and was buried in Hockham on 30 March 1766. It’s likely that Edward married again – a widower of this name married Susan Warman in the village on 16 May 1774. He died in 1791 and was buried in Hockham on 11 September that year. Mary and Edward’s known children were:
- John Shingfield (1747-????) was baptised on 5 April 1747 in Hockham. He may have married in Banham in 1768 but it’s impossible to know for sure.
- David Shingfield (1753-1836) was baptised on 29 April 1753 in Hockham and married widow Sarah Pooley a few miles away in Mundford, Norfolk, on 17 February 1783. They baptised several children there. David died in Hale in 1836 and was buried back in Mundford on 31 December.
- Susannah Shingfield (1755-????) was baptised on 17 August 1755 in Hockham and married Joseph Self in East Bradenham, Norfolk, on 11 October 1774. They had children there but what happened to the couple is currently unclear.
- Sarah Bailey (1727-????), my 6th great-grand aunt. Sarah was baptised in Hockham on 13 September 1727 but I’ve not found her after.
- William Bailey (1729-1722), my 6th great-grand uncle. William was baptised in Hockham on 3 October 1729 but, again, I’ve had no success in locating him subsequently.
William Bailey (????-????) and Mary Hood (????-????).
My 8th great-grandparents.
I’ve not been able to find baptism records for William or Mary but they married on 26 November 1691 at Hockham in Norfolk. He was a widower and his surname was spelled Bully or Bally.
Their one known child was:
- John Bailey (1692-1758), my 7th great-grandfather. For information about him, see above.
Sources:
Birth, marriage, death and burial records including civil registrations from the General Register Office, census returns, wills and other records at Ancestry.co.uk, Findmypast.co.uk and Norfolk Family History Society.
British Newspaper Archive, titles in text.
UK, Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices’ Indentures, 1710-1811.
Trove, the Australian newspaper archive, with titles in text.