Godfrey Weston (1785-1862).
My 4th great-grandfather.
Godfrey Weston was the first of the Westons to join my direct family tree but he didn’t marry into it. Instead he fathered a child out of wedlock and then married someone else. The Westons came from north-west Suffolk and south Norfolk over the centuries. The surname was given to people who lived in a settlement by that name or who came from the western part of a settlement.
See the Weston family tree and where they into my family tree.
*****
Godfrey Weston was born on 14 March 1785 and baptised three days later at St Mary’s Church in Banham, Norfolk. His parents were John Weston and Esther Bailey (see below).
As a young man he became a managing farm servant for a family in nearby Wymondham, which is where he met Elizabeth Pilgrim – my 4th great-grandmother. Baptised in Old Buckenham, Norfolk, in 1791, her parents had sent her as a teenager to work for their relations at the same farm. In 1811 she gave birth to Weston’s illegitimate child Mary back home in Banham.
Several newspapers reported on the backstory to Mary’s birth, the promise Godfrey Weston made to marry Elizabeth and his reneging on that pledge. The Norfolk Chronicle of 26 March 1814 and The Statesman of 28 March 1814 were among the publications reporting on the breach of promise case before Norfolk Assizes. This reported that Elizabeth was the daughter of Maurice Pilgrim, of Morley St Peter, who’d sent her to live with and work as a servant for his Pilgrim relations. The Statesman reported: “The defendant availed himself of this opportunity to take advantage of the plaintiff’s youth and unwary innocence under the most unqualified promises of marriage.” After being in Wymondham for 40 weeks it was clear that Elizabeth was pregnant, at which point she quarrelled with her relations and returned to her father to give birth. Weston continued to visit and was treated as part of the family by Elizabeth’s parents while he continued to talk of the forthcoming marriage. Banns – published at Elizabeth’s behest – were read at the local church and no evidence was found that he’d objected to them.
Weston was on the one hand telling Maurice Pilgrim that he couldn’t marry his daughter because she had no money, while at the same time writing to her saying she was his ‘constant love’ and that if he ever married it would be to her. However, the court heard that Weston married another woman – Sarah Long – in November 1813. His counsel admitted the promise of marriage to Elizabeth but attempted to mitigate the damages by saying Weston had made various payments either voluntarily or as ordered by magistrates. However, damages were still awarded of £150 – worth about £7,000 today.
Godfrey was Mary’s father but it’s unclear whether he was also the father of Elizabeth’s other child Alice Pilgrim, who was born in 1814. Elizabeth died not long after in 1815 and was buried at All Saints Church in Old Buckenham on 2 April.
After his marriage to Sarah Long at St Stephen’s in Norwich on 12 November 1813, Godfrey settled in the Wymondham area and a few miles away in Wicklewood where he farmed. Indeed, he’d been named as the beneficiary of what was left of his grandfather’s farm and estate on the death of Godfrey’s father John, which happened in 1809. Despite being married to Sarah, he then fathered another illegitimate child – Martha Ann Fulcher Weston was born in 1819 to Elizabeth Fulcher (see below).
The Norfolk Chronicle of 19 March 1831 reported that Godfrey was a “considerable farmer and dealer at Wymondham” during a court report that noted that he’d won damages of £187 from a man who sold him poor quality sheep. Electoral registers for Norfolk recorded Godfrey in Wymondham from the 1830s.
He became a supporter of plans to build a railway between East Dereham and Wymondham, joining a committee to promote its benefits and the interests of Wymondham in the scheme (Norfolk Chronicle, 9 November 1844). The railway eventually opened in 1847.
The 1851 and 1861 census returns placed him in Wicklewood and noted that he was a farmer of more than 120 acres and an employer.
He died in Attleborough on 11 September 1862, the Norfolk News of 13 September reporting that he’d been talking to a friend about business when he suddenly collapsed and could not be revived. He was buried in Wicklewood on 15 September. He left effects valued at just under £6,000.
Godfrey’s wife Sarah was born to parents John and Mary Long on 24 December 1792 and baptised on 10 March 1793 in Wymondham, Norfolk. She must’ve been pretty forgiving for she put up with his fathering an illegitimate child not once but, at the least, twice. It appears that Sarah didn’t have children of her own.
She died in 1860 and was buried in Wicklewood on 5 March.
Godfrey’s children, both of them illegitimate, were:
- Mary Ann Pilgrim (1811-1867), my 3rd great-grandmother. Born to Elizabeth Pilgrim, it took a court case to establish that Mary was Godfrey’s daughter. Read about Mary and her life.
- Martha Ann Fulcher Weston (1819-1877), my 3rd great-grand aunt. Martha was born on 27 December 1819 to Elizabeth Fulcher and baptised as illegitimate the following day at Lakenham, a suburb of Norwich in Norfolk. At that point she was known as Martha Ann Weston Fulcher. She was baptised again on 24 January 1832 at St Andrew’s and All Saints in Wicklewood, with her parents given as Elizabeth Fulcher and Godfrey Weston and the date of birth listed. Her surname now became Weston and she was clearly accepted by him as she was described erroneously as his “only daughter” in the Norwich Mercury of 13 April 1844, which reported her marriage on the 8th at Wymondham to William Rose. He had been baptised in Great Ellingham, Norfolk, on 15 August 1813, the son of grocer William and his wife Amelia. He was the draper listed in Attleborough in the 1841 Census and the couple settled in the town, where they baptised their son – at this point William was described as a grocer and draper. Subsequent census records noted that he became a farmer with Martha, with the 1851 return locating them in Panxworth, the 1861 in Wymondham and the 1871 in Wicklewood. William died on 20 April 1871 and was buried at the United Reformed Church in Wymondham. Martha received £200 from her uncle Nathaniel Weston on his death in 1874 (see below). She died in 1877 and was buried alongside her late husband in Wymondham. Their only known child was:
- William Weston Rose (1845-1914). Born on 29 June 1845 and baptised in Attleborough, Norfolk, on 9 July that year, William married Amelia Rose in April 1869 at Attleborough Baptist Chapel. The 1871 Census recorded them in Wicklewood, Norfolk, where they farmed 196 acres, employed two servants and had a son. Later in the decade, the couple and their growing family upped sticks for the Channel Islands, where he became a tea merchant, stationer and bookseller at St Helier in Jersey according to the 1881 and 1891 census returns. The Jersey Independent of 14 April 1894 noted that they had gone bankrupt but there was a dispute, heard in court, over a private income of between £100 and £150 that Rose earned from an estate back in England by the provisions of his grandfather’s will and whether this could or could not be used to pay off creditors. By 1901 they were living in Croydon, Surrey, and it’s possible he was a shopkeeper there. By 1911 they were back farming in Wicklewood. William died on 31 May 1914. Amelia remained in the area and was living with family at the 1921 Census. She died on 28 August 1934.
John Weston (c1760-1809) and Esther Bailey (1757-1826).
My 5th great-grandparents.
John Weston’s birth and baptism dates are unknown as I’ve found no relevant records for him but he was aged 49 on his death in 1809. It’s possible that his name was missed off a baptism register in error and possible but unlikely that he was never baptised. He was identified, though, as the son of Godfrey Weston (see below) in the latter’s will signed in 1804. His mother was Susanna or Susan Orford.
John had several siblings and they were baptised in Banham, Norfolk, although most of them died young. His father was a farmer.
John married Esther or Hester Bailey at St Mary’s in Banham on 29 September 1781. Her parents were James and Sarah Bailey and she had been baptised in Banham on 11 April 1757. John and Esther raised a large family.
John’s father left him a barn, stable, outhouses, yards, gardens, orchards, lands and grounds in Banham along with all his other real and personal estate in his will following his death in 1805. After his death, this was supposed to go to John’s son Godfrey (see above).
John was described as a farmer in an 1806 Poll Book record for Banham. He died in 1809 and was buried in Banham on 27 May. Esther died in 1826 and was buried there on 29 June.
Their children were:
- Godfrey Weston (1785-1862), my 4th great-grandfather. See the details above.
- William Weston (1786-1793), my 4th great-grand uncle. Baptised on 5 November 1786 at St Mary’s in Banham, he was buried there on 21 September 1793.
- Nathaniel Weston (1789-1874), my 4th great-grand uncle. Nathaniel was born on 4 February 1789 and baptised on 6 February at St Mary’s in Banham. He married Emma Mears at Forncett St Peter, Norfolk, on 16 March 1820 and although the record said she was a single woman, it appears that she was the widow of John Mears. They had married on 29 October 1812 in Forncett, although her name was transcribed variously as Emmy and Emery, and he was buried there in 1817. Her maiden name was Stackard or Stackerd and she’d been baptised on 12 September 1789 in Forncett St Peter. The Norwich Mercury of 25 April 1868 shed further light on her origins. This legal notice said that she was the daughter of Thomas Stackerd of Forncett, who had left her a house, carpenter’s shop and lands in the village in his will of 1812. The notice was seeking relatives of her father as she had died without surviving issue, who would’ve taken on the property. Nathaniel and Emma didn’t stay in Forncett but when they moved away is unclear. A poll book for 1837 recorded him in Hemblington, some miles away and east of Norwich. The following year’s Tithes Apportionment’s Register listed him in the village as a tenant of Henry Negus Burroughes Esq – for many years a Norfolk MP. Nathaniel remained a tenant for many years according to a death notice for him in the Eastern Daily Press of 18 August 1874. The tithes register listed a large number of fields, buildings and so on that Nathaniel had to pay the tax on. The 1841 Census showed the couple in the village and the 1851 Census recorded that he had 238 acres and was employing 10 men and four boys. By 1861 the acreage had grown to 270. Emma died in Hemblington in 1867 but was buried back in Forncett St Peter on 1 February. Nathaniel continued farming but died on 14 August 1874. He was buried with his late wife on 20 August in Forncett St Peter. He left effects worth just under £9,000 and in his will left £200 or £100 each to various siblings, nephews and nieces. Rent from his private property and land in Moulton, Norfolk, that was then occupied by James Herne, was to be used to pay an annuity to another relative until her death. His great nephew Godfrey William Weston would ultimately inherit the bulk of his estate including the Moulton property. Nathaniel and Emma had just the one child:
- Thomas Weston (1821-1821) was baptised on 2 September 1821 at Forncett St Peter and buried there just a few weeks later on 16 September.
- John Weston (1791-1855), my 4th great-grand uncle. John was born on 17 November 1791 and baptised on 11 December at St Mary’s in Banham. He married Sarah Gaymer in the village on 15 October 1810. She had been born illegitimately on 27 April 1792 and baptised on 2 May in Banham to mother Anne Gaymer. The couple had at least three children, a couple of them baptised in the neighbouring village of New Buckenham, Norfolk. The baptism records listed him as a labourer. Sarah died on 22 November 1840 in Norwich of scarlet fever and was buried on 29 November at St Martin at Palace in the city. John remarried. His new bride on 22 June 1841 was Ann Cooke, a spinster, and the ceremony took place at St George at Colgate in Norwich. At this point he was described as a butcher and she was the daughter of farmer William Cooke. Ann was born on 3 September 1796. John and Ann were living in St Stephen’s parish in Norwich in 1851, John now working as a gardener. Also with the couple was Sarah Weston, his daughter who was born in about 1830. John died in 1855 and was buried on 28 February at St Martin at Palace, Norwich. Ann remained in the city, listed as a housekeeper at the 1861 Census and an annuitant in 1871. She died in Norwich in 1875. John’s children with Sarah were:
- Robert Gaymer Weston (1811-????) was born on 12 August 1811 and baptised in Banham on 14 August. He was listed as an army deserter from the 12th Regiment of Foot on 5 May 1832, also described as a labourer of Banham. The Norwich Mercury of 2 February 1833 noted that he had been committed to the Norwich Gaol as a deserter. This happened just a week or two after he married Ann Fitt in Norwich on 21 January 1833. Clearly desertion didn’t harm him too much because he was still listed as a soldier at the birth of a son in 1838. While Ann and her son were in Norwich at the 1841 Census, living with members of her family, Robert was not. I’m unsure what happened to him.
- Ann Weston (1813-1878) was born on 29 September 1813 and baptised in New Buckenham on 5 October. She married Bury St Edmunds native Edward Matthews at St Martin at Palace in Norwich on 12 September 1836. They lived in the city for a while and had several children there, while Edward worked as a wool-comber – a skilled trade that involved preparing wool for use as higher quality worsted cloth. However, by 1851 the family had moved to Bradford, Yorkshire, where he continued as a woolcomber and several of his children worked in the worsted business. The manufacture of worsted had been migrating from Norfolk to Yorkshire for many years, in part to take advantage of the new machinery developed for the cotton trade so the family’s move was not too surprising. The couple also had more children. At the 1861 and 1871 censuses, Edward was listed as a warehouseman. Ann received £100 in the will of her uncle Nathaniel Weston on his death in 1874 (see above). Edward died on 8 February 1875 and was buried in Bradford. Ann died on 17 December 1878 and was buried alongside him.
- Godfrey Weston (1816-1863) was baptised on 7 May 1816 in New Buckenham and married Sarah Ann Rowland at St Michael at Plea in Norwich on 17 January 1848. He was listed as a butcher on the certificate. However, by the 1851 Census, when they were living in Norwich with their young children, Godfrey was a policeman. Ten years further on and he’d become a dealer in goods. Godfrey died in July 1863, three days after attempting to cut his own throat in Unthank Road, Norwich. He had been sent to the city gaol on remand – attempting suicide was a criminal offence at that time – but he died in prison from the effects of delirium tremens, which probably referred to the symptons related to withdrawal from alcohol addiction (Norwich Mercury 25 July 1863). The Norfolk News of 25 July 1863 noted that Sarah had woken to find Godfrey, described as a milk-seller, with his throat cut. Doctors added that he had a problem with excessive drinking and that they had previously treated him for delirium tremens. An inquest was told that Godfrey, who had been a policeman for 13 years, had fallen from a cart a few weeks prior to the incident and had hurt his head. In custody he had mentioned that he was sorry he had not killed himself. He was buried in Norwich. By 1871 Sarah Ann was living with her late husband’s uncle Nathaniel in Hemblington (see above) and acting as his housekeeper. On Nathaniel’s death, she received an annuity of £26 per year while her son Godfrey William inherited Nathaniel’s property, household goods, farming stock and money left over after his other bequests. Sarah Ann continued living with farmer Godfrey in Hemblington and died in 1895. She was buried in the village on 7 August.
- William Weston (1794-1862), my 4th great-grand uncle. William came from Banham and worked as a shoemaker but at one point in his life he was stabbed, then had a run-in in court with an angry widow and brought up a family that was no stranger to crime. Read about him and the family here.
- Charles Weston (1796-1797), my 4th great-grand uncle. Charles was born on 22 May 1796 and baptised on 2 August that year at St Mary’s in Banham, and was buried there on 28 August 1797.
- Mary Weston (1798-1873), my 4th great-grand aunt. Mary was born in July 1798 and baptised on 27 August 1800 at St Mary’s in Banham. She married agricultural labourer Robert Barker in nearby Wilby on 25 December 1818, when she was recorded as being a resident of Eccles – a village just a few miles away. Robert’s ancestry is unclear. The couple raised their family in Old Buckenham, Norfolk. Robert died in 1850 and was buried back at All Saints in Wilby on 16 November. Mary continued to live in the village with family and died on 14 April 1873 of old age, according to the death certificate. However, she was said to have suffered “a long affliction” in the notice published in the Norwich Mercury of 19 April 1873. She was buried in Wilby on 19 April that year. Robert and Mary had many children but they suffered the trauma of losing several of their first offspring very young:
- Eliza Barker (1819-1819), who was baptised on 5 March 1819 in Eccles, Norfolk, and buried there on 26 May the same year.
- Rhoda Barker (1820-1821), who was born on 24 July 1820, baptised on 5 August that year in Old Buckenham, Norfolk, and buried there on 13 January 1821. I believe this was one of their children even though the mother was named Mary Ann.
- William Barker (1821-1822), who was born on 9 July 1821, baptised on 12 August that year in Old Buckenham, Norfolk, and buried there on 20 September 1822.
- William Barker (1823-1909), who was baptised on 16 November 1823 in Old Buckenham, Norfolk. He married Mary Ann Randle in nearby Wilby, her home village, on 26 February 1844, and at the time was described as a labourer. By 1851 they were living in Hargham in Norfolk and he was working as a labourer on the railways. The couple had a growing family but also living with them was Mary Ann’s illegitimate daughter from before her marriage. From the 1861 Census on, the family were based in Wells-next-the-Sea on the north Norfolk coast. William had become a railway porter, a job he held for the rest of his working life. He received £100 in the will of his uncle Nathaniel Weston on his death in 1874 (see above). Mary Ann died on 17 December 1885 and was buried in Wells on 23 December. William remained in the village and died on 17 January 1909. He was buried alongside his late wife.
- George Barker (1826-1849), who was born on 6 September 1826 and baptised in Old Buckenham on 28 September that year. He was recorded in Wilby with his brother William at the 1841 Census and was imprisoned for four months for stealing three pieces of larch wood on a plantation in Wilby. The Norfolk Assizes said George and a fellow worker had been clearing wood for the wealthy owner and sold the three pieces that didn’t belong to them, even though it had been lying around for around a year. George was jailed for so long thanks to his having a previous conviction for theft (Norfolk News 17 March 1849). He died a few months later and was buried in Wilby on 16 August 1849, his home address given as Old Buckenham.
- Robert Barker (1829-1916) was born on 15 February 1829 and baptised in Old Buckenham on 15 March that year. He married Attleborough native Mary Draper in Wilby, Norfolk, on 15 October 1851 – a few months after that year’s census recorded him as a farm servant in the village. They emigrated to New South Wales, Australia, arriving in Sydney in September 1857 with their children on board the ship Washington Irving. Robert and Mary had taken advantage of the assisted immigration schemes run by the colony, in which the costs of passage were paid for entirely or in part by the authorities. They settled in the Shellharbour city area, south of Sydney. Mary died on 27 April 1882 and was buried in the Albion Park suburb of Shellharbour. Robert continued to live there, a 1913 electoral roll listing him as a labourer. He died on 4 March 1916 and was also buried in Albion Park.
- Nathan Barker (1831-1898) was born on 8 November 1831 and baptised in Old Buckenham on 11 December that year. He married Mary Ann Pease (baptised Pea) in Wilby on 17 October 1857 and was listed as a labourer on the record. They raised their family there and he continued to work in agricultural. Mary Ann died in 1886 and was buried on Wilby on 25 June. Nathan was killed on the railway when he was hit by a train at Attleborough Station, as the Diss Express of 18 November 1898 reported. A signalman had shouted a warning of an approaching train but Nathan was struck and his body carried along the line. A relative told the inquest that he was in good health, had given no indications of wanting to kill himself but was hard of hearing – in fact the 1891 Census recorded him as deaf. The train driver said he’d seen nobody on the line that night, perhaps because of the weather conditions, and it was only when he arrived at Harling Station that he was flagged down and the train examined. Parts of Nathan’s body were found in one of the train trucks’ break gear. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and criticised the safety arrangements at Attleborough Station. Nathan was buried in Wilby on 15 November 1898.
- John Barker (1834-1894) was born on 28 July 1834 and baptised in Old Buckenham on 24 August. He married Bertha Moneyment (sometimes Monument) in East Dereham on 1 October 1857. At the time he was working as an agricultural labourer but by the 1861 Census he was a railway porter living in Norwich, a job he held until his death. The couple raised a family in the city and John received £100 in the will of his uncle Nathaniel Weston on his death in 1874 (see above). Bertha had died of pneumonia on 4 April 1894 at the family home in Synagogue Street, Norwich. John continued to live there until his death on 30 December 1908.
- James Barker (1837-1923) was born on 18 January 1837 and baptised in Old Buckenham on 26 February. He married Willoughby Hicks in her home village of Felmingham, Norfolk, on 16 October 1862. He was listed as a farm labourer from the 1871 Census, which showed the couple and their children in Old Buckenham. Willoughby died on 7 September 1877 and was buried in Wilby on the 13th. He was in that village at the 1881 Census and then married Maria Battley or Batley in 1882. They moved around, recorded in Wilby in 1891 and Banham in 1901. Maria died on 3 February 1904. James was in Alby with Thwaite in 1911 and 1921, living with family. He was buried back in Wilby on 18 July 1923.
- David Barker (1839-1884) was born on 10 March 1839 and baptised in Old Buckenham on 25 March. He married fellow village native Mary Ann Jolly in Wilby on 4 November 1861. A labourer, the couple and their children lived in the area for some years but later moved to Sheffield in Yorkshire, where they were recorded from the 1881 Census. However, David died in 1884 and was buried in the city on 17 September. Mary Ann was buried there on 23 June 1897.
- Mary Ann Barker (1841-1917) was baptised in Old Buckenham on 28 November 1841 and married labourer Thomas Howard of Cambridgeshire in Wilby on 4 November 1861. They had children and he went on to work in the brick-making industry (1881 Census) and then as a labourer at a gas works (1891), settling in Redenhall in south Norfolk. Thomas was buried in the parish on 18 February 1914, Mary Ann on 7 February 1917.
- Martha Barker (1845-1884) was born on 25 February 1825 and baptised in Old Buckenham on 6 April. She married her cousin Nathaniel Weston, a shoemaker, on 14 February 1865. They had children and settled in the far west of Norfolk at Outwell, where she was buried on 19 March 1884. Nathaniel remarried. See the information about them here.
Godfrey Weston (1731-1805) and Susannah Orford (????-1773).
My 6th great-grandparents.
It’s likely that Godfrey Weston came from Suffolk. It was a rare name combination and the child baptised in 1731 is the only likely candidate unless others turn up.
This Godfrey Weston was baptised on 19 December 1731 in Hepworth, Suffolk, to parents Nathaniel Weston and his wife Elizabeth Peak. Nathaniel is a recurring name in subsequent generations (along with Godfrey) and Hepworth is right on the border with Norfolk, reasonably close to to the village of Banham in south Norfolk where Godfrey would live as an adult so it’s not an unreasonable assumption to make. Note that some record sets placed the baptism in Sudbury, many miles further away from Hepworth but these are errors in transcription. The original parish register from Hepworth confirms the location.
He married Susannah Orford at St Ethelbert’s in Larling, just a few miles from Banham in Norfolk, on 4 June 1758. I’ve found no baptism record for her at all.
They raised their children in Banham but Susannah died young and was buried at St Mary’s in the village on 8 January 1773.
Godfrey was recorded in the county poll books for 1802 as a farmer, freeholder and voter in Banham. He died the following year and was buried in the village on 29 April 1805. His age was given as “about 70”.
In his will he left his son John the house he was living in in Banham along with his barn, stable, outhouses, yards, gardens, orchards, lanes, grounds and other personal estate. After John’s death, the estate was to go to his grandson Godfrey Weston. He gave £10 to his daughter Susan Riches, widow, annually. After her death, the money was to be divided among her children. Susan also got his bed, tea table and looking glasses. He left £5 to Deborah, the granddaughter of William Nichols late of the parish of Tibenham, and £21 to his granddaughter Mary Weston once she reached adulthood. Godfrey’s son John and Nathaniel Weston Jnr of Kenninghall were his executors.
Godfrey and Susanna’s known children were:
- John Weston (c1760-1809), my 5th great-grandfather. John was another of the Weston farmers who lived and worked in south Norfolk – see above for his life.
- Susanna Weston (1761-????), my 5th great-grand aunt. Susanna was baptised at St Mary’s in Banham on 23 June 1761 and married Edward Riches there on 19 July 1780. He came from nearby Bunwell, where he was baptised on 2 February 1758 to parents Stephen and Mary Riches. A record from 1774 noted that he had become an apprentice of carpenter Robert Calver or Culver in Banham. Susanna and Edward had children who were baptised in and around Bunwell and Attleborough. Edward was a beneficiary of his cordwainer father Stephen’s will dated 1784. Stephen held multiple properties and some of that freehold land and property in Bunwell went to Edward, and then upon his death to his son Edward Jnr. Stephen’s clothing (linen and woollen) was also willed to Edward Snr. However, Edward Snr died in 1792 and was buried in Bunwell on 9 February that year. In 1797 Susanna baptised an illegitimate daughter, Rhoda, in Attleborough. Ten years later Susanna remarried. Listed as widow Susan Riches, she wed widower John Nurse in Attleborough on 12 October 1807. However, I’ve yet to find proof of what happened to her or information about John. Susanna and Edward’s children were:
- Edward Riches (1779-1867). Edward was baptised in Carleton Rode, Norfolk, on 5 September 1779 and was listed as apprenticed to blacksmith Nathaniel Plumpton of Attleborough in 1795. Edward married Attleborough native Ann Fincham at St Gregory’s in Norwich on 6 January 1802. Edward worked as a blacksmith and was recorded in the far west of Norfolk at Fincham with his family (1841 Census) and then Wretton (1851). Ann died on 17 December 1853 and was buried in Fincham on the 22nd. Edward died on 29 December 1867 and was buried on 2 January 1868 in Fincham.
- Susanna Riches (1781-1859) was baptised in Carleton Rode on 30 October 1781. She was recorded with her brother in Fincham, Norfolk, in the 1841 Census and then a few miles away in Watlington, Norfolk, in 1851. She died of inflamed lungs (according to the death certificate) on 27 October 1859, described as a retired housekeeper. She was buried in Watlington on the 31st. She never married.
- Elizabeth Riches (1783-1784) was born on 13 November 1783, baptised in Bunwell on 26 November and died just a couple of months later. She was buried there on 21 January 1784.
- William Riches (1787-????) was born on 12 July 1787 and baptised in Bunwell on 16 July. I’ve found no further records that match him.
- Robert Riches (c1790-????) was baptised in Attleborough on 15 April 1792, described as aged two. I’ve found no further records that match him.
- James Riches (1792-1876) was baptised in Attleborough on 19 March 1792, described as an infant and son of the late Edward Riches, carpenter. He married Alice Lee in Stow Bardolph, Norfolk, on 29 October 1819. Census records from 1851 listed him as a farmer in Stow Bardolph, where he died in 1856 and was buried on 5 September that year. Alice died in 1884.
- Rhoda Riches (1797-1839) was Susanna’s illegitimate child baptised in Attleborough on 4 March 1797, five years after her husband’s death. Rhoda married John Howlett in Watton, Norfolk, on 24 December 1816. He was described as a labourer on his children’s baptism records and his obituary stated that he was born in Norfolk on 25 July 1796, although I’ve yet to find evidence. The couple had children and the obituary stated that he learned to read and became a preacher for the Wesleyan Methodists. Rhoda and John emigrated to Canada in 1834, settling in the province of Quebec but she died just a few years later on 27 December 1839. John became a Seventh Day Adventist and he was celebrated by them in his obituary as a preacher. In retirement he lived with family, first in Canada but latterly in the United States. He was confined to bed for several years before his death at Battle Creek, Michigan, USA, on 15 November 1892.
- William Weston (1766-1766), my 5th great-grand uncle. William was baptised at St Mary’s in Banham on 5 June and buried on 3 October 1766.
- Elizabeth Weston (1768-1768), my 5th great-grand aunt. Elizabeth was baptised at St Mary’s in Banham on 30 May and buried on 5 November 1766.
- William Weston (1770-1771), my 5th great-grand uncle. William was baptised at St Mary’s in Banham on 26 December 1770 and buried on 10 May 1771.
Nathaniel Weston (1701-????) and Elizabeth Peak (????-1737).
My 7th great-grandparents.
Nathaniel Weston was most likely the child baptised in Norton, Suffolk, on 28 March 1701 to parents Nathaniel and Hannah. This remains conjecture but Norton is in the same part of Suffolk as Hepworth, where his known children were baptised.
He married Elizabeth Peak (or potentially Peck) on 15 September 1723 at St Peter’s in Hepworth, Suffolk. It’s unclear where Elizabeth came from or when she was born, but it’s possible she was the girl baptised in Market Weston, Suffolk, in 1695.
They had children baptised in Hepworth but Elizabeth died in 1737 and was buried there on 31 March, perhaps from complications giving birth to her son Samuel that same month.
Nathaniel married again, his new bride being Elizabeth Smith. The ceremony was just a few months later, on 3 October 1737 in Hepworth.
What happened to them afterwards is currently unclear.
Nathaniel’s children with his first wife were:
- Godfrey Weston (1731-1805), my 6th great-grandfather. Godfrey was baptised in Hepworth and married Susannah Orford. He became a farmer in Norfolk. See details above.
- Samuel Weston (1737-1737), my 6th great-grand uncle. Samuel was baptised on 19 March 1737 (1736 in the old calendar) at St Peter’s in Hepworth and buried there a few months later on 18 May.
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.
Godfrey Weston’s 1804 will: National Archives will records IR 26/391/107 and Norfolk Archives ANF will register 1805-1807 fo. 130 (1805 no. 82).
Nathaniel Weston’s will proved in Norwich on 8 October 1874 from the Probate Service.
Stephen Riches will at Norfolk Record office, reference code ANF will register 1783-1786 fo. 185.
National Archives reference (IR1 series) 67 f 174 in Britain, Country Apprentices 1710-1808 for Edward Riches, blacksmith.
The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Battle Creek, Michigan, 29 November 1892 (Howlett obituary).
An occupational analysis of the worsted industry, circa 1700-1851. A study of de-industrialization in Norfolk and the rise of the West Riding of Yorkshire by Keith Sugden. The Cambridge Group for the History of Population & Social Structure