Information contained in these pages is intended for genealogical research only, and I ask that you respect the privacy of those mentioned.  Please acknowledge the source of any information used from these pages. 
A list of sources is included.

John Gapes and Mary ©

Believed to be the son of John Gapes and his wife Elizabeth (nee Cock), records indicate John was baptized on the 29^th August, 1703 in Wendens Ambo, Essex, possibly in the Non-conformist chapel. 

While to-date I have not located any documentation, references on Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindMyPast, and RootsWeb, indicate that circa 1731 John married a Mary (surname unknown) in Wendens Ambo.  It is thought Mary was born around 1705.  These same references indicate John and Mary had at least six children: John 1733, he married Elizabeth Burlin 1761; Thomas 1737; William 1742-1821; Mary 1744; Susanna 1750-1753; and Elizabeth 1752.  They also suggest John died in 1765 and was buried on the 2^nd September in Wendens Ambo.  It is not known when or where Mary died.  

Wendens Ambo lies 2km north of Newport and 3km north-north-west of Saffron Walden¹.  It is thought that here has been settlement here for over 700years, with a Roman villa site found in the 19^th Century and an Iron Age settlement also found nearby.  The name Wenden is said to be Saxon, meaning winding valley, and Saxon pottery has been found near the church.  The Domesday Book of 1086² shows that there were two settlements, Wendena Magna owned by Robert Gernon, and Waldena Parva owned by William de Warren.  The parish registers of Great Wendens begin in the 1540s, but the earliest volume for Little Wendens is lost and the next volume begins 1602.  There are some fine buildings which date to the 17^th Century, among them Wenden Hall once used for the Sessions of the High Constable.  In 1662 the two parishes were joined together as Wendens Ambo, ambo meaning both.  The population around this time was about 320. The church at Little Wendens had gone by the late 17^th Century and the Church of St Mary the Virgin was rebuilt by the Normans, but included a few Saxon features.   When Non-conformism began in this area in 1682, there was a meeting house at Wendens, this was replaced in 1851 and continuing until closure in 1971.  Today Wendens Ambo, and particularly the picturesque little lane leading to the church, remains a lovely village, and a busy community.

References:

1. The Recorders of Uttlesford History: Wendens Ambo http://www.recordinguttlesfordhistory.org.uk/wendensambo/wendensambohistory.html

2. Open Domesday Book http://opendomesday.org/

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk  
Brickland Family Tree https://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=inglisaf&id=I7482/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=inglisaf&id=I516
FamilySearch https://familysearch.org
FindMyPast http://search.findmypast.co.uk

Please contact me for further information