|
|
|
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.
William Sutton and Ann Wickes © Based on other documentation held it is estimated that William was born around 1805, in or close to Mangotsfield, Gloucestershire, but although there are a few possible references, to-date no positive record has been located. An ancient settlement, Mangotfield is mentioned in the Domesday Book as ‘Manegodesfelle’. With a total population of 39 very large households, it had an annual value of £101.3s. The name probably derives from Mangod’s Feld, ‘Mangod’ being a Saxon word and ‘Feld’ meaning a stretch of open country, in other words, Mangod’s stretch of open country. Mangotsfield is 10km north-north-east of Bristol, and the modern village answers to most people’s idea of a ‘typical’ English village, a nucleated settlement growing up around a medieval church, with a manor house next door. The area was well known for its Pennant stone, which is still quarried locally at Broom Hill, just 2-3km from Stapleton. Nothing is known about William’s early life. However, later records indicate he was involved in the stone quarrying industry, and it is very likely he followed his father into this occupation, possibly starting as a quarry labourer and working his way up to a tradesman. Parish Records of Stapleton, Gloucestershire, indicate William married Ann Wickes in the Holy Trinity Parish Church, by Banns, on the 22nd August, 18241. Married by the Clerk of the Parish, Thos le Queene Jones, William, a Bachelor, and Ann, a Spinster, are both recorded as being from the Parish, and both made their Mark. The witnesses were William Saunders and William Fox, these witnesses signed their name, and interestingly both appear as witnesses on other marriages in the parish. A positive baptism has not yet been found for Ann, but using documentation held, it is estimated she was born about 1809, in or around Stapleton. A possible baptism has been located for Ann in Stapleton on 22nd June 1806, the base born daughter of Hannah Wilkes and John Smith5. Stapleton is within the ancient Kingswood Forest, which covered an expanse of 46square kilometres, to the east of the growing settlement of Bristol. The suffix ‘tun’ in Stapletun, as was earlier recorded, indicates Celtic heritage. According to the Domesday Book of 1806, this territory formed part of the 15 square kilometre Manor of Bertune, which belonged to Gloucestershire Abbey. Yet, still earlier settlements on the site remain a highly feasible proposition. In 1934, a Roman coin dated between 69-79AD was found in the area. The hamlet of Stapleton was donated to Tewkesbury Abbey in 1174, and the Saxon hamlet of Stapleton, as it is first recorded in 1208, stood at the edge of the forest, to the north of the river Frome. Stapleton was absorbed into Bristol in Somerset in 1898. Records2 & 5 indicate that between 1825 and 1840 William and Ann had at least six children: John 1826; Charles 1829; Mary Ann 1830; Anna Maria 1832, she married James Buckby 1851, he married Anna Maria Sutton in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 1851; Hanna 1833; Sarah 1838; and Emily 1839. In 18412 we find William age 35, a Labourer, born in Gloucestershire, living in Fishpond Road, Stapleton, with wife Ann, also age 35, and children: John 15; Charles 12, both Labourers; Ann (Anna Maria) 14; Hannah 9; Sarah 3; and Emily age 1. All are listed as born in Gloucestershire. By 1851 William and Ann are recorded as living in Back Lane, Stapleton2. William is now age 43, a Quarryman, and his place of birth is given as Mangotsfield, Gloucestershire. Wife Ann is age 42 and her birthplace is recorded as Stapleton. Living with them are daughters: Sarah 11; and Emily 9. Their daughter Anna Maria left Plymouth on the 14th April, 1850, bound for Moreton Bay, Australia6. This record indicates she may have been planning to join her brother in Port Phillip. William and Ann, both recorded as age 52 on the 1861 Census2, and are in Monk's Lane, Stapleton. With them is grandson, John A Sutton 8, recorded as a Scholar. William's occupation is given as Quarry Labourer, and both William and Ann's birthplaces are recorded as in 1851. By the late 17th Century the ‘Newe Pooles’ or Fishponds was a thriving village with many stone built cottages. It was very much a workaday district of miners and quarrymen who dug for the coal or quarried the pennant stone. The village grew up around the two pools on either side of the road to Chipping Sodbury. The ponds were formed from old quarries that had filled with water from a stream that ran down from Soundwell. The pools are marked on the Enclosure map of 1779 but were gone by the time of the Tithe Award in 1839. Ann died on 18th September, 18634. The wife of William Sutton, Quarryman, Ann was 64years old, the cause of death was registered as Cancer of the Breast. A burial for Ann shows she was buried in the Stapleton Holy Trinity Parish Church, on 23rd September, 18633. William is found living at Green Road Cottages, no. 21 in Fishponds, Stapleton at the time of the 1871 Census2. Age 67, a widower, he is now living with unmarried daughter Mary Ann, age 40. William's occupation is listed as a Stone Cutter, and on this record his birthplace is recorded as Downend, Gloucestershire. The villages of Downend, Mangotsfield, Fishponds and Stapleton are all within 5km of each other, and about 6km north-east of Bristol. At the age of 73, William died on the 2nd January, 1875, at 4 Albert Street, Saint George, Clifton, Gloucestershire4. His occupation was given as Quarryman, and cause of death is recorded as 'General Paralysis, 5Years'. The informant is recorded as Ann Sutton, daughter who was present at the death. This is believed to have been daughter Mary Ann. William was buried at St Mary's Fishponds on 10th January, 18753.
References:
2. UK Censuses
via Ancestry.co.uk
https://www.ancestry.co.uk 4. Death Certificate 5. Parish Records via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk 6. Shipping Indexes via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Other Sources: British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk
Google Maps
https://www.google.com.au/maps
|
