William and Mary Bignell nee Butcher
William Bignell is my 3rd Great Grandfather and his wife Mary is my 3rd Great Grandmother.
They had nine children in 15 years. Three of whom have descendants with DNA matches on Ancestry, to myself.
Stephen Bignell, with 5 DNA matches, Charlotte Bignell, with 4 DNA matches, and Sarah Ann Bignell, with 1 DNA match.
Stephen Bignell, 2nd Great Grandfather
Charlotte Bignell, 2nd Great Grandaunt
James Bignell, Great Granduncle
Now lets explore these families and the links to the DNA matches.
First the William and Mary Bignell nee Butcher, and their children, story.
William and Mary Bignell nee Butcher
William Bignell
BIRTH 1816 • Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire, England
DEATH January 1885 • Alresford, Hampshire, England
3th great-grandfather
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
William Bignell was born in 1816 in Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire. He married Mary Ann Butcher on 23 January 1841 in his hometown. They had ten children in 18 years. He died in January 1885 in Alresford at the age of 69.
Help
Help, introduction, information, and repeated segments
Introduction - Explanation
Discovery
I have decided to split the information about this person into two main sections. The first is discovery. Generally the first discovery is from Ancestry Trees and Hints. For the avoidance of repetition, I will not repeat that in the Discovery section for each person. Sometimes the lead maybe from MyHeritage, or other similar genealogy sites. Where that is the case, I will state so. Another lead could be DNA, including Ancestry's ThroughLines, again to be stated.
However, the main point of the discovery section is to create something of a story for the person and his or her life. A brief synopsis, sometimes over and above that created by Ancestry's AI.
Data Sheet
The next part is the Data Sheet. Designed to be the collection of all the records, and information found about the person. It can include records already shown in the Discovery Section, for completeness of the Data Sheet. However, although the template is structured for lots of possible information, I am sure that there will be times when there will be many gaps, which will be left so, just in case more information comes to light at a later time.
Structure
The structure of the family website is multifaceted. It depends of where you come into the site as to how transparent this is. The most simple page is that of a single person. More complicated is a single family, where there is a father and the articles within for associated people such as wife and children. The next level is multi-generation built around a hub, Articles within articles, generation after generation. With time it slowly grows. Each person within the growing mass, has a single focused article with a similar structure. This method, I think, gives structure to the reader, and to me.
This itself is a snippet which is frequently repeated, and not therefore specific.
Transcription of records is generally shown in this colour.
Census and Voting Registers
UK Census dates
UK Census dates from 1911Census.org;
- 1841 Census Sunday 6th June 1841
- 1851 Census Sunday 30th March 1851
- 1861 Census Sunday 7th April 1861
- 1871 Census Sunday 2nd April 1871
- 1881 Census Sunday 3rd April 1881
- 1891 Census Sunday 5th April 1891
- 1901 Census Sunday 31st March 1901
- 1911 Census Sunday 2nd April 1911
- 1921 Census Sunday 19th June 1921
- 1931 Census Sunday 26th April 1931
- 1941 Census -- Not held - WWII --
- 1951 Census Sunday 8th April 1951
- 1961 Census Sunday 23rd April 1961
- 1971 Census Sunday 25th April 1971
- 1981 Census Sunday 5th April 1981
- 1991 Census Sunday 21st April 1991
- 2001 Census Sunday 29th April 2001
- 2011 Census Sunday 27th March 2011
- 2021 Census Sunday 21st March 2021
In March, 4; April, 12; June, 2.
- <1939 Register Friday 29th September 1939>
The Spelling of Surnames
It is commonly accepted that for the printed word, the spelling system became standardised by the end of the seventeenth century. Powerful influences had been the introduction of the printing press (with spelling conventions set by the printers) and the publication of dictionaries. This standardisation was not echoed in the recording of surnames. Famously, Shakespeare had 5 other variants of his name, in his lifetime. Indeed, standardisation did not arrive until the advent of mass literacy in the twentieth century.
In surname studies, there is a complicated relationship between pronunciation, orthography and, presumably, the influence of the standardisation conventions of printed text.
Bignell - Bignel - Bignall - Bignal - Bignail
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents, unless stated otherwise.
Discovery
Initial discovery
Most of the initial discovery appears to have come from other tree builders on Ancestry together with Ancestry Hints.
Research, general digging and discovery
DNA
Parish Records Bishop's Sutton
Parish Records Bishop's Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
Bishop's Transcripts and Parish Records
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
The first entry in the Parish Register for Baptisms in Bishop's Sutton, starting January 1837.
The beginning of a page turn through the document to find baptisms within the family and others similar.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
I Samuel Maddock Vicar of the Parish of Bp Sutton in the County of Southampton do hereby solemnly declare that the several writings hereto annexed purporting to be the Copies of the Several Entries contained in the Several Register Books of Baptisms Marriages & Burials of the Parish or Chapelry aforesaid from the First day of January to the Thirty First of December inclusive and that no other Entry during such Period is contained in any such Books respectively are truly made according to the best of my knowledge and Belief
Signed S Maddock
It appears that this book is in fact Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858. A copy, hence the endorsement by the vicar. There are also the original Parish Registers Bishops Sutton 1813-1855.
In page turn it would be easy to do one book and then the other. However, from a readers perspective I suspect it will be easier to mix the books together so both records of a persons baptism can be seen together. I will have to annotate the images accordingly.
The Parish Record book has front pages, not just the start of records.
Parish Records Front Pages - Baptisms - Bishops Sutton 1813 - 1855
Parish Register Bishops Sutton Baptisms 1813 1855 Front Cover
Parish Register Bishops Sutton Baptisms 1813 1855 Front Cover
Bishop's Sutton Baptisms. Apr. 4, 1813 to Decr. 14. 1855
Parish Register Bishops Sutton Baptisms 1813 1855 Front Cover i
Bishop's Sutton |
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AD. 1813 |
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| William Evans, B.D. | Vicar | |
| John Eames Waight | } | Church Wardens |
| Michael Risers | ||
Parish Register Bishops Sutton Baptisms 1813 1855 Front Cover i
1854
On Sunday next June 3rd and during the Summer Months, Devine Service will be celebrated in the Parish Church of Bp. Sutton at half past ten o'clock in the Morning & at Seven o'clock in the Evening.
The rite of Baptism will be administered to Infants on the first Sunday of Every Month at an Afternoon Service to Commence at 3 o'clock.
???
Officiating Minister
Parish Register Bishops Sutton Baptisms 1813 1855 Front Cover ii
1841. Bishop Sutton Church new Pews & more seats added - will now seat 324 persons -
Number of Houses in Sutton 112 = Inhabitants about 600
Plan of Gallery with Free Sittings built in Sutton Church 1831
Parish Register Bishops Sutton Baptisms 1813 1855 Front Cover ii
Parish Register Bishops Sutton Baptisms 1813 1855 Front Cover ii
A Grant of 25£ allowed from the Incorporated Society, through the kind interests of the Bp [Bishop] of Winchester who also contributed 15£ & c. _____ and the ArchBp of Canterbury 10£ & the same sum to Ropley ???
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Saml Maddock Vicar |
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J Eames Waight Geo Calmshott ? |
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Churchwardens August 16. 1881 |
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Staircase & Landing |
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Door of Entrance
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Entrance to Seats
Entrance to Seats |
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| Entrance to the Steeple | ||
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Private Pew built by - Faculty by the Lay Rector Some Years ago |
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Parish Register Bishops Sutton Baptisms 1813 1855 Front Cover iii
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In the Year 1841 Sutton Church was repewed by a Plate & Subscriptions from the Vicar & other friends.
The following arrangement was afterwards made in reference to 3 Seats in the Chancel
At the request of Mr Loe, on account of his large family an exchange was made in sufferance, by the Vicar & Churchwardens' consent of the Seat erected by M. Rivers Esqr for that of the Lay Rector as it was an unoccupied pew _
The Pew lately occupied by Mr Loe's family having the words - "Rectors Pew" painted on the door ---
S. Maddock Vicar
May 7 -- 1851 ---- |
Parish Register Bishops Sutton Baptisms 1813 1855 Front Cover iv
The old Yew Tree in Bp Sutton Church Yard having been dead some Years, the Revd. S. Maddock removed it, & planted a young one at Christmas in the Year 1854; -- being the 37th Xmas of his ???
S Maddock
Jan 21st . 1855.
Ropley Vicarage
The printed Register of Baptisms Book includes a copy of the Act of Parliament which enforced it use.
Part of that below, shows that Revd S Maddock amended text to complete the annotation as used in the Bishop's Transcripts, as we have seen.
Location of the above church
OS 25 Old Map Bishops Sutton Church - Hampshire and Isle of Wight XLII.10 Revised: 1895, Published: 1896
Ropley Vicarage is mentioned in the Register of Baptism Bishop's Sutton.
OS 25 Old Map Ropley Church and Vicarage - Hampshire and Isle of Wight XLII.12 Revised: 1895, Published: 1896
OS 6 Old Map Ropley to Bishops Sutton with Alresford - Hampshire & Isle of Wight Sheet XLII.SE Revised: 1895, Published: 1897 and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Sheet XLII.SW Revised: 1894 to 1895, Published: 1897 and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Sheet XLII.NW Revised: 1894 to 1895, Published: 1897
Although much of the above is just an aside, found whilst turning pages of records instead of just searching for a specific person, there are some interesting pieces of information. The Rector appears to be living at the very large Ropley vicarage, perhaps serving both Ropley and Bishop's Sutton Churches, and therefore receiving both 'livings'
Baptisms are carried out on the first Sunday of each month. Meaning that in most cases, the birth of a person will have been in the month before. There will be exceptions. For ailing babies, they may have been baptised shortly after birth. I would expect to seen an entered into congregation note in that case. For elder children I would expect to see an age given in the Baptism record. As a rule of thumb, for an approximate date of birth, of the month before baptism will do until better information is found. Also it stops things like the birth, only a year, appearing after the baptism, a specific date, in a chronological list.
Birth and Baptism
Birth and Baptism
Parish Registers Bishops Sutton 1813-1855.
Parish Registers Bishops Sutton 1813-1855.
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1814
No 23, Baptised Augst 14th [1814] William Son of Thomas and Lucy Bignell, Abode Bishop's Sutton, Labourer.
Parents
Parents
Parish Registers Bishops Sutton 1813-1855.
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1814
No 23, Baptised Augst 14th [1814] William Son of Thomas and Lucy Bignell, Abode Bishop's Sutton, Labourer.
From his baptism record William Bignell's parents are Thomas and Lucy Bignell of Bishop's Sutton
Marriage
Wife's family
Wife's family
I started with the page turn I have described in Children and Other Families, which were built from those findings. However upon adding the first Butcher found in the Parish Records of Baptisms commencing 1813, I quickly found that it joined with part of my Ancestry Tree.
I will therefore structure this part of William's Wife's family using that knowledge, not just as the information is found.
From my Ancestry Tree
Isaac Butcher
Birth 30 SEP 1791 • Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, England
Death 11 JAN 1873 • Alresford, Hampshire, England
4th great-grandfather
William Bignell is my 3rd great-grandfather
There is a temptation just to copy this whole article and repurpose it to Isaac Butcher and place it as an article here.
However, that would be a book within a book. It would not only become more difficult to navigate and follow, but may impact web site performance, so much data at the same time.
So I will do the repurposing but just place a link to it, not embed it.
The link is;-
Children
William and Mary's marriage, children.
Now for the records
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1841
No 464, Baptised April 11 [1841] Stephen to William & Mary Bignail, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Labourer.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Both the top of page for the year of the record below, and another record for another family, transcribed elsewhere.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1846
No 558, Baptised Sepr 13 [1846] Thomas to William & Mary Bignail, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Labr.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1848
No 590, Baptised Decr 3rd [1848] Ann to William & Mary Bignail, Abode Bp. [Bishops] Sutton, Labourer.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Same record as last but with annual endorsement showing, i.e. zoomed out. Not transcribed this time.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1854
No 716, Baptised Sept 10 [1854] Olive to William & Mary Bignail, Abode Bp. [Bishops] Sutton, Labourer.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1856
No 15, Baptised Nov 23rd [1856] Ellen to William & Mary Bignell, Abode Sutton Wood, Labourer.
Other families
A Other Pertinent Families Noted
A Different family observed whilst doing the Register of Baptisms' page turn. For note and to avoid confusion between the several families. Became many families of interest.
Thomas & Caroline Bignall / Bignail
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1838
No 421, Baptised April 29 [1838] James to Thos & Caroline Bignall, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Labr.
This baptism is before William and Mary married, and there is evidence of illegitimate children being annotated accordingly.
The parents are Thomas and Caroline.
This was found as part of a page turn, which identifies things to be excluded as well as included, and as such are useful.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1840
No 456, Baptised Octr 11 [1840] Charles to Thos & Caroline Bignail, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Labr.
Another change in spelling of the surname by the Vicar, Bignall becomes Bignail. Only one letter changes.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1848
No 578, Baptised May 7 [1848] George to Thomas & Caroline Bignail, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Labourer.
William & Jane Butcher
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1838
No 428, Baptised Augst 26 [1838] Emily to William & Jane Butcher, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Black Smithy
Nothing wrong or in conflict with Bignell, for this record. Married couple William and Jane Butcher. Possible relation to Mary Bignell nee Butcher but not explored yet.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1841
No 463, Baptised April 11 [1841] Harriet to William & Jane Butcher, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Blacksmith.
Same parents, abode and occupation.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Two for the price of one.
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1843
No 463, Baptised May 21st [1843] Maria to William & Jane Butcher, Abode Bp [Bishops] Sutton, Blacksmith.
No 492, Baptised June 4th [1843] James to Stephen & Emily Butcher, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Labr.
463 continues the previous pattern.
492 appears to be another Butcher family, with parents Stephen and Emily Butcher instead of William and Jane.
I'll use this to create a new section.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1844
No 572d, Baptised May 7th [1844] Charlotte to William & Mary Butcher, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Labr.
There is however a problem with this record. Charlotte's parents recorded as William and Mary, not William and Jane. That is if the surname is correct as being Butcher, is it another family. The occupation is stated as Labourer, whereas previously he was a Blacksmith.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1846
No 554 . Baptised June 15 [1846] William Porter to William & Jane Butcher, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Blacksmith
Stephen & Emily Butcher
Brought forward from above;-
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Two for the price of one.
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1843
No 463, Baptised May 21st [1843] Maria to William & Jane Butcher, Abode Bp [Bishops] Sutton, Blacksmith.
No 492, Baptised June 4th [1843] James to Stephen & Emily Butcher, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Labr.
463 continues the previous pattern.
492 appears to be another Butcher family, with parents Stephen and Emily Butcher instead of William and Jane.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1845
No 527, Baptised March 30th [1845] William to Stephen & Emily Butcher, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Labr..
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1849
No 605, Baptised June 3rd1849 Cornelius to Stephen & Emily Butcher, Abode B [Bishops] Sutton, Labr.
Stephen & Harriet Butcher
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1851
No 643, Baptised July 13th 1851 David to Stephen & Harriet Butcher, Abode Old Park, Labourer.
David & Charlotte Butcher
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1857
No 31, Baptised Sept 15 [1857] private William to David & Charlotte Butcher, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Labourer.
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1858
No , Public Baptised Jan 10 [1858] having been privately baptised ??? William to David & Charlotte Butcher, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, Labourer.
Confirmation of previous Baptism above, and bringing into the congregation.
Martha Butcher
Bishops´ Transcripts Bishops Sutton 1837-1858
Bishop's Sutton, County of Southampton - 1852
No 675, Baptised Octr 31 [1852] Marianna illegitimate daughter of Martha Butcher, Abode [Bishops] Sutton, ----.
Death
Data Sheet
Data Sheet - Records, data, and general information about William Bignell and his family
Baptism
Found by page turning the images of the document instead of using search or hints. Slower, but then I can pick up changes in spelling and/or transcription errors.
An extract of the Baptism register for Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire, England.
On 14th August 1814, William, son of Thomas and Lucy Bignell was baptised. They resided in Bishop's Sutton, and his father was a Labourer.
Marriage
Marriage of William Bignell and Mary Butcher
The marriage in the parish church (of St Nicholas) in the Parish of Bishop's Sutton, in the County of Southampton ( now known as the county of Hampshire)
On January 23 1841 William Bignail [Bignell], of full age, a bachelor, whose occupation was recorded as a Labourer residing in Bishop's Sutton, married;
Mary Butcher, of 20 years of age, a spinster, residing in Bishop's Sutton,
It was a Church of England marriage by Banns. There appears to be no explicit approval of the wedding in respect of Mary being only 20.
Their fathers were recorded as being Thomas Bignail [Bignell] and Isaac Butcher respectively, both Labourers.
Both William Bignail and Mary Butcher appear to have signed their own names, ie not annotated with marks or X.
The marriage was in the presence of James Butcher and Marianne Butcher, and conducted by the vicar, Samuel Maddock.
St Nicholas, Bishop’s Sutton
Census and Voting Registers
1841
1841 Census Sunday 6th June 1841
The census on two pages, but we need to zoom in for the data we want.
Living in the Parish of Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire, William Bignell, perhaps sometimes transcribed as Bignett, aged 25. An Agricultural Labourer, born in the same county.
Also, Mary Bignell, aged 15, with her new born son, Stephen, aged 2 months, both born in the same county.
Estimated year of birth, 1816, 1826, and April 1841, respectively.
Before we talk about Mary Bignell being 15 and already being married and having a son, lets look at the family living next door, circled in yellow. Headed by Isaac Butcher, with presumably two children Sarah aged 14, and David aged 10.
It does appear that Isaac Butcher was Mary's father and she was present at his death according to his Death Certificate.
So really a case of marrying the girl next door for William Bignell, albeit, in perhaps questionable circumstances.
1851
1851 Census Sunday 30th March 1851
An extract for the 1851 Census in the Parish of Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire.
William Bignell was head of the household, aged 35 and married. He was a labourer, which may have been agricultural. His estimated year of birth was 1816.
The whole family are recorded as having been born in Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire. None of the family are recorded as being blind, or deaf-and-dumb, the last column.
His wife is recorded as Mary Bignell, aged 29, Her estimated year of birth was 1822.
The children are;
- Stephen Bignell, son, aged 9, est. birth 1842
- Harry Bignell, son aged 8, est. birth 1843
- Charlotte Bignell, daughter, aged 7, est. birth 1844
- Sarah Bignell, daughter, aged 5, est. birth 1846
- Mary Ann Bignell, daughter, aged 2, est. birth 1849.
There are some years without children in that list, which could be infant mortality, or none born in the intervening years.
The family lived in North Side, Bishop's Sutton, near A
I wonder if North Side later became North Street? No, there are entries in the records for both. North Side is probably Northside Farm on Northside Lane.
A move away from the OS 25" Maps to show the relative position of Northside Farm to Bishop's Sutton and New Alresford. Also, using information on the 1861 Census, which starts at Rampscombe (Farm), [now Ranscombe Farm], circled in red, moves on to a number of properties in the Sutton Wood area, circled in green, before arriving at William Bignell and his family at Northside, circled in blue.
1861
1861 Census Sunday 7th April 1861
Place of residence, North Side [Farm], for the family of William Bignell, Head of the family and married, aged 45, and employed as an Agricultural Laboured.
Joined by his wife, Mary Bignell, married, aged 39, and her occupation in think maybe Seamstress.
The children are all noted as Scholars, all daughters, and fortunately, all recorded as unmarried.
- Mary Ann Bignell, aged 13.
- Olive Bignell, aged 7
- Ellen Bignell, aged 5.
The estimated years of birth are 1816, 1822, 1848, 1854, and 1856, respectively. Apart form children under the age of ten, I would expect a progression of ages to be ten years to match the Census interval. However, previously, Mary Ann Bignell, daughter, aged 2, est. birth 1849, but now aged 13 instead of 12. A variance but nothing significant. William Bignall is the predictable ten years older.
In 1841 Mary Bignell recorded an age of 15. For the 1851 Census, Mary Bignell, aged 29, Her estimated year of birth was 1822. Mary Bignall is the predictable ten years older, his time but has retained the four year jump between the 1841 and 1851 Census. Her estimated year of birth was either 1826 or 1822.
Location repeated and confirmed with additional detail in the 1861 Census
probably
A move away from the OS 25" Maps to show the relative position of Northside Farm to Bishop's Sutton and New Alresford. Also, using information on the 1861 Census, which starts at Rampscombe (Farm), [now Ranscombe Farm], circled in red, moves on to a number of properties in the Sutton Wood area, circled in green, before arriving at William Bignell and his family at Northside, circled in blue.
1871
1871 Census Sunday 2nd April 1871
Bishop's Sutton, North Side Farm, William Bignall, Head, Mar, 53, Ag Lab, and Mary Bignall, Wife, 49 Ag Lab Wife, both born in Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire.
1881
1881 Census Sunday 3rd April 1881
William Bignell died in 1885, and Mary Bignell died in 1906.
There is a record of a William Bignell in hospital in 1881 but I am not sure if it is the correct William Bignell
1891
1891 Census Sunday 5th April 1891
William Bignell died in 1885, before this Census, and Mary Bignell died in 1906.
1901
1901 Census Sunday 31st March 1901
William Bignell died in 1885, before this Census, and Mary Bignell died in 1906.
1911
1911 Census Sunday 2nd April 1911
William Bignell died in 1885, and Mary Bignell died in 1906, both
Children
Mary Ann Bignell nee Butcher and William Bignell children's Baptism Records.
Scroll left or right along the tabs. There is a tab for each year of child bearing age following their marriage, which helps to indicate years when no children of William and Mary were born, or survived long enough to be baptised, or alternatively, where no record has yet been found.
1838 X Mary Ann X
Mary Ann Bignell
Not very sure about this entry. 1838 was before William and Mary were married, and Mary was only about 17 years of age. Also, so far I only have one source for this record, a tree on Ancestry. The same name is used later in the family and Mary Ann is not included in the 1841 Census, which suggests that she died before 1841.
Lets look at the 1841 census for the parish of St. Mary Kalendar, Winchester. Not a long way away from Bishop's Sutton but very different.
This page is for St Peter Street and North Walls, which is in the centre of the City of Winchester, near the Cathedral.
So the first thing to note is that these are two different families, one in City Centre the other in a rural community. One is of independent means, which is wealthy, the other is employed as an Agricultural Labourer.
They are headed by a person named William Bignell, in both instances.
The City William Bignell shares his home with two twenty year old ladies, named Amelia and Mary Ann. Unfortunately the 1841 Census did not record the relationship between entries, so we can only speculate. That is until we look at the 1851 Census record.
They are followed in the records by two children, a son William Bignell, aged 5, and a daughter Mary Ann, aged 3. Their respective estimated birth years are, 1836 and 1838. The latter is the same as the Mary Ann Bignell purported to be part of the family, the subject of this article.
On the whole, in the absence of any confirming information, I think that the Mary Ann Bignall in the Winchester record is probably the source of the confusion, and is not part of this family.
I will leave the notes here for others to read or challenge, but annotate the tab with an "X" at each end of her name.
Mary Ann Bignell daughter of William Bignell and Amelia Gillingham.
Based on the confusion I have decided to create part of this branch, albeit as an unattached branch, within Ancestry. Hopefully this will also reduce the number of erroneous hints I receive within Ancestry for the subject of this article. I will refer to this William Bignell with the suffix (city)
Although the 1841 Census does not state who is William Bignell's wife, it seems to be Amelia Gillingham. Note should also be made that the next line on the 1841 Census, (below the above image, not shown here.) is a Mary Newlyn, of either 30 or 80 years of age. William Bignell's (city) mother is thought to be Sarah Bignell nee Newlyn, and his father James Bignell.
To add to the confusion, below is an extract of the Hampshire Allegations for Marriage Licences, 1689-1837. Now, this list is only Licences so presumably, it excludes marriage by Banns.
There are two entries for Bignell's of Itchen Abbas, one;
- Jonathan Bignell of Itchen-Abbas, aged 23, a batchelor, and Joan Wickham, of New Alresford, aged 25, a spinster, licenced to marry at Weeke, St Maurice, or St Thomas, 15 June 1690.
- William Bignell of Itchen-Abbas, aged 21, a batchelor, and Eliza Gillingham, of St John, Winchester, aged 20, a spinster, with Consent of her father James Gillingham, licenced to marry at I. A., 19 June 1835. Aff.
At least we can ignore the first entry for this purpose as at 1690, it is out of our date range.
William Bignell of Itchen Abbas (IA), who married Eliza Gillingham in 1835, as bachelor and spinster, with Eliza's father being James. Are Eliza and Amelia the same person, or perhaps sisters. Undecided at the moment.
By the 1871 Census the family had moved to Leeds Street, Sandown on the Isle of Wight, William Bignell (city) had a recorded profession of 'Income mainly from houses'. Still a wealthy family. Which is again confirmed by the Probate record of Amelia Gillingham Bignell.
There is also record of a William Bignell married to a Amelia Gillingham in 1st Q 1841 Portsea Island, Hampshire, England. Perhaps relevant, but why in Portsmouth?
I think that the above fairly conclusively separates the two families, or perhaps three. Need to get back to William Bignall of Bishop's Sutton now.
1841 Stephen
Stephen Bignell
1841–1887
BIRTH APR 1841 • Bishop's Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH JAN 1887 • Alresford, Hampshire, England
Refer to article Stephen Bignell b. 1841, below. Also repeated in the Stephen Bignell section of 'DNA path to William Bignell and Mary Butcher'
Stephen Bignell
BIRTH April 1841 • Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, England
DEATH January 1887 • Alresford, Hampshire, England
2nd great-grandfather
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
When Stephen Bignell was born in April 1841 in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, his father, William, was 25 and his mother, Mary, was 20. He married Elizabeth Ann Russell on 22 January 1863 in his hometown. They had 11 children in 23 years. He died in January 1887 in Alresford at the age of 45, and was buried in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire.
Help
Introduction - Explanation
Discovery
I have decided to split the information about this person into two main sections. The first is discovery. Generally the first discovery is from Ancestry Trees and Hints. For the avoidance of repetition, I will not repeat that in the Discovery section for each person. Sometimes the lead maybe from MyHeritage, or other similar genealogy sites. Where that is the case, I will state so. Another lead could be DNA, including Ancestry's ThroughLines, again to be stated.
However, the main point of the discovery section is to create something of a story for the person and his or her life. A brief synopsis, sometimes over and above that created by Ancestry's AI.
Data Sheet
The next part is the Data Sheet. Designed to be the collection of all the records, and information found about the person. It can include records already shown in the Discovery Section, for completeness of the Data Sheet. However, although the template is structured for lots of possible information, I am sure that there will be times when there will be many gaps, which will be left so, just in case more information comes to light at a later time.
Structure
The structure of the family website is multifaceted. It depends of where you come into the site as to how transparent this is. The most simple page is that of a single person. More complicated is a single family, where there is a father and the articles within for associated people such as wife and children. The next level is multi-generation built around a hub, Articles within articles, generation after generation. With time it slowly grows. Each person within the growing mass, has a single focused article with a similar structure. This method, I think, gives structure to the reader, and to me.
This itself is a snippet which is frequently repeated, and not therefore specific.
Transcription of records is generally shown in this colour.
Census and Voting Registers
UK Census dates
UK Census dates from 1911Census.org;
- 1841 Census Sunday 6th June 1841
- 1851 Census Sunday 30th March 1851
- 1861 Census Sunday 7th April 1861
- 1871 Census Sunday 2nd April 1871
- 1881 Census Sunday 3rd April 1881
- 1891 Census Sunday 5th April 1891
- 1901 Census Sunday 31st March 1901
- 1911 Census Sunday 2nd April 1911
- 1921 Census Sunday 19th June 1921
- 1931 Census Sunday 26th April 1931
- 1941 Census -- Not held - WWII --
- 1951 Census Sunday 8th April 1951
- 1961 Census Sunday 23rd April 1961
- 1971 Census Sunday 25th April 1971
- 1981 Census Sunday 5th April 1981
- 1991 Census Sunday 21st April 1991
- 2001 Census Sunday 29th April 2001
- 2011 Census Sunday 27th March 2011
- 2021 Census Sunday 21st March 2021
In March, 4; April, 12; June, 2.
- <1939 Register Friday 29th September 1939>
The Spelling of Surnames
It is commonly accepted that for the printed word, the spelling system became standardised by the end of the seventeenth century. Powerful influences had been the introduction of the printing press (with spelling conventions set by the printers) and the publication of dictionaries. This standardisation was not echoed in the recording of surnames. Famously, Shakespeare had 5 other variants of his name, in his lifetime. Indeed, standardisation did not arrive until the advent of mass literacy in the twentieth century.
In surname studies, there is a complicated relationship between pronunciation, orthography and, presumably, the influence of the standardisation conventions of printed text.
Bignell - Bignel - Bignall - Bignal - Bignail
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents, unless stated otherwise.
Discovery
Research, general digging and discovery
DNA
Birth and Baptism
Marriage
Children
Death
Discovery for Stephen Bignail [Bignell]
Early documents
One of the early documents found was his marriage record.
The 1861 Census
From the 1861 Census for Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire, England we find Stephen Bignall [Bignell], relationship to head, servant, Unmarried, of 20 years of age with an occupation of Carter. Place of birth Hampshire, Bishop's Sutton. Estimated year of birth 1841.
We need to look at the previous page to get the location, and who the head of the family was.
Joining the two pages together, there is a potential for something of a story here.
Light blue marker, highlights William and Mary Bignell, Stephen's parents living at Northside Farm.
The next property on the enumerator's walk is Sutton Farm, highlighted in brown. It would therefore appear the Stephen had just moved next door to find work. Not only did he find work but he also found romance. Highlighted in yellow we find Elizabeth A Russell, relationship to head, servant, Unmarried, of 19 years of age with an occupation of Dairy Maid. Place of birth Hampshire, Itchen Stoke. Estimated year of birth 1842.
That romance appears to have resulted in the marriage recorded above, given the proximity, and the matching of names and ages.
The head of the family at Sutton Farm is George Judd, Male, age 46, estimated year of birth 1815 and place of birth Winterslow, Wiltshire, England. He is a farmer of 875 acres, employing 8 men and 3 boys.
George Judd had an entry in Kelly’s Directory of Hampshire 1855 as a Farmer in Bishop's Sutton.
The image below is a repeat of the 1851 Census in Bishop's Sutton, showing the same parents. The siblings shown below have probably moved out to find work, apart from Mary Ann, who, by 1861 Census 13 years of age which matches the entry above.
Data Sheet
The Data Sheet for Stephen Bignail [Bignell]
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents.
Baptism
Found by page turning the images of the document instead of using search or hints. Slower, but then I can pick up changes in spelling and/or transcription errors.
An extract of the Baptism register for Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire, England.
On 11th April 1841, Stephen, son of William and Mary Bignail [Bignell] was baptised. They resided in Bishop's Sutton, abbreviated as Sutton, and his father was a Labourer.
Marriage
Marriage of Stephen Bignel and Elizabeth Ann Russel in 1863
The marriage in the parish church (of St Nicholas) in the Parish of Bishop's Sutton, in the County of Southampton ( now known as the county of Hampshire)
On January 22 1863 Stephen Bignel [Bignell], of 22 years of age, a bachelor, whose occupation was recorded as a Labourer residing in Bishop's Sutton, married;
Elizabeth Ann Russell, of 20 years of age, a spinster, residing in Bishop's Sutton,
It was an established church, Church of England marriage by Banns. There appears to be no explicit approval of the wedding in respect of Elizabeth Ann being only 20.
Their fathers were recorded as being William Bignel [Bignell] and a not recorded person, respectively, the former a Labourer.
Stephen Bignell did not signed his own name and is annotated with X. Elizabeth Russel appears to have signed her own name.
The marriage was in the presence of Henry Bignell and Charlotte Bignell, and conducted by the curate, Henry Watts.
Census and Voting Registers
1841
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1851
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1861
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1871
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1881
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1891
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1901
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1911
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Children
Elizabeth Ann Bignell nee Russell and Stephen Bignell children's Baptism Records.
1864
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1865
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1866
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1867
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1868
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1869
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1870
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1871
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1872
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1873
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Work and locations
Death
Conclusion
Conclusion
Key data about Elizabeth Eldridge and her family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Relationship | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Eldridge | 23rd July 1826 | 19th August 1849 | (Marriage 25 y, 1 m, 29 d) | ||||
| James Hone | 19th August 1849 | ||||||
| Elizabeth Hone | 25th August 1850 | 24th November 1850 | (Marriage 2 y, 7 m, 28 d) | 27 years, 9 months, 26 days | |||
| 1 year, 1 month, 7 days | 28 years, 11 months, 1 day | ||||||
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Census | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 | Death | |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | X | 25 | 45 | 53 | Charwoman | ||||||||
| James Hone | X | 25 | 45 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | Carman | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | X | X | X | -- | 7 m | -- | ^^ | ^^ | |||||
| -- | -- | Greengrocer assistant, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Farrier, Fish Monger | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Seaman, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Charwoman | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | |||
| Baptism | |||
| . | Census 1841 | ||
| Christ Church With St Mary and St Stephen, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex | Marriage | ||
| Marriage | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1851 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1861 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | 13th February 1870 | ||
| Census 1871 | |||
| Census 1881 | |||
| Census 1891 | |||
| Death |
Tree
| William Bignell | Mary Butcher | her farther | her mother | |||||||
| Stephen Bignell | her | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
| next ancestor | or next ancestor | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
1842
No record yet found
1843 Harry
Harry Bignell
1843–1914
BIRTH ABT 1843 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH 1914 • Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Harry Bignell
BIRTH 1843 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH 1914 • Porthsmouth, Hampshire, England
2nd great-granduncle
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
When Harry Bignell was born in 1843 in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, his father, William, was 29 and his mother, Mary, was 22. He had two brothers and six sisters. He died in 1914 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, at the age of 71.
Help
Help, introduction, information, and repeated segments
Introduction - Explanation
Discovery
I have decided to split the information about this person into two main sections. The first is discovery. Generally the first discovery is from Ancestry Trees and Hints. For the avoidance of repetition, I will not repeat that in the Discovery section for each person. Sometimes the lead maybe from MyHeritage, or other similar genealogy sites. Where that is the case, I will state so. Another lead could be DNA, including Ancestry's ThroughLines, again to be stated.
However, the main point of the discovery section is to create something of a story for the person and his or her life. A brief synopsis, sometimes over and above that created by Ancestry's AI.
Data Sheet
The next part is the Data Sheet. Designed to be the collection of all the records, and information found about the person. It can include records already shown in the Discovery Section, for completeness of the Data Sheet. However, although the template is structured for lots of possible information, I am sure that there will be times when there will be many gaps, which will be left so, just in case more information comes to light at a later time.
Structure
The structure of the family website is multifaceted. It depends of where you come into the site as to how transparent this is. The most simple page is that of a single person. More complicated is a single family, where there is a father and the articles within for associated people such as wife and children. The next level is multi-generation built around a hub, Articles within articles, generation after generation. With time it slowly grows. Each person within the growing mass, has a single focused article with a similar structure. This method, I think, gives structure to the reader, and to me.
This itself is a snippet which is frequently repeated, and not therefore specific.
Transcription of records is generally shown in this colour.
Census and Voting Registers
UK Census dates
UK Census dates from 1911Census.org;
- 1841 Census Sunday 6th June 1841
- 1851 Census Sunday 30th March 1851
- 1861 Census Sunday 7th April 1861
- 1871 Census Sunday 2nd April 1871
- 1881 Census Sunday 3rd April 1881
- 1891 Census Sunday 5th April 1891
- 1901 Census Sunday 31st March 1901
- 1911 Census Sunday 2nd April 1911
- 1921 Census Sunday 19th June 1921
- 1931 Census Sunday 26th April 1931
- 1941 Census -- Not held - WWII --
- 1951 Census Sunday 8th April 1951
- 1961 Census Sunday 23rd April 1961
- 1971 Census Sunday 25th April 1971
- 1981 Census Sunday 5th April 1981
- 1991 Census Sunday 21st April 1991
- 2001 Census Sunday 29th April 2001
- 2011 Census Sunday 27th March 2011
- 2021 Census Sunday 21st March 2021
In March, 4; April, 12; June, 2.
- <1939 Register Friday 29th September 1939>
The Spelling of Surnames
It is commonly accepted that for the printed word, the spelling system became standardised by the end of the seventeenth century. Powerful influences had been the introduction of the printing press (with spelling conventions set by the printers) and the publication of dictionaries. This standardisation was not echoed in the recording of surnames. Famously, Shakespeare had 5 other variants of his name, in his lifetime. Indeed, standardisation did not arrive until the advent of mass literacy in the twentieth century.
In surname studies, there is a complicated relationship between pronunciation, orthography and, presumably, the influence of the standardisation conventions of printed text.
Bignell - Bignel - Bignall - Bignal - Bignail
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents, unless stated otherwise.
Discovery
Research, general digging and discovery
DNA
Birth and Baptism
Marriage
Children
Death
Discovery for Stephen Bignail [Bignell]
Early documents
The head of the family at Sutton Farm is George Judd, Male, age 46, estimated year of birth 1815 and place of birth Winterslow, Wiltshire, England. He is a farmer of 875 acres, employing 8 men and 3 boys.
George Judd had an entry in Kelly’s Directory of Hampshire 1855 as a Farmer in Bishop's Sutton.
The image below is a repeat of the 1851 Census in Bishop's Sutton, showing the same parents. The siblings shown below have probably moved out to find work, apart from Mary Ann, who, by 1861 Census 13 years of age which matches the entry above.
Data Sheet
The Data Sheet for Harry Bignell
Baptism
Found by page turning the images of the document instead of using search or hints. Slower, but then I can pick up changes in spelling and/or transcription errors.
Marriage
Marriage of Harry Bignell and
Census and Voting Registers
1841
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1851
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1861
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1871
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1881
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1891
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1901
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1911
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Children
Harry Bignell and children's Baptism Records.
1864
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1865
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1866
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1867
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1868
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1869
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1870
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1871
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1872
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1873
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Work and locations
Death
Conclusion
Conclusion
Key data about Harry Bignell and his family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Eldridge | 23rd July 1826 | 19th August 1849 | (Marriage 25 y, 1 m, 29 d) | |||
| James Hone | 19th August 1849 | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | 25th August 1850 | 24th November 1850 | (Marriage 2 y, 7 m, 28 d) | 27 years, 9 months, 26 days | ||
| 1 year, 1 month, 7 days | 28 years, 11 months, 1 day | |||||
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Census | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 | Death | |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | X | 25 | 45 | 53 | Charwoman | ||||||||
| James Hone | X | 25 | 45 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | Carman | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | X | X | X | -- | 7 m | -- | ^^ | ^^ | |||||
| -- | -- | Greengrocer assistant, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Farrier, Fish Monger | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Seaman, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Charwoman | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | |||
| Baptism | |||
| . | Census 1841 | ||
| Christ Church With St Mary and St Stephen, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex | Marriage | ||
| Marriage | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1851 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1861 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | 13th February 1870 | ||
| Census 1871 | |||
| Census 1881 | |||
| Census 1891 | |||
| Death |
Tree
| William Bignell | Mary Butcher | her farther | her mother | |||||||
| Harry Bignell | her | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
| next ancestor | or next ancestor | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
1844 Charlotte
Charlotte Bignell
1844–1908
BIRTH 1844 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH 1908 • Fulham, Middlesex, England
Charlotte Bignell
1844–1908
BIRTH 1844 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH 1908 • Fulham, Middlesex, England
Help
Help, introduction, information, and repeated segments
Introduction - Explanation
Discovery
I have decided to split the information about this person into two main sections. The first is discovery. Generally the first discovery is from Ancestry Trees and Hints. For the avoidance of repetition, I will not repeat that in the Discovery section for each person. Sometimes the lead maybe from MyHeritage, or other similar genealogy sites. Where that is the case, I will state so. Another lead could be DNA, including Ancestry's ThroughLines, again to be stated.
However, the main point of the discovery section is to create something of a story for the person and his or her life. A brief synopsis, sometimes over and above that created by Ancestry's AI.
Data Sheet
The next part is the Data Sheet. Designed to be the collection of all the records, and information found about the person. It can include records already shown in the Discovery Section, for completeness of the Data Sheet. However, although the template is structured for lots of possible information, I am sure that there will be times when there will be many gaps, which will be left so, just in case more information comes to light at a later time.
Structure
The structure of the family website is multifaceted. It depends of where you come into the site as to how transparent this is. The most simple page is that of a single person. More complicated is a single family, where there is a father and the articles within for associated people such as wife and children. The next level is multi-generation built around a hub, Articles within articles, generation after generation. With time it slowly grows. Each person within the growing mass, has a single focused article with a similar structure. This method, I think, gives structure to the reader, and to me.
This itself is a snippet which is frequently repeated, and not therefore specific.
Transcription of records is generally shown in this colour.
Census and Voting Registers
UK Census dates
UK Census dates from 1911Census.org;
- 1841 Census Sunday 6th June 1841
- 1851 Census Sunday 30th March 1851
- 1861 Census Sunday 7th April 1861
- 1871 Census Sunday 2nd April 1871
- 1881 Census Sunday 3rd April 1881
- 1891 Census Sunday 5th April 1891
- 1901 Census Sunday 31st March 1901
- 1911 Census Sunday 2nd April 1911
- 1921 Census Sunday 19th June 1921
- 1931 Census Sunday 26th April 1931
- 1941 Census -- Not held - WWII --
- 1951 Census Sunday 8th April 1951
- 1961 Census Sunday 23rd April 1961
- 1971 Census Sunday 25th April 1971
- 1981 Census Sunday 5th April 1981
- 1991 Census Sunday 21st April 1991
- 2001 Census Sunday 29th April 2001
- 2011 Census Sunday 27th March 2011
- 2021 Census Sunday 21st March 2021
In March, 4; April, 12; June, 2.
- <1939 Register Friday 29th September 1939>
The Spelling of Surnames
It is commonly accepted that for the printed word, the spelling system became standardised by the end of the seventeenth century. Powerful influences had been the introduction of the printing press (with spelling conventions set by the printers) and the publication of dictionaries. This standardisation was not echoed in the recording of surnames. Famously, Shakespeare had 5 other variants of his name, in his lifetime. Indeed, standardisation did not arrive until the advent of mass literacy in the twentieth century.
In surname studies, there is a complicated relationship between pronunciation, orthography and, presumably, the influence of the standardisation conventions of printed text.
Bignell - Bignel - Bignall - Bignal - Bignail
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents, unless stated otherwise.
Discovery
Research, general digging and discovery
DNA
Ancestry DNA relationships and matches to Charlotte Bignell
GEDmatch
One of the Ancestry hints for Charlotte is for the tree of Deanna Hawke. According to Ancestry Deanna and I are not a DNA match. However, Deanna has included a number of GEDmatch person codes. On the first run at 7cm I don't get a match with XJ2353795 - Betty Bignell, however, if I change 7cm to 3cm I get the following match;
XJ2353795 - Betty Bignell
- Largest segment = 5.7 cM
- Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 44cM (1.227 Pct)
- 12 shared segments found for this comparison.
- 430320 SNPs used for this comparison.
- 52.353 Pct SNPs are full identical
For MG4841725 - Deanna Hawke, also set to 3cm, but with no match at 7cm;
- Largest segment = 4.1 cM
- Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 27.7cM (0.774 Pct)
- 8 shared segments found for this comparison.
- 430323 SNPs used for this comparison.
- 52.31 Pct SNPs are full identical
For FM7300581 - Peter Hawke, also set to 3cm;
- Largest segment = 5.5 cM
- Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 47.7cM (1.329 Pct)
- 13 shared segments found for this comparison.
- 420850 SNPs used for this comparison.
- 52.449 Pct SNPs are full identical
For T643327 - Gail Tyler, also set to 3cm;
- Largest segment = 5 cM
- Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 51.1cM (1.426 Pct)
- 14 shared segments found for this comparison.
- 417591 SNPs used for this comparison.
- 52.404 Pct SNPs are full identical
For XN2590913 - Julie W, also set to 3cm;
- Largest segment = 4.7 cM
- Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 43.1cM (1.201 Pct)
- 12 shared segments found for this comparison.
- 419508 SNPs used for this comparison.
- 52.344 Pct SNPs are full identical
For LJ2029152 - Kyle Hek, also set to 3cm;
- Largest segment = 4.3 cM
- Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 42.5cM (1.185 Pct)
- 12 shared segments found for this comparison.
- 524510 SNPs used for this comparison.
- 52.775 Pct SNPs are full identical
For TZ1642588 - Paul Braybrooke, also set to 3cm;
- Largest segment = 4.7 cM
- Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 21.4cM (0.597 Pct)
- 6 shared segments found for this comparison.
- 524889 SNPs used for this comparison.
- 52.843 Pct SNPs are full identical
That is a full match for the GEDmatch codes that Deanna provided, albeit at between 4-5cm, which adds to the veracity of the people in the trees being related. However, as it is less than 7cm it cannot be interpreted as a DNA match.
This is something of an aside, an addition to the paper trail starting down the Charlotte Bignell branch.
DNA path between 4th cousin 1x removed, 3rd cousin 1x removed, 2nd cousin and me.
4th cousin 1x removed, name withheld
The name is withheld, on request, for privacy reasons. She is a DNA match to me.
She is also a shared DNA match to Stephen Paul Pomeroy, who was born in first Quarter 1967 in Southampton, Hampshire, England an is my 2nd cousin.
Stephen's relationship to me is via Dan Pomeroy and his wife Mary Ann Bignell. They were my great-grandfather and great-grandmother.
Her link to Stephen continues via Mary Ann Bignell and her father, Stephen Bignell and his sister, Charlotte Bignell, which gives common ancestors of their parents, William Bignell and his wife Mary Ann Butcher, my 3rd Great Grandparents.
Shared Matches according to Ancestry
Expanding our thoughts beyond the Charlotte Bignell's DNA matches, Carr, Danny Hodgkins, David Jones, as part of exercise of looking at both direct DNA matches, but also those shared matches, both secondary and tertiary.
Birth and Baptism
Birth and Baptism
Births registered Q2 1844 B Charlotte Bignell
Bignell Charlotte Alresford VII 5
The Registration District of Bishop's Sutton is Alresford.
No information about family, other that Surname, or adobe is recorded in the registration index at this time.
The first entry in the Parish Register for Baptisms in Bishop's Sutton, starting January 1837.
The beginning of a page turn through the document to find baptisms within the family and others similar.
I Samuel Maddock Vicar of the Parish of Bp Sutton in the County of Southampton do hereby solemnly declare that the several writings hereto annexed purporting to be the Copies of the Several Entries contained in the Several Register Books of Baptisms Marriages & Burials of the Parish or Chapelry aforesaid from the First day of January to the Thirty First of December inclusive and that no other Entry during such Period is contained in any such Books respectively are truly made according to the best of my knowledge and Belief
Signed S Maddock
Marriage
Charlotte's first marriage.
Charlotte's first husband.
James Booth
1865–
BIRTH ABT 1865 • Hampshire, England
DEATH Unknown
Discovery
...
...
James Booth married Charlotte Bignell on 09 Apr 1866 at Alverstoke, Hampshire, England.
Together they had a daughter, Helen Julia Booth, shortly after moving to Gosport, who was baptised on 1 Dec 1867 Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, England. I think Bishops Sutton had been their residence prior to moving to Gosport, where James became a Marine or Mariner, depending on how you read the Christening record. Helen was born 15 months after her parents married, and baptised 4 months, 21 days after birth.
The record is from the Parish of Bishop's Sutton, which was the original entry for place of Abode, before being changed to Gosport.
Also of interest is that the surname Booth appears to be overwritten on Bignell. I think that is just an error, and not an indication of illegitimate birth. The two records beneath this one are clearly inscribed
'illegitimate son of' followed by the mother's name.
Helen Julia Booth grew up and in 1900 got married.
On 22nd November 1900, at St. John's Church Paddington, London Arthur James Clarke, aged 29, a bachelor of 1 Myddleton Square Clerkenwell, Middlesex, (London), an Insurance Agent by profession, married.
Ellen Julia Booth, aged 33, a spinster, of 3 Hyde Park Place, Westminster. Their fathers were William Henry Clarke, a Coachman, and James Booth, a Royal Marine.
It seems that Helen has become known as Ellen, and not just a vicar's transcription error, as she signed her own name.
The church was known as Saint John The Evangelist, Paddington: Hyde Park Crescent, Westminster, England.
Number 3 Hyde Park Place is the property behind the lamppost.
OS Map 25" with the marker on 3 Hyde Park Place
From both the Baptism and Marriage records of his daughter Helen, James Booth's occupation was as a Royal Marine, at least between 1867 and 1900. A period of at least 33 years. However, so far I have not found any records regarding his military career. I have searched a number of sites including Royal Marines Historical, and the National Archives.
Data Sheet
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
William Bignell was born in 1816 in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire. He married Mary Ann Butcher on 23 January 1841 in his hometown. They had ten children in 18 years. He died in January 1885 in Alresford at the age of 69.
Baptism
Marriage
Census and Voting Registers
1841
Your text...
1851
An extract for the 1851 Census in the Parish of Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire.
Your text...
1861
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1881
Your text...
1891
Your text...
1901
Your text...
1911
Your text...
Children
Hannah Butcher nee Pitters and Isaac Butcher children's Baptism Records.
1
Your text...
2
Your text...
3
Your text...
4
Your text...
5
Your text...
6
Your text...
7
Your text...
8
Your text...
9
Your text...
10
Your text...
Work and locations
Death
Conclusion
Key data about Elizabeth Eldridge and her family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | 23rd July 1826 | 19th August 1849 | (Marriage 25 y, 1 m, 29 d) | |||
| James Hone | 19th August 1849 | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | 25th August 1850 | 24th November 1850 | (Marriage 2 y, 7 m, 28 d) | 27 years, 9 months, 26 days | ||
| 1 year, 1 month, 7 days | 28 years, 11 months, 1 day | |||||
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Census | ||||||||||||
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 |
Death | |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | X | 25 | 45 | 53 | Charwoman | ||||||||
| James Hone | X | 25 | 45 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | Carman | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | X | X | X | -- | 7 m | -- | ^^ | ^^ | |||||
| -- | -- | Greengrocer assistant, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Farrier, Fish Monger | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Seaman, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Charwoman | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
| Birth | |||
| Baptism | |||
| . | Census 1841 | ||
| Christ Church With St Mary and St Stephen, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex | Marriage | ||
| Marriage | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1851 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1861 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | 13th February 1870 | ||
| Census 1871 | |||
| Census 1881 | |||
| Census 1891 | |||
| Death |
Tree
| his father | his mother | her farther | her mother | |||||||
| him | her | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
| next ancestor | or next ancestor | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
Charlotte's second marriage.
Charlotte's second husband.
John Page
1838–1925
BIRTH 1838 • Bentworth, Hampshire, England
DEATH 1925 • Wandsworth, London, England
Discovery
...
...
Charlotte's first marriage was to James Booth, accordingly she is now known as Charlotte Booth.
On 12th December 1875 John Page, of full age, a bachelor, residing at Addlestone married Charlotte Booth, also of full age and of Addlestone. Her status is that of a widow, however we have seen that on the marriage register for Charlotte and James Booth's daughter Helen Julia Booth, James Booth is recorded as her father without the designation of deceased, which would be the normal course of action.
Data Sheet
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
William Bignell was born in 1816 in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire. He married Mary Ann Butcher on 23 January 1841 in his hometown. They had ten children in 18 years. He died in January 1885 in Alresford at the age of 69.
Baptism
Marriage
Census and Voting Registers
1841
Your text...
1851
An extract for the 1851 Census in the Parish of Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire.
Your text...
1861
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1881
Your text...
1891
Your text...
1901
Your text...
1911
Your text...
Children
Hannah Butcher nee Pitters and Isaac Butcher children's Baptism Records.
1
Your text...
2
Your text...
3
Your text...
4
Your text...
5
Your text...
6
Your text...
7
Your text...
8
Your text...
9
Your text...
10
Your text...
Work and locations
Death
Conclusion
Key data about Elizabeth Eldridge and her family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | 23rd July 1826 | 19th August 1849 | (Marriage 25 y, 1 m, 29 d) | |||
| James Hone | 19th August 1849 | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | 25th August 1850 | 24th November 1850 | (Marriage 2 y, 7 m, 28 d) | 27 years, 9 months, 26 days | ||
| 1 year, 1 month, 7 days | 28 years, 11 months, 1 day | |||||
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Census | ||||||||||||
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 |
Death | |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | X | 25 | 45 | 53 | Charwoman | ||||||||
| James Hone | X | 25 | 45 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | Carman | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | X | X | X | -- | 7 m | -- | ^^ | ^^ | |||||
| -- | -- | Greengrocer assistant, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Farrier, Fish Monger | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Seaman, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Charwoman | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
| Birth | |||
| Baptism | |||
| . | Census 1841 | ||
| Christ Church With St Mary and St Stephen, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex | Marriage | ||
| Marriage | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1851 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1861 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | 13th February 1870 | ||
| Census 1871 | |||
| Census 1881 | |||
| Census 1891 | |||
| Death |
Tree
| his father | his mother | her farther | her mother | |||||||
| him | her | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
| next ancestor | or next ancestor | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
Children
Charlotte's second marriage children.
Death
Data Sheet
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
William Bignell was born in 1816 in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire. He married Mary Ann Butcher on 23 January 1841 in his hometown. They had ten children in 18 years. He died in January 1885 in Alresford at the age of 69.
Baptism
Marriage
Census and Voting Registers
1841
Your text...
1851
An extract for the 1851 Census in the Parish of Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire.
Your text...
1861
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1881
Your text...
1891
Your text...
1901
Your text...
1911
Your text...
Children
Hannah Butcher nee Pitters and Isaac Butcher children's Baptism Records.
1
Your text...
2
Your text...
3
Your text...
4
Your text...
5
Your text...
6
Your text...
7
Your text...
8
Your text...
9
Your text...
10
Your text...
Work and locations
Death
Conclusion
Conclusion
Key data about Elizabeth Eldridge and her family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Relationship | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Eldridge | 23rd July 1826 | 19th August 1849 | (Marriage 25 y, 1 m, 29 d) | ||||
| James Hone | 19th August 1849 | ||||||
| Elizabeth Hone | 25th August 1850 | 24th November 1850 | (Marriage 2 y, 7 m, 28 d) | 27 years, 9 months, 26 days | |||
| 1 year, 1 month, 7 days | 28 years, 11 months, 1 day | ||||||
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Census | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 | Death | |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | X | 25 | 45 | 53 | Charwoman | ||||||||
| James Hone | X | 25 | 45 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | Carman | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | X | X | X | -- | 7 m | -- | ^^ | ^^ | |||||
| -- | -- | Greengrocer assistant, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Farrier, Fish Monger | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Seaman, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Charwoman | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | |||
| Baptism | |||
| . | Census 1841 | ||
| Christ Church With St Mary and St Stephen, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex | Marriage | ||
| Marriage | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1851 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1861 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | 13th February 1870 | ||
| Census 1871 | |||
| Census 1881 | |||
| Census 1891 | |||
| Death |
Tree
| his father | his mother | her farther | her mother | |||||||
| James Booth | Charlotte Bignell | |||||||||
| Helen Julia Booth | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
| John Page | Charlotte Bignell | |||||||||
| Edwin / Edward Page | Beatrice Sarah Page | Albert John Page | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
1845
No record yet found
1846 Sarah Ann
Sarah Ann Bignell
1846–1926
BIRTH ABT 1846 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH APR 1926 • St Germans, Cornwall, England
Sarah Ann Bignell
Harry Bignell
BIRTH 1843 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH 1914 • Porthsmouth, Hampshire, England
2nd great-granduncle
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
When Harry Bignell was born in 1843 in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, his father, William, was 29 and his mother, Mary, was 22. He had two brothers and six sisters. He died in 1914 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, at the age of 71.
Help
Help, introduction, information, and repeated segments
Introduction - Explanation
Discovery
I have decided to split the information about this person into two main sections. The first is discovery. Generally the first discovery is from Ancestry Trees and Hints. For the avoidance of repetition, I will not repeat that in the Discovery section for each person. Sometimes the lead maybe from MyHeritage, or other similar genealogy sites. Where that is the case, I will state so. Another lead could be DNA, including Ancestry's ThroughLines, again to be stated.
However, the main point of the discovery section is to create something of a story for the person and his or her life. A brief synopsis, sometimes over and above that created by Ancestry's AI.
Data Sheet
The next part is the Data Sheet. Designed to be the collection of all the records, and information found about the person. It can include records already shown in the Discovery Section, for completeness of the Data Sheet. However, although the template is structured for lots of possible information, I am sure that there will be times when there will be many gaps, which will be left so, just in case more information comes to light at a later time.
Structure
The structure of the family website is multifaceted. It depends of where you come into the site as to how transparent this is. The most simple page is that of a single person. More complicated is a single family, where there is a father and the articles within for associated people such as wife and children. The next level is multi-generation built around a hub, Articles within articles, generation after generation. With time it slowly grows. Each person within the growing mass, has a single focused article with a similar structure. This method, I think, gives structure to the reader, and to me.
This itself is a snippet which is frequently repeated, and not therefore specific.
Transcription of records is generally shown in this colour.
Census and Voting Registers
UK Census dates
UK Census dates from 1911Census.org;
- 1841 Census Sunday 6th June 1841
- 1851 Census Sunday 30th March 1851
- 1861 Census Sunday 7th April 1861
- 1871 Census Sunday 2nd April 1871
- 1881 Census Sunday 3rd April 1881
- 1891 Census Sunday 5th April 1891
- 1901 Census Sunday 31st March 1901
- 1911 Census Sunday 2nd April 1911
- 1921 Census Sunday 19th June 1921
- 1931 Census Sunday 26th April 1931
- 1941 Census -- Not held - WWII --
- 1951 Census Sunday 8th April 1951
- 1961 Census Sunday 23rd April 1961
- 1971 Census Sunday 25th April 1971
- 1981 Census Sunday 5th April 1981
- 1991 Census Sunday 21st April 1991
- 2001 Census Sunday 29th April 2001
- 2011 Census Sunday 27th March 2011
- 2021 Census Sunday 21st March 2021
In March, 4; April, 12; June, 2.
- <1939 Register Friday 29th September 1939>
The Spelling of Surnames
It is commonly accepted that for the printed word, the spelling system became standardised by the end of the seventeenth century. Powerful influences had been the introduction of the printing press (with spelling conventions set by the printers) and the publication of dictionaries. This standardisation was not echoed in the recording of surnames. Famously, Shakespeare had 5 other variants of his name, in his lifetime. Indeed, standardisation did not arrive until the advent of mass literacy in the twentieth century.
In surname studies, there is a complicated relationship between pronunciation, orthography and, presumably, the influence of the standardisation conventions of printed text.
Bignell - Bignel - Bignall - Bignal - Bignail
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents, unless stated otherwise.
Discovery
Research, general digging and discovery
DNA
Birth and Baptism
Marriage
Children
Death
Discovery for Stephen Bignail [Bignell]
Early documents
The head of the family at Sutton Farm is George Judd, Male, age 46, estimated year of birth 1815 and place of birth Winterslow, Wiltshire, England. He is a farmer of 875 acres, employing 8 men and 3 boys.
George Judd had an entry in Kelly’s Directory of Hampshire 1855 as a Farmer in Bishop's Sutton.
The image below is a repeat of the 1851 Census in Bishop's Sutton, showing the same parents. The siblings shown below have probably moved out to find work, apart from Mary Ann, who, by 1861 Census 13 years of age which matches the entry above.
Data Sheet
The Data Sheet for Harry Bignell
Baptism
Found by page turning the images of the document instead of using search or hints. Slower, but then I can pick up changes in spelling and/or transcription errors.
Marriage
Marriage of Harry Bignell and
Census and Voting Registers
1841
Your text...
1851
Your text...
1861
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1881
Your text...
1891
Your text...
1901
Your text...
1911
Your text...
Children
Harry Bignell and children's Baptism Records.
1864
Your text...
1865
Your text...
1866
Your text...
1867
Your text...
1868
Your text...
1869
Your text...
1870
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1872
Your text...
1873
Your text...
Work and locations
Death
Conclusion
Conclusion
Key data about Harry Bignell and his family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Eldridge | 23rd July 1826 | 19th August 1849 | (Marriage 25 y, 1 m, 29 d) | |||
| James Hone | 19th August 1849 | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | 25th August 1850 | 24th November 1850 | (Marriage 2 y, 7 m, 28 d) | 27 years, 9 months, 26 days | ||
| 1 year, 1 month, 7 days | 28 years, 11 months, 1 day | |||||
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Census | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 | Death | |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | X | 25 | 45 | 53 | Charwoman | ||||||||
| James Hone | X | 25 | 45 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | Carman | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | X | X | X | -- | 7 m | -- | ^^ | ^^ | |||||
| -- | -- | Greengrocer assistant, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Farrier, Fish Monger | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Seaman, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Charwoman | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | |||
| Baptism | |||
| . | Census 1841 | ||
| Christ Church With St Mary and St Stephen, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex | Marriage | ||
| Marriage | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1851 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1861 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | 13th February 1870 | ||
| Census 1871 | |||
| Census 1881 | |||
| Census 1891 | |||
| Death |
Tree
| William Bignell | Mary Butcher | her farther | her mother | |||||||
| Harry Bignell | her | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
| next ancestor | or next ancestor | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
1846 Thomas
Thomas Bignall
1846–
BIRTH 1846 • Bishops Sutton Hampshire England
DEATH Unknown
Thomas Bignell
Harry Bignell
BIRTH 1843 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH 1914 • Porthsmouth, Hampshire, England
2nd great-granduncle
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
When Harry Bignell was born in 1843 in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, his father, William, was 29 and his mother, Mary, was 22. He had two brothers and six sisters. He died in 1914 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, at the age of 71.
Help
Help, introduction, information, and repeated segments
Introduction - Explanation
Discovery
I have decided to split the information about this person into two main sections. The first is discovery. Generally the first discovery is from Ancestry Trees and Hints. For the avoidance of repetition, I will not repeat that in the Discovery section for each person. Sometimes the lead maybe from MyHeritage, or other similar genealogy sites. Where that is the case, I will state so. Another lead could be DNA, including Ancestry's ThroughLines, again to be stated.
However, the main point of the discovery section is to create something of a story for the person and his or her life. A brief synopsis, sometimes over and above that created by Ancestry's AI.
Data Sheet
The next part is the Data Sheet. Designed to be the collection of all the records, and information found about the person. It can include records already shown in the Discovery Section, for completeness of the Data Sheet. However, although the template is structured for lots of possible information, I am sure that there will be times when there will be many gaps, which will be left so, just in case more information comes to light at a later time.
Structure
The structure of the family website is multifaceted. It depends of where you come into the site as to how transparent this is. The most simple page is that of a single person. More complicated is a single family, where there is a father and the articles within for associated people such as wife and children. The next level is multi-generation built around a hub, Articles within articles, generation after generation. With time it slowly grows. Each person within the growing mass, has a single focused article with a similar structure. This method, I think, gives structure to the reader, and to me.
This itself is a snippet which is frequently repeated, and not therefore specific.
Transcription of records is generally shown in this colour.
Census and Voting Registers
UK Census dates
UK Census dates from 1911Census.org;
- 1841 Census Sunday 6th June 1841
- 1851 Census Sunday 30th March 1851
- 1861 Census Sunday 7th April 1861
- 1871 Census Sunday 2nd April 1871
- 1881 Census Sunday 3rd April 1881
- 1891 Census Sunday 5th April 1891
- 1901 Census Sunday 31st March 1901
- 1911 Census Sunday 2nd April 1911
- 1921 Census Sunday 19th June 1921
- 1931 Census Sunday 26th April 1931
- 1941 Census -- Not held - WWII --
- 1951 Census Sunday 8th April 1951
- 1961 Census Sunday 23rd April 1961
- 1971 Census Sunday 25th April 1971
- 1981 Census Sunday 5th April 1981
- 1991 Census Sunday 21st April 1991
- 2001 Census Sunday 29th April 2001
- 2011 Census Sunday 27th March 2011
- 2021 Census Sunday 21st March 2021
In March, 4; April, 12; June, 2.
- <1939 Register Friday 29th September 1939>
The Spelling of Surnames
It is commonly accepted that for the printed word, the spelling system became standardised by the end of the seventeenth century. Powerful influences had been the introduction of the printing press (with spelling conventions set by the printers) and the publication of dictionaries. This standardisation was not echoed in the recording of surnames. Famously, Shakespeare had 5 other variants of his name, in his lifetime. Indeed, standardisation did not arrive until the advent of mass literacy in the twentieth century.
In surname studies, there is a complicated relationship between pronunciation, orthography and, presumably, the influence of the standardisation conventions of printed text.
Bignell - Bignel - Bignall - Bignal - Bignail
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents, unless stated otherwise.
Discovery
Discovery for Stephen Bignail [Bignell]
Early documents
The head of the family at Sutton Farm is George Judd, Male, age 46, estimated year of birth 1815 and place of birth Winterslow, Wiltshire, England. He is a farmer of 875 acres, employing 8 men and 3 boys.
George Judd had an entry in Kelly’s Directory of Hampshire 1855 as a Farmer in Bishop's Sutton.
The image below is a repeat of the 1851 Census in Bishop's Sutton, showing the same parents. The siblings shown below have probably moved out to find work, apart from Mary Ann, who, by 1861 Census 13 years of age which matches the entry above.
Data Sheet
The Data Sheet for Harry Bignell
Baptism
Found by page turning the images of the document instead of using search or hints. Slower, but then I can pick up changes in spelling and/or transcription errors.
Marriage
Marriage of Harry Bignell and
Census and Voting Registers
1841
Your text...
1851
Your text...
1861
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1881
Your text...
1891
Your text...
1901
Your text...
1911
Your text...
Children
Harry Bignell and children's Baptism Records.
1864
Your text...
1865
Your text...
1866
Your text...
1867
Your text...
1868
Your text...
1869
Your text...
1870
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1872
Your text...
1873
Your text...
Work and locations
Death
Conclusion
Conclusion
Key data about Harry Bignell and his family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Relationship | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Eldridge | 23rd July 1826 | 19th August 1849 | (Marriage 25 y, 1 m, 29 d) | ||||
| James Hone | 19th August 1849 | ||||||
| Elizabeth Hone | 25th August 1850 | 24th November 1850 | (Marriage 2 y, 7 m, 28 d) | 27 years, 9 months, 26 days | |||
| 1 year, 1 month, 7 days | 28 years, 11 months, 1 day | ||||||
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Census | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 | Death | |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | X | 25 | 45 | 53 | Charwoman | ||||||||
| James Hone | X | 25 | 45 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | Carman | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | X | X | X | -- | 7 m | -- | ^^ | ^^ | |||||
| -- | -- | Greengrocer assistant, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Farrier, Fish Monger | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Seaman, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Charwoman | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | |||
| Baptism | |||
| . | Census 1841 | ||
| Christ Church With St Mary and St Stephen, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex | Marriage | ||
| Marriage | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1851 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1861 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | 13th February 1870 | ||
| Census 1871 | |||
| Census 1881 | |||
| Census 1891 | |||
| Death |
Tree
| William Bignell | Mary Butcher | her farther | her mother | |||||||
| Harry Bignell | her | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
| next ancestor | or next ancestor | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
1847
No record yet found
1848
No record yet found
1849 Mary Ann
Mary Ann Bignell
1849–
BIRTH ABT 1849 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH Unknown
Mary Ann Bignell
Harry Bignell
BIRTH 1843 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH 1914 • Porthsmouth, Hampshire, England
2nd great-granduncle
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
When Harry Bignell was born in 1843 in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, his father, William, was 29 and his mother, Mary, was 22. He had two brothers and six sisters. He died in 1914 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, at the age of 71.
Help
Help, introduction, information, and repeated segments
Introduction - Explanation
Discovery
I have decided to split the information about this person into two main sections. The first is discovery. Generally the first discovery is from Ancestry Trees and Hints. For the avoidance of repetition, I will not repeat that in the Discovery section for each person. Sometimes the lead maybe from MyHeritage, or other similar genealogy sites. Where that is the case, I will state so. Another lead could be DNA, including Ancestry's ThroughLines, again to be stated.
However, the main point of the discovery section is to create something of a story for the person and his or her life. A brief synopsis, sometimes over and above that created by Ancestry's AI.
Data Sheet
The next part is the Data Sheet. Designed to be the collection of all the records, and information found about the person. It can include records already shown in the Discovery Section, for completeness of the Data Sheet. However, although the template is structured for lots of possible information, I am sure that there will be times when there will be many gaps, which will be left so, just in case more information comes to light at a later time.
Structure
The structure of the family website is multifaceted. It depends of where you come into the site as to how transparent this is. The most simple page is that of a single person. More complicated is a single family, where there is a father and the articles within for associated people such as wife and children. The next level is multi-generation built around a hub, Articles within articles, generation after generation. With time it slowly grows. Each person within the growing mass, has a single focused article with a similar structure. This method, I think, gives structure to the reader, and to me.
This itself is a snippet which is frequently repeated, and not therefore specific.
Transcription of records is generally shown in this colour.
Census and Voting Registers
UK Census dates
UK Census dates from 1911Census.org;
- 1841 Census Sunday 6th June 1841
- 1851 Census Sunday 30th March 1851
- 1861 Census Sunday 7th April 1861
- 1871 Census Sunday 2nd April 1871
- 1881 Census Sunday 3rd April 1881
- 1891 Census Sunday 5th April 1891
- 1901 Census Sunday 31st March 1901
- 1911 Census Sunday 2nd April 1911
- 1921 Census Sunday 19th June 1921
- 1931 Census Sunday 26th April 1931
- 1941 Census -- Not held - WWII --
- 1951 Census Sunday 8th April 1951
- 1961 Census Sunday 23rd April 1961
- 1971 Census Sunday 25th April 1971
- 1981 Census Sunday 5th April 1981
- 1991 Census Sunday 21st April 1991
- 2001 Census Sunday 29th April 2001
- 2011 Census Sunday 27th March 2011
- 2021 Census Sunday 21st March 2021
In March, 4; April, 12; June, 2.
- <1939 Register Friday 29th September 1939>
The Spelling of Surnames
It is commonly accepted that for the printed word, the spelling system became standardised by the end of the seventeenth century. Powerful influences had been the introduction of the printing press (with spelling conventions set by the printers) and the publication of dictionaries. This standardisation was not echoed in the recording of surnames. Famously, Shakespeare had 5 other variants of his name, in his lifetime. Indeed, standardisation did not arrive until the advent of mass literacy in the twentieth century.
In surname studies, there is a complicated relationship between pronunciation, orthography and, presumably, the influence of the standardisation conventions of printed text.
Bignell - Bignel - Bignall - Bignal - Bignail
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents, unless stated otherwise.
Discovery
Discovery for Stephen Bignail [Bignell]
Early documents
The head of the family at Sutton Farm is George Judd, Male, age 46, estimated year of birth 1815 and place of birth Winterslow, Wiltshire, England. He is a farmer of 875 acres, employing 8 men and 3 boys.
George Judd had an entry in Kelly’s Directory of Hampshire 1855 as a Farmer in Bishop's Sutton.
The image below is a repeat of the 1851 Census in Bishop's Sutton, showing the same parents. The siblings shown below have probably moved out to find work, apart from Mary Ann, who, by 1861 Census 13 years of age which matches the entry above.
Data Sheet
The Data Sheet for Harry Bignell
Baptism
Found by page turning the images of the document instead of using search or hints. Slower, but then I can pick up changes in spelling and/or transcription errors.
Marriage
Marriage of Harry Bignell and
Census and Voting Registers
1841
Your text...
1851
Your text...
1861
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1881
Your text...
1891
Your text...
1901
Your text...
1911
Your text...
Children
Harry Bignell and children's Baptism Records.
1864
Your text...
1865
Your text...
1866
Your text...
1867
Your text...
1868
Your text...
1869
Your text...
1870
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1872
Your text...
1873
Your text...
Work and locations
Death
Conclusion
Conclusion
Key data about Harry Bignell and his family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Relationship | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Eldridge | 23rd July 1826 | 19th August 1849 | (Marriage 25 y, 1 m, 29 d) | ||||
| James Hone | 19th August 1849 | ||||||
| Elizabeth Hone | 25th August 1850 | 24th November 1850 | (Marriage 2 y, 7 m, 28 d) | 27 years, 9 months, 26 days | |||
| 1 year, 1 month, 7 days | 28 years, 11 months, 1 day | ||||||
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Census | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 | Death | |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | X | 25 | 45 | 53 | Charwoman | ||||||||
| James Hone | X | 25 | 45 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | Carman | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | X | X | X | -- | 7 m | -- | ^^ | ^^ | |||||
| -- | -- | Greengrocer assistant, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Farrier, Fish Monger | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Seaman, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Charwoman | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | |||
| Baptism | |||
| . | Census 1841 | ||
| Christ Church With St Mary and St Stephen, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex | Marriage | ||
| Marriage | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1851 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1861 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | 13th February 1870 | ||
| Census 1871 | |||
| Census 1881 | |||
| Census 1891 | |||
| Death |
Tree
| William Bignell | Mary Butcher | her farther | her mother | |||||||
| Harry Bignell | her | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
| next ancestor | or next ancestor | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
1850
No record yet found
1851
No record yet found
1852 Dorcas
Dorcas Bignall
1852–1853
BIRTH 1852 • Bishops Sutton Hampshire England
DEATH 1853 • Alresford, Hampshire, England
Dorcas Bignell
Harry Bignell
BIRTH 1843 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH 1914 • Porthsmouth, Hampshire, England
2nd great-granduncle
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
When Harry Bignell was born in 1843 in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, his father, William, was 29 and his mother, Mary, was 22. He had two brothers and six sisters. He died in 1914 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, at the age of 71.
Help
Help, introduction, information, and repeated segments
Introduction - Explanation
Discovery
I have decided to split the information about this person into two main sections. The first is discovery. Generally the first discovery is from Ancestry Trees and Hints. For the avoidance of repetition, I will not repeat that in the Discovery section for each person. Sometimes the lead maybe from MyHeritage, or other similar genealogy sites. Where that is the case, I will state so. Another lead could be DNA, including Ancestry's ThroughLines, again to be stated.
However, the main point of the discovery section is to create something of a story for the person and his or her life. A brief synopsis, sometimes over and above that created by Ancestry's AI.
Data Sheet
The next part is the Data Sheet. Designed to be the collection of all the records, and information found about the person. It can include records already shown in the Discovery Section, for completeness of the Data Sheet. However, although the template is structured for lots of possible information, I am sure that there will be times when there will be many gaps, which will be left so, just in case more information comes to light at a later time.
Structure
The structure of the family website is multifaceted. It depends of where you come into the site as to how transparent this is. The most simple page is that of a single person. More complicated is a single family, where there is a father and the articles within for associated people such as wife and children. The next level is multi-generation built around a hub, Articles within articles, generation after generation. With time it slowly grows. Each person within the growing mass, has a single focused article with a similar structure. This method, I think, gives structure to the reader, and to me.
This itself is a snippet which is frequently repeated, and not therefore specific.
Transcription of records is generally shown in this colour.
Census and Voting Registers
UK Census dates
UK Census dates from 1911Census.org;
- 1841 Census Sunday 6th June 1841
- 1851 Census Sunday 30th March 1851
- 1861 Census Sunday 7th April 1861
- 1871 Census Sunday 2nd April 1871
- 1881 Census Sunday 3rd April 1881
- 1891 Census Sunday 5th April 1891
- 1901 Census Sunday 31st March 1901
- 1911 Census Sunday 2nd April 1911
- 1921 Census Sunday 19th June 1921
- 1931 Census Sunday 26th April 1931
- 1941 Census -- Not held - WWII --
- 1951 Census Sunday 8th April 1951
- 1961 Census Sunday 23rd April 1961
- 1971 Census Sunday 25th April 1971
- 1981 Census Sunday 5th April 1981
- 1991 Census Sunday 21st April 1991
- 2001 Census Sunday 29th April 2001
- 2011 Census Sunday 27th March 2011
- 2021 Census Sunday 21st March 2021
In March, 4; April, 12; June, 2.
- <1939 Register Friday 29th September 1939>
The Spelling of Surnames
It is commonly accepted that for the printed word, the spelling system became standardised by the end of the seventeenth century. Powerful influences had been the introduction of the printing press (with spelling conventions set by the printers) and the publication of dictionaries. This standardisation was not echoed in the recording of surnames. Famously, Shakespeare had 5 other variants of his name, in his lifetime. Indeed, standardisation did not arrive until the advent of mass literacy in the twentieth century.
In surname studies, there is a complicated relationship between pronunciation, orthography and, presumably, the influence of the standardisation conventions of printed text.
Bignell - Bignel - Bignall - Bignal - Bignail
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents, unless stated otherwise.
Discovery
Research, general digging and discovery
DNA
Birth and Baptism
Marriage
Children
Death
Discovery for Stephen Bignail [Bignell]
Early documents
The head of the family at Sutton Farm is George Judd, Male, age 46, estimated year of birth 1815 and place of birth Winterslow, Wiltshire, England. He is a farmer of 875 acres, employing 8 men and 3 boys.
George Judd had an entry in Kelly’s Directory of Hampshire 1855 as a Farmer in Bishop's Sutton.
The image below is a repeat of the 1851 Census in Bishop's Sutton, showing the same parents. The siblings shown below have probably moved out to find work, apart from Mary Ann, who, by 1861 Census 13 years of age which matches the entry above.
Data Sheet
The Data Sheet for Harry Bignell
Baptism
Found by page turning the images of the document instead of using search or hints. Slower, but then I can pick up changes in spelling and/or transcription errors.
Marriage
Marriage of Harry Bignell and
Census and Voting Registers
1841
Your text...
1851
Your text...
1861
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1881
Your text...
1891
Your text...
1901
Your text...
1911
Your text...
Children
Harry Bignell and children's Baptism Records.
1864
Your text...
1865
Your text...
1866
Your text...
1867
Your text...
1868
Your text...
1869
Your text...
1870
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1872
Your text...
1873
Your text...
Work and locations
Death
Conclusion
Conclusion
Key data about Harry Bignell and his family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Relationship | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Eldridge | 23rd July 1826 | 19th August 1849 | (Marriage 25 y, 1 m, 29 d) | ||||
| James Hone | 19th August 1849 | ||||||
| Elizabeth Hone | 25th August 1850 | 24th November 1850 | (Marriage 2 y, 7 m, 28 d) | 27 years, 9 months, 26 days | |||
| 1 year, 1 month, 7 days | 28 years, 11 months, 1 day | ||||||
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Census | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 | Death | |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | X | 25 | 45 | 53 | Charwoman | ||||||||
| James Hone | X | 25 | 45 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | Carman | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | X | X | X | -- | 7 m | -- | ^^ | ^^ | |||||
| -- | -- | Greengrocer assistant, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Farrier, Fish Monger | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Seaman, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Charwoman | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | |||
| Baptism | |||
| . | Census 1841 | ||
| Christ Church With St Mary and St Stephen, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex | Marriage | ||
| Marriage | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1851 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1861 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | 13th February 1870 | ||
| Census 1871 | |||
| Census 1881 | |||
| Census 1891 | |||
| Death |
Tree
| William Bignell | Mary Butcher | her farther | her mother | |||||||
| Harry Bignell | her | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
| next ancestor | or next ancestor | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
1853
No record yet found
1854 Olive
Olive Bignell
1854–
BIRTH 1854 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH Unknown
Olive Bignell
Harry Bignell
BIRTH 1843 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH 1914 • Porthsmouth, Hampshire, England
2nd great-granduncle
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
When Harry Bignell was born in 1843 in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, his father, William, was 29 and his mother, Mary, was 22. He had two brothers and six sisters. He died in 1914 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, at the age of 71.
Help
Help, introduction, information, and repeated segments
Introduction - Explanation
Discovery
I have decided to split the information about this person into two main sections. The first is discovery. Generally the first discovery is from Ancestry Trees and Hints. For the avoidance of repetition, I will not repeat that in the Discovery section for each person. Sometimes the lead maybe from MyHeritage, or other similar genealogy sites. Where that is the case, I will state so. Another lead could be DNA, including Ancestry's ThroughLines, again to be stated.
However, the main point of the discovery section is to create something of a story for the person and his or her life. A brief synopsis, sometimes over and above that created by Ancestry's AI.
Data Sheet
The next part is the Data Sheet. Designed to be the collection of all the records, and information found about the person. It can include records already shown in the Discovery Section, for completeness of the Data Sheet. However, although the template is structured for lots of possible information, I am sure that there will be times when there will be many gaps, which will be left so, just in case more information comes to light at a later time.
Structure
The structure of the family website is multifaceted. It depends of where you come into the site as to how transparent this is. The most simple page is that of a single person. More complicated is a single family, where there is a father and the articles within for associated people such as wife and children. The next level is multi-generation built around a hub, Articles within articles, generation after generation. With time it slowly grows. Each person within the growing mass, has a single focused article with a similar structure. This method, I think, gives structure to the reader, and to me.
This itself is a snippet which is frequently repeated, and not therefore specific.
Transcription of records is generally shown in this colour.
Census and Voting Registers
UK Census dates
UK Census dates from 1911Census.org;
- 1841 Census Sunday 6th June 1841
- 1851 Census Sunday 30th March 1851
- 1861 Census Sunday 7th April 1861
- 1871 Census Sunday 2nd April 1871
- 1881 Census Sunday 3rd April 1881
- 1891 Census Sunday 5th April 1891
- 1901 Census Sunday 31st March 1901
- 1911 Census Sunday 2nd April 1911
- 1921 Census Sunday 19th June 1921
- 1931 Census Sunday 26th April 1931
- 1941 Census -- Not held - WWII --
- 1951 Census Sunday 8th April 1951
- 1961 Census Sunday 23rd April 1961
- 1971 Census Sunday 25th April 1971
- 1981 Census Sunday 5th April 1981
- 1991 Census Sunday 21st April 1991
- 2001 Census Sunday 29th April 2001
- 2011 Census Sunday 27th March 2011
- 2021 Census Sunday 21st March 2021
In March, 4; April, 12; June, 2.
- <1939 Register Friday 29th September 1939>
The Spelling of Surnames
It is commonly accepted that for the printed word, the spelling system became standardised by the end of the seventeenth century. Powerful influences had been the introduction of the printing press (with spelling conventions set by the printers) and the publication of dictionaries. This standardisation was not echoed in the recording of surnames. Famously, Shakespeare had 5 other variants of his name, in his lifetime. Indeed, standardisation did not arrive until the advent of mass literacy in the twentieth century.
In surname studies, there is a complicated relationship between pronunciation, orthography and, presumably, the influence of the standardisation conventions of printed text.
Bignell - Bignel - Bignall - Bignal - Bignail
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents, unless stated otherwise.
Discovery
Research, general digging and discovery
DNA
Birth and Baptism
Marriage
Children
Death
Discovery for Stephen Bignail [Bignell]
Early documents
The head of the family at Sutton Farm is George Judd, Male, age 46, estimated year of birth 1815 and place of birth Winterslow, Wiltshire, England. He is a farmer of 875 acres, employing 8 men and 3 boys.
George Judd had an entry in Kelly’s Directory of Hampshire 1855 as a Farmer in Bishop's Sutton.
The image below is a repeat of the 1851 Census in Bishop's Sutton, showing the same parents. The siblings shown below have probably moved out to find work, apart from Mary Ann, who, by 1861 Census 13 years of age which matches the entry above.
Data Sheet
The Data Sheet for Harry Bignell
Baptism
Found by page turning the images of the document instead of using search or hints. Slower, but then I can pick up changes in spelling and/or transcription errors.
Marriage
Marriage of Harry Bignell and
Census and Voting Registers
1841
Your text...
1851
Your text...
1861
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1881
Your text...
1891
Your text...
1901
Your text...
1911
Your text...
Children
Harry Bignell and children's Baptism Records.
1864
Your text...
1865
Your text...
1866
Your text...
1867
Your text...
1868
Your text...
1869
Your text...
1870
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1872
Your text...
1873
Your text...
Work and locations
Death
Conclusion
Conclusion
Key data about Harry Bignell and his family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Relationship | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Eldridge | 23rd July 1826 | 19th August 1849 | (Marriage 25 y, 1 m, 29 d) | ||||
| James Hone | 19th August 1849 | ||||||
| Elizabeth Hone | 25th August 1850 | 24th November 1850 | (Marriage 2 y, 7 m, 28 d) | 27 years, 9 months, 26 days | |||
| 1 year, 1 month, 7 days | 28 years, 11 months, 1 day | ||||||
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Census | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 | Death | |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | X | 25 | 45 | 53 | Charwoman | ||||||||
| James Hone | X | 25 | 45 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | Carman | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | X | X | X | -- | 7 m | -- | ^^ | ^^ | |||||
| -- | -- | Greengrocer assistant, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Farrier, Fish Monger | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Seaman, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Charwoman | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | |||
| Baptism | |||
| . | Census 1841 | ||
| Christ Church With St Mary and St Stephen, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex | Marriage | ||
| Marriage | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1851 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1861 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | 13th February 1870 | ||
| Census 1871 | |||
| Census 1881 | |||
| Census 1891 | |||
| Death |
Tree
| William Bignell | Mary Butcher | her farther | her mother | |||||||
| Harry Bignell | her | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
| next ancestor | or next ancestor | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
1855
No record yet found
1856 Ellen
Ellen Bignell
1856–
BIRTH 1856 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH Unknown
Ellen Bignell
Harry Bignell
BIRTH 1843 • Bishops Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, England
DEATH 1914 • Porthsmouth, Hampshire, England
2nd great-granduncle
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
When Harry Bignell was born in 1843 in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, his father, William, was 29 and his mother, Mary, was 22. He had two brothers and six sisters. He died in 1914 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, at the age of 71.
Help
Help, introduction, information, and repeated segments
Introduction - Explanation
Discovery
I have decided to split the information about this person into two main sections. The first is discovery. Generally the first discovery is from Ancestry Trees and Hints. For the avoidance of repetition, I will not repeat that in the Discovery section for each person. Sometimes the lead maybe from MyHeritage, or other similar genealogy sites. Where that is the case, I will state so. Another lead could be DNA, including Ancestry's ThroughLines, again to be stated.
However, the main point of the discovery section is to create something of a story for the person and his or her life. A brief synopsis, sometimes over and above that created by Ancestry's AI.
Data Sheet
The next part is the Data Sheet. Designed to be the collection of all the records, and information found about the person. It can include records already shown in the Discovery Section, for completeness of the Data Sheet. However, although the template is structured for lots of possible information, I am sure that there will be times when there will be many gaps, which will be left so, just in case more information comes to light at a later time.
Structure
The structure of the family website is multifaceted. It depends of where you come into the site as to how transparent this is. The most simple page is that of a single person. More complicated is a single family, where there is a father and the articles within for associated people such as wife and children. The next level is multi-generation built around a hub, Articles within articles, generation after generation. With time it slowly grows. Each person within the growing mass, has a single focused article with a similar structure. This method, I think, gives structure to the reader, and to me.
This itself is a snippet which is frequently repeated, and not therefore specific.
Transcription of records is generally shown in this colour.
Census and Voting Registers
UK Census dates
UK Census dates from 1911Census.org;
- 1841 Census Sunday 6th June 1841
- 1851 Census Sunday 30th March 1851
- 1861 Census Sunday 7th April 1861
- 1871 Census Sunday 2nd April 1871
- 1881 Census Sunday 3rd April 1881
- 1891 Census Sunday 5th April 1891
- 1901 Census Sunday 31st March 1901
- 1911 Census Sunday 2nd April 1911
- 1921 Census Sunday 19th June 1921
- 1931 Census Sunday 26th April 1931
- 1941 Census -- Not held - WWII --
- 1951 Census Sunday 8th April 1951
- 1961 Census Sunday 23rd April 1961
- 1971 Census Sunday 25th April 1971
- 1981 Census Sunday 5th April 1981
- 1991 Census Sunday 21st April 1991
- 2001 Census Sunday 29th April 2001
- 2011 Census Sunday 27th March 2011
- 2021 Census Sunday 21st March 2021
In March, 4; April, 12; June, 2.
- <1939 Register Friday 29th September 1939>
The Spelling of Surnames
It is commonly accepted that for the printed word, the spelling system became standardised by the end of the seventeenth century. Powerful influences had been the introduction of the printing press (with spelling conventions set by the printers) and the publication of dictionaries. This standardisation was not echoed in the recording of surnames. Famously, Shakespeare had 5 other variants of his name, in his lifetime. Indeed, standardisation did not arrive until the advent of mass literacy in the twentieth century.
In surname studies, there is a complicated relationship between pronunciation, orthography and, presumably, the influence of the standardisation conventions of printed text.
Bignell - Bignel - Bignall - Bignal - Bignail
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents, unless stated otherwise.
Discovery
Research, general digging and discovery
DNA
Birth and Baptism
Marriage
Children
Death
Discovery for Stephen Bignail [Bignell]
Early documents
The head of the family at Sutton Farm is George Judd, Male, age 46, estimated year of birth 1815 and place of birth Winterslow, Wiltshire, England. He is a farmer of 875 acres, employing 8 men and 3 boys.
George Judd had an entry in Kelly’s Directory of Hampshire 1855 as a Farmer in Bishop's Sutton.
The image below is a repeat of the 1851 Census in Bishop's Sutton, showing the same parents. The siblings shown below have probably moved out to find work, apart from Mary Ann, who, by 1861 Census 13 years of age which matches the entry above.
Data Sheet
The Data Sheet for Harry Bignell
Baptism
Found by page turning the images of the document instead of using search or hints. Slower, but then I can pick up changes in spelling and/or transcription errors.
Marriage
Marriage of Harry Bignell and
Census and Voting Registers
1841
Your text...
1851
Your text...
1861
Your text...
1871
Your text...
1881
Your text...
1891
Your text...
1901
Your text...
1911
Your text...
Children
Harry Bignell and children's Baptism Records.
1864
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1865
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1866
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1867
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1868
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1869
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1870
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1871
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1872
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1873
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Work and locations
Death
Conclusion
Conclusion
Key data about Harry Bignell and his family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Relationship | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Eldridge | 23rd July 1826 | 19th August 1849 | (Marriage 25 y, 1 m, 29 d) | ||||
| James Hone | 19th August 1849 | ||||||
| Elizabeth Hone | 25th August 1850 | 24th November 1850 | (Marriage 2 y, 7 m, 28 d) | 27 years, 9 months, 26 days | |||
| 1 year, 1 month, 7 days | 28 years, 11 months, 1 day | ||||||
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Census | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 | Death | |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | X | 25 | 45 | 53 | Charwoman | ||||||||
| James Hone | X | 25 | 45 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | Carman | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | X | X | X | -- | 7 m | -- | ^^ | ^^ | |||||
| -- | -- | Greengrocer assistant, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Farrier, Fish Monger | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Seaman, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Charwoman | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | |||
| Baptism | |||
| . | Census 1841 | ||
| Christ Church With St Mary and St Stephen, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex | Marriage | ||
| Marriage | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1851 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1861 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | 13th February 1870 | ||
| Census 1871 | |||
| Census 1881 | |||
| Census 1891 | |||
| Death |
Tree
| William Bignell | Mary Butcher | her farther | her mother | |||||||
| Harry Bignell | her | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
| next ancestor | or next ancestor | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
1857
No record yet found
1858
No record yet found
1859
No record yet found
1860
No record yet found
1861
No record yet found
Work and locations
Work
Occupation or Profession
On January 23 1841 William Bignail [Bignell], of full age, a bachelor, whose occupation was recorded as a Labourer residing in Bishop's Sutton, married Mary Butcher, of 20 years of age, a spinster, residing in Bishop's Sutton,
Work in the 1841 Census was recorded as Agricultural Labourer.
Work in the 1851 Census was recorded as Labourer.
Work in the 1861 Census was recorded as Agricultural Labourer.
Work in the 1871 Census was recorded as Agricultural Labourer.
Bishop's Sutton
Bishop's Sutton, near Alresford, Hampshire, England
New Alresford is less than 1 1/2 miles away from Bishop's Sutton. Old Alresford is on the Northern edge of of the above map, and Upton Park is further North, just off the map.
New Alresford was founded in the 12th/13th century, so isn't quite new any more.
Bishop's Sutton is located within the hundred of Bishop's Sutton.
Google Maps showing New Alresford, Bishops Sutton, Old Alresford, and Upton Park, containing Upton House.
OS Old Maps 25 inch Bishops Sutton Parish Boundary
Marked in yellow with boundary stones with grey markers.
Also, in green places mentioned in the 1851 Census. Markers in light blue for building outside the village of Bishop's Sutton.
There is one place mentioned in the 1851 Census, 'Coffee Mart' which I have not yet located. and one light blue marker which I have not found on the Enumerators route. Perhaps it is the place not yet found. Most of the Census places are described as 'village'. 'Coffee Mart' does seem to be a strange place name, but hat is what the writing looks like to me.
OS 25 Old Map Bishops Sutton Parish Boundary Hampshire with info from 1851 Census - Hampshire and Isle of Wight XLII.11 Revised: 1895, Published: 1896 and others in the area.
Unfortunately, the extra information is not shown on the linked zoomable map.
The only way I can help help with that is to reproduce the above map as several tiles.
The pink marker is North Street, outside of the parish, not to be confused with North Side, a farm within the parish.
The tiles do overlap and hopefully it is clear where each one goes. It gives and idea of the position and going to the source and zooming further will reveal more.
The tile reconstructed to one image. It may be clearer than the first image, with more visible detail, but is still not zoomable.
An alternative to the tiles of the Old OS 25" Maps is the same information, built on the OS Maps, as an overlay to a current Google Map. Remember the source map was Hampshire and Isle of Wight XLII.11 Revised: 1895, Published: 1896 and others in the area.
The Parish Boundary has probably changed since then as well as some of the other information.
Northside Farm
Northside Farm, Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire
I wonder if North Side later became North Street? No, there are entries in the records for both. North Side is probably Northside Farm on Northside Lane.
A move away from the OS 25" Maps to show the relative position of Northside Farm to Bishop's Sutton and New Alresford. Also, using information on the 1861 Census, which starts at Rampscombe (Farm), [now Ranscombe Farm], circled in red, moves on to a number of properties in the Sutton Wood area, circled in green, before arriving at William Bignell and his family at Northside, circled in blue.
Google Maps image of Northside Ln, Bishop's Sutton, Alresford SO24 9SR. Some of the old farm buildings in the background may go back as far as 1861, but I doubt it. I am confident that the farm house is not the original dwelling.
Information from The Genealogist
From the Tithe Apportionment and Map
- Landowner; Henry Campbell Esquires & John Wyndham Esquires
- Occupier; Robert Minchin
- Parish; Bishop's Sutton
- County; Hampshire
- Original Date; 31st December 1847
- Description of Land; Cottage Garden Yard Barn &C
- Quantities In Statute Measure; 0,1,25
- Plot 121
For me, and I hope this works for you, roll your mouse over the Tithe Map image above, and it will show an OS Map overlay, with Northside Farm in the same place as Plot 121.
But just in case it does not work, below is the second image.
Robert Minchin is described as the occupier in the Tithe Apportionment, but that would be first layer occupier, There could be a number of sub-lets before it gets to William Bignell, who was the physical occupier on the day of the 1851 Census, which is relatively close to the 1847 date of the Tithe Apportionment.
From the summary of the Tithe Apportionment for Bishop's Sutton, Robert Minchin is the primary occupier of a lot more than Plot 121, Northside Farm, he was farming 875a 2r 28p, in respect of the Landowner, John Henry Campbell Wyndham Esquire.
From the 1861 Census, image in Stephen Bignell's section.
The head of the family at Sutton Farm is George Judd, Male, age 46, estimated year of birth 1815 and place of birth Winterslow, Wiltshire, England. He is a farmer of 875 acres, employing 8 men and 3 boys.
Presumably, George Judd is either the next level down in terms of renting from the landowner, or the progress of time from 1847 to 1861, a period of 14 years. which would have made George Judd 32 years of age at the time of the Tithe Apportionment.However, this does not resolve the whereabouts of Sutton Farm, which is the next property after Northside Farm according to the 1861 Census. Could Sutton Farm be the same as Sutton Manor Farm?
Go to the next tab to read more.
Sutton Farm / Manor Farm
In search of Sutton Farm, as recorded in the 1861 Census of Bishop's Sutton
Sutton Manor Farm is outlined in the Hampshire CC document. That place was at one time called Church Farm on the old OS 25" Map. I think that rules out the Sutton Farm mentioned in the 1861 Census being the same place as the Sutton Manor Farm of 2017.
From the Tithe Apportionment and Map Sutton Manor Farm / Church Farm was Plot 336.
- Landowner; Charles Pain Esquire
- Occupier; Charles Pain Esquire
- Parish; Bishop's Sutton
- County; Hampshire
- Original Date; 31st December 1847
- Description of Land; The Homestead
- Quantities In Statute Measure; 1,2,14
- Plot; 336
This plot has a different Landowner and Occupier, and Charles Pain has 592a 0r 24p according to the Tithe Apportionment Summary, not the 875 acres of Sutton Farm.
I think a definitive location of Sutton Farm will elude us for some time yet.
However, the extent of Robert Minchin's landholings, as occupier are shown on the green wash part of the Tithe Map of Bishop's Sutton below.
The blue circle is Northside Farm where William Bignell lived. The red circle is the Homestead, plot 217. This is what 875 acres looks like. Nearly a quarter of the acreage of the Parish.
- Landowner Henry Campbell Esquires & John Wyndham Esquires
- Occupier Robert Minchin
- Parish Bishop's Sutton
- County Hampshire
- Original Date 31st December 1847
- Description of Land The Homestead
- Quantities In Statute Measure 1,3,0
- Plot 217
Plot 217 is a possible place for Sutton Farm. It is on the farmland associated with both this and Northside Farm. There is a walking route for the Census Enumerator, were this is plausibly the next property following Northside Farm. It is large enough to farm 875 acres. It is the only other large farm in the green area.
On the old OS 25" map it is called Manor Farm. The farm is still operating at time of writing, and the Manor Farm House is listed. Historic England.
I think that will do for Sutton Farm as mentioned in the 1861 Census, unless I find more definitive information.
Death
Conclusion
Conclusion
Key data about William Bignall and his family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Relationship | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Bignell | Father | 22 Jan 1762 | 26 Jun 1799 | 1844 | |||
| Louise Deacon | Mother | 1836 | |||||
| William Bignell | Head | 1814 | 14 Aug 1814 | 23 Jan 1841 | 1885 | ||
| Mary Butcher | Wife | 1821 | 1906 | ||||
| Stephen Bignell | Son | Apr 1841 | 11 Apr 1841 | (Marriage Approx 3 m) | Approx 20 years | ||
| Harry Bignell | Son | 1843 | Approx 2 years | Approx 22 years | |||
| Charlotte Bignell | Daughter | 1844 | Approx 1 year | Approx 23 years | |||
| Sarah Ann Bignell | Daughter | 1846 | Approx 2 years | Approx 25 years | |||
| Thomas Bignell | Son | 1846 | REVIEW | Twin or Error | Approx 25 years | ||
| Mary Ann Bignell | Daughter | 1849 | Approx 3 years | Approx 28 years | |||
| Dorcas Bignell | Daughter | 1852 | Approx 3 years | Approx 31 years | |||
| Oilve Bignell | Daughter | 1854 | Approx 2 year | Approx 33 years | |||
| Ellen Bignell | Daughter | 1856 | Approx 2 year | Approx 35 years |
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Marriage | Census | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 | Death | ||
| Thomas Bignell | XX | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | Labourer | |||||
| Louise Deacon | X | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | X | ||||
| William Bignell | X | X | X | 25 | 35 | 45 | 53/55 | ^^ | ^^ | X | Labourer / Agr Labourer | |||
| Mary Butcher | X | 15 | 29 | 39 | 49 | Seamstress / Arg Lab Wife | ||||||||
| Stephen Bignell | 2 mth | 9 | ||||||||||||
| Harry Bignell | -- | 8 | ||||||||||||
| Charlotte Bignell | -- | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Sarah Ann Bignell | -- | 5 | ||||||||||||
| Thomas Bignell | -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| Mary Ann Bignell | -- | 2 | 13 | |||||||||||
| Dorcas Bignell | ||||||||||||||
| Oilve Bignell | 7 | |||||||||||||
| Ellen Bignell | 5 | |||||||||||||
Mary Bucher recorded as 15 years of age on 1841 census and 20 years of age on Marriage Certificate, also 1841.
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
| Birth | |||
| Bishop's Sutton, | Birth from Census, 1851, 61, 71 | ||
| . | Baptism | ||
| Bishop's Sutton | Marriage | 23 Jan 1841 | |
| Bishop's Sutton | Census 1841 | 6 June 1841 | |
| Baptism of | |||
| Northside Farm, Bishop's Sutton | Census 1851 | 30 March 1851 | |
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Northside Farm, Bishop's Sutton | Census 1861 | 7 April 1861 | |
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1871 | 2 April 1871 | ||
| Census 1881 | 3 April 1881 | ||
| Death | Q1 1885 |
Bishop's Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire
William Bignell, of Bishop's Sutton, to avoid confusion with others of the same name, also in Hampshire, appears to have spent his whole life, in or around Bishop's Sutton, Alresford, Hampshire, and his working life at Northside or North Side Farm.
Tree
| Thomas Bignell | Louise Deacon | Isaac Butcher | Anne Winter | |||||||
| William Bignell | Mary Butcher | |||||||||
| Stephen | Harry | Charlotte | Sarah Ann | Mary Ann | Dorcas | Olive | Ellen | |||
| Thomas | ||||||||||
| next ancestor | or next ancestor | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
Stephen Bignell
Stephen Bignell
BIRTH April 1841 • Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, England
DEATH January 1887 • Alresford, Hampshire, England
2nd great-grandfather
Ancestry Synopsis at start.
When Stephen Bignell was born in April 1841 in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire, his father, William, was 25 and his mother, Mary, was 20. He married Elizabeth Ann Russell on 22 January 1863 in his hometown. They had 11 children in 23 years. He died in January 1887 in Alresford at the age of 45, and was buried in Bishops Sutton, Hampshire.
Help
Introduction - Explanation
Discovery
I have decided to split the information about this person into two main sections. The first is discovery. Generally the first discovery is from Ancestry Trees and Hints. For the avoidance of repetition, I will not repeat that in the Discovery section for each person. Sometimes the lead maybe from MyHeritage, or other similar genealogy sites. Where that is the case, I will state so. Another lead could be DNA, including Ancestry's ThroughLines, again to be stated.
However, the main point of the discovery section is to create something of a story for the person and his or her life. A brief synopsis, sometimes over and above that created by Ancestry's AI.
Data Sheet
The next part is the Data Sheet. Designed to be the collection of all the records, and information found about the person. It can include records already shown in the Discovery Section, for completeness of the Data Sheet. However, although the template is structured for lots of possible information, I am sure that there will be times when there will be many gaps, which will be left so, just in case more information comes to light at a later time.
Structure
The structure of the family website is multifaceted. It depends of where you come into the site as to how transparent this is. The most simple page is that of a single person. More complicated is a single family, where there is a father and the articles within for associated people such as wife and children. The next level is multi-generation built around a hub, Articles within articles, generation after generation. With time it slowly grows. Each person within the growing mass, has a single focused article with a similar structure. This method, I think, gives structure to the reader, and to me.
This itself is a snippet which is frequently repeated, and not therefore specific.
Transcription of records is generally shown in this colour.
Census and Voting Registers
UK Census dates
UK Census dates from 1911Census.org;
- 1841 Census Sunday 6th June 1841
- 1851 Census Sunday 30th March 1851
- 1861 Census Sunday 7th April 1861
- 1871 Census Sunday 2nd April 1871
- 1881 Census Sunday 3rd April 1881
- 1891 Census Sunday 5th April 1891
- 1901 Census Sunday 31st March 1901
- 1911 Census Sunday 2nd April 1911
- 1921 Census Sunday 19th June 1921
- 1931 Census Sunday 26th April 1931
- 1941 Census -- Not held - WWII --
- 1951 Census Sunday 8th April 1951
- 1961 Census Sunday 23rd April 1961
- 1971 Census Sunday 25th April 1971
- 1981 Census Sunday 5th April 1981
- 1991 Census Sunday 21st April 1991
- 2001 Census Sunday 29th April 2001
- 2011 Census Sunday 27th March 2011
- 2021 Census Sunday 21st March 2021
In March, 4; April, 12; June, 2.
- <1939 Register Friday 29th September 1939>
The Spelling of Surnames
It is commonly accepted that for the printed word, the spelling system became standardised by the end of the seventeenth century. Powerful influences had been the introduction of the printing press (with spelling conventions set by the printers) and the publication of dictionaries. This standardisation was not echoed in the recording of surnames. Famously, Shakespeare had 5 other variants of his name, in his lifetime. Indeed, standardisation did not arrive until the advent of mass literacy in the twentieth century.
In surname studies, there is a complicated relationship between pronunciation, orthography and, presumably, the influence of the standardisation conventions of printed text.
Bignell - Bignel - Bignall - Bignal - Bignail
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents, unless stated otherwise.
Discovery
Research, general digging and discovery
DNA
Birth and Baptism
Marriage
Children
Death
Discovery for Stephen Bignail [Bignell]
Early documents
One of the early documents found was his marriage record.
The 1861 Census
From the 1861 Census for Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire, England we find Stephen Bignall [Bignell], relationship to head, servant, Unmarried, of 20 years of age with an occupation of Carter. Place of birth Hampshire, Bishop's Sutton. Estimated year of birth 1841.
We need to look at the previous page to get the location, and who the head of the family was.
Joining the two pages together, there is a potential for something of a story here.
Light blue marker, highlights William and Mary Bignell, Stephen's parents living at Northside Farm.
The next property on the enumerator's walk is Sutton Farm, highlighted in brown. It would therefore appear the Stephen had just moved next door to find work. Not only did he find work but he also found romance. Highlighted in yellow we find Elizabeth A Russell, relationship to head, servant, Unmarried, of 19 years of age with an occupation of Dairy Maid. Place of birth Hampshire, Itchen Stoke. Estimated year of birth 1842.
That romance appears to have resulted in the marriage recorded above, given the proximity, and the matching of names and ages.
The head of the family at Sutton Farm is George Judd, Male, age 46, estimated year of birth 1815 and place of birth Winterslow, Wiltshire, England. He is a farmer of 875 acres, employing 8 men and 3 boys.
George Judd had an entry in Kelly’s Directory of Hampshire 1855 as a Farmer in Bishop's Sutton.
The image below is a repeat of the 1851 Census in Bishop's Sutton, showing the same parents. The siblings shown below have probably moved out to find work, apart from Mary Ann, who, by 1861 Census 13 years of age which matches the entry above.
Data Sheet
The Data Sheet for Stephen Bignail [Bignell]
Probably due to the times, and general level of illiteracy, the spelling of surnames fluctuates. The current consistent surname is Bignell, and that will be our theme irrespective of the spelling on individual documents.
Baptism
Found by page turning the images of the document instead of using search or hints. Slower, but then I can pick up changes in spelling and/or transcription errors.
An extract of the Baptism register for Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire, England.
On 11th April 1841, Stephen, son of William and Mary Bignail [Bignell] was baptised. They resided in Bishop's Sutton, abbreviated as Sutton, and his father was a Labourer.
Marriage
Marriage of Stephen Bignel and Elizabeth Ann Russel in 1863
The marriage in the parish church (of St Nicholas) in the Parish of Bishop's Sutton, in the County of Southampton ( now known as the county of Hampshire)
On January 22 1863 Stephen Bignel [Bignell], of 22 years of age, a bachelor, whose occupation was recorded as a Labourer residing in Bishop's Sutton, married;
Elizabeth Ann Russell, of 20 years of age, a spinster, residing in Bishop's Sutton,
It was an established church, Church of England marriage by Banns. There appears to be no explicit approval of the wedding in respect of Elizabeth Ann being only 20.
Their fathers were recorded as being William Bignel [Bignell] and a not recorded person, respectively, the former a Labourer.
Stephen Bignell did not signed his own name and is annotated with X. Elizabeth Russel appears to have signed her own name.
The marriage was in the presence of Henry Bignell and Charlotte Bignell, and conducted by the curate, Henry Watts.
Census and Voting Registers
1841
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1851
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1861
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1871
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1881
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1891
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1901
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1911
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Children
Elizabeth Ann Bignell nee Russell and Stephen Bignell children's Baptism Records.
1864
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1865
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1866
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1867
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1868
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1869
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1870
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1871
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1872
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1873
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Work and locations
Death
Conclusion
Conclusion
Key data about Elizabeth Eldridge and her family.
Dates
Key Dates
| Name | Relationship | Birth | Baptism | Marriage | Death | Interval between children | Mothers age at birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Eldridge | 23rd July 1826 | 19th August 1849 | (Marriage 25 y, 1 m, 29 d) | ||||
| James Hone | 19th August 1849 | ||||||
| Elizabeth Hone | 25th August 1850 | 24th November 1850 | (Marriage 2 y, 7 m, 28 d) | 27 years, 9 months, 26 days | |||
| 1 year, 1 month, 7 days | 28 years, 11 months, 1 day | ||||||
Data Sources / Evidence
Key Data Sources / Evidence
| Baptism | Census | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birth | Record |
Parish Image |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 | Death | |
| Elizabeth Eldridge | X | 25 | 45 | 53 | Charwoman | ||||||||
| James Hone | X | 25 | 45 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | Carman | |||||
| Elizabeth Hone | X | X | X | -- | 7 m | -- | ^^ | ^^ | |||||
| -- | -- | Greengrocer assistant, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Farrier, Fish Monger | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Seaman, Dock labourer | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | Charwoman | |||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||||||
Places of Interest
Places of Interest
| Place | Event | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | |||
| Baptism | |||
| . | Census 1841 | ||
| Christ Church With St Mary and St Stephen, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex | Marriage | ||
| Marriage | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1851 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Census 1861 | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | |||
| Baptism of | 13th February 1870 | ||
| Census 1871 | |||
| Census 1881 | |||
| Census 1891 | |||
| Death |
Tree
| William Bignell | Mary Butcher | her farther | her mother | |||||||
| Stephen Bignell | her | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
| next ancestor | or next ancestor | |||||||||
| child 1 | child 2 | child 3 | child 4 | child 5 | child 6 | child 7 | child 8 | child 9 | child 10 | |
Charlotte Bignell
Sarah Ann Bignell
Sarah Ann Bignell
Empty for now
James Bignell
James Bignell
Empty for now
