The Confusing Coventry Mob

 The Warwickshire section of my family tree can be very confusing, a situation not helped by the damage and destruction caused to the parish records of St Michael’s Coventry when it was bombed during WWII. The surname ‘Fletcher’ keeps cropping up, legitimately and adoptively, and in this blog I will investigate the reasons for this, and whether there is any relationship between the various Fletchers who appear in my tree.

 I have shown in a previous blog how Mary Ann Butler (daughter of James Butler) was listed in censuses as Mary Ann Fletcher when she was young.^1,2 Her mother’s maiden surname was Fletcher, but this was not the reason for the family using that surname.³ Looking at the timeline:

• Edward Butler married Catharine Randal in 1822.⁴
• Their son James was baptised in 1822.⁵
• Edward Butler died in 1826.⁶
• Catharine Butler nee Randal married Henry Fletcher in 1827.⁷
• Catharine and Henry baptise two children in Foleshill.^8,9
• Henry, Catharine and their children moved to Tower Hamlets about 1833.¹⁰
• Henry Fletcher died in 1840.¹¹
• When completing the 1841 census the widowed Catharine Fletcher gave the surname of all her children as ‘Fletcher’, including James Butler.¹²

 James Butler continued to use the surname Fletcher in the censuses right up to his death, though he used ‘Butler’ when he married Fanny Maria Fletcher in 1843 and when he registered their children.^{1,2,3,13,14,15,16} James Butler’s step-father and wife were thus both Fletchers and while Fanny Maria was born in Tower Hamlets, her father was born in Coventry about 1781.^17,18 Both the Butlers and Fletchers maintained strong links with Warwickshire with many members moving back and forth between Tower Hamlets and the Coventry area.

&npsp;I haven’t found a baptismal entry for Henry Fletcher (James’ step-father) but his death in 1840 (aged 32) was registered by his father, another Henry Fletcher (hereafter distinguished as Henry Fletcher Snr) who was living one street away from Catharine Fletcher (nee Randal) at the time of the 1841 census.^11,19 In the 1851 census Henry Fletcher Snr is listed living in Foleshill, stating that he had been born in Coventry around 1785, like John Fletcher.²⁰ There is a late baptism entry for Henry Fletcher Snr in Shoreditch in 1801, giving a 1785 birth date and parents as “Jones” and “Amey”.²¹

 A search for potential parents in the Coventry area, reveals that Jonah Fletcher married Em Barkby in Walsgrave on Sowe in 1767.²² Jonah was born in Walsgrave on Sowe in 1745, the same year and place as Ame Barkby.^23,24 This pair are probably the parents of Henry Snr.

Figure 1: Church of St Mary, Walsgrave on Sowe, photographed by Susan Law 9 July 2019

 Turning back to the other Fletchers, we noted above that Fanny Maria Fletcher’s father, John Fletcher, was born in Coventry about 1781.¹⁸ There is a 1782 baptism entry in the Bishop’s Transcripts for St Michael’s Coventry for a John Fletcher son of “Joseph” and “Emmy”.²⁵ At this period church events were noted initially in day books (or scraps of paper), often in abbreviated form, before being copied into the official register once a week.²⁶ The abbreviated form of both ‘Jonas’ and ‘Joseph’ is ‘Jo^s’. In this case we have a further potential for error in that this surviving record is a Bishop’s Transcript. So it is possible that John’s father was actually a Jonas. ‘Emmy’ and ‘Amey’ are probable variants of ‘Amy’, as are ‘Ame’ and ‘Em’ (above). It is thus a strong possibility that John and Henry Snr are brothers. Supporting this there is another baptism in a surviving section of a damaged St Michael’s Register in 1771 for James Fletcher son of Jonas and Amy.²⁷ He is probably another sibling of John and Henry.

Figure 2: Ruined chancel of St Michael's Church, Coventry, photographed by Alan Law 8 July 2019 (used with permission).

 It is interesting to note that the occupations for both John and Henry Fletcher Snr were given as “soldier” in the baptisms of their early children in 1806.^28,29 Perhaps they were both militiamen? It was after all the time of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

 If John and Henry Fletcher Snr were brothers, then when James Butler married Fanny Maria in 1843 he married his step-father’s cousin (see Figure 3). While this is not consanguineous it has the potential to cause confusion. The relationship complicates the interpretation of DNA results as it is near impossible to distinguish genetically between the descendants of Catharine Randal’s two marriages and the descendents of John Fletcher. Possibly due to the DNA matches, Henry Fletcher, son of Catherine and Henry Fletcher and grandson of Henry Snr (probable brother of John Fletcher) is attached in some trees as a child of John Fletcher and Catharine Squires, despite the total lack of records associating him with the couple (for example never appearing with the family in the censuses).³⁰ These DNA matches do, however, support the thesis that John Fletcher and Henry Fletcher Snr were brothers.

Figure 3: Relationships among the Confusing Coventry Mob

Sources

1. Census record for James Fletcher, aged 25, 3 Fleet Street, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, 1851 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/1542, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 8 Aug 2008.
2. Census record for James Fletcher, aged 38, 8 Horse Ride, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, 1861 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/1542, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 8 Aug 2008.
3. Marriage certificate of James Butler and Fanny Maria Fletcher, married 5 June 1843, registered June quarter 1843, Shoreditch registration district, General Registry Office, England, vol. 2, p. 376, no. 182.
4. Marriage of Edward Buttler and Catharine Randle, married 18 February 1822, St Laurence’s Church Parish Register, Foleshill, Warwickshire, England, page number not known, No. 412.
5. Baptism of James Butler, baptised 25 August 1822, St Laurence’s Church Parish Register, Foleshill, Warwickshire, England, page number not known, No. 412.
6. Burial of Edward Buttler, buried 28 July 1826, St Laurence’s Church Parish Register, Foleshill, Warwickshire, England, Page 136, No. 1085.
7. Marriage of Henry Fletcher and Catharine Butler, married 10 Jun 1827, St Laurence’s Church Parish Register, Foleshill, Warwickshire, England, page number not known, No. 115.
8. Baptism of Henry Fletcher, baptised 17 February 1828, St Laurence’s Church Parish Register, Foleshill, Warwickshire, England, Page 30, No. 238. FHL Film No. 559233.
9. Baptism of Hannah Fletcher, baptised 27 February 1831, St Laurence’s Church Parish Register, Foleshill, Warwickshire, England, Page 81, No. 646, FHL Film No. 559233.
10. Baptism of George Henry Fletcher, baptised 3 August 1834, Christ Church Parish Register, Spitalfields, Middlesex, England, Page 227, No. 1809. London Metropolitan Archives Microfiche No. X024/002.
11. Death certificate of Henry Fletcher, died 26 December 1840, registered December quarter 1840, Whitechapel Union registration district, General Registry Office, England, vol. 2, p. 439, no. 3.
12. Census record for Catherline Fletcher, aged 37, Quaker Street, Spitalfields, Middlesex, 1841 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/710/3/24, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 15 Sep 2008.
13. Birth certificate of Louisa Butler, born 28 May 1844, registered September quarter 1844, Whitechapel Union registration district, General Registry Office, England, vol. 2, p. 537, no. 304.
14. Birth certificate of Mary Ann Butler, born 1 March 1847, registered June quarter 1847, Whitechapel registration district, General Registry Office, England, vol. 2, p. 564, no. 233.
15. Birth certificate of Charles Henry Butler, born 2 April 1849, registered June quarter 1849, Whitechapel registration district, General Registry Office, England, vol. 2, p. 625, no. 629.
16. Birth certificate of Catherine Butler, born 11 September 1851, registered December quarter 1851, Bethnal Green registration district, General Registry Office, England, vol. 2, p. 73, no. 119.
17. Baptism of Fanny Maria Fletcher, baptised 29 September 1811, Christ Church Parish Register, Spitalfields, Middlesex, England, Page 171, unnumbered. London Metropolitan Archives Microfiche No. X024/001.
18. Census record for John Fletcher, aged 70, 5 Greenwood’s Rents, Bishopsgate, Middlesex, 1851 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/1524/521, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 22 Aug 2006.
19. Census record for Henry Fletcher, aged 58, 13 Fleur de Lis Court, Spitalfields, Middlesex, 1841 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/710/13/10, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 12 Sep 2021.
20. Census record for Henry Fletcher, aged 66, Lockhurst Lane, Foleshill, Warwickshire, 1851 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/2066/229, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 12 Sep 2021.
21. Baptism of Henry Fletcher, baptised 15 January 1801, St Leonard Parish Register, Shoreditch, Middlesex, England, unpaginated, unnumbered, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, Ancestry.com.au,  accessed 3 Sep 2011.
22. Marriage of Jonah Fletcher and Em Barkby, married 28 December 1767, St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Walsgrave on Sowe, Warwickshire, England, Page 22, No. 88, Warwickshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1910, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 8 Mar 2016.
23. Baptism of Jonah Fletcher, baptised 18 August 1745, St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Walsgrave on Sowe, Warwickshire, England, unpaginated, unnumbered, Warwickshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 20 Oct 2010.
24. Baptism of Ame Barkby, baptised 5 May 1745, St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Walsgrave on Sowe, Warwickshire, England, unpaginated, unnumbered, Warwickshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 20 Oct 2010.
25. Baptism of John Fletcher, baptised 19 October 1782, St Michael’s Church Bishop’s Transcript, Coventry, Warwickshire, England, unpaginated, unnumbered, Warwickshire County Record Office microfilm DR0090/13.
26. Burke, Arthur Meredyth, Key to the Ancient Parish Registers of England & Wales, The Sackville Press, London, 1908, https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/430032-key-to-the-ancient-parish-registers-of-england-wales?offset=4.
27. Baptism of James Fletcher, baptised 16 July 1771, St Michael’s Church Parish Register, Coventry, Warwickshire, England, unpaginated, unnumbered, Warwickshire Baptisms, www.findmypast.com.au, accessed 30 Sep 2017.
28. Baptism of Martha Fletcher, baptised 13 April 1806, Christ Church Parish Register, Spitalfields, Middlesex, England, Page 110, unnumbered. London Metropolitan Archives Microfiche No. X024/001.
29. Baptism of Ann Fletcher, baptised 7 December 1806, Christ Church Parish Register, Spitalfields, Middlesex, England, Page 118, unnumbered, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, ancestry.com.au, accessed 12 Sep 2021.
30. Ancestry Australia, ‘Susan Law DNA Test: Thru-Lines for John Fletcher’, https://www.ancestry.com.au/discoveryui-geneticfamily/thrulines/tree/1333931960:9009:66/for/080AB020-82F7-4145-BC9C-3BF177830102, accessed 1 Sep 2021 (not accessible without login).
    

Which Thomas Beckwith?

My 2xGreat-grandfather, Zachariah Beckwith, was the youngest of fourteen children of Thomas Beckwith and his wife Sarah.¹ Thomas Beckwith married Sarah Rebecca Hall, on 6 Jun 1824 at St John of Hackney.² The couple appeared in the 1841 census: Thomas Beckwith, a silk weaver aged 36, and Sarah at 2 Shacklewell Street, Bethnal Green.³ Thomas’ age is not rounded down, so we can infer that Thomas was born 1804-5.

There are two Thomas Beckwiths born in East London in 1804-5, one in Whitechapel and one in Shoreditch.^4,5 By comparing the histories of the two families we can deduce which Thomas Beckwith was the father of Zachariah.

Whitechapel	Shoreditch
Thomas, son of Thomas Beckwith & Mary of Church Lane, ch 26 Aug 1804, St Mary Whitechapel4	Thomas, son of John & Ann Beckwith of New Inn Yard, bn 12 Dec 1804, ch 1 Jan 1805, St Leonard Shoreditch5/td>
Marriages
Thomas Beckwith married Mary Finch, 10 Jan 1791, All Saints West Ham Essex6	John Beckwith married Ann Lamson, 7 Jun 1800, St John at Hackney7
Other Offspring
Sarah Ann daughter of Thomas & Mary Beckwith of Colchester Street, ch 5 Jul 1795, St Mary Whitechapel8	Ann daughter of John & Ann Beckwith of New Inn Yard, bn 16 Nov 1800, ch 25 Dec 1800, St Leonard Shoreditch12
George son of Thomas & Mary Beckwith of Colchester Street, ch 19 Feb 1797, St Mary Whitechapel9	John Mitchelson son of John & Ann Beckwith of New Inn Yard, bn 28 Dec 1802, ch 8 Dec 1811, St Leonard Shoreditch13
Harriet daughter of Thomas & Mary Beckwith of Church Lane, ch 17 Mar 1799, St Mary Whitechapel10	Edward son of John & Ann Beckwith of New Inn Yard, bn 25 Dec 1808, ch 22 Jun 1809, St Leonard Shoreditch14
Samuel Cox Beckwith son of Thomas & Mary of Church Lane, ch 24 Jul 1801, St Mary Whitechapel11	William Henry son of John & Ann Beckwith of New Inn Yard, bn 7 Jul 1811, ch 8 Dec 1811, St Leonard Shoreditch15
	Charles son of John Beckwith (weaver) & Ann of Swan Street, bn 27 Feb 1817, ch 23 Mar 1817, St Matthew Bethnal Green16
	Edmund son of John Beckwith (weaver) & Ann of Swan street, bn 19 Oct 1918, ch 3 Jan 1819, St Matthew Bethnal Green17
1841 England Census
Samuel & George Beckwith, carriage makers of Devonshire Street West, Mile End Old Town18	John, Edward, William, Charles & Edmund Beckwith, silk weavers of Old Nichol St, Bethnal Green19

We don’t have any indications of the occupation of Thomas, husband of Mary, but by 1841 two of his sons were carriage makers.¹⁸ In contrast John Beckwith, husband of Ann, is listed as a weaver in the baptism entries of his last two sons and as a silk weaver in his death certificate.²⁰ In 1841 five of his sons are living together and are all weavers.¹⁹

Looking at locations, John Beckwith & Ann lived in the Shoreditch/Bethnal Green area and five of his sons were living in Bethnal Green in 1841 (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Locations associated with the families of Thomas & Mary Beckwith and John & Ann Beckwith. 

Given that Thomas father of Zachariah is a weaver living in Bethnal Green in 1841, not far from five of the sons of John and Ann, the balance of probability is that Zachariah’s father is the other son of John and Ann Lamson.

Sources

1. Birth of Zachariah Beckwith, born 4 Jul 1851; citing II/77/442, September quarter 1851, Bethnal Green registration district, Town sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

2. Marriage of Thomas Beckwith and Sarah Hall, married 6 June 1824, St John at Hackney Church Registers, Hackney, Middlesex, Page 236, No. 707.

3. Census record for Thomas Beckwith, aged 36, 2 Shacklewell Street, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, 1841 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/694/11/42/20, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com, accessed 23 Apr 2006.

4. Baptism of Thomas Beckwith, baptised 26 August 1804, St Mary’s Church Register, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England, Ancestry Australia, accessed 12 Dec 2009.

5. Baptism of Thomas Beckwith, baptised 12 December 1804, St Leonard’s Church Parish Register, Shoreditch, Middlesex, England, FHL Film 396232.

6. Marriage of Thomas Beckwith and Mary Finch married 10 January 1791, Parish of West Ham, Essex, England, Essex, England, Church of England Marriages, 1754-1935 (Index only, no image currently available), Ancestry Australia, accessed 30 Aug 2021.

7. Marriage of John Beckwith and Ann Lamson, married 7 June 1800, St John at Hackney Church Registers, Hackney, Middlesex, unpaginated, unnumbered.

8. Baptism of Sarah Ann Beckwith, baptised 5 July 1795,  St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England, Ancestry Australia, accessed 30 Aug 2021.

9. Baptism of George Beckwith, baptised 19 February 1797, St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England, Ancestry Australia, accessed 30 Aug 2021.

10. Baptism of Harriet Beckwith, baptised 17 March 1799, St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England, Ancestry Australia, accessed 30 Aug 2021.

11. Baptism of Samuel Cox Beckwith, baptised 24 July 1801,  St Mary’s Church Parish Register, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England, Ancestry Australia, accessed 30 Aug 2021.

12. Baptism of Ann Beckwith, baptised 25 December 1800, St Leonard’s Church Parish Register, Shoreditch, Middlesex, FHL Film 396232.

13. Baptism of John Mitchelson Beckwith, baptised 8 December 1811, St Leonard’s Church Parish Register, Shoreditch, Middlesex, Ancestry Australia, accessed 10 Jan 2011.

14. Baptism of Edward Beckwith, baptised 22 June 1809, St Leonard’s Church Parish Register, Shoreditch, Middlesex, FHL Film 396232.

15. Baptism of William Henry Beckwith, baptised 8 December 1811, St Leonard’s Church Parish Register, Shoreditch, Middlesex, Ancestry Australia, accessed 10 Jan 2011.

16. Baptism of Charles Beckwith, baptised 23 March 1817, St Matthew’s Church Parish Register, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, Page 63, No. 502, Ancestry Australia, accessed 10 Jan 2011.

17. Baptism of Edmund Beckwith, baptised 3 January 1819, St Matthew’s Church Parish Register, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, Page 231, No. 1841, Ancestry Australia, accessed 10 Jan 2011.

18. Census record for Samuel Beckwith, aged 35, Devonshire Street West, Mile End Old Town , 1841 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/713/4/48, UK Census Collection, Ancestry Australia, accessed 30 Aug 2021.

19. Census record for John Beckwith, aged 35, Old Nichol Street, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, 1841 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/693/1/20, UK Census Collection, Ancestry.com, accessed 11 Nov 2006.

20. Death of John Beckwith, died 6 March 1838, citing II/28/381, March quarter 1838, Bethnal Green registration district, Hackney Road sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

Railways and Genealogy

When researching my 3xgreat-grandparents, Walter Thomas Piller and Susanna Davies, I hit a problem. Walter and Susanna married in Great Yarmouth and had two short-lived children there, the second of whom was buried in August 1851.^1-5 In August 1852 they had a child, Betsey and in August 1853 a son, Walter, both born in Shoreditch.^6,7 Walter grew up to become my 2xgreat-grandfather, but Betsey seemed to just vanish. The solution lay in the railways.

Railways had a major impact on the development of modern Britain.⁸ Towns which missed out on a route slowly degenerated into villages and formerly remote villages grew into towns. In other locations (such as Amersham) development steadily migrated to a nearby station, leaving the ancient village hanging loose.

With their capacity for both bulk freight and mass human transport, railways significantly reduced both travel times and travel costs while increasing availability. Before the railways, most travel for lower income families was by foot, cart or canal, all at pretty much walking pace (5-7 kph).⁹ Only the wealthy could afford coaches (private, stage or mail) which travelled at about twice the speed (8-14 kph). The frequency with which these services were publicly offered would only be, at most, a few times per week. The early trains frequently travelled at 30-50 kph and often provided several services per day.^{8 (p118),10} After 1844 all new railway companies were required to provide low cost travel at 1d per mile. The existing companies rapidly followed suit as these low cost services provided access to a new, mass market and were extremely profitable.^{8 (p89)} Offering affordability and speed, railways were a key facilitator of migration within the UK.

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Coventry was a town which needed transport. Surrounded by a major coalfield and with industries developing, Coventry welcomed developments in transport systems.¹¹ Major road improvements began in the early eighteenth century, with turnpike trusts steadily being set up to convert bridle ways to carriage ways. Canal development begain in 1768 connecting the Bedworth coalfield to Coventry and by 1790 the Coventry Canal provided connections to canals reaching Liverpool and the Thames. Coventry station was built in 1838 as a stop on the London (Euston) to Birmingham railway.^11,12 By 1843 trains were taking 4-5 hrs for the 150 kilometre trip from London to Coventry, with ~8 services per day.¹⁰ This was quicker, more convenient and much cheaper than a stage coach (~10 hours), and also much quicker than by canal (~36 hours over several days).⁹

My 4xgreat-grandparents, Catherine Randal and Edward Butler, married in 1822 at Foleshill, north-east of Coventry.¹³ Edward died in 1826 leaving one child (James born 1823) and Catherine remarried to Henry Fletcher in 1827, again at Foleshill.^14,15,16 Their first three children - Henry (1828), Hannah (1831) and Jonas Henry (1832) - were all born near Foleshill but the last two children - George Henry (1834) and Charles Henry (1837) - were born at Tower Hamlets, east of the City of London.^17-21,24 The move from Foleshill to Tower Hamlets in about 1833 would most conveniently have been made by canal.

In 1840 Henry Fletcher died in Tower Hamlets.²² In the 1841 census Catherine was still living in Tower Hamlets, but by 1851 she was back in the Coventry area with Jonas Henry and George Henry where she remarried in 1856.^23-25 By this time the trip could have made by railway.

Her eldest son (my ancestor), James Butler lived in Tower Hamlets until his death in 1867 but his eldest daughter, Louisa, was staying with her half-uncle, Jonas Henry Fletcher, in the Coventry area in 1861 returning to London by 1871.^26,27,28

Catherine’s second son, Henry Fletcher, also stayed in Tower Hamlets for the rest of his life, but her two youngest surviving sons (Jonas Henry and George Henry) having moved back to the Coventry area with their mother in 1851 married in the area and had families there.^29,24,30 During this time Louisa, daughter of James Butler, visited Jonas Henry. However, Jonas Henry and George Henry, with their families, were back in Tower Hamlets by 1871.^31,32

It is doubtful whether this hopping back and forth, especially of entire families, could have happened were it not for the existence of the railway.

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Norfolk had been a relatively isolated area of England for centuries, cut off from the rest of the country by the fens. In addition there was only one (short) canal built in the North-east of the county, so that travel was limited to the rivers and the roads.^33,34,35 The Norwich Thorpe to Great Yarmouth railway line opened in 1844, greatly reducing travel time between the two towns.³⁶ In 1845 Norwich Thorpe was connected to the Shoreditch (Bishopsgate) terminus in London.³⁶ This would have greatly simplified travel from the Norfolk coast to London with a single change of train at Norwich. A faster route from Norwich to Shoreditch (Liverpool Street) via Ipswich was opened in 1851.³⁶ By 1859 London could be reached from Great Yarmouth in eight hours.³⁷

It turns out that Betsey, third child of Walter and Susanna, while born and baptised at Shoreditch, was buried at Great Yarmouth in March 1853 (no death registration found).³⁸ Then in August 1853 their fourth (and first surviving) child was born at Shoreditch.⁷ The family seems to have settled down in Tower Hamlets after this. I have very little doubt that most of the family’s travelling between Yarmouth and the East End of London was done by rail and undoubtedly they made many more trips for which we have no evidence.

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It is difficult to see the amount of travelling to and fro between place of origin and London shown above occurring without the railways and the existence of the railways needs to be taken into account when searching for sources. When people vanish in the mid nineteenth century, check when nearby stations were built and where the rail lines could take people. It took me a long time to find Betsey Piller’s death simply because it didn’t occur to me to look for a death outside London once the family had initially moved there!