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).