Was Susannah Goddard really Thomas?

Thomas Goddard was the father of Frederick Goddard (baptised on 26th Janurary 1813 in Newtimber, see earlier post).¹ He married Emma Frankland in St Nicholas Brighton on 10th December 1809.² The couple baptised three children in Newtimber (Frederick plus Eliza 1810 and Michael 1815) before moving to Brighton where Thomas Goddard of Newtimber died, aged 30, and was buried in St Nicholas’ Churchyard on 23rd October 1817.³ A posthumous child, Thomas, was baptised on 21st June 1818 in St Nicholas Brighton, with the abode stated to be Richmond Row (later part of Albion Hill).⁴

St Nicholas of Myra, Brighton, photographed by the author 11th July 2016

Emma remarried (at St Nicholas, to Francis Buckle on 29th January 1822) one of the witnesses being Richard Goddard (son of William Goddard & Susannah Peacock baptised in Newtimber on 3rd April 1791).⁵ After initially living in Albourne, Richard Goddard and his wife Sarah baptised two children in St Nicholas Brighton in 1819 & 1822 while living in Richmond Row.⁶ Coincidence or a close family link?

William Goddard & Susannah did not baptise a child named Thomas though there is a baptism for Susanna in 1787. However William had an illegitimate nephew, Thomas son of his sister Sarah baptised 29 Jan 1769 in Newtimber.⁷ This Thomas would have been 48+ when Thomas Goddard of Newtimber was buried in Brighton. This is a big difference from the 30 years old of the burial register and considering that Emma Frankland was literate, signing her name in both marriage entries, it is hard to see how this big a mistake could be made.⁸

St John the Evangelist, Newtimber, photographed by the author 10th July 2016

I was able to track five of the six children to the grave, four of them through marriage(s) and children, but nothing for Susanna! (See Table.)⁹ All those who survived long enough can be found in all censuses up to their deaths.

The documented offspring of William and Susannah Goddard plus Thomas

Name	Baptism	Marriage	Children	Buried
Sarah	24 Jun 1783	5 Jul 1803	Frances (1803), William (1805), Thomas (1806), Susan (1808, Mary Anne (1810), James (1816), John (1821)	30 Mar 1860
William	7 Oct 1784	7 Apr 1817	William (1818), Thomas (1820), Henry (1822), George (1824), Ann (1826), Sarah (1828), Jane (1830), James (1831), Mary (1833), Hannah (1835), Eliza (1837), Frederick (1839)	26 Nov 1854
Susanna	4 Oct 1787
John	6 Sep 1789	6 Apr 1812; 11 Apr 1830	John (1812), William (1814), Walter (1820), Richard Henry (1830), Mary Jane (1832), Elizabeth (1838), James (1839), Sarah (1842)	3 Dec 1876
Richard	3 Apr 1791	22 Jun 1810	James (1810), Mary (1812), Fanny (1815), Thomas (1816), William (1819), John (1822), Elizabeth (1823), Ann (1827)	died 31 Aug 1870
James	11 Sep 1796			22 Aug 1815
Thomas		10 Dec 1809	Eliza (1810), Frederick (1813), Michael (1815), Thomas (1818)	23 Oct 1817

Did Susanna die during the period when the Newtimber registers were not properly kept (see earlier blog post)? Or was the name misinterpreted when transcribed into the register? In the baptism entry for Sarah her mother’s name was also given as “Sarah” (a not uncommon error in parish register entries). The error was repeated for William’s baptism but corrected (faintly).¹⁰ So whoever was keeping the register was not careful. In the notes used to initially record a baptism, given names were often abbreviated. Susannah was usually abbreviated Sh and Thomas was sometimes abbreviated Th. Cursive capital S’s and T’s can be misread (I’ve done it myself). So if the cleric knew the mother’s name was Susanna(h) and misread Th as Sh, he could easily mistranscribe the given name as “Susanna”.

Baptism entries of Sarah and William Goddard¹⁰

The only further supporting evidence I have for this is a DNA connection between my father and a descendent of Susannah Peacock’s great-grandparents at Thakefield (Thomas Peacock and Rose Vaughan).¹¹

Sources

1.  St John the Evangelist (Newtimber, Sussex, England), "West Sussex Record Office PAR429/1/1/4, Register of Baptisms 1808-1813," page 3, baptism of Frederick Goddard, 26 Jan 1813; FHL microfilm 991,065, item 2.3
2. St Nicholas (Brighton, Sussex, England), "East Sussex Record Office PAR255/1/1/11, Register of Banns & Marriages 1806-1810," page 138, marriage of Thomas Goddard & Emma Frankland, 10 Dec 1809; FHL microfilm 1,067,106, item 2.
3. St John the Evangelist (Newtimber, Sussex, England), "West Sussex Record Office, PAR429/1/1/4 Register of Baptisms 1808-1813," page 2, baptism of Eliza Goddard, 4 Oct 1810; FHL microfilm 991,065, item 2.3; St John the Evangelist (Newtimber, Sussex, England), "West Sussex Record Office PAR429/1/2/-, Register of Baptisms 1813-1877," page 2, baptism of Michael Goddard, 30 Dec 1815; FHL microfilm 991,065, item 2.4; St Nicholas (Brighton, Sussex, England), "East Sussex Record Office Ref PAR255/1/5/2, Register of Burials 1816-1822," page 76, burial of Thomas Goddard, 23 Oct 1817; FHL microfilm 1,067,169, item 5
4. St Nicholas (Brighton, Sussex, England), Parish Registers, "East Sussex Record Office PAR2551/2/2, St Nicholas Brighton Register of Baptisms 1816-1820 (Folder 004427381, Item 1),"  page 172, baptism of Thomas Goddard, 21 Jun 1818; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 21 Feb 2016)
5. St Nicholas (Brighton, Sussex, England), "East Sussex Record Office Ref PAR155/1/3/3, Register of Marriages 1820-1823," page 177, marriage of Francis Buckle & Emma Goddard, 9 Jan 1822; FHL microfilm 1,067,115, item 2; St John the Evangelist (Newtimber, Sussex, England), "West Sussex Record Office PAR 429/1/1/2, General Register 1733-1808," baptism of Richard Goddard, 3 Apr 111791; FHL microfilm 991,065, item 2.2; St John the Evangelist (Newtimber, Sussex, England), "West Sussex Record Office PAR 429, Register of Marriages & Banns 1754-1848," marriage of William Godard & Susan Peacock, 29 Jan 1783; FHL microfilm 991,065, item 2.5.
6. Baptisms of William (1819) & John (1822) Goddard, Sussex Family History Group, "Sussex Baptisms," database, Sussex Family History Group Data Archive (http://sfhg.frontis.co/bin/index.php)
7. St John the Evangelist (Newtimber, Sussex, England), "West Sussex Record Office PAR 429/1/1/2, General Register 1733-1808," baptism of Thomas Goddard, 29 Jan 1769; FHL microfilm 991,065, item 2.2
8. St Nicholas (Brighton, Sussex, England), "East Sussex Record Office PAR255/1/1/11, Register of Banns & Marriages 1806-1810," page 138, marriage of Thomas Goddard & Emma Frankland, 10 Dec 1809; St Nicholas (Brighton, Sussex, England), "East Sussex Record Office Ref PAR155/1/3/3, Register of Marriages 1820-1823," page 177, marriage of Francis Buckle & Emma Goddard, 9 Jan 1822
9. Sussex Family History Group, "Sussex Baptisms," database, Sussex Family History Group Data Archive (http://sfhg.frontis.co/bin/index.php); Sussex Family History Group, editor, CD-ROM (Lewes, England: Sussex Family History Group, 2005); Sussex Family History Group, "Sussex Burials," database, Sussex Family History Group Data Archive (http://sfhg.frontis.co/bin/index.php)    
10. St John the Evangelist (Newtimber, Sussex, England), "West Sussex Record Office PAR 429/1/1/2, General Register 1733-1808," baptism of Sarah Goddard, 24 Jun 1783; FHL microfilm 991,065, item 2.2; St John the Evangelist (Newtimber, Sussex, England), "West Sussex Record Office PAR 429/1/1/2, General Register 1733-1808," baptism of William Goddard, 17 Oct 1784; FHL microfilm 991,065, item 2.2.
11. AncestryDNA Results for Alfred Commons, "Ancestry Australia" database, Ancestry Australia (https://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 8 Mar 2020), DNA match with Jan Thompson (managed by Malandjan)

A bit of a mess - the Baptism of Frederick Goddard

Church of England Parish Registers were valuable manuscripts on the whole carefully kept and were not usually (except for Marriage registers after 1753) brought out into damp, drafty church naves for small ceremonies, such as baptisms and burials.¹ Instead large parishes kept a “day book” (see e.g. Great Yarmouth) in which event details were recorded (often in more detail than the eventual register) before being transcribed into the official register.² In overly-large parishes with lots of curates (like Brighton St Nicholas) the evidence is that each curate kept his own day book and transcribed into the register every few weeks.³ In smaller parishes clerics are reputed to have used scraps of paper. Yes, this is another level of potential transcription error.

The pre-Victorian part of St John the Baptist Church, Newtimber photographed by the author 2nd July 2016

Frederick Goddard is my GGG-Grandfather. He married Mary Ann Isted Upton on 21st December 1837 in The Tabernacle Strict Baptist Chapel, Regency Road, Brighton.⁴ He appears as a resident in Brighton in all the England Censuses from 1841 to 1891 and consistently from 1851 onwards gives his birthplace as Newtimber, Sussex.⁵

Saddlescombe Farmhouse, photographed by the author 2nd July 2016

Newtimber is a small parish on the North side of the South Downs. It’s population in 2001 was 96 and wasn’t much more in the 18th & 19th centuries.⁶ It consists of the church and rectory, Newtimber Place and the farm hamlet of Saddlescombe. The parish registers in the 18th century contain on average 3 entries per year, including, until 1754, marriages. The second parish register was used from 1733 until 1808. The next register (a printed non-conformist registration book) contains entries from 1809 to early 1813 written in one set of handwriting which looks identical (including the ink) and are all “registered” by W. Whistler. It also contains 7 sets of paper slips in a number of different handwritings containing varied sets of events. The parish then bought an official “Rose” Register and the 1813 baptisms were transferred into it.⁷ Entries for Frederick were included inconsistently in both registers and on three of the notes, thus:


1809-1813 Register
1813
Frederick Son of Thos. & Emma Goddard
was born ______ and christened Jany. 26
Registered_________ by me W. Whistler |R|
Notes Set 2, Image 2
1813 January 26 frederick goddard was born Son of Thos Emer

Notes Set 2, Image 2
1813 January 26 frederick goddard was born Son of Thos Emer

Notes Set 4, Image 1
1813
January 2d
Frederic Son Thomas & Sophia Goddard
...
Signed William Tilt Curate

Notes Set 5, Image 1
1813
January 2 6frederick godard was born Son of Thos. & Emer

Baptism Register 1813-1877
Page 1 1813 & 1814
When Baptized Jany 2d
No. 1
Child’s Christian name Frederick 
Parents Names Thos & Sophia Goddard
Abode Newtimber
Quality, trade or profession Labourer
By whom the Ceremony was performed J Tilt Curate

Part of Saddlescombe Hamlets, photographed by the author 2nd July 2016

John Tilt Curate signs the 1813-77 register as “performer of the ceremony” from page 1. Webster Whistler signs an occasional baptism as “Rector” (e.g. in 1828). The only entries with the 2nd January date and the mother’s name as Sophia are signed by John Tilt. Thomas Goddard married Emma Frankland in Brighton in 1809 and John Goddard of Newtimber married Sophia Terry in Poynings in 1812.⁸ I don’t think John Tilt was working in the parish prior to 1813. I think the maintenance of records failed in Newtimber from 1809-13, possibly in the absence of an appointed cleric (lay baptisms could be performed in the absence of a cleric).⁹ I think Webster Whistler made a valiant effort to reconstruct the register, possibly when appointed. I think John Tilt made transcription errors in entering backdated items in the 1813-77 register.

The Frederick Goddard entry on one of the notes (Set 5 Image 1) of entries which could be misread.

My conclusion is that Frederick Goddard was the son of Thomas Goddard and Emma Frankland and was baptised on the 26th January 1813 in St John the Baptist, Newtimber.


Thomas and Emma’s last child (Thomas) was baptised in St Nicholas, Brighton in 1818 (where Thomas Goddard of Newtimber had been buried a few months before). Emma remarried and all her children were brought up, married and died in Brighton. The parentage of Frederick’s father is another matter.

Sources

1. “Marriage Act 1753,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, March 11, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_Act_1753. (Accessed 15th March 2020)
2. St Nicholas (Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England), Parish Registers; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/).
3. St Nicholas (Brighton, Sussex, England), Parish Registers; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/).
4. England and Wales, marriage certificate for Goddard Frederick and Mary Ann Isted Upton, married 21 Dec 1837; citing 7/407/11, Dec quarter 1837, Brighthelmston registration district; General Register Office, Southport.
5. 1841 census of England, Sussex, Brighton, folio 33, page 13, Frederick Goddard; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 24 Apr 2006); citing PRO HO 107/1121/4; 1851 census of England, Sussex, Brighton, folio 806, page 6, Fredrick Goddard; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 24 Apr 2006); citing PRO HO 107/1645; 1861 census of England, Sussex, Brighton, folio 71, page 5-6, Frederick Goddard; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 24 Apr 2006); citing PRO RG9/594; 1871 census of England, Sussex, Brighton, folio 31, page 3, Frederic Goddard; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 24 Apr 2006); citing PRO RG10/1077; 1881 census of England, Sussex, Brighton, folio 91, page 26, Frederick Goddard; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 24 Apr 2006); citing PRO RG11/1080; 1891 census of England, Sussex, Brighton, folio 81, page 22, Frederick Goddard; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 10 Feb 2006); citing PRO RG 12/805
6. “Newtimber,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, March 9, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newtimber. (Accessed 15th March 2020)
7. St John the Evangelist (Newtimber, Sussex, England); FHL microfilm
8. St Nicholas (Brighton, Sussex, England), "East Sussex Record Office PAR255/1/1/11, Register of Banns & Marriages 1806-1810," marriage of Thomas Goddard & Emma Frankland, 10 Dec 1809; FHL microfilm 1,067,106, item 2; Holy Trinity Poyings Register of Marriages 1785-1812 (Folder 004428551, Item  18),"  page 8, marriage of John Goddard & Sophia Terry, 6 Apr 1812; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 23 Feb 2016).
9. The Living Church Annual and Clergy-List Quarterly (Young Churchman Company, 1886), https://books.google.com.au/books?id=i0vkAAAAMAAJ (Accessed 15th March 2020)