Pillar, Pe(e)loe, Pelow – the origin of Jacob Pillar

 I am descended from Isaac Pillar, son of Jacob and Mary Pillar who was baptised in Great Yarmouth on 25 November 1781.¹ His sister Mary Pillar, daughter and eldest child of Jacob and Mary Pillar, was baptised on 29 December 1775 in Great Yarmouth.² 

St Nicholas, Great Yarmouth, photographed by Susan Law, 2016.

This was the first Pillar/Piller entry in Great Yarmouth registers. Searching the indexes leads to a marriage for Mary’s parents, Jacob Piller and Mary White, who married on 18 June 1775 in St Michael Coslany Norwich.³ This indicates that we should be looking for Jacob’s baptism in Norwich. This is consistent with the surname distribution as until that date the Pillar surname was highly concentrated in Norwich, starting with the baptism of Isaac Pillar in 1695.⁴

St Michael Coslany Church, Norwich. Photographed by Susan Law, 2018.

On the whole the collection of Pillar/Piller entries form logical family groups, but there are gaps. Looking at Jacob’s burial entry in 1836 his age 85 indicates a birth about 1751.⁵ and there is a noticeable absence of Jacob Pillar/Piller baptisms in the appropriate time frame. There are, however, two marriages with no offspring in the records:

• Isaac Pillar and Mary Gregory, both of this parish, married on 19 Novermber 1738 in St Paul.⁶
• Isaac Pillar (widower of St Martin at Palace Plain) married Jane Yestis (of St Michael at Thorn) married on 26 Dec 1748 in St Michael at Thorn.⁷

These are the same Isaac Pillar, Mary née Gregory having been buried on 13 February 1744/5 in St Augustine churchyard.⁸ The next Pillar/Pillar record in St Martin at Palace Plain registers after the Isaac/Jane marriage was Jane Pillar’s burial (Widow, late Yestis) buried 9 July 1786.⁹

To try and cover any really queer spelling, a search was done for baptisms with Isaac and Jane as parents but no surname specified. Five entries in the registers of St Martin at Palace Plain were found:

• 25 February 1749/50, Mary Peeloe.¹⁰
• 10 November 1751, Jacob Peeloe.¹¹
• 20 October 1754, Ann Peloe.¹²
• 22 May 1757, Esther Pelow.¹³
• 3 August 1760, Joseh Peloe.¹⁴

Using the surname variants above to search, a burial for Isaac Pillar was found in the St Martin at Palace Plain records:

• 21 November 1767, Isaac Pelow.¹⁵

St Martin at Palace Plain, Norwich. Photographed by Susan Law, 2018.

This group of records looks like a family with a parish clerk and at least one parent who didn't know how to spell their surname. Not only that, but it has a Jacob born about the right time. The balance of probability is that Jacob Peeloe (baptised 1751) can be equated with Jacob Pillar (married 1775).

Note: This research was primarily done in 2008-2010.

Sources

1. St Nicholas (Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England), "Norfolk Record Office PD 28/15, Register of Baptisms/Burials 1777-1783/2," baptism of Isaac Pillar, 25 Nov 1781; FHL microfilm 1,526,328, item 3.
2. St Nicholas (Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England), "Norfolk Record Office PD 28/14, Register of Baptisms/Burials 1771-1777," baptism of Mary Pillar, 29 Dec 1775; FHL microfilm 1,526,328, item 2.
3. St Michael Coslany (Norwich, Norfolk, England), Parish Registers, "Norfolk Record Office PD 16/7(W), Register of Marriages & Banns 1754-1779,"  page 83, marriage of Jacob Piller & Mary White, 18 Jun 1775; digital images(accessed 16 Jun 2010).
4. Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org); British Isles Vital Records Index (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. British Isles Vital Records Index (16xCD ROM). Second Edition. Salt Lake City, USA: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 2001.); Norfolk Transcripts Website (http://www.genealogy.doun.org/transcriptions/index.php, now defunct); FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/).
5. St Nicholas (Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England), Parish Registers, "Norfolk Record Office PD 18/140, Register of Burials 1831-1836,"  page 240, burial of Jacob Piller, 31 Jan 1836; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 6 May 2012).
6. St Paul (Norwich, Norfolk, England), Archdeacon's Transcripts (Norwich), "Norfolk Record Office AT Dean and Chapter 2, Archdeacon's Transcripts 1706-1811,"  marriage of Isaac Pillar & Mary Gregory, 19 Nov 1738; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ : accessed 25 Jan 2010). 
7. St Michael at Thorn (Norwich, Norfolk, England), Archdeacon's Transcripts, "Norfolk Record Office ANW 13, Archdeacon's Transcript for the year 1748-9,"  marriage transcript, Isaac Pillar & Jane Yestis, 16 Dec 1748; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ : accessed 25 Jan 2011).
8. St Augustine (Norwich, Norfolk, England), Parish Registers, "Norfolk Record Office PD 185/3(S), General Register 1663-1748,"  page 144, burial of Mary Piller, 13 Feb 1744/5; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ : accessed 8 May 2012).
9. St Martin at Palace Plain (Norwich, Norfolk, England), Parish Registers, "Norwich Record Office PD 12/5, General Register 1753-1791,"  burial of Jane Pillar, 9 Jul 1786; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 16 Jun 2010).
10. St Martin at Palace Plain (Norwich, Norfolk, England), Parish Registers, "Norfolk Record Office PD 12/4, General Register 1729-1752,"  baptism of Mary Peeloe, 25 Feb 1749/50; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 16 Jun 2010).
11. St Martin at Palace Plain (Norwich, Norfolk, England), Parish Registers, "Norfolk Record Office PD 12/4, General Register 1729-1752,"  baptism of Jacob Peloe, 10 Nov 1751; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 1 Mar 2010).
12. St Martin at Palace Plain (Norwich, Norfolk, England), Parish Registers, "Norfolk Record Office PD 12/5, General Register 1753-1791,"  baptism of Ann Peloe, 20 Oct 1754; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 16 Jun 2010).
13. St Martin at Palace Plain (Norwich, Norfolk, England), Parish Registers, "Norfolk Record Office PD 12/5, General Register 1753-1791,"  baptism of Esther Pelow, 22 May 1757; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 16 Jun 2010).
14. St Martin at Palace Plain (Norwich, Norfolk, England), Parish Registers, "Norfolk Record Office PD 12/5, General Register 1753-1791,"  baptism of Joseph Peloe, 3 Aug 1760; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 16 Jun 2010).
15. St Martin at Palace Plain (Norwich, Norfolk, England), Parish Registers, "Norfolk Record Office PD 12/5, General Register 1753-1791,"  burial of Isaac Pelow, 21 Nov 1767; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 16 Jun 2010).

The Origins of John Beckwith, born circa 1779

 John Beckwith was the father of Thomas Beckwith, my 3 x great-grandfather. John married Ann Lamson in Hackney 1804.¹ He died in Bethnal Green on 6th March 1838 his age being given as 59.² This indicates he was born about 1778-79. There are no Beckwith Baptisms in Bethnal Green before 1800, and only one isolated event in Shoreditch (John Backwith, 1778).³

 There are twelve John Beckwiths or Backwiths baptised in England from the beginning of 1777 to the end of 1780, with baptismal locations including Shoreditch, Middlesex, several in Essex, one in Norwich, Norfolk and others extending as far north as Brough under Stainmore, Westmoreland.⁴ To assist with his identification I looked at the details of John’s life and offspring to see if they would provide any hints.

 From the parish records, John & Ann Beckwith had the following offspring: Ann (1800), John Mitchelson (1802), Thomas (1804), Edward (1808), William Henry (1811), Charles (1817) & Edmund (1818), all christened in either Shoreditch or Bethnal Green.^5,6 However this list is not complete because the informant on the death certificate of Ann Beckwith nee Lamson is her son Ambrose Beckwith, weaver of 17 Robert St.⁷ Ambrose is easily found at 17 Robert Street in the 1851 census.⁸ The entry indicates he was born circa 1806 in Bethnal Green and there is a matching 1806 baptism entry in the registers of Bethnal Green St Matthew: Ambrose s/o Joseph & Ann Beckworth.⁶

 Baptisms were initially recorded in day books, often in abbreviated form, prior to being written into the official register. John would be abbreviated J^no and Joseph would be abbreviated J^os. These could be (and sometimes were) confused and misinterpreted during the transfer to the official register. Ambrose (1806) was the first child the couple baptised at St Matthew, so the parish officials wouldn’t necessarily have been familiar with them as a couple. He also fits nicely into a gap in the regular two-yearly child pattern.

 So the complete list of the offspring of John and Ann Beckwith is:

• 1800 Ann, christened 25th December 1800, Shoreditch St Leonard,
• 1802 John Mitchelson, christened 8th December 1811, Shoreditch St Leonard,
• 1804 Thomas, christened 1st January 1805, Shoreditch St Leonard,
• 1806 Ambrose, christened 16th November 1806, Bethnal Green St Matthew,
• 1808 Edward, christened 22nd June 1809, Shoreditch St Leonard,
• 1811 William Henry, christened 8th December 1811, Shoreditch St Leonard,
• 1817 Charles, christened 23rd March 1817, Bethnal Green St Matthew,
• 1818 Edmund, christened 3rd January 1819, Bethnal Green St Matthew.5,6
  

 Both John Beckwith and Ann Beckwith nee Lamson died in Bethnal Green (in 1838 and 1837 respectively).^2,7 On his death certificate, John’s occupation is given as a weaver and in 1841 his five unmarried sons (John, Edward, William Charles & Edward) are still living in the house in which he died, and are all weavers.⁹ The other three married offspring are also living in Bethnal Green in 1841, with all three households (Thomas & Ann Barton nee Beckwith; Thomas & Sarah Rebecca; Ambrose & Hester) being weaving households with everyone from the age of 11 up giving their occupation as weaver.⁹ By 1841 it was hard to make a living as a weaver, and families worked as a factory with the younger children spinning, threading weights or winding shuttles (see Plummer, page 361).¹⁰ Before 1800 there are no weavers with surname Beckwith in the East End.

 One odd point about the family is that Ambrose is quite a rare given name, but there is a sudden glut of Beckwiths with the given name Ambrose baptised in the East End of London in the early 1900s:

1. 1803 – Ambrose son of Ambrose & Ann, christened 7th August, Bethnal Green St Matthew (buried 17th August 1803, Bethnal Green St Matthew),
2. 1804 – Ambrose son of Ambrose & Ann, christened 12th August, Bethnal Green St Matthew (presumed death before October 1806),
3. 1806 – Ambrose son of Ambrose & Ann, christened 26th October, Bethnal Green St Matthew (buried 18th September 1808, Bethnal Green St Matthew),
4. 1806 – Ambrose son of Joseph & Ann, christened 16th November, Bethnal Green St Matthew,
5. 1814 – Ambrose son of Ambrose & Ann, christened 13th March, Bethnal Green St Matthew,
6. 1832 – Ambrose son of Ambrose & Esther, christened 17th June, Bethnal Green St Matthew,
7. 1844 – Ambrose James son of Ambrose & Maria, christened 5th June, Bethnal Green St Matthew,
8. 1849 – Ambrose Bona son of Henry & Mary Ann, christened 4th February, Bethnal Green St Jude,
9. 1871 – Joseph Ambrose son of Ambrose Bona & Sarah Ann Susannah, christened 2nd October, Hackney St Michael.^3,11,12

 The early baptisms (1, 2, 3, 5) are the offspring of Ambrose Beckwith and Ann nee Cecil (married in 1803, St George in the East).¹³ Ambrose and Ann can also be found in the censuses, and in 1861 he is shown as a weaver, born in Norwich about 1782.¹⁴ This corresponds with the son of Ambrose Beckwith and Ann Wittelton, christened in 1782, at Norwich St Paul.¹⁵

 The 1844 Ambrose James (7) is the grandson of Ambrose and Ann nee Cecil via their son Ambrose (1814, #5) and his wife Martha Bennett.^11,16 The 1849 Ambrose Bona (8) is the grandson of Ambrose & Ann Cecil via their son Henry (1816) and his wife Mary Ann Bona.^11,16 The 1871 Joseph Ambrose Beckwith (9) is the son of Ambrose Bona.

 We have already discussed the first 1806 Ambrose Beckwith (4). The 1832 Ambrose Beckwith (6) is the grandson of John and Ann nee Lamson via their son Ambrose (1806, #4) and his wife Esther/Hester Holloway.^11,16 Ann Beckwith (1800), daughter of John Beckwith who married Thomas Barton in 1824, also named one of her sons Ambrose (Ambrose Barton 1835).^11,16

 So all the Ambrose Beckwiths in the East End of London (plus Ambrose Barton) descend either from Ambrose Beckwith (1782, Norwich) and Ann nee Cecil or John Beckwith (c. 1779, origin unclear) and Ann nee Lamson (see Figure 1). Could John Beckwith and Ambrose Beckwith (1782) be related? After all one of our twelve possible John Beckwiths is from Norwich.

Figure 1: The Ambrose Beckwiths of the East End of London, 1803-1871.

 Looking at the family of Ambrose Beckwith & Ann Wittelton (proven parents of Ambrose born 1782, above), we find that they baptised nine children in Norwich, four of whom died in infancy (see Figure 2).^15,17,18,19 No further records can be found for Ambrose Beckwith (1749), his wife Ann nee Wittelton or any of their surviving offspring in Norwich. There is, however, a burial in 1814 at Bethnal Green for an Ambrose Beckwith of about the right age to be Ambrose (1749).⁶ There is then a marriage for an Ann Beckwith (widow) to James Oldfield (Whitechapel 1816).^6,20 Finally there is a burial for Ann Oldfield of the right age in 1819 at Bethnal Green.⁶ Of the surviving five children two can definitively be identified in the East End of London in the 1851 census (Ambrose Beckwith (1782) and Mary Ann Debarr nee Beckwith (1787), (see Figure 2).^8,21

Figure 2: The Family of Ambrose Beckwith and Ann(e) Wittelton, Norwich-Bethnal Green.

 We are thus missing three offspring: John (1779), Susanna (1786) and Elizabeth (1790). There are possibilities for John and Susanna in Bethnal Green: “Our” John, husband of Ann Lamson (and father of Thomas), and Susanna Beckwith who married John Whiter in Shoreditch in 1806 (see Figure 2), but I have not been able to find any evidence for the fate of Elizabeth.^1,5 All these couples (Ambrose Beckwith (1782) and Ann Beckwith nee Cecil, John Whiter and Susanna Whiter nee Beckwith, and James Debarr and Mary Ann Debarr nee Beckwith) lived in Bethnal Green like “our” John.⁹ Furthermore Ambrose Beckwith (1782), John Whiter, James Debarr and James Oldfield (second husband of Anne nee Wittelton) are also weavers like “our” John.^9,22 In addition a James Oldfield witnessed the marriages of John Beckwith to Ann Lamson in 1800 and Mary Ann Beckwith to James Debarr in 1813 prior to marrying Ann nee Wittelton in 1816.^1,20 He signed all three documents and the signatures are similar.

Figure 3: St Edmund's Church, Fishergate, Norwich, where Ambrose Beckwith was baptised in 1749. Photographed by the Author, 2018.

 To summarize, “our” John Beckwith lived in Bethnal Green, the same area where Ambrose Beckwith (1749) lived prior to his death as did his proven offspring Ambrose Beckwith (1782) and Mary Ann Debarr nee Beckwith (1787). John, his male offspring and his son-in-law were all weavers as were Ambrose Beckwith (1782) and James Debarr, husband of Mary Ann Beckwith (1787). John’s marriage was witnessed by a James Oldfield, who also witnessed the marriage of Mary Ann Beckwith (1787) and subsequently married Ann Beckwith nee Wittelton in 1816.

 The balance of the evidence points to John Beckwith (c. 1779) being the son of Ambrose Beckwith (1749) and Ann Wittelton who was christened 29th August 1779 at St Pauls Church, Norwich.