Another Phillips marriage

[Anstey Nomad]

Abraham Phillips was born in Crowland, Lincs in or about 1822 and was buried in Welford Road Cemetery, Leicester on 1 March 1890.

His wife was called Charlotte. She always says on the censuses that she was born in Oakham, Rutland in or about 1827.

Here they are in 1871: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/7619/LEIRG10_3284_3287-0078?pid=15641038&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc%3DEgf436%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource %26usePUBJs%3Dtrue%26gss%3Dangs-c%26new%3D1%26rank%3D1%26msT%3D1%26gsfn%3DCharlott e%2520%26gsfn_x%3D1%26gsln%3DPhillips%26gsln_x%3D1 %26msbdy%3D1827%26msbpn__ftp%3DOakham,%2520Rutland ,%2520England%26msbpn%3D1673436%26msbpn_PInfo%3D8-%257C0%257C0%257C3257%257C3251%257C0%257C0%257C0%2 57C5281%257C1673436%257C0%257C0%257C%26MSAV%3D1%26 uidh%3Df62%26pcat%3D1871UKI%26h%3D15641038%26dbid% 3D7619%26indiv%3D1%26ml_rpos%3D1&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=Egf436&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true

For reasons I can no longer remember, I think her maiden name was Trowell. Others clearly think it was Shaw, and Ancestry links to a Charlotte Shaw, but the Charlotte Shaw whose date and place of birth fits, seems to have the wrong parents and to have married a man named Henry Sensecall or Sensicall.

Needless to say, I've looked at Ancestry and Free BMD and can't find a marriage for this Abraham Phillips and a Charlotte anywhere on a trajectory between Crowland and Leicester, or indeed anywhere at all.

Confused? You will be.

Anyone?

[Merry]

wHAT ABOUT CHECKING ANY BIRTH REG DETAILS FOR THEIR CHILDREN TO CONFIRM HER MAIDEN NAME?

Bother, caps lock!!

[Anstey Nomad]

YES, I DID THAT!

Seriously though, I did look on the GRO after I'd posted and her name on all the birth entries on there is TOWELL (no 'R').

I then managed to find a marriage in SQ 1848, in Oakham between Charlotte TOWELL and Abraham Phillips Kimbl[e]y. That should probably be KIMBERLEY, which was his mother's maiden name, but that is close enough for jazz.

All I have to do now is to convince the SHAW faction that they've got the wrong woman!

[Anstey Nomad]

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/8978/RUTHO107_895_898-0196?pid=9455730&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc%3DEgf443%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource %26usePUBJs%3Dtrue%26gss%3Dangs-c%26new%3D1%26rank%3D1%26gsfn%3DCharlotte%26gsfn_x %3D0%26gsln%3DTowell%26gsln_x%3D0%26msbdy%3D1828%2 6msbpn__ftp%3DRutland,%2520England%26msbpn%3D5281% 26msbpn_PInfo%3D7-%257C0%257C0%257C3257%257C3251%257C0%257C0%257C0%2 57C5281%257C0%257C0%257C0%257C%26MSAV%3D1%26uidh%3 Df62%26pcat%3D1841UKI%26h%3D9455730%26recoff%3D6%2 5207%26dbid%3D8978%26indiv%3D1%26ml_rpos%3D1&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=Egf443&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true

I think this is her with her family. Can anyone read her father's occupation?

[kiterunner]

Grazier.

[Anstey Nomad]

Thanks.

[Mary from Italy]

It looks as though Abraham was born before his parents married.

25/8/1822, Crowland: Baptism of Abraham, son of Mary Kimberley, spinster

https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=gbprs%2flincs%2fcrowland_par_1_8%2f1016&parentid=gbprs%2flincs%2fbap%2f00451892&highlights=%22%22

27/4/1823, Crowland: Marriage of Abraham Phillips and Mary Kimberley

https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=gbprs%2flincs%2fcrowland_par_1_15%2f0690&parentid=gbprs%2flincs%2fmar%2f00105284%2f2&highlights=%22%22

[Merry]

The 1848 marriage is on FMP:

27 July 1848 Oakham, Rutland after banns

Abraham Phillips Kimbley full age bachelor shoemaker address Oakham father deceased occ -
Charlotte Towell full age spinster - address Oakham father Henry Towel (sic)occ harness maker

Both signed (spellings as written), witnesses John Phillips and Mary Ann Towell

[Merry]

So, her father is Henry not George.

[Merry]

I haven't been able to find anything about Henry Towel, Harness maker, but whilst looking I did find this, and whilst it probably isn't the right Henry, I'm posting it here in case it helps eliminate another family etc:

(Oakham and Exton are about 5 miles apart)


Stamford Mercury 04 September 1846

OAKHAM UNION - ONE POUND REWARD

ABSCONDED - Leaving his Wife and Family chargeable to the parish of EXTON, in this Union, HENRY TOWELL, aged about 40, a labourer, about 5ft. 8in. high, well proportioned, very plausible tongue, and has been accustomed to stone quarry work. Whoever will give such information as shall cause the above-named Henry Towell to be apprehended, shall receive One Pound Reward. By order, H.HOUGH, Clerk to the Union, Oakham, August 29, 1846.

[Anstey Nomad]

Dang! I was getting excited about George Towell, who came up through the ranks in the army, got commissioned as a Lieutenant, got court-martialled and got away with it.

More research required into Henry Towell, harness maker.

Incidentally, the more illegitimacy we can find on my mother’s side, the better. She had such a horror of this sort of thing that when my friend’s teenage sister got pregnant, she stopped me having anything to do with the family.

[Anstey Nomad]

So, there is no Mary Ann Towell on the 1851 census who would have been old enough to be a witness to this marriage, but George's daughter has an older sister called Mary.

Henry, above, is described as a harness maker, which is much more skilled than being a labourer in a stone quarry. There is a Henry Towell onthe 1851, born in Oakham, but again he's rather younger than the notice would suggest and is a maltster by trade.

There's some very creative research on Ancestry about George Towell, who allegedly served in the army until he was at least 70 and lived to be 118. That doesn't help.

On the other hand, if my father had dragged himself up to a reasonable station in life, and I had had some education and could write a beautiful copperplate hand, I might take my sister into my confidence and give incorrect information about my father if I was planning to marry a shoemaker with a disability and my family did not approve.

[kiterunner]

The Charlotte who is with George and Margaret on the 1841 census (not necessarily George's daughter) has N for born in county.

[kiterunner]

Here is the marriage of Edward Corser and Charlotte Towell, 4 Nov 1844 at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/4994/40458_316604-00108/54270321?backurl=https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/58284985/person/40205796337/facts

This Charlotte is a spinster, full age, residence Uppingham, and the fathers' names haven't been filled in, nor any occupations.

These are the Corsers in 1851 and Charlotte's birthplace is Manchester (and she is 27):
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/8860/WORHO107_2039_2040-0857/8911462?backurl=https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/58284985/person/40205796337/facts

There is a newspaper death notice posted for her on ancestry which says she was the daughter of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Towell, so it does look as though she is the Charlotte from that 1841 census entry, and yours is a different Charlotte.

[Anstey Nomad]

I was coming round to that conclusion, which is a shame, because George Towell seemed like an interesting character.

I should have some time tomorrow, so back to the drawing board it is.

[Mary from Italy]

Just in case it helps, I have some Towells in my tree, and the surname often gets mistranscribed as Jowett, and vice versa.

[Anstey Nomad]

Really? I'll try to remember to check Jowett as well then. Thanks for the tip.

My mother actually told me not to bother with her family. I'm beginning to understand why!