Bankruptcy - opportunity for detailed research

[ElizabethHerts]

I have a lovely, knowledgeable contact who is now 91. He wrote a wonderful book which you can find in some Record Offices.

"A Sense of Belonging" by Ronald A Purser - an account of his ancestry. He is a Jeffcoat descendant and gave my Mum a lot of information and became good friends with her.

He sends me Christmas cards every year and was very excited that I had found that my ancestor Daniel Jeffcoat had briefly been in debtors' prison. He says that I should be able to find out a lot more detail of Daniel's life.

"It’s the kind of thing that makes one lick one’s lips because this could reveal a genuine bit of family history as opposed to bare tree twigs and branches."

He mentions various tools (pre-Internet days):
Palmers Indexes to the Times (where the London Gazette fragments were published). I suppose now we can just go directly to the London Gazette on line.
the Bail Court (the King's Bench)



One of my resolutions this year is to try to find more information about Daniel's bankruptcy and the consquences for him and his family.

I don't expect to find this information on line, so where should I start? Do I go to the PRO? Where can the court information be found?

[Olde Crone]

Elizabeth

Only this week, Merry found me some information about my bankrupt ancestor, in the London Gazette. It gave me several addresses where he and his family had lived, which I hadn't known and also gave me his business partner's name.

Good place to start!

OC

EDIT - one of the consequences was that his family changed their name whilst he was in Debtor's clink!

[ElizabethHerts]

OC, thanks for the encouragement.

This is something I have been meaning to do for some time, but I haven't got round to it.

I had a Christmas card from Mr Purser asking me if I had found out anything more... I'd love to be able to write to him and tell him that I have unearthed the story.

[kiterunner]

What dates are we talking about for Daniel Jeffcoat?

[ElizabethHerts]

KiteRunner, this is the information I have about his bankruptcy:

1843
The London Gazette 29th December 1843
“THE COURT FOR RELIEF OF INSOLVENT DEBTORS
Wednesday the 27th Day of December 1843.

ORDERS have been made, vesting in the Provision Assignee the Estates and Effects of the following Persons:

On their own Petitions.
…
Daniel Jeffcoat, late of No. 5, Brunswick-place, Pentonville, Middlesex, Cattle and Hay Salesman. – In the Debtors’ Prison for London and Middlesex.”


Daniel was born on 1st March 1789 at Upper Winchendon, Bucks. He died 18th October 1854 aged 65 years at 9 Middle Buildings Brompton.

He and his wife are still living at Brunswick Place in 1851 so they didn't have to move.


Edit: at one time he was a Guano Agent!

[ElizabethHerts]

I have found another entry in the London Gazette, which I didn't see before.

It appears that Daniel Jeffcoat went to court on 3rd February 1844:

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/20304/pages/144

You have to look at page 143 to see that:

"The following PRISONERS, whose Estates and Effects have been vested in the Provisional Assignee by Order of the Court, having filed their Schedules, are ordered to be brought up before the Court, at the Court-House, in Portugal Street, Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, on Saturday the 3rd day of February 1844, at Nine o'Clock in the Forenoon, to be dealt with according to the Statute:"

[Merry]

I see he was a pupil at Ackworth School in Yorks (Google Books), so he was a Quaker? (maybe I should know that?!)

Can you get to the Quaker Library in Euston Road London? I think you need to have a reference from someone reputable to access the library, but if you do they have obits for many, many ordinary Quakers which are fabby for FH. I have the obit details from the Library for a lot of mine :)

Sorry this is off topic as I doubt you would find anything about his bankruptcy in their records! (though, of course, you never know!)

[ElizabethHerts]

Merry, Daniel was born and raised a Quaker. However, I think the experience at Ackworth might have put him off! It was very spartan there. He married in 1815 at St Mary's Aylesbury, to Anne Parrott, and he was baptised the same day.

Will there be any surviving court records? Mr Purser in his book managed to find out a great deal about the case of a Daniel Horton. He was brought from Worcester Gaol to the Queen's Bench Court in London. There is huge detail about what happened.

[kiterunner]

There are some matches for Jeffcoat on The Original Record which may or may not be him - Bankruptcy Meetings (1843), Insolvents (1843), Petitioning Creditors and Solicitors (1843) and Insolvents (1844), but each record costs £6 to view and you can only search on surname, not first name.

http://www.theoriginalrecord.com/

[ElizabethHerts]

KiteRunner, many thanks for the link. I haven't heard of this website before.

I'm searching now and just waiting for the results to come up (it's rather slow).

[Olde Crone]

Elizabeth

I've just checked that site with my man's name and (apart from the fact they generously tell me I can look at the lot for £100, pmsl) most of the bankruptcy stuff seems to be a straight lift from the Gazette, which is free and online.

OC

[ElizabethHerts]

A cautionary tale here!

Unfortunately, as KiteRunner said, you only get hits with the surname.

I optimistically parted with £24 hoping to learn more details of the circumstance of Daniel Jeffcoat's imprisonment.

I got four print-outs/downloads.

1. Perry's Bankrupt Gazette
This is on a page entitled "Certificates" and relates to Daniel's son, William Jeffcoat, and his partner William Runting. They were bookbinders.
I already had this information (free)

2. Perry's Bankrupt Gazette
Petitioning Creditors and Solicitors (1843)
Again regarding William Jeffcoat and William Runting. Bankrupts.
I already had this information.

3. Perry's Bankrupt Gazette 1843
Insolvents (1843)
This is an insolvent, John Jeffcoat (must be related). A labourer of Dry Sandford - Oxford

4. PGIG 1844
Insolvents
Hurrah!
Daniel Jeffcoat of Brunswick-pl. Pentonville, cattle salesman - Debtors' prison

I already had this information for free.


So basically, this site is making money hand over fist without you knowing before you buy if it is relevant or not. (Hides the credit card statement from OH! :o)

[Olde Crone]

Elizabeth

See my post above yours!

OC

[ElizabethHerts]

Elizabeth

See my post above yours!

OC

I feel quite diddledl, OC! I only chose the years 1843 and 1844. Jeffcoat isn't a common surname so I hoped that I would be getting some extra information.

[Olde Crone]

Yes, I only gave a window of 10 years and got 78 hits, some of which I could discount by area and content but most I couldn't.

I agree, a naughty site. I have a vague feeling I got into trouble on another site for mentioning that this site was little more than an index to stuff which was in many cases free elsewhere!

OC

[ElizabethHerts]

Perhaps we should have a list of sites to use with caution!

I'm annoyed with myself for being too trusting. I suppose I was hoping for a breakthrough.

Edit: William Jeffcoat wasn't Daniel's son - his son died in January 1841.

[kiterunner]

Sorry for pointing you at that site! Though I wasn't expecting you to spend £24 on it. I usually find some matches and then decide it's too expensive and either don't buy any records or just one.

[ElizabethHerts]

Sorry for pointing you at that site! Though I wasn't expecting you to spend £24 on it. I usually find some matches and then decide it's too expensive and either don't buy any records or just one.

KiteRunner, it's entirely my responsiblity. I should have bought just one and viewed it and then have made a decision! Because it has the National Archives symbol I wrongly assumed that it was more useful than it was.

At least I know now to exercise caution!

[Asa]

Elizabeth, you may remember putting me in touch with Ronald Purser - a very helpful chap:-)

The London Gazette is wonderful - I have had a lot of success using that site (especially with debtor stuff) and tried an unusual surname of mine on the The Original Record and there were 54 quids worth of hits but I'm guessing there wouldn't be anything I couldn't find elsewhere.

[ElizabethHerts]

Elizabeth, you may remember putting me in touch with Ronald Purser - a very helpful chap:-)

The London Gazette is wonderful - I have had a lot of success using that site (especially with debtor stuff) and tried an unusual surname of mine on the The Original Record and there were 54 quids worth of hits but I'm guessing there wouldn't be anything I couldn't find elsewhere.

Asa, Ronald Purser is amazing! He is 91 now. Do you have his book?
I remember putting someone in touch with him but I had forgotten who!

I'm in awe of him having written such an interesting account of his Purser ancestors. A lot of the information came his way from a Chancery case involving the Purser and Jeffcoat families. Just about everyone in the family was named. He helped my Mum such a lot when she was researching our Jeffcoats.

[Asa]

Hello Elizabeth - no I haven't got his book - where is it available from? I'm probably descended from the Pursers of Ebrington but I have a link to prove some day.

[ElizabethHerts]

Asa, my mother got her copy, which I now have, directly from Ronald Purser. However, I believe he gave a copy to the Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons), and some record offices around the country. I wouldn't be surprised if the LMA had a copy.

Oh yes -

https://www.familysearch.org/s/search/index/catalog-search#searchType=catalog&filtered=true&fed=false&collectionId=&catSearchType=title&searchCriteria=Sense+of+Belonging&placeName=&author_givenName=&author_surname=

[Asa]

Thanks Elizabeth - I will have a look next time I'm there:-)

[Chris in Sussex]

There are two research guides for bankruptcy on the NA website if you want to go further.

Bankrupts and insolvent debtors 1710-1869 and Bankruptcy records after 1869
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guide-listing.htm#b

Also a podcast
Credit crunch histories: records of bankrupts in The National Archives
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/podcasts/

Chris

[ElizabethHerts]

There are two research guides for bankruptcy on the NA website if you want to go further.

Bankrupts and insolvent debtors 1710-1869 and Bankruptcy records after 1869
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guide-listing.htm#b

Also a podcast
Credit crunch histories: records of bankrupts in The National Archives
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/podcasts/

Chris

Thanks Chris, that is really useful.