Coton-in-the-Elms Parish Pages

[Brett]

I have transcribed records relating to the chapelry of Coton-in-the-Elms, available on my South Derbyshire web pages. These include:

- Parish Descriptions & Trade Directory Extracts (1821-1895)
- Parish Register Transcripts (1846-1901)
- Hearth Tax Assessments (1662)
- Census Transcripts (1841 & 1861)
- Place Names

If you have research interests please share them by posting them in this forum. If you have any questions or lookups required, I would be happy to respond to forum requests.

Regards and best wishes,

[John Watts]

Brett, thanks for all your hard work and research. It has been the base for me to confirm my Smith ancestors in the village. My great grandfather was Samuel Smith, born Coton-in-the-Elms in 1839, the son of William and Charlotte Smith. He worked as a groom and coachman for many years. He married quite late and moved to Burton upon Trent. In his latter years he was a beer house keeper and publican.One of his daughters was Mary Margaret Smith, born 1892. She married my grandfather, Archibald Watts in January 1918, when he was a lieutenant in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. Sadly, she died before my father's 2nd birthday, so he has no memory of her. As for Dad,he is 86 in September and still going strong.
Cheers,
John.

[Brett]

Dear John,

Thanks for your kind comments. I'm glad to hear that you have found the material on my site useful in your research. Actually, I have your William & Charlotte SMITH in my "extended family tree". They're not directly related - more like umpteenth cousins of umpteenth cousins, a few times removed - just part of the extensive network of families that I'm steadily buidling up. I have the following information for this family so far:

William SMITH b. c1807 bur. 16 Dec 1877 Coton-in-the-Elms m: Charlotte b. c1814 bur. 12 Dec 1862 Coton-in-the-Elms
|- Mary SMITH b. c1835
|- Samuel SMITH b. c1838 (this must be your Samuel)
|- Ann SMITH b. cOct 1840
|- Emma SMITH b. c1842/3 bur. 12 Nov 1851 Coton-in-the-Elms
|- Jane SMITH b. c1844
|- Lewis SMITH bapt. 31 Jan 1847 Coton-in-the-Elms bur. 11 Jun 1864 Coton-in-the-Elms
|- Sarah SMITH bapt. 17 Jun 1849 Coton-in-the-Elms m: 7 Jun 1877 Coton-in-the-Elms Henry WAGSTAFF bapt. 19 Sep 1852 Rosliston
....|- Charlotte WAGSTAFF b. c1877 Coton-in-the-Elms
....|- Frederick WAGSTAFF b. c1879 Coton-in-the-Elms
|- Elizabeth SMITH b. cJan 1851 bapt. 11 Apr 1852 Coton-in-the-Elms bur. 14 Jan 1871 Coton-in-the-Elms
|- Caroline SMITH bapt. 27 May 1855 Coton-in-the-Elms
|- Frederick SMITH bapt. 20 Apr 1856 Coton-in-the-Elms bur. 30 Mar 1882 Coton-in-the-Elms

Regards and best wishes,

Brett

[Andy Vaughan]

Hi Brett, i am researching the name White, which was my mothers maiden name, she was born approx 1926 and her fathers name was believed to be Charles White.They were believed to live in the Queens Head public House, due to Family issues my mother was taken away from the village when she was approx 7 years old,my mother has passed away now so i have no more information any more clues on the surname would be a great help.
Regards Andy

[Brett]

Dear Andy,

I will do my best to help. First, I tried to verify the existence of a Charles White living in Coton-in-the-Elms at around the time your mother was born, i.e. c.1926, and to establish some sort of connection with the Queen's Head Public House, if possible.

Unfortunately, the latest census that is available to the public is for 1901, which is far too early for our purposes. Trade directories are a possible alternative, as by the 20th Century they often listed most adult residents in towns and villages. The closest that I have access to, datewise, is Kelly's 1932 Trade Directory for Derbyshire, but I was lucky to find the following entry:

- White Charles, Queen's Head P.H., Coton-in-the-Elms

I also have the 1912 Kelly's Trade Directory for Derbyshire, which gives:

- White Sarah Ann (Mrs.) Queen's Head P.H., Coton-in-the-Elms

This clearly supports your family information that a Mr Charles White was connected with the Queen's Head Public House in Coton-in-the-Elms. I will continue with this discussion in the next posting ...

Regards and best wishes,

Brett Payne

[Brett]

Next, I went further back in the trade directories, using the searchable images available on the University of Leicester Historical Directories web site:

Both Kelly's 1895 and 1899 give the following entry:

- Redfern Elizabeth (Mrs.) Queen's Head P.H. & Shopkeeper, Coton-in-the-Elms

I thought at first that perhaps Mrs Redfern had sold the Queen's Head to Mrs White between 1899 and 1912. However, reference to the 1901 Census provided the following household at this address:

1901 Census: Chapel Street (Queen's Head Inn), Coton in the Elms DBY PRO Ref. RG13/2640/66/12/80:
Elizabeth REDFERN Head Wid F 60 Publican & Shopkeeper (Grocer) DBY Linton
Sarah A. REDFERN Dau S F 35 DBY Coton in the Elms
Richard REDFERN Son S M 32 Bricklayer - Own a/c DBY Coton in the Elms
George LEEDHAM Visitor S M 6 DBY Derby

The only WHITE living in Coton-in-the-Elms in 1901 was as follows:

1901 Census: Church Street, Coton in the Elms DBY PRO Ref. RG13/2640/66/12/80:
William WHITE Head M M 25 Coal miner - Hewer DBY Coton in the Elms
Rose E. WHITE Wife M F 25 DBY Linton

I wonder, therefore, if Sarah A. REDFERN, daughter of Elizabeth, is the same person as the Sarah A. WHITE who was proprietor of the Queen's Head in 1912. I also wonder if Charles WHITE was a son of Sarah A. REDFERN. More in the next posting ...

Regards and best wishes, Brett

[Brett]

What I have outlined above is all very well, but it's not possible to tie these people in with your mother with any certainty, without first obtaining some important documentation. I would strongly recommend that you check the GRO Index in the period c. 1926 for your mother's birth registration. If she was born in or near Coton-in-the-Elms, the registration district will be Burton-upon-Trent. When found, the next step is to order a birth certificate, which you can do online. This will cost you £7.00, but should provide full details of both parents.

If you have any further questions, fire away, and I'll do my best to help.

Regards and best wishes, Brett

[Andy Vaughan]

Thank you Brett for your time and trouble, This information is useful, i will obtain a birth cirtificate and post my findings, once again many thanks.
Andy Vaughan

[Blanche Charles]

Hello Andy,

Further to Brett's message about Charles WHITE and Sarah Ann REDFERN:

Charles WHITE married Sarah Ann REDFERN, Mar Qtr 1910, Burton on Trent Registration District, 6b, 564

Kind regards

Blanche Charles

[Blanche Charles]

Further to my previous message, Charles WHITE who married Sarah Ann REDFERN was presumably this man:

1891 Census, Coton in the Elms (RG12/2199, Fol 98, Sched 65):

WHITE
Thomas 48
Harriett 49
Charles 23
Elizabeth 10

and Sarah Ann's family in Coton (same Piece no, Fol 96, Sched 25):

REDFERN
Elizabeth 50
Sarah Ann 25
Richard 22
Clara 21

Kind regards

Blanche Charles

[Andy Vaughan]

Hello Brett and Blanch, i've just recieved a copy of my mothers birth cirtificate and it confirms she was born in 1929 in the Queens Head Pub, Her father was Charles White And mother Emily White{formorley Emily Stathem of Uttoxeter Staffordshire} i think that Sarah Ann Redfern may have been his first wife{just a guess}so i'm not sure what happened to her, have you any links for Deaths & burials around this time so i can make a connection.

Regards Andy

[Blanche Charles]

Hello Andy,

Thanks for your reply. You will need to search the GRO birth, marriage & death indexes for further information.

I have an interest in a much earlier Charles WHITE, christened in Ticknall in Dec 1798. The last reference I have to him was made in his father's settlement examination in 1811, describing him as "aged about 12 years".

Should you trace your family back to this Charles WHITE, I would be delighted to hear. I have a lot of information to share about his family, but nothing more about him.

Kind regards

Blanche

[ZoeWilkinson]

It was interesting to read this as the Redferns were part of my Grandmothers family. Elizabeth and Richard's eldest daughter Elizabeth was my Gt Gt Grandma. She had two sons and a daughter although one son was a son from a previous relationship. Elizabeth went on to marry a Holden.