CHEW/RAND/DEXTER/BRADSHAW about 1700

[Geoff Chew]

Hello,

My brick wall is Thomas CHEW (my 6x great-grandfather), who appears in Aldwincle in 1711, when he marries (at Polebrook by licence) Ann RAND; he starts a line of CHEWs in Thorpe Achurch and Wadenhoe, but there are no earlier CHEWs in that area. In 1711 he had been a widower; I presume his earlier marriage is that between Thomas CHEW of Bulwick and Katharine DEXTER of Bulwick, at St Sepulchre's, Northampton, in 1695. In the late 1600s but not earlier there are a Thomas, a John and a Lucy CHEW at Bulwick. John "CHOW" (thus in the register, but presumably "Chew") is buried at Bulwick, 1699; Thomas, born about 1664 (estimated, no idea where), has a son John at Aldwincle in 1711 and another son Thomas in 1713; he is a churchwarden at Thorpe Achurch from 1733; he dies and is buried at Thorpe Achurch with a lavish tombstone, 8 Jan 1736; his will, mentioning his sister Lucy (at Bulwick, married to the late Richard BRADSHAW -- I can't find the marriage but can find children at Bulwick), is proved 7 Feb 1736. But I have never managed to discover where the family came from, before Thorpe Achurch or Bulwick. Any ideas?

Geoff

[Yegvard]

Hi Geoff,

Found you by accident. I think the connection link may be tenuous, but I have both CHEW and DEXTER to track down about 150 - 180 years in front of this post.

1) Richard CHEW marrying Eliza Christabel WATERS, probably around 1860. Her father was Captain Alexander WATERS, a seaman. Her sister was Phoebe Thompson WATERS who married the Rev. Arthur HANDS in Bishopswearmouth, Durham, in 1860. It's possible that Richard was also a minister of the United Free Methodist Church.

2) As for DEXTER I have a Maria marrying David Swinscoe MIDDLETON in 1877 in Nottingham.

Any links?

Mike

[Geoff Chew]

Hi Mike,

Many thanks for answering. THough I'd love to find links, I can't find any at all; of about 200 Chews in my database, not a single one is called Richard, we have no links that I know of with County Durham or Notts, and the other names you mention are all unfamiliar. And though I seem to remember having heard of a Chew being a Methodist minister, there was no connection there either. Pity...

Thanks nevertheless
Cheers
Geoff

[jeeb]

Hi Geoff,
I read your reply to Mike and thought this seems a bit of a strange coincidence. You mention a marriage between Thomas & Katherine at St Sepulchre Northampton in 1695. Where is St. Sepulchre? I noticed you stated there is no Richards in your data base but the IGI gives two baptisms at St Sepulchre London:-
Lucy daughter of Richard & Lucy Chew 1 March 1695 age 1
Richard son of Richard & Lucy Chew 30 Nov 1697 age 1

Lucy was not a very common name in those days. Thought it worth mentioning.
Cheers Jeremy

[Geoff Chew]

Hi Jeremy

> You mention a marriage between Thomas & Katherine at St Sepulchre
> Northampton in 1695. Where is St. Sepulchre?

It's the medieval Round Church in the centre of Northampton.

> I noticed you stated there is no Richards in your data base but the IGI
> gives two baptisms at St Sepulchre London:-
> Lucy daughter of Richard & Lucy Chew 1 March 1695 age 1
> Richard son of Richard & Lucy Chew 30 Nov 1697 age 1
>
> Lucy was not a very common name in those days. Thought it worth
> mentioning

That certainly is strange, and I hadn't noticed those in the IGI. Lucy Chew, sister of Thomas Chew of Bulwick, Northants, married a Richard Bradshaw, and they had a son Richard baptised 29 July 1698 at Bulwick (also buried there 28 May 1702). But the name was a BRADSHAW name; I haven't heard of any Richards in our Chew line.

Admittedly, if we go beyond that to other Chews of the period not connected (so far as I know) with ours, there is for example a Richard Chew in the NBI (buried All Saints, Leighton Buzzard, Beds, 4 Feb 1685) and another at Bridlington (Priory church, 9 Apr 1704).

I should add that the marriage at St Sepulchre Northampton is itself a bit odd, given that there are no other Chew marriages there, and Northampton is a good distance from Bulwick where both Thomas Chew and Katharine Dexter were apparently living at the time.

All this is random musing in a way, but clearly I must follow up the London connection among others. Any suggestions you (or anyone) may have will be most welcome.

Thanks again
Geoff