Truro shoemakers

[JudithFW]

A bit of a long shot, but this place seems full of people with such an extraordinary wide knowledge that I thought I'd try!
I'm getting really confused about a line of Bennetts or possibly Tippets who were shoemakers in Truro or thereabouts. They eventually move to Devon - Stoke Damerel.
I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge of shoemakers in Truro who might be able to point me in the right direction because at the moment I'm really struggling to find the family on the Cornwall opc or even much on IGI.
Any thoughts would help!!
Thanks
Judith

[colashbury]

Hi Judith. Yer dont give any dates. Would help greatly......

[MarkJ]

As Colin says, without a rough date, it is a needle in a haystack job. There are good trade directories - such as Kellys - for Cornwall which can be searched without too much difficulty, but more information is needed to narrow things down.

Truro or thereabouts? No other clues?
Truro area could cover a very large area...

Mark

Edit: If it helps at all, Tippett was and still is, a fairly common surname in the St Newlyn East and nearby areas. If you post some details of the family, we can have a look for them.

[JudithFW]

Hi Judith. Yer dont give any dates. Would help greatly......

Oh yes...that was a bit foolish of me...to say the least.
I didn't give too much detail because it all seems to be tieing in with another thread I started on the Devon county wide forum Which John Bennett is which? Feel free to read for further details...the reason I posted here is that another part of my family tree seems to have some previious link to this John Bennett....seems that his wife might be a distant cousin...and it is here that Cornwall and the shoemakers are a possible key so I thought i'd see if anyone might have any knowledge here.

Anyway the dates in question. IGI suggest a marriage between a Harriet Tippet and Henry Bennett 7 Aug 1826. They turn up on the 1841 census in St Marys Truro with their children Cyrus (Ciras) 15, George 13, John 8, Harriet 4, Richard 5 months. I looked on the Cornwall opc searchable database but couldn't find a record of any of these children...or any chidlren of different names born to these parents. Henry is a shoemaker. They appear again on the 1851 census...again St mary's truro. Henry journeyman shoemaker...two new chidlren added Emma and Mary A. In 1861 they are listed in Kenwyn with the younger two children...and again in 1871 again Kenwyn

[JudithFW]

I'm struggling to trace where the chidlren end up but it seems possible that the chld George (13 in 1841) ended up moving to Stoke Damerel in Devon and then went on to become the father of a man who appears variously in Devonport as George Bennett or George Tippet (censuses of 1891, 1901 and 1911 + birth certificate for a child. He in turn seems to the father of my great grandfather John Henry Tippet Bennett.

The George son of Henry and his brother also worked as shoemakers. George may appear on the 1871 census in Stoke Damerel as George Bennett of Truro - journeyman shoemaker and father of Sirus and Georgina.....not definite but enough of a coincidence to be worth me checking on.

So that's about it. If anyone can make any sense of all this and has got any tips they will be gladly received!

Thanks
Judith

[MarkJ]

Cyrus appears on the 1861 census in Pydar Street in Truro (spelled Pyder Street on the census - but nowadays called Pydar Street and still one of the main roads in Truro). However, I suspect that is the Cyrus who is the son of Richard and Elizabeth - but there are similarly named children to many of those of Harriet and Henry... The joys of common names!
On the 1841, the Cyrus entry is spelled Circes I notice.


He appears with his wife and 7 children! Bear in mind that the Cornwall OPC database is not complete - it contains data submitted by the OPCs and other folk (I am a submitter of MIs for example).

No sign of any suitable "George Bennett" or "George Tippett" in 1861 in the Truro area that I could find.

So it is George - one of Cyrus' brothers we are looking for? By the surname discrepancy, I am a little confused. Tippett or Bennett?

Did you see the George Tippett, shoemaker, aged 23 living in Victoria Street, St Columb Major in the 1851 census? Although you mention Truro - and indeed the family were in Truro later on, perhaps this is your George? Do you know any of the names of his family when he reached Plymouth (Stoke Damerel)? The 1851 entry in St Columb gives wife Hannah and a child, William S. The fact that Hannah is listed as born in St Erme is interesting - St Erme is very close to Truro and it makes me wonder if perhaps George was born in St Columb, moved to Truro at a young age (the 1841 will simply say "In county") then met his wife...

Mark

Edit: Might be worth checking the database for St Columb births or even emailing Susan who is the OPC for St Columb if you think this is a possible lead. Just because they appear in Truro in 1841 doesn't mean the children were all born there.

[usernick]

Hi Judith,

Let me know if you still want to find out more about the Tippets of Truro.

Harriet was one of 6 children born to Richard Tippet and Nancy Noble. My Great Great Great Grandfather, George Tippet, was one of Harriet's brothers.

Maria Tippet (1796-)
Eliza Tippet (1799-)
Harriet Tippet (1803-1873)
Emma Tippet (1805-1870)
George Tippet (1808-1900)
William Tippet (1811-1814)

Richard Tippet married again (after Nancy died) to Elizabeth Williams, and they had another 3 children:

Richard Tippet (1822-)
Cyrus Tippet (1824-1901)
Cornelius Tippet (1826-1869)

Anyway, do let me know if you want to find out more - I've been researching these Tippets for quite a while now, in the vain hope of trying to prove/disprove the family story about being related to Sir Michael Tippett, the famous composer - not been successful yet!

Cheers,


Nick

[JudithFW]

Hello Nick. Thanks for your post. Yes I am still interested in these Tippets. I have still not solved the problem of who my Great Grandfather is and where he really comes from. He is John Henry Tippet Bennett, known to us as Bennett. But his father was George Tippett, (shoemaker) supposedly born in Devonport 1854. His grandfather was also a George Tippet, shoemaker and I think that he must be from Truro...but I just quite fit the pieces together.
To make matters more complicated, John Henry Tippett Bennett married Florence Luscombe in 1912. She is the daughter of Mary Hannah Bennett who was in turn the grandaughter of Harriet Tippett, daughter of Richard Tippett.

So it seems that one way or another or possibly both...we are related to one another.
I didn't know about the Michael Tippett link though. I hadn't looked into that.

Would love to hear more if you have it. I will let you know what I have if it's any use to you.
Judith

[usernick]

Okay, after several hours of investigation (!), I *think* I've managed to come up with something that may be worth further investigation.

A lot of this will depend on what it says on John Henry Tippett Bennett's and George Tippett's (his father) birth certificate, as quite why George would be born in Stoke Damerel/Devonport and his parents (George/Ann Tippett) lived in the Truro area is a mystery...

John Henry Tippett Bennett (or John Henry Bennett Tippett) was born in the Stoke Damerel/Devonport area in Devon in 1887/1888 - birth details as follows:

Name: John Henry T Bennett
Date: Jan-Feb-Mar 1888
District: Stoke Damerel
Volume: 5b
Page: 326

If other family trees (on Ancestry) are correct, then he was the son of George Tippett and Mary Ann Howard.

George Tippett was born in 1861 - also in the Stoke Damerel/Devonport area

Name: George Tippett
Date: Apr-May-Jun 1861
District: Stoke Damerel
Volume: 5b
Page: 316

He married Mary Ann Howard in 1877 in Plymouth

Groom: George Tippit
Bride: Mary Howard
Date: Jul-Aug-Sep 1877
District: Plymouth
Volume: 5b
Page: 499

George died in Stoke Dameral/Devonport in 1913:

Name: George Tippett
Born: abt 1860
Date: Jul-Aug-Sep 1913
Age: 53
District: Devonport
Volume: 5b
Page: 366

And Mary also died in Stoke Dameral/Devonport in 1911:

Name: Mary Tippett
Born: abt 1860
Date: Jan-Feb-Mar 1911
Age: 51
District: Devonport
Volume: 5b
Page: 255

Again, if Ancestry trees are to be believed (!), George was the son of George Tippett and Ann Lavin.

George Tippett:

Born around 1825 in Kenwyn, Cornwall

Married Ann Lavin in 1847 in the Truro area in Cornwall:

Groom: George Tippet
Bride: Ann Lavin
Date: Jul-Aug-Sep 1847
District: Truro
Volume: 9
Page: 305

George died in Rochdale in 1872:

Name: George Tippet
Born: abt 1826
Date: Apr-May-Jun 1872
Age: 46
District: Rochdale
Volume: 8e
Page: 11

And Ann died in Rochdale in 1871:

Name: Ann Teppitt
Born: abt 1825
Date: Oct-Nov-Dec 1871
Age: 46
District: Rochdale
Volume: 8e
Page: 12

Now, a number of the above certificates (starting with John Henry Tippett Bennett) would have to be ordered to prove all of this (unless Parish Registers can be examined?).

Until (at least the first couple of) certificates are purchased, it's difficult to take it any further...

Cheers,


Nick