PROUDFOOT ERPINGHAM

[hexham]

Researching my wife's family, PROUDFOOT, have found John Proudfoot b Erpingham Norfolk, Was in North Shields, Northumberland on 1881 census. Any information on the Norfolk connection gratefully received. Wiling to share tree.

[Jan1954]

Hi Hexham,

A bit more, please.

When was John born? What other information do you have about the chap? Could we have any census references, please?

[malcolm99]

Well, working on the limited information we have, there is a John Proudfoot in the 1881 Census RG11 Piece 5075 fol.85 p.9.

John Proudfoot, head, age 35, born Norfolk
Sarah Proudfoot, wife, age 22, born Willington, Northumberland
William T(?) W Proudfoot, son, age 2, born Willington,Northumberland
Annie, age 4 months, born No. Shields

They are living in Chirton which is in modern North Shields.

In the 1851 Census [HO107 Piece 1809 fol. 675 p. 13], John Proudfoot is living in the village of Salthouse in Erpingham Registration District

Thomas Proudfoot, heads, age 43, Ag Lab, born Sharrington, Norfolk
Ann Proudfoot, daughter, UNMARRIED, age 23, dressmaker, born Salthouse, Norfolk
John Proudfoot, grandson, age 4, scholar, born Salthouse, Norfolk

From this it looks like John is Ann’s illegitimate son and this is confirmed in the Salthouse Baptism Register for 31st January 1847> https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3....98&wc=13674098

John’s full name is John Thomas High Proudfoot and this would seem to indicate that the father was a man called High – although a bit more evidence would be needed to confirm this.

Do you have a copy of John & Sarah's marriage certificate as this would give some sort of name for John's father?

[malcolm99]

From the 1891 Census[20 Victoria Street, Chirton: RG13 Piece 4800 fol. 146 p. 25] it looks as though the William Proudfoot in the 1881 census is Sarah’s illegitimate son as he is described as William S Watson, step son.

This seems to be confirmed by John & Sarah’s marriage as her surname is given as Watson [marriage in Tynemouth RD, March Quarter 1880 vol.10b, p. 321].

[malcolm99]

There is a baptism in Salthouse on 22nd June 1828: Anne (sic), daughter of Thomas & Mary Proudfoot of Salthouse. Thomas’s occupation is a Labourer>
https://familysearch.org/
pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12587-566-92?cc=1416598&wc=13674098

Interestingly there is a baptism for a Sarah Anne High in the same register earlier in 1828 which shows that there is a family of that name in the village.

[malcolm99]

Thomas Proudfoot, a widower, married Mary Lynn, a spinster from Cley, in Salhouse on 16th October 1827> https://familysearch.org/
pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12587-2033-37?cc=1416598&wc=13674070


A Thomas Proudfoot was buried in Salthouse on 9th July 1856. He was 81 years old.
https://familysearch.org/
pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12587-870-75?cc=1416598&wc=13674106

The Salthouse Baptism Register only starts in 1813 but fortunately the Archdeacon’s Transcripts go back to 1601> https://www.familysearch.org/
search/image/index#uri=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.familysearch.org%2Frec ords%2Fwaypoint%2F6894675%3Fcc%3D1824688

There’s a marriage of a Thomas Proudfoot and Frances Spence in Salthouse 3rd May 1799
> https://familysearch.org/
pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-12987-27522-35?cc=1824688&wc=6895327

This could well be your Thomas as he would be about 24 in 1799 but I don’t think he originally came from Salthouse although Frances appears to have been baptised there on 11th March 1775. Frances died in 1816 and was buried on 3rd November.

It would be well worth having a look at this site>
http://www.
salthousehistory.co.uk/ as it has a lot of information. In particular, have a look at the “Graveyard” site.

[malcolm99]

In the 1851 Census [HO107 Piece 1809 fol. 675 p. 13], John Proudfoot is living in the village of Salthouse in Erpingham Registration District

Thomas Proudfoot, heads, age 43, Ag Lab, born Sharrington, Norfolk
Ann Proudfoot, daughter, UNMARRIED, age 23, dressmaker, born Salthouse, Norfolk
John Proudfoot, grandson, age 4, scholar, born Salthouse, Norfolk

Sorry I forgot the 1851 census said Thomas was born in Sharrington and sure enough his baptism was in 1777>
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3....98&wc=13674084

...which links back very nicely to this photograph>
http://www.
salthousehistory.co.uk/grav-proudfoot.html

To find John’s baptism in Sharrington you’ll have to use the Archdeacon’s Transcripts again (and remember that when this parish’s vicar wrote 1754 & 1755, it looks more like 1794/1795!)>https://www.familysearch.org/search/...3Fcc%3D1824688

[malcolm99]

From this it looks like John is Ann’s illegitimate son and this is confirmed in the Salthouse Baptism Register for 31st January 1847> https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3....98&wc=13674098

John’s full name is John Thomas High Proudfoot and this would seem to indicate that the father was a man called High – although a bit more evidence would be needed to confirm this.

Interestingly I’ve come across this family tree of the High family of Salthouse>
http://www.
salthousehistory.co.uk/tree-FredHigh.pdf

Now if I had a suspicious nature I’d look closely at the tree for anyone called Thomas High who was not that much older than Anne and was unmarried about 9 months before John Proudfoot was born.....