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  1. #1
    haymanj
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    Default Charles Darwin's Maternal Ancestry

    Charles Darwin (1809-82) suffered from a chronic debilitating illness for much of his adult life. Many different diagnoses have been proposed for this illness but the most fitting is that of the Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. He also had symptoms of the MELAS syndrome. Both these syndromes may be caused by the one mitochondrial DNA abnormality termed A3243G mtDNA mutation.

    Mitochondria are entirely maternally inherited; Darwin inherited his abnormal mitochondria from his mother Susannah (Wedgwood) (1765- 1817) who in turn inherited it from her mother Sarah (also a Wedgwood, 1734-1815). Susannah's brother (Darwin's uncle) Tom (1771-1805) was affected and Sarah had two other children who most likely had the disorder. One died in infancy (Richard, 1767-68) and one died at the age of eight ( Mary Ann 1778-86). In later adult life, both Susannah and Sarah were known to be chronically unwell. Three, probably four of Sarah’s children were also afflicted; Sarah must have been carrying the abnormal mtDNA.

    Sarah's mother was Susan Irlam (1704-59); she married Richard Wedgwood (1701-80). They also had a son John (1732-1774) who was apparently well and a daughter Mary (1736-) who must have died in infancy. Susan also had a sister, Hanna, who married Matthew Wright on 30 April 1720 at Astbury. Their mother was Sarah Travis and their father Thomas Irlam, a Presbyterian minister in Congleton.

    I would appreciate any information on the Irlams and the Wrights or their descendants. The information that I have has come from Phillip Richards, The Exciting Wedgwoods (https://www.familyhistorian.info/exci...ood/index.html).

  2. #2
    Thomasin
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    Default

    This may probably be of no use to you, but I found it intriguing.

    There was a notice of intended marriage drawn up on 7th April 1725 between Thomas Irlam of Buglawton and Mary Eaton of Eaton in the parish of Astbury, and it was signed by Matthew Wright.

    Oh, and Buglawton comes up more than once in Irlam births.
    Last edited by Thomasin; 26-04-2012 at 7:51 PM. Reason: afterthought

  3. #3
    Thomasin
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    Default

    According to FamilySearch, Susanna Irlam was born 'Bugg Lawton' and christened 13th Dec 1703 at Astbury, parents Thomas and Sarah. Hanna Irlam was born at Astbury and christened there on 3rd March 1696, parents Thomas and Sarah.

    Both extracted records, so they should be reliable.

  4. #4
    Thomasin
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    Default

    Now this should interest you, although you might already have it. I have found on FMP the will of Thomas Irlam of Buglawton, written in 1746 and proved in 1748.

    He mentions his sons Thomas Irlam, Nathaniel Irlam and his eldest son John Irlam.
    Grandson Nathaniel Irlam
    Son-in-law Mathew Wright
    Son-in-law Richard Wedgwood
    Grandchildren John and Sarah Poulson, children of his late daughter Sarah
    Granddaughter Hannah Irlam
    Granddaughter Sarah Wright
    Granddaughter Anne Wright
    Grandsons Thomas and John Wright


    There is also the will of Thomas Irlam of Buglawton, son of the above, dated 1776, which is a six-page affair.

    He mentions his grandchildren Ann Radford, Hannah Radford, Mary Orme and John Radford, all children of his late daughter Mary Radford.
    Also grandchildren Thomas Whitney, Silas Whitney, Mary Whitney and Ann Whitney, children of his daughter Hannah Whitney.
    Also his wife Mary Irlam.
    One of the witnesses is Hannah Eaton (see post #2)

  5. #5
    Coromandel
    Guest

    Default

    Google Books has parts of Herbert McLachlan's biography of Alexander Gordon (1841-1931), Unitarian minister, including this:

    'On the spindle side Alexander Gordon's ancestry reached back almost to the beginnings of English Dissent. His great-grandfather was Richard Wright, a student at Daventry Academy under Caleb Ashworth and afterwards an Arian divine and schoolmaster at Atherstone 1765-1794, who was himself the grandson of Thomas Irlam (d. 1743), one of Richard Frankland's pupils at the oldest Academy (Rathmell) in the North of England (1670-1698), which he entered when it was housed in the Old Hall at Attercliffe, near Sheffield. Irlam, who became a minister at Congleton before 1691, was one of the founders of the Cheshire Classis, a Meeting of the Dissenting Ministers of Cheshire, established March 1690-1691, following upon the "Happy Union" of London Presbyterians and Independents in that year. Of the Cheshire Classis Irlam was twice (1713, 1741) Moderator.'

    Some of the details can be filled in from George Eyre Evans' 'Midland Churches: a history of the congregations on the roll of the Midland Christian Union' (published 1899 Dudley) which is online at

    https://www.
    unitarian.org.uk/docs/publications/1899_Midlands_Records.pdf

    From the section on Atherstone (beginning on p.19), Matthew Wright of Congleton 'brought up four sons and two daughters, and died at a great age, outliving all his sons'. Of his four sons, the eldest, Matthew 'went to London to study law, but died a minor. The other three, Thomas, John, and Richard became Presbyterian ministers. Thomas sustained, with dignity, the character of minister of the society of Protestant dissenters in Lewin's Mead, Bristol, during the space of 48 years, and died on 14 May, 1797, in the 71st year of his age. John, who from an incapacity through a failure of voice to discharge the duties of the Christian ministry, in which he delighted, engaged in the medical profession, and died 23 December, 1794, aged 62.'

    p.29
    'Richard Wright, ed. Daventry Academy 1759- by Caleb Ashworth D.D.; min. Atherstone 1765-1794; m. Mary --; issue, Mary (b.1769), Elizabeth (b.1771), Elizabeth Sophia (b.1776), Anna Maria, John (b.1780), Sophia (b.1784).'

    To try to join up the dots from the other end, Alexander Gordon's mother was Anna Maria (daughter of Thomas Hodgetts of Bristol), probably the Anna Mary Hodgetts (daughter of Thomas & Mary) who was baptised at Lewin's Mead in 1807 according to FamilySearch. Some of her siblings had the middle name Wright so perhaps her mother Mary was a Wright?

    Thomas Hodgetts was one of the executors of Dr John Wright (will dated 1794), according to a report on 'The Bristol Charities' noting that Dr Wright left five guineas a year 'in support of divine worship, in the church of Protestant dissenters assembled in Lewin's Mead'. The other executors were Rev. Thomas Wright and Mr Daniel Wright.

  6. #6
    Thomasin
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    Default

    I have found no trace, so far, of a Sarah Irlam/Poulson marriage. Neither, in the next generation, have I found a Hannah Irlam/Whitney marriage.

    However, there is a submitted entry to FamilySearch claiming that Mary Earlam married Peter Orme on 12th February 1746 at Titherington, Cheshire.

    Sarah Wright was christened on 29th November 1724 at Grappenhall, Cheshire, the daughter of Matthew Wright and (not very helpfully) Mrs Matthew Wright. This is also a submitted entry, and there is no guarantee that this Sarah was the granddaughter of Thomas Irlam.

  7. #7
    Coromandel
    Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Thomasin View Post
    There is also the will of Thomas Irlam of Buglawton, son of the above, dated 1776, which is a six-page affair.

    He mentions . . . . grandchildren Thomas Whitney, Silas Whitney, Mary Whitney and Ann Whitney, children of his daughter Hannah Whitney.
    The Earlam Family History website (which includes numerous spelling variants, among them Irlam) has this marriage at Astbury, from the North & East Cheshire Marriage Index:

    '8 May 1760, Hannah Irlam, sp., of this parish, & Silas Whitney, farmer, p. Barthomley L.'

    https://www.
    earlamfamilyhistory.com/cheshbdm.htm

  8. #8
    Thomasin
    Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Coromandel View Post
    '8 May 1760, Hannah Irlam, sp., of this parish, & Silas Whitney, farmer, p. Barthomley L.'
    The will of Silas Whitney, yeoman, was proved on 18th December 1801. In it he mentions his wife Hannah and his sons Thomas and Silas, but there is no mention of the two daughters. I see from FamilySearch that Ann Whitney was buried on 29th April 1801, before her father was himself buried on 27th September 1801.

    It seems that Mary Whitney married Hugh Smith on 25th November 1795 at Astbury, and there is a burial of a Mary Smith on 30th March 1799 at Astbury, but of course there is no way of knowing if she is the right Mary Smith as no spouse name is given.

    Silas Whitney also had a nephew, one of his executors, named Matthew Worthington Whitney.

  9. #9
    DorothySandra
    Guest

    Default

    There are Irlams from this family living in Australia.

  10. #10
    haymanj
    Guest

    Default

    Thank you for that. I would very much appreciate any further information, particularly relating to female line descendants. If Susan Irlam had the mutation her female line progeny should still have some abnormal mtDNA.
    Quote Originally Posted by DorothySandra View Post
    There are Irlams from this family living in Australia.

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