Revenue Officer

[Lily]

I have received my great great grandfathers marriage certificate today. John Chellens Bennett married Esther Morgan in 1848. His occupation is listed as Officer in HM Customs and states his address as 'on board of the Lion Revene Cutter stationed at Dover'. Would there be any records with HM customs of his employment still in existence? Also does the address listed mean he lived on a ship? I want to be able to find out where he was from so I can trace his birth and then trace the family further.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Geoffers]

I have received my great great grandfathers marriage certificate today. John Chellens Bennett married Esther Morgan in 1848. His occupation is listed as Officer in HM Customs and states his address as 'on board of the Lion Revene Cutter stationed at Dover'. Would there be any records with HM customs of his employment still in existence?

I've just responded to the similar message you posted on the certificates forum, asking if you knew his occupation. So you can ignore that bit of my response there.

Customs Officers records can be found at The National Archives at Kew. See their website https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ - to find a guide as to records available, move your cursor over 'Getting Started' in the red bar near the top of the screen, from the drop down menu select 'Index to research guides' when you get the list of guides clcik on 'c' and scroll to the bottom of that letter, you should see a guide connected with customs.

The best place to begin looking is the pension records which I believe are in document class CUST39, pay and staff lists which I think are also in CUST39 for the middle 19th century may also provide some information. sorry to sound hazy, 'tis a long time since I looked at these records.

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[Guy Etchells]

From the 1881 census

Dwelling: The Gate Lodge By Barrack
Census Place: Little Warley, Essex, England
Source: FHL Film 1341423 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 1757 Folio 99 Page 6
Marr Age Sex Birthplace
John BENNETT M 93 M Gt Warley, Essex, England
Rel: Head
Occ: Garden Dom
Ester BENNETT M 60 F Hundred Of Slough, Kent, England
Rel: Wife

Cheers
Guy

[Pam Downes]

Heaven forbid that I should disagree with Guy, but Guy, wiihout knowing the ages of John and Esther when they married in 1848 how can you positively say that this is the right couple?

Pam Downes

[Guy Etchells]

Please do disagree; it is discussions and debates that make the forums tick, often more is learnt from the debates than from individual questions and replies.

I can't be certain of course that the couple in the census are correct and I should have made that clear, but I was rushing a bit last night, but I do think they are the strongest possibility.
I would still therefore start my search in the Great Warley registers.

Reasoning:-message=Please do disagree; it is discussions and debates that make the forums tick, often more is learnt from the debates than from individual questions and replies.

I can't be certain of course that the couple in the census are correct and I should have made that clear, but I was rushing a bit last night, but I do think they are the strongest possibility.
I would still therefore start my search in the Great Warley registers.

Reasoning:-
The marriage was in 1848, therefore we may almost certainly disregard any entries born post 1828 (20 years old)
Search the 1881 census for Esther Bennet (wife) this gives 198 returns
Disregard any entries prior to 1800 (unlikely they married over the age of 48) these two actions reduce the returns to 27 entries.
Repeat for John.

This pre-supposses that the couple survived to the 1881 census, but when one has little to go on one has to make assumptions and then evaluate the results.
Cheers
Guy

[Lily]

Thank you for the useful information re National Archives & the 1881 census. I will update forum on where I end up next.

[Pam Downes]

You'll be pleased to know that I agree with your reasoning Guy, but to my mind it falls down when you apply it to John because unless there's a transcript error John is 93 years old, meaning that (a) he was born before 1800 and (b) he would have been 60 if he'd married in 1848. Would he have still been employed by the Revenue at that age?
As you say, your theory assumes that John and Esther are still both alive in 1881, but it also assumes that they are living within the area covered by the 1881 UK census. There could be another John and Esther living in (say)Dublin, but they will not show on the 1881 census. (well, I don't think so because when I searched PROCAT for RG11 and Dublin I got a raspberry )

And in this case we have a big something to go on as Lily has the marriage certificate with John and Esther's ages.
Come on Lily - spill the beans. Tell us their ages before I go mad!

Pam Downes

[Lily]

Well..... the marriage certificate states 'full age'! I have been in contact with Hampshire Records office and the helpful lady there said means they were old enough to get married. The only other possibley useful information on the marriage cert is that the father is listed as William Bennett and was also a Revenue Officer.

[Pam Downes]

Well..... the marriage certificate states 'full age'! .

I was so certain that an age would be given. I'm off to have a sulk

In that case Lily, it's Plan B - see if you can get any joy from the 1851 census in Dover in an effort to find and age and place of birth for John, in addition to Geoffer's suggestions.

Pam Downes

[Peggy]

Hello Lily,

What about children of John & Esther? Do you have the year of birth for any? We might get a clue from finding the birthplace of a child on the census, or even find John or Esther living with an adult child.

I take it the marriage was in Dover? Was it in a church? If so, perhaps parish records might give more information?

Peggy