Maria Woodley Bigg - Born abt 1801

[Mrmaccy]

Can anyone help me find information on a Maria Woodley Bigg who was born, Surrey abt 1801. She married a Samuel Turner Wood in St mary, Newington Surrey in 1822. I'm interested in finding her parents etc. I found an entry in the Gentlemans Magazine that said she was the daughter of a T Bigg, but on anothe site it says that her father was a Francis Bigg!!! Any help such as Date of Birth, parents etc much appreciated.

[Jan1954]

Can anyone help me find information on a Maria Woodley Bigg who was born, Surrey abt 1801.

Hi there - do you know exactly where in Surrey she was born? Was she around for the 1851 or 1861 censuses, which should identify where in Surrey she hailed from.

[Peter Goodey]

Maria Woodley Bigg - Born abt 1801

Have you looked in the parish registers? They're online and indexed.

Maria Woodley Bigg bap 16 Oct 1800 at St Mary Newington daughter of Francis and Sarah

[Coromandel]

As you've already discovered, the Gentleman's Magazine announces the marriage on Aug. 17 at Newington of 'Samuel Turner Wood, esq. to Maria-Woodley, dau. of T. Bigg, esq. of New Kent-road.'

Peter has found a Maria Woodley Bigg of the right age who was the daughter of Francis and Sarah, and there are some online references to a Francis Bigg of the New Kent Road (see below* for an example). My guess would be, therefore, that the 'T' in 'T. Bigg' is a typographical error or a mis-reading of a hand-written notice submitted to the journal.

*Jackson's Oxford Journal of 14 October 1826 announces the marriage of 'Mr Frederick Owen Dickins, of Jamaica Wharf, Surrey, to Harriet, fifth daughter of Francis Bigg, Esq. of the New Kent-road'.

From Harriet's husband's name we can connect this Francis Bigg to one for whom there was a memorial at Newington St Mary. A book called 'The monumental inscriptions in the old churchyard of St. Mary, Newington, Surrey', Part I (privately printed, 1880(?)) is online on the Internet Archive, archive.org (put 'www.' in front).

The OCR version is rather garbled:

'g6. The family grave | of [ Francis and Sarah Btgg. I Sacred | to the memory of | the daughters of
the above | Emma Hewitt^ died a.d. i8oi | aged 2 years | Sarah,* March 16* 18 12 aged 19 years | and
Harriet,* the wife of | Frederick Owen Dickins, | who died February 2"^^ 1828 | aged 25 years | also
Helen Coleman Bigg,* | who died November 29*^ 1828 I in the 23"^ year of her age | likewise the above
I Mrs. Sarah Bigg* | who died February 4*^ 1830 | aged 6s years | also Francis Bigg* | husband of the
above | who departed this life | March 26* 1836 aged 67 I also Elizabeth Frances Bigg^ | daughter of
Francis & Sarah Bigg | who died September 22°*^ 1847 I ^^ th^ 5^**^ yc*^ of her age.'

This is my guess at what the original page said:

'96. The family grave | of | Francis and Sarah Bigg. | Sacred | to the memory of | the daughters of
the above | Emma Hewitt died a.d. 1801 | aged 2 years | Sarah, March 16th 1812 aged 19 years | and
Harriet, the wife of | Frederick Owen Dickins, | who died February 2nd 1828 | aged 25 years | also
Helen Coleman Bigg, | who died November 29nd 1828 | in the 23rd year of her age | likewise the above
| Mrs. Sarah Bigg | who died February 4th 1830 | aged 65[?] years | also Francis Bigg | husband of the
above | who departed this life | March 26th 1836 aged 67 | also Elizabeth Frances Bigg | daughter of
Francis & Sarah Bigg | who died September 22nd 1847 In the [5-?]th year of her age.'

You'd really need to see the original page to check the dates and ages. In theory you can look at scanned images of the pages online, but Firefox kept crashing on me before I'd got to the page with this MI on it.

Tying in with Francis' date of death as shown on the memorial, there is an 1836 PCC will for Francis Bigg of New Kent Road, Surrey. You can download a copy from the National Archives' Documents Online service (or via their new catalogue, 'Discovery') for £3.50. He may well mention his daughter in his will, so this would be a small price to pay for extra confirmation of their relationship.

[Mutley]

Francis and Sarah also baptised at St. Mary, Newington
Harriot on 21 Nov 1802. She was born on 23 Oct 1802.
Martha Ann baptism on 2 Oct 1796
Emma Hewitt Bigg baptism on 16 Oct 1800
Helen Colaman Bigg baptism on 20 Oct 1805
Fanny Falcon Bigg baptism on 8 Jul 1808

Seems to be all daughters, I cannot see a son.

[Mutley]

also Elizabeth Frances Bigg | daughter of
Francis & Sarah Bigg | who died September 22nd 1847 In the [5-?]th year of her age.'

The burial of an Elizabeth Frances Bigg is on Ancestry at St. Mary, Newington.
Says her abode was Peckham and she was buried on Sept 29 1847 age 51 years.

[Mrmaccy]

Thank you so much for all the info, you've been busy!
The only birth of a Francis Bigg that i can find which is close to matching is one born in Caddington, Bedford in 1767!! What do you think?
Thank you

[Coromandel]

The only birth of a Francis Bigg that i can find which is close to matching is one born in Caddington, Bedford in 1767!!

Very many baptisms are not online, so I shouldn't get too attached to the Caddington one at this stage. You may be able to rule him out, for example by finding an infant burial, or showing that he stayed in Bedfordshire so can't be the same person who later appears in Surrey.

I would concentrate to begin with on looking for a marriage for Francis and Sarah. It would also be a good idea to order Francis' will in case it gives any clues as to where he came from or names of siblings etc.

[Coromandel]

I got a bit carried away with googling . . .

Francis Bigg, coal meter
If you do a Google Book search for "Francis Bigg" and "Newington" you will find numerous references to him as a coal meter. He was one of the principal coal meters for Surrey, so appointed by an 1806 Act of Parliament 'for more effectually preventing the frauds and abuses in the admeasurement and delivery of coals' in the parishes between Egham and Rotherhithe. As confirmation that he is your Francis Bigg there is a reference to him as 'Francis Bigg of Rodney Buildings, New Kent Road' presenting a petition to the House of Commons about Surrey Land-coal Metage. This appears to be from the 1828 Journal of the House of Commons (only in snippet view on Google Books).

Francis Bigg, steam-boat owner(?)/operator
There are two references to Francis Bigg, with one Squire Knight, having taken out insurance on 'The Diana Steam Packet'. One is from 1823 when the 'Diana' was still being built at Miss [sic; error for Messrs??] Evans yard at Rotherhithe. The other is for 1825. (These references are from a catalogue of Sun Fire insurance records on Access to Archives (A2A). The documents are shown there as being at the Guildhall Library. This is out of date, though: they're now at London Metrololitan Archives.)

There are references in online newspapers to the 'Diana' on the River Thames, including some relating to her being hired out for posh private parties.

The watermen did not take too kindly to these new-fangled steam boats, leading to a lot of tension between them and the steam-boat proprietors. There's a fascinating article in the Morning Post of 10 October 1833 reporting a court appearance (at the Middlesex Sessions) of Francis Bigg, accused of assualting two members of the Watermen's Company.

(When Squire Knight gave evidence to a Select Committee on the Carriage of Passengers on the Thames in 1837, he described himself as 'the oldest steam-boat agent' and said that he 'first commenced steam in the year 1816'. The report of the Select Committee can be read on Google Books.)

Possible link to an Edward Bigg of Lincoln's Inn
Francis Bigg of St Mary Newington, gent, was one of the parties named in deeds of 'lease and release leading the uses of a recovery . . . to bar the entail' in 1801. This is from the catalogue description of a bundle of deeds relating to property in Guildford, but also referring to the 'Dog and Bear' and other property in Southwark.

https://www.
exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/GetRecord/SHCOL_1751

An E. Bigg (with H. Maddock) was another party named on the same deed. Perhaps this is the Edward Bigg of Lincoln's Inn, who (with one Henry Maddock) was party to a 1785 sale by lease and release in the same bundle of deeds. You'd need to look at the deeds themselves (at the Surrey History Centre) to find out exactly how Edward and Francis Bigg were involved with these properties and whether they were connected to one another.

Edward may be the 'Edward Bigg of Carey Street Lincoln's Inn Esquire' who was proposed as a Governor of 'these Hospitals' on 24 January 1788, according to the minutes of the Bridewell Royal Hospital, on the London Lives website. There are numerous other references to Edward Bigg in these minutes from the 1790s, e.g. reporting on prison inspections.

He may or may not be the same person as Edward Bigg, solicitor, of Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, who pops up in some Google searches. There is an 1823 PCC will for an Edward Bigg, gentleman, of Southampton Buildings, Middlesex.

[Mrmaccy]

That's amazing!!
Started looking for marriages of Francis and Sarah, there is a Francis Bigg marriage in 1790 on findmypast.com which might be them. I'll have to buy more credits though!!!!!
Thanks for all your help.
Andrew

I got a bit carried away with googling . . .

Francis Bigg, coal meter
If you do a Google Book search for "Francis Bigg" and "Newington" you will find numerous references to him as a coal meter. He was one of the principal coal meters for Surrey, so appointed by an 1806 Act of Parliament 'for more effectually preventing the frauds and abuses in the admeasurement and delivery of coals' in the parishes between Egham and Rotherhithe. As confirmation that he is your Francis Bigg there is a reference to him as 'Francis Bigg of Rodney Buildings, New Kent Road' presenting a petition to the House of Commons about Surrey Land-coal Metage. This appears to be from the 1828 Journal of the House of Commons (only in snippet view on Google Books).

Francis Bigg, steam-boat owner(?)/operator
There are two references to Francis Bigg, with one Squire Knight, having taken out insurance on 'The Diana Steam Packet'. One is from 1823 when the 'Diana' was still being built at Miss [sic; error for Messrs??] Evans yard at Rotherhithe. The other is for 1825. (These references are from a catalogue of Sun Fire insurance records on Access to Archives (A2A). The documents are shown there as being at the Guildhall Library. This is out of date, though: they're now at London Metrololitan Archives.)

There are references in online newspapers to the 'Diana' on the River Thames, including some relating to her being hired out for posh private parties.

The watermen did not take too kindly to these new-fangled steam boats, leading to a lot of tension between them and the steam-boat proprietors. There's a fascinating article in the Morning Post of 10 October 1833 reporting a court appearance (at the Middlesex Sessions) of Francis Bigg, accused of assualting two members of the Watermen's Company.

(When Squire Knight gave evidence to a Select Committee on the Carriage of Passengers on the Thames in 1837, he described himself as 'the oldest steam-boat agent' and said that he 'first commenced steam in the year 1816'. The report of the Select Committee can be read on Google Books.)

Possible link to an Edward Bigg of Lincoln's Inn
Francis Bigg of St Mary Newington, gent, was one of the parties named in deeds of 'lease and release leading the uses of a recovery . . . to bar the entail' in 1801. This is from the catalogue description of a bundle of deeds relating to property in Guildford, but also referring to the 'Dog and Bear' and other property in Southwark.

https://www.
exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/GetRecord/SHCOL_1751

An E. Bigg (with H. Maddock) was another party named on the same deed. Perhaps this is the Edward Bigg of Lincoln's Inn, who (with one Henry Maddock) was party to a 1785 sale by lease and release in the same bundle of deeds. You'd need to look at the deeds themselves (at the Surrey History Centre) to find out exactly how Edward and Francis Bigg were involved with these properties and whether they were connected to one another.

Edward may be the 'Edward Bigg of Carey Street Lincoln's Inn Esquire' who was proposed as a Governor of 'these Hospitals' on 24 January 1788, according to the minutes of the Bridewell Royal Hospital, on the London Lives website. There are numerous other references to Edward Bigg in these minutes from the 1790s, e.g. reporting on prison inspections.

He may or may not be the same person as Edward Bigg, solicitor, of Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, who pops up in some Google searches. There is an 1823 PCC will for an Edward Bigg, gentleman, of Southampton Buildings, Middlesex.