James & Hephzibah/Hephseh DERRET of Wotton

[Wilkes_ml]

I am trying to find the family of James & Hephzibah/Hephseh DERRET who were living at Wotton Under Edge Gloucestershire.

They were probably the James DERRETT & Esbee/Hepzibah who married 25th Sep 1807 at Kingswood, Gloucestershire.

They had children:

Elizabeth b. 25th Jan 1811 bap 14th Nov 1813
Bilhah b. 14th Oct 1813 bap 14th Nov 1813 ( not the Bilhah married to John TILLEY/TELLEY)
Emma b. 22nd Jun 1816 bap. July 1816
Harriot b. 24th July 1819 bap. 13th Feb 1820
Lewis b. 11th July 1822 bap. 10th Nov 1822 all at the Old Town meeting House (Presbytarian)
Llewelin b. 14th November 1826 bap. 5th Dec 1826 at the Tabernacle Calvanistic Methodist at Wotton under Edge.

I believe Elizabeth is my ancestor, but unfortunately she married prior to civil registration in 1834 so no father was recorded, and witnesses do not appear to be related (Sarah SMART or STUART, Wm DAY and Shadrach DANIEL-parish clerk).

I was hoping to find the deaths of James & Hephzibah/Hephseh post 1837 -maybe their daughter Elizabeth was the informant and would confirm I have the right baptism for her.

I have searched the Gloucestershire parish registers on ancestry, and non-conformist registers and can't find any trace of the family except for Lewis who is residing at Wotton under Edge in 1851 (unmarried lodger).

I suspect they were probably buried in a non-conformist church

Any ideas greatly appreciated!

[almach]

Lewis appears to have married 24 Jan 1864 to Emily Hancock (father James, labourer)
at St Mary the Virgin Wootton Under Edge.

I haven't as yet found him in 1871.
1881 he's married but no wife with him. RG11; Piece: 2518; Folio: 88; Page: 2;
1891, married no wife with him. RG12; Piece: 2001; Folio: 59; Page: 5;
1901, widow. : RG13; Piece: 2414; Folio: 29; Page: 13

1871, Wooton under Edge. RG10; Piece: 2591; Folio: 41; Page: 20;
James Hancock 55. Plymouth
Hannah Hancock 55, North Nibley
Emily Derrett 31, dau, mar, Wootton
Elizabeth Derrett 6, Wootton
Rhoda J Derrett 4 Months, Wootton

1891, Emily and dau Rhoda, RG12; Piece: 2001; Folio: 22; Page: 14

[almach]

Name Rhoda Jane Derrett
Registration Year 1870
Registration Quarter Oct-Nov-Dec
Registration district Dursley
Inferred County Gloucestershire
Volume 6a
Page 202

1881, Back Lane, Wootton. RG11; Piece: 2518; Folio: 32; Page: 3;

Hannah Hancock 60
Emly Derrett 38, dau, mar
Lizzie Derrett 16, g.dau
Jane Derrett 10, g.dau
Rhoda Walker 16, lodger

[almach]

They were probably the James DERRETT & Esbee/Hepzibah who married 25th Sep 1807 at Kingswood, Gloucestershire.

Possibly James in 1841, Back Lane Wootton under Edge. HO107, Piece number 348; Book 10; Folio 23; Page 13
James Derrett age 50, gardener

And 1851, James Derrett born Kingswood, gardener. HO107, Piece 1958; Folio 94; Page 11

[almach]

There is a death Dec qrt, 1853, Dursley which could be James,

[Wilkes_ml]

Thanks Alma, I was getting rather tired towards the end of Last night as there are several DERRETT families of Wotton Under Edge who I am sure are related to each other further back. At least I can check out Lewis's marriage to see who the witnesses were, and order James' death certificate to see who was the informant.

I failed to mention that James was a Butcher in 1826, but quite possible for his occupation to change as possible relative Daniel DERRETT was also a Butcher/Farmer over the years 1823 to 1836, and Joseph DERRETT was a cloth worker/shearman/Innkeeper on and off from 1819 to 1833.

[Wilkes_ml]

I believe I have found Emma married to James COLLER 19th June 1842. (Father James DERRETT from index)

In 1851 she is at 5 Princes Street, St. Mary Lambeth HO107 Piece 1571 Folio 116 Pg 26

James COLLER age 30, Labourer born Wilts
Emma Coller age 35 born Wilts

but in 1871 she is at 157 Cheltenham RG10 Piece 2669 Folio 7 Pg 8

Emma COLLER married, age 54 born Wotton Under Edge, Gloucestershire
William COLLER age 16, son born Liverpool

[janbooth]

Michelle,

I think you are correct with your marriage information as the Gloucestershire FHS Marriage Index only shows one marriage for a James DERRETT and that is on 25 September 1807 at Kingswood to an Ebsee WRIGHT.

Gloucestershire Burial Index shows the burial of quite a few DERRETTs at either Kingswood or Wotton but not those of James or Hepzibah/Ebsee.

Ancestry Gloucestershire parish registers shows the burial of a James DERRETT on 26 November 1853 at Kingswood he being shown as aged 66 and of Dursley.

Could this be the marriage of another child of James DERRETT (source Ancestry's Gloucestershire parish registers):

20 May 1845 at Cirencester George SAVORY, 39, bachelor, Engineer, Gloucester Street, father William SAVORY, Cloth Worker & Sarah DERRETT, 38, spinster, St Philip & St Jacob Bristol, father James DERRETT, Butcher. Both signed and the witnesses were James HAINES & Anne BROAD.

Perhaps a red herring but the occupation of father James caught my eye. Although according to the parish register entry of Lewis DERRETT's marriage to Emily HANCOCK in 1864, his father's occupation is shown as a Gardener.

This could be the baptism of another child to James & Hepzibah (source Ancestry Gloucestershire Non-conformist Baptisms but it does not say where):

26 June 1808 at John son of James & Epsey DERRETT

However, I am not having much success finding Hepzibah at all after the baptism of her last child - she seems to have vanished off the face of the earth! Will keep looking though.

Janet

[Wilkes_ml]

Thanks Jan.

I found the burial of James at Kingswood this morning, which I think is likely to be the correct one that goes with the death entry mentioned in #5 and gives a date of birth of 1786-1787 for James which seems about right for an 1807 marriage.

I also spotted the marriage of Sarah DERRETT in 1845 by searching the marriages just on fathers name of James DERRETT and like you, thought it looked like a likely child, as James had been a butcher according to the baptism entry of son Llewelin in 1826.

This could be the baptism of another child to James & Hepzibah (source Ancestry Gloucestershire Non-conformist Baptisms but it does not say where):

26 June 1808 at John son of James & Epsey DERRETT

This is interesting, as it fills in the missing gap I have between the 1807 marriage, and baptism of Elizabeth in 1811.

However, I am not having much success finding Hepzibah at all after the baptism of her last child - she seems to have vanished off the face of the earth! Will keep looking though.

Janet

I believe that Hephzibah/Hesheh/Esbee KNIGHT could have just been born plain old Elizabeth, as whilst trawling through the Wotton parish register I had noticed a Moses & Ann KNIGHT had a family including an Elizabeth baptised 1783, but no Hephzibah.

It's not much of a stretch from Elizabeth to Esbee/Espey to Hephseh to Hephzibah....maybe she was buried as just Elizabeth! But I still can't find a possible Elizabeth buried 1826-1841 (unless she didn't actually die but the couple split up and James just claimed to be widowed in 1851).

Worst case scenario is that she left her husband for another man and changed her surname.

I'm going to do some research into the KNIGHT family to see if I can rule out Elizabeth KNIGHT as being Hephzibah/Esbee/Hephseh

[Wilkes_ml]

Other possible scenario is that Hephzibah came from a cross one of the neighbouring county borders or in Wales, and that when she died, her body was returned to her parish of birth, or her parent's parish for burial.