Mrs Thomas Pike, of Tetbury

[benward]

Hello all,

I would appreciate some ideas/guidance to help with tackling a brickwall I have made no progress with.

This is a long post. I apologise.

Thanks,

Ben

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Objective: to identify the wife of Mr Thomas Pike Senior ("TP"), woolstapler, who lived in Tetbury during the 18th century.

Primary records for TP demonstrate that:

• He was baptised 13 Feb 1719/20 at Tetbury
• His occupation was woolstapler, and he took on at least four apprentices between 1755 and 1776 (Thomas White [an in-law], Peter Graham, William Byan and William Baynham). He was of a long line of woolstaplers and his descendants also included numerous woolstaplers.
• He was churchwarden for Tetbury from 1761-1765
• He was feoffee for the town of Tetbury in 1778
• He was probably buried 10 Feb 1792 in Grittleton. This burial record describes him as "gentleman of Foscote". He held significant land in Foscote having inherited it from the Walweyn, Greene and Wiltshire families
• He was the son of Giles Pike and Elizabeth Wiltshire. Note that there were multiple Thomas Pikes alive at the same time, but it is relatively easy to differentiate between them. Only one was a woolstapler, and that Giles Pike was his father can be confirmed from Giles Pike's will (and those of his immediate relatives).
• He was wealthy. He paid £9 for a pew in Tetbury church in 1781 and his children all had economically beneficial marriages - e.g. his oldest son married a daughter of George White a prominent mercer and landowner

Thomas Pike had a lot of children. I am pretty comfortable with linking the following to Thomas (dates approximate based on baptisms and burials). I have added comments to some of the names:

• Elizabeth (1749-1755) [Thomas's mother's name]
• Walter Wiltshire (1750-1785) [Thomas's mother's first husband's name and his mother's surname - brought a significant inheritance to the family. Both names are repeated for numerous generations based on several notable ancestors]
• Thomas (1751-1813) [his name]
• Ann (1753-1757)
• Robert (1755-1755) [Thomas's maternal grandfather's name]
• Elizabeth (twin) (1755-1755)
• Rebecca (1758-1759) [Thomas's maternal grandmother's name]
• Robert (1759-1826)
• Daniel (twin) (1759-1770)
• Joseph (1761-1762)
• Joseph (1763-1764)
• Betty (1763-?)
• Charles (1766-?)

Maybe there's his wife and her parents' names hiding within the list?


Based on the above it seems like it should be easy to identify TP's wife. TP's wife was buried in 1768 (though there are two potential records for her:

• An Elizth wife of Thomas Pike buried at Long Newnton August 9th 1768.
• And "Pike wife of Mr Thos Pike of Foscot, buried at Grittleton 27 March 1768".

The second is the likelier match given that we know Thomas was of Foscot when he died, and buried in Grittleton too. The first Thomas Pike was of Grittleton too, and has a will proved in 1796, leaving everything to his son Robert, ruling him out.

I am unable to find a record for their marriage:

• Most online trees show Thomas Pike as having married one Ann Perry. I can see no evidence for that other then the marriage being in the right decade and being in Wiltshire.
• There is a marriage in Steeple Ashton in 1747 between a "Thomas Pike Esquire" and "Mrs Sarah Foreman". That seems likelier given the date is reasonably close and the titles used. TP is consistently referred to as Esquire in primary records.
• The Thomas Pike or Sarah Foreman married in Steeple Ashton were probably not from Steeple Ashton - neither surname appears in the baptism records for Steeple Ashton and there is only one other Pike marriage, in 1771.
• I have checked every Tetbury will between 1745 and 1790 and found nothing of use. I have also checked every Pike/Foreman will between 1745 and 1765 and found nothing of use. I have additionally checked all woolstapler wills for the immediately surrounding parishes and again found nothing of use.

More generally:

• While TP lived in Tetbury (and Foscot/Grittleton) his entire life, his family moved across Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. Immediate relatives lived and married in Hankerton, Swindon, Cirencester, Grittleton, Long Newnton and Crudwell.
• TP's immediate ancestors were the Pike, Turner, Wiltshire, Greene and Walweyn families.
• TP's family may have been Baptist (or at least somewhat non-conformist) given a couple of his grandchildren married into prominent Baptist families.

Any suggestions appreciated!

[Jomot1]

Presumably you've checked for any Memorial Inscriptions at Grittleton?

What about the naming of their grandchildren? Thomas & Robert seem to be the only two known to have survived into adulthood - did they have any daughters that share a forename?

[benward]

Yes - the MI for Grittleton are published, but none mention Thomas Pike's wife (or Thomas) - though his mother's relatives appear frequently.

In terms of grandchildren names, there are some interesting names - maybe too many interesting names. Thomas Pike (TP2) has the following children:

• Elizabeth 1772 [TP2's paternal grandmother]
• Charlotte 1773
• Jane 1774
• Mary White 1775 [TP2's wife's surname, TP2's wife's mum's first name]
• Ann 1778
• Sarah 1780 [TP2's wife's name]
• Elizabeth 1782
• Charles Wiltshire 1783 [TP2's paternal grandmother's surname]
• Walter Wiltshire 1785 [A recurring family name]
• Harriet Sarah
• George White [TP2's wife's dad and granddad]
• Anne Selina

As far as I can tell, Robert Pike died without issue.

The ones that interest me are the middles names as the family seemed to use recent ancestors surnames as middle names - that leaves Sarah and Selina. I've not found either being used as a surname. This generation is also the first time the names Harriet and Selina are used in the family. Probably coincidence but maybe not.

I did do some broad searching for individuals called Selina (given the name's relative scarcity) born in Gloucestershire/Wiltshire around the same time as TP but didn't get anywhere.

[pwholt]

Wiltshire (co.) wills are now on Ancestry; if you have not checked them, it would be worth doing, for the parishes you mention for other family.

Many of the clothiers or other woolen tradesmen were non-conformists in this area, including into GLS. So, definitely worth considering.

Have you checked for Marriage Licence Bonds or Allegations? The MLBs for Wiltshire have been transcribed for those issued within the county. You could ask the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre for them to check for the period you think they might have married, and certainly for the date of the Steeple Ashton marriage; any details might help confirm or eliminate them from your search. pwholt

[benward]

So - for wills, I have checked every will in Swindon, Grittleton, Tetbury, Stratton St Margaret and Crudwell for the time period - no mention of any unknown Mrs Pike or wife of TP, only one mention of TP in a will of a non-immediate family period.

No marriage licences/bonds from 1740-50 involving a Pike in the Sarum Marriage Licence Records. I'm assuming they are the MLBs you are referring to?

Thanks for the suggestions

Ben

[arthurk]

Since he was of Tetbury, it seemed a good idea to look at some Gloucestershire records, and I've found a possible marriage of a Thomas Pyke and Jane Bayley of Tetbury, in Longney on 24 Jun 1748.

As this seemed not to be their parish of residence, I checked for a licence, and there's a transcript of the corresponding one on the Forest of Dean Family History Trust website (they have licence info for the whole county), which confirms that both parties were of Tetbury.

Worth a look?

[benward]

WOW. I don't believe I never found that previously. More than worth a look.

It seems too good to be true in that it meets all the requirements. The date of marriage is within six months of their first child, both are described as of Tetbury. There are documented commercial interactions between the Bailey and Pike families, Jane's father was Edward, a prominent tailor in Tetbury and Jane was also heiress to her uncle Daniel Evans so had money.

I will need to do some double-checking but this looks extremely promising! As does the Forest of Dean Family History Trust's website - I can't believe I never knew it existed.

Thanks,

Ben