Who was the father of Thomas Bridgwater of Stoke, St.
Milborough?
by Nicholas James Bridgewater
Introduction:
It’s one of those
things that you just have to know: Where did I come from? Who am I? In a
physical sense, genealogy is the answer to those questions. However, it is not
always as simple as just finding some census records or looking on the internet
for something a distant relative has already uncovered, useful though those be.
Sometimes a brick wall stands between you and the truth behind your family. A
mystery lies hidden the inaccessible canopy of your family tree.
I had always assumed that I
was a
I had knowledge from my
father of our line back to my great-great-grandfather, Thomas Bridgewater, also
spelled “Bridgwater” who was born on the 18th of
November 1861 in Buckpool, Wordsley, Kingswinford, Staffordshire, and who
married Phoebe Hannah Lawton in about 1883. They had at least six children:
Alfred (b. 1883), Joseph (b. 1886), Annie (b. 1888), Phoebe Maria (b. 1889),
Thomas (b. 1892) and Ethel (b. 1894). I am descended from their son, Thomas (1
January 1892 – 16 December 1962). My father’s family doesn’t
have a very strong oral tradition, and my father recalls that his grandfather
never spoke about any of his brothers or sisters.
Some years ago, my father
and I visited the records office in Dudley and found that the family actually
came from
I eventually got ahold of
the marriage certificate of Thomas Bridgwater and Maria Lewis. On the 24th
of February 2006, Friday, I received the certificate and it’s
contents were truly surprising for me. Thomas was a bachelor and Maria a
spinster, aged 22 and 25 years respectively. They were both resident at
Brockmoor at the time, though I have yet to find them in the 1844 census. The
father of Maria was listed as Joseph Lewis, Labourer. However, for Thomas, the
father’s name and occupation were not given at all!!! Instead, in the
column for “Father’s Name and Surname” was written:
“Illegitimate Son of Hannah Bridgwater”. In the “Rank and
Profession of Father” column, naught was written but two lines and a
squiggle. This was most disconcerting, as can be imagined, and also came as a
surprise to my father.
It turns out that Thomas was
christened several years after his birth, on the 14th of January 1826
in Stoke, St. Milborough, perhaps because of the shame of his bastardy. His
mother, Hannah Bridgwater (also spelled Bridgwaters), was herself christened on
the 13th of August 1806 in Stoke Saint Milborough, the daughter of
Edward Bridgwaters (c. 1770-1837) and Elizabeth Edwards (c. 1769-1815). She was
one of at least five children: Richard (c. 1803-1833), Martha (c. 1804-1816),
Hannah (b. 1806), James (c. 1808-1825) and Richard (b. 1808). Hannah had at
least one other bastard son in Stoke, named William, who was christened in
1828.
Edward Bridgwaters was
probably one of the eight children of John Bridgwaters and Hannah: Ann, James,
William, Edward, Mary, Rachel, Richard and George, in which case he was
christened on the 18th of March 1770 in Cold Weston,
A Request for Help:
If anyone lives in Stoke St.
Milborough or has information on the genealogy of the area, could they please
look into this matter? There are a number of things which I need to know. Among
these are the following questions:
Does anyone have any information
on the origin of the Bridgwaters of Stoke or Cold Weston?
Is there any local folklore
surviving in Stoke Saint Milborough regarding the Bridgwaters?
Do the Bishop’s
transcripts give the name of the father of Thomas Bridgwater?
Are there any non-parish
records surviving of Hannah Bridgwater? Does she appear in any censuses or
civil marriage records?
What was Hannah
Bridgwater’s occupation? If she was a servant, who was
her master? Would it be likely that her master was the father of one or
more of her bastards?
Did Hannah Bridgwater
eventually get married, and if so, to whom?
What became of her second
bastard son, William Bridgewater (ch. 1828)? Did he stay in Stoke or did he
move to Staffordshire, like his brother Thomas?
Do Thomas and William have
the same father?
Are there any records from
Stoke at the time about bastards, stories of disreputable women, or any
scandalous information that has survived to the present day?
Is Hannah Bridgwater buried
in Stoke or anywhere in the area?
If not, where did she die
and where is he buried?
Do the tombstones of Thomas
or William Bridgwater survive anywhere?
Are there any other
Bridgewaters of the same line out there, who have stories relating to the
illegitimate origins of our family?
The question which is the
most difficult to answer, but the one which I am most keen to know is this: WHO
IS THE FATHER OF THOMAS
The question of the
paternity of Thomas Bridgwater and his brother William,
is a matter which I have to find the answer to, and I will find the answer to.
Any help or additional information that can be provided will be most welcome.
My
So, we’ve only been
Bridgewaters for six generations, but in any case, here is my line.
UNKNOWN
‡ Hannah Bridgwaters (b. circa 1806 Stoke St. Milborough)
Thomas
Bridgwater (b. c. 1823 Stoke) = Maria Lewis (b. c. 1821 Neen Savage)
Thomas
Bridgwater (b. 18 Nov. 1861) = Phoebe (Phebe) Hannah Lawton (Laughton) (b.
1861)
Thomas
Bridgewater (1 Jan. 1892 – 16 Dec. 1962) = Emma Louisa Holt (23 Jan. 1894
– 16 Apr. 1966)
Freddie
Bridgewater (27 Aug. 1920 – 20 Sep. 1992) = Laura Hopley (20 Jul. 1922
– 24 Oct. 2003)
Leslie
Bridgewater (b. 25 May 1946
Nicholas
James Bridgewater (b. 11 June 1985
If anyone is descended from
one of the people in this line, do get in touch so that we can share
information. I’m very interested in finding out who
or what I really am. I am pretty sure that I’m NOT a
Contact Details:
If anyone has information,
especially in answer to the ‘request for help’ section above,
please feel free to get in touch and send me an e-mail.