Agricultural Labourer John Godfrey

John Godfrey (1844 – 1917)

Introduction

Another of my 2 times great grandfathers from Leicestershire is the topic of this blog. This time from my paternal line and an Agricultural Labourer. Some of his descendants have moved far and wide across the globe. He originates from the village of Appleby Magna on the Leicestershire/Derbyshire border. The following is about his life with his own family, along with some information on his grandparents, parents and siblings.

1840s

So, without further ado – John was born on the 17^th March 1844 to parents Nathaniel Godfrey (an agricultural labourer) and Elizabeth Bishop. He was their second son after Jonathan being first born in December 1841. He was baptized a month later at the local parish church of St Michael and All Saints on the 14^th April. Also on the same page is the baptism of his half sibling James Godfrey Bishop two weeks later.

During this decade, Nathaniel and Elizabeth grew their family with 2 girls Esther in December of 1846 and Ann in August 1849. It seems that the 4 children were enough for them, but his mother did have a son before she got married.

The couple had started married life on the 9^th February 1841, with the ceremony taking place at the parish church in Appleby Magna. The 1841 census showed that Nathanial and Elizabeth were living with a John and Esther Plant.

Having dug around in the parish records of Appleby, I believe that Esther Plant (nee Newton) was Nathaniel’s mother, John’s grandmother and had married John Plant in 1821 both having lost their respective spouses (John’s grandfather Jonathan in 1815 and Elizabeth (nee Miller) in 1820). They probably would have helped raised each other’s children – Esther having had Nathaniel in 1807 and Jonathon in 1809; John Plant had John (1810), James (1812), William (1814) and Hannah 1816 who I also discovered had married Esther’s nephew Bryan Knight from the Newton line, further cementing the link between Esther and John Plant. Sadly, Esther passed away in November 1848.

So back to my great great grandfather, I would imagine John would have got to know his uncle Jonathon pretty well as he was also living nearby in Appleby. Jonathon had married Ann Slee in 1830 and they never had any children themselves or at least found no evidence of this. According to the 1841 census showed an Ann Sleith and Thomas Godfrey were living with them at the Lodge. Jonathon was also an Agricultural Labourer. The 1841 census doesn’t record relationships of members of the household, although often it is assumed that youngsters are sons/daughters to the adults. Having discovered on numerous occasions from research over the years, that they are often are nieces/nephews, cousins or even no relation at all. Later census information kept mentioning that Thomas Godfrey as a nephew, but haven’t found any baptism for him born in Darlaston, Staffordshire in 1830. Following Thomas through the census records indicated that he went into the military until the 1880s, then became a coalminer. There is a record that he was a Chelsea war pensioner until he died in 1907 in Overseal. I have yet to locate more information on him as he a mystery. He could be the son of Jonathon, but he never married so potentially no descendant line to confirm potential DNA matches.

1850s

The first census John appears in was taken on the 30^th March 1851, at Heath in Appleby Magna where is he living with his parents and his siblings Jonathan, Esther and Ann. The family unit was also joined by his half-brother James Bishop who had been born in 1839. Both Elizabeth and James were from Coleorton, Leicestershire. Confirmation that James is part of the family has been proven with several DNA matches from James’ line.

At the end of the decade, half sibling James Bishop married in the November 1859 to Sarah Hill in Appleby.

1860s

The Godfrey family continued to live in Appleby. John’s sisters Esther and Ann were still living at home with Nathanial and Elizabeth at Ducklake, Appleby. John had left the family home to become a groom with the Adcock family at Barnsheath. Haven’t been able to locate where his brother Jonathan was in the 1861 census though.

Appleby Magna is a village mainly situated in North West Leicestershire but parts of it was located in the county in Derbyshire. So, often in the census records, birth place may say Appleby Magna, Derbyshire instead of Leicestershire, which can get confusing and had to be used as an alternative when searching records online. According to the parish records of the local church of St Michael’s and All Angels there has been many baptisms, marriages and burials for Godfreys dating back to the early 1700s. Also discovered several Godfrey members throughout the years of census’ from 1841 onwards and majority using the same first names, so potentially I think most of them are probably related.

In my research on the village, found a really good website all about the village, especially its history – www.applebymagna.org.uk.  It also mentioned the parish records, census and various occupations. According to www.applebymagna.org.uk/appleby_history/in_focus23_making_a_living.htm majority of the residents of the village were Agricultural Labourers. So, no surprise that John eventually became an agricultural labourer, like his father.

Half sibling James Bishop had moved to Measham, a village down the road from Appleby and also an agricultural labourer. Ag labs for short often moved where the work was and worked on the land or helped with the farm animals. During the decade James moved around a lot with his growing family, as each of his children were born in various different places in Derbyshire. He and Sarah (from Ticknall, Derbyshire) would have 4 children during this decade, Henry John (1862), Ann (1864), Mary (1868), and Fanny (1869).

Also, during this decade, in December 1865, John’s brother Jonathan got married to Jane Harding in Norton Juxta Twycross, which was not far south of Appleby Magna. Jonathan at this point had become a Waggoner. They started their life together in Appleby and had 2 sons John and Nathaniel by the end of the decade, which were common names used within the family.

On 18 May 1869, John married Jane Rushton at Aston Juxta, Birmingham. It took a long time to find much on Jane prior to her marriage. I knew from the census she was born in Chilcote, Derbyshire and her father was Joseph from the marriage certificate.

After searching for birth registration for Jane to no avail I eventually found it under Elizabeth Jane Rushton, but she always referred to herself as Jane. She was born on 1 May 1846 to Joseph Rushton and Elizabeth Hill Peace in Chilcote but baptised at Clifton Campville, Staffordshire on 27 dec 1846. I discovered that Clifton Campville, was where a majority of the Rushton family lived, baptised and got married. The village is situated very close to Chilcote, which was part of Derbyshire but boundary changed in 1897 and is now part of Leicestershire.

Sadly, at the end of the decade, John’s youngest sister Ann passed away with abscess on the brain. That must have been devastating to the family. Ann was only twenty years old.

1870s

Right at the beginning of the decade, John and Jane started their family off with Ann being born in the Mar 1870. So that meant in 1871 census, she was recorded with John and Jane near to the grounds of the Grammar School, along Top Street. The building of the Grammar School was split between two counties of Leicestershire and Derbyshire. The Grammar school is near to Appleby Hall, which is now part of the Sir John Moore Foundation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_John_Moore_Church_of_England_Primary_School).

During the 70s, John and Jane’s family grew bigger, with the addition of Nathaniel (1871), Emma (1874), Charles my great grandfather in 1876, Esther (1878). All kids were born in Appleby too.

John’s brother Jonathan’s family also extended further with Sarah Ann (1870), William (1871), Charlotte Elizabeth (1874). According to the 1871 census Jonathan and Jane were living close by on Top Street in Appleby.

James Bishop and Sarah were in Hartshorne, Derbyshire in the 1871 but then had moved to Shepshed as the last of their kids were born there. Elizabeth (1872) and Sarah (1874).

1880s

At the beginning of the 80s, John and Jane had their 6^th child Mary June 1880 and the last of them to be born in Appleby before the whole family moved south to the next village of Austrey across the border into Warwickshire. According to the 1881 census taken in the April, John had become an Agricultural Labourer Cow man.

In 1884, John’s sister Esther got married to widower Alfred Priest. Alfred’s first wife Mary Ann Newborough had passed on and left several children for him to look after. Esther and Alfred never had any children of their own. Esther would have certainly helped raise his youngest two daughters Alice and Amy Priest.

John’s brother Jonathan’s family had moved away from Appleby as well. The 1881 census indicated they moved to Whitwick, Leicestershire. John had gained a couple of nephews Jonathan (1880) and Charles Thomas (1884). 

By 1881, James Bishop and Sarah with their brood had then moved to Loughborough, Leicestershire. Some of their kids had started to get married and have kids of their own.

Also, during the decade sadly, in 1885 John, Jonathan and Esther had lost their father Nathaniel. They also lost their Uncle Jonathon and Auntie Ann respectively in 1881 and 1887.

Whilst trawling through the newspaper archives discovered that according to the petty sessions at Atherstone, on April 21 1885, John was summoned to court on not having obtained the appropriate license for keeping dogs according to a couple of papers Leicester Journal and the Tamworth Herald (published Saturday 25 April 1885). The Victorian government brought in the Dog Licence Act in 1867 as there had a been a rise in rabies cases. It was to protect owners of livestock. Rabies vaccine had just been discovered in 1885 by Louis Pastuer but did not become widely used until 1920s. I would imagine that John working on farms, probably would have kept working dogs. In the UK this act eventually became abolished in 1988.

1890s

By the 1891 census, John and Jane had 3 more daughters, Jane Elizabeth (1882), Eliza (1885) and Martha (1888). Sadly, Martha survived only 9 months and passed away in the January 1889. The family remained in Austrey, but the census revealed that the first 4 born kids had moved away from the family home. John and Jane were living at Lower End Street with 4 daughters who were all still in school.

Eldest daughter Ann become a servant with the Wood family in Atherstone, Warwickshire. Nathaniel a servant in Witherley, Leicestershire. Emma remained in Austrey but also went into service with the Dwyer family. My great grandfather Charles (known as Charlie) had moved to Orton on the hill as a farm servant with the Loon family.

During the 90s John would experience a few painful events. In 1894, John’s mother Elizabeth Bishop passed away in Linton, Derbyshire. By 1897, John and Jane had moved into Leicestershire to Ashby de la Zouch. Only know this due to their daughter Mary passing away aged 17 in Oct 1897. This would be a very difficult time, as Mary suffered with 9 months of Anaemia and Acute Tuberculous Meningitis.

At the end of the decade, he would however experience a more joyful event of his eldest daughter Ann marriage to John Arthur Louch in the middle of 1898 at St Helen’s church in Ashby. He then became a grandfather for the first time when Reginald Sidney Arthur Louch was born in 1899.

1900s

When the next century began, John and Jane still remained in Ashby de la Zouch. Before the 1901 census, another of John’s daughter Esther married William Robinson a coal miner. The 1901 census indicated they were living at 56 Wood Street at this point. His occupation was recorded as a Stockman on a farm.

Early 1900s, John gained more grandkids courtesy of Ann and Esther. Esther had Fred in Ravenstone, Leicestershire in 1901 their only child, who later became a butcher in Sinope. Ann had a daughter Mary Edith Louch in 1902 in Ashby. James had lost his first wife Sarah Hill in 1901 and married widow Hannah Elizabeth Moore (nee Brown) in 1903 in Woodhouse, Leicestershire. Sadly 1903, John’s sister Esther passed away in Linton, Derbyshire.

Son Nathaniel never did marry but remained close with some of his sisters. 1901 census indicated he was a coal miner living in Ravenstone with sister Esther’s parents in law John and Mary Ann Robinson. Daughter Jane Elizabeth was a servant to the Sandlant family in Ashby according to the 1901 census.

In 1905, another of John’s daughters Emma married Harry Daines Hornsby in Ashby. Before the end of decade, they had 3 children John Daines, Vera, Harry Daines in the city of Leicester.

In 1906, my great grandfather Charlie married Susan Broadhurst in Ashby. They were to provide some more grandkids, Beatrice Mary (1907), Helen (1908) before the decade was over.

1907 saw John lose his brother Jonathan, who had moved around a bit from Whitwick to Loughborough. Then finally settling in the county of Nottinghamshire to Stapleford. I have more research to do to find out what happened to Jonathan’s children.

1910s

It seems that some family members had moved to a village of Rearsby, Leicestershire by the beginning of the decade. This village was to hold great significance to the family in later years. In 1910s John’s youngest daughter Eliza married Albert Richard Shelton in Rearsby, before moving to start a new life in Finedon, Northamptonshire. There, Eliza and Albert had 4 sons John Godfrey (1911), Albert Leonard (1913), William Edward (1917), Geoffrey (1919).

1911 census indicated that Jane Elizabeth was also living as a housekeeper to William Weston at the Retreat on Church Lane, Rearsby. John and Jane were living in Church Lane as well. John was recorded as a domestic gardener. John also appears in electoral roll for Rearsby in 1912 and 1913 respectively as well, again in Church Lane.

So sometime after 1913, John and Jane moved to Ravenstone, Leicestershire to be near family and having retired from being a gardener. The list of grandkids grew courtesy of Charlie and Susan who had Ruth (1910), my grandmother Annie (1913) and Norah (1916) all of which born in Ravenstone.

Sadly, these would have been the last known grandkids John would have been aware of, as he passed away in Ravenstone in mid-1917 aged 73. He is buried in Ravenstone Church Yard.

Jane was to know the rest of them until she passed away in 1930, also in Ravenstone. Charlie and Susan had John (known as Jack) in 1919 and Joan (1924). Jane Elizabeth was to have Albert Munro Godfrey 1918 in Finedon, before marrying Fred Herbert James in 1919. Jane Elizabeth and Fred then moved to Kettering, Northamptonshire, where Ivy Elizabeth James was born in 1920. So, John was to have a total of 19 grandchildren. As mentioned earlier son Nathaniel was close to his sisters and moved to Wellingborough, Northamptonshire to live near his sister Eliza Shelton. It seems the majority of John’s children all passed away by end of the 1950s, Charlie being the last of them in 1956.

Legacy

So why is Rearsby significant. Well, there is a still descendant of John’s living in the village and several family members have lived there at some point in time. My father for a bit as my grandmother became a housekeeper at the Grange. The Grange which was a private house which became a listed building. It is now the location of De Montfort Insurance Company plc (https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/listed_buildings/the_grange_grange_avenue_rearsby).

Every few years, the village hall would be booked for the day and taken over by descendants of Charlie and Susan, some of which are now scattered all over the globe from USA, Scotland, Spain and Australia. Tables and chairs put out and everyone encouraged to bring food and drink, along with photos. We would mingle and catch up each other, share memories of previous gatherings and think of members of family no longer with us or perhaps couldn’t make it that year. This was always a very relaxed affair and chance for several generations to mix. We have not had one in a while, so probably due one. We also would have a big family photo if weather was good, on the bridge over the brook or inside the hall if the weather was rubbish.

It is clear that more research is still needed on some of John’s nieces, nephews and cousins. He has left a legacy of the Rearsby Reunions and several generations of descendants. Watch this space to see what else I can find out, especially if there are any more DNA matches.