I’ve had a lot of trouble finding a marriage between John STILING and Grace FREED and thought it was due to the lack of Devon records on the IGI. Thanks to the selection of Devon Parish records on findmypast, I find it’s possibly because it was mistranscribed or that Grace FREED is actually Grace BROCK:
I can imagine how Brock and Freed could look similar in faded, pre-regency period handwriting. This was one of three John STILINGs that came up in the search but the only one with a Grace for a bride. Their oldest child was born in 1811 so the dates also fit.
Oh, how I wish I could see the original record right now.
Ancestry have now released the National Probate Calendar (1861-1941) which is almost like an index to wills. A distant relative who has worked with me on my STILING line gave me the heads up and I checked it out:
STILING John 9 October.
The Will of John Stiling late of Tiverton in the County of Devon Yeoman deceased who died 3 February 1862 at Tiverton aforesaid was proved at Exeter by the oath of Edward Stiling of the Parish of Tiverton aforesaid Yeoman the Son one of the Executors.
Effects under £600.
[handwritten underneath] Resworn at the Stamp Office Feb 1865 under £450.
I believe this to be my John STILING for the following reasons:
he dropped off the census after 1861
wife declared a widow on the 1871 census
recorded living at Tiverton since 1811 (son Edward’s birth)
has son Edward STILING
farmer (yeoman) since 1841 census
This is the first time I had even come close to a death date for John STILING so I was very pleased indeed to see this entry.
I used ancestry to look further into the son mentioned, Edward STILING and found what appears to be his will too. The entry contained: formerly of Barton but late of Tiverton Farmer died 16 Feb 1873 at Tiverton – Elizabeth Daw, widow, his sister executrix.
Not only do I have a death date but also a daughter of John that I was unaware of until now.
An old family pedigree mentioned that my ancestor, William WREFORD “settled in Tiverton and was well known in the last century as a noted wrestler“. I had searched for more information a few years back and was discovered a book which mentions him in this role – Devonshire Characters and Strange Events by S. Baring Gould.
I am very pleased that I am now able to read the entire book online (or download as various files) at the Internet Archive. The section on William reads:
William Wreford, at the age of eighteen, achieved reputation by throwing Jordan over his head with such force that Jordan came down with a “crash similar to that produced by felling an oak tree.” But Wreford met his match in a wrestle with “the little Elephant,” James Stone. Simultaneously the men grappled each other; and although Wreford had the advantage at the outset, he was hurled into the air, and fell with such violence on his back that for a time he was incapacitated from taking part in a similar contest. Eventually the return match came off at Southmolton, and Stone was again victorious. Nevertheless Wreford remained a prominent figure in the ring, and threw Francis Olver, a Cornishman, although he came out of the contest with several of his ribs crushed by the deadly “hug.” But a greater than Wreford and Jordan arose in the person of Abraham Cann…(p519)
Hoping to find more mention of William, I searched for James Stone – the ‘little elephant’. This lead me to a page bursting with information about wrestling – in particular, the Abraham Cann mentioned above. The Heard Family History site records:
In his history of Crediton, Venn (Venn, T.W., History of Crediton. Typescript. 1972) tells us that the activities of the Devonshire wrestlers in London were reported enthusiastically in the Society gossip columns. Dressed in the latest fashions they would promenade in the famous Vauxhall pleasure gardens, where much curiousity was shown to catch a sight of “these extraordinary Devonshire wrestlers”. Along with the bare-knuckle fighters, the wrestlers must have had the popular appeal of football stars of old, if not quite the overblown celebrity status accorded them in today’s tabloids. Certainly local papers reported their comings and goings, and we read of a triumphant return to Devon on the express coach Celerity in 1827, when the wrestlers were greeted by cheering crowds in Exeter (Heard Family History).
It’s funny to think of William, who is listed simply as ‘farmer’ and ‘labourer’ in the 1841 and 1851 censuses, as a celebrity. Also found on the Heard Family History site was this image of the wrestlers’ vital statistics at a fair in Tavistock,1827:
Wrestler Vital Statistics – Tavistock Fair 1827
William is listed as 34 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 190 pounds. It is not often we get to know this much physical detail about our ancestors and I’m excited to have found this information.
Next Steps:
Continue to research Devonshire Wrestling in and around the 1820s
I’ve certainly been very busy with genealogy the last week or so.
The most significant discovery is that I am now quite sure that the Broadhembury STILINGs are not directly linked to me. (Click the link to see my previous Stiling posts, or click Stiling in the right sidebar). The John STILING farming at Lane End Farm is not Harriet STILING’s father. I discovered this by making contact with other people researching the Broadhembury John STILING on Ancestry.co.uk.
Devon has not allowed the LDS to film their parish records and so most baptisms from Devon are not available on the IGI. This has meant that I have not yet seen Harriet’s baptismal entry but instead have accepted information given to me by a relative over 10 years ago (until I can check the records for myself) which states her mother was Grace FREED. When I first searched the 1841 census (via microfilm) all those years ago, the Broadhembury John STILING was the closest match I found. I then decided it was possible Grace had died and this wife, Mary could have been a second wife. However, the other (very helpful) people researching this family had no knowledge of a first wife (Grace) or of a daughter called Harriet.
John STILING on Harriet’s marriage record
I decided to recheck all my sources. Harriet’s marriage certificate lists her father as John STILING, a farmer, so I searched the census again with Ancestry.co.uk, including spelling variants. Still no joy. The Broadhembury STILINGS were still the only likely option. I then went through my digital folders and came across a file called ‘Stilings on the 1841 census’. I had another look and this time saw a John and Grace STILING in the Tiverton area (how I’d not noticed that before is beyond me). I searched for them in this area and sure enough John and Grace topped the list! They had been transcribed as Steling. Someone seems to have originally recorded the name as Styling and someone’s attempt to correct it allowed it to be misread as Steling.
Another John STILING farmer – this time at West Barton Farm near Tiverton
I am more confident that these are my STILINGS – not only because of the wife, Grace but also because they reside in the Tiverton area which is where I found Harriet working as a servant on the 1841 census and her location at the time of her marriage. However, until I see the birth records, I have no hard evidence that Grace is, in fact, Harriet’s mother and that this is MY family, as she never appears with her parents on a census.
Next Steps:
Visit Devon library to locate Harriet’s baptism entry in the parish records.
I have been writing a lot about my WREFORDs lately, particularly with regard to George WREFORD and his bankruptcy woes. However, his wife would have also been sharing these worries with him. Also missing from the 1861 census, perhaps she had travelled to Exeter for his court hearing.
In 1845, Harriotte STILING married George WREFORD in Cove Chapel (in the Pitt quarter of the parish of Tiverton). Both lived in Tiverton at the time and both of their fathers were farmers. I know this (and their father’s names) because of the information recorded on their marriage certificate.
This is a copy of their marriage ordered from the General Register Office (my first ever certificate ordered):
George WREFORD and Harriet STILING marriage certificate – 1845
A lot of people assume that the signatures on these certificates are those of their ancestors when first starting in genealogy. However, this is only a ‘Certified Copy of an Entry of Marriage’ (as stated on top of the document). Someone (with authority) has basically just copied the information into another book.
This is the actual entry for their marriage in the Cove Chapel parish registers:
George WREFORD and Harriet STILING Marriage Entry – 1845
There is no difference in the information given except I now have the actual signatures of George WREFORD, Harriotte STILING and her father John STILING!
A Philip CHAVE was also witness to the marriage – he may be a relative, close friend or just someone there on the day.
You may think, why bother?
Well, sometimes the information can differ from the copy but I have to admit, it gives me a little thrill to see the actual signatures. In the absence of photographs or other memorabilia, it can be as close as you may get to ‘touching’ your ancestor. I can imagine having access to the actual parish register book they would have written in would be even more thrilling. It may be sad but I’m sure other family historians out there know what I’m talking about.
NOTE: I remember reading somewhere that an X (or mark) as a signature didn’t always mean the person was illiterate. Sometimes women especially would use an X so as not to show up their new husband.
I like to visit places which played parts in my ancestors’ lives so we drove up to Cove through very narrow, winding hillside roads. I believe this photo is of Cove Chapel. It is fenced off with a PRIVATE sign right next to someone’s home so we stuck around long enough just to get this photo. I have been unable to find much information on Cove Chapel so if I’m incorrect, please let me know.
Cove Chapel, Tiverton parish as it was August 2009
