Townsends of Longhope, 1700s (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Tuesday, July 09, 2019, 15:53 (2000 days ago) @ Townie63

Hi Townie, warm welcome to the forum and website.
Have you searched the forum for prior posts that may help ?. I've just had a quick look but nothing obviously springs-out, need more time later.
My mum's from Longhope so I know the Townsend name locally, but haven't researched them before.

Searching this site's PRs database for all TOWNSEND Prs in Longhope gives only 35 in total, plus a couple more in neighbouring Lea and Taynton. (There are also a feww TOWNSHEND, but not in our immediate area/era).
These PRs span 1757 to 2003, the two family groups you mention are generally as follows;

Record_ID: 118241
Entry_Number:
Year: 1757
Month: Jun
Day: 19
Grooms_Surname: TOWNSEND
Grooms_Forenames: John
Grooms_Age:
Groom_Condition:
Grooms_Occupation:
Grooms_Residence: Lea in County of Hereford
Grooms_Fathers_Surname:
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames:
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation:
Brides_Surname: WATKINS
Brides_Forenames: Mary
Brides_Age:
Brides_Condition:
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: Longhope
Brides_Fathers_Surname:
Brides_Fathers_Forenames:
Brides_Fathers_Occupation:
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: Both mark
Witness_1: Mark of Mark Watkins
Witness_2: Will[ia]m Hayle
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: Yate Bromwich Vicar
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P206 IN 1/5
Page_Number: 3
Parish_Chapel: Longhope
Soundex_Groom: T525
Soundex_Bride: W325

Giving;

Year Surname First Name Fathers Forename Mothers Forename Event Parish/Chapel
1758 TOWNSEND John John Mary Baptism Longhope
1761 TOWNSEND Hannah John Mary Baptism Longhope
1765 TOWNSEND William John Mary Baptism Longhope
1777 TOWNSEND George John Mary Baptism Longhope

---------

Cannot find a marriage ANYWHERE in the PRs for a John and Sarah ??.
However the PRs do give;

Year Surname First Name Fathers Forename Mothers Forename Event Parish/Chapel
1783 TOWNSEND Coalia John Sarah Baptism Longhope
1786 TOWNSEND Elizabeth John Sarah Baptism Longhope
1787 TOWNSEND James John Sarah Baptism Longhope
1789 TOWNSEND Thomas John Sarah Baptism Longhope

Unfortunately none of the above baptisms give anymore clues eg father's occupation.

=====

Looking at the PRs laid out in chronological order as above is helpful.

My initial thought was could both of these family groups be the SAME John Townsend ?
Unlikely perhaps, but not impossible, especially if John lives until 1829. However I've not yet found an early Burial Record for Mary to help confirm this.

Perhaps far more likey is that the second group's father is John born abt 1758, the first-born son of John and Mary. He'd have been about 25 years old when his first? child Celia was baptised.

Needs more work, such as tracking the various marriages on the lookout for clues eg witnesses and so on, but that will have to wait for now.

Your thoughts, plus anything more you can add from your research Townie, would be appreciated please.

??

========

PS, Sorry, I missed your mention you thought John b1758 married Sarah at Avening, which is between Nailsworth and Cirencester.
Why do you think this is the case, it seems a little out of the area ?.

???

---

Now trying FamilySearch for hopefully more clues about John b1758, I found this record. Sapperton is only a couple of miles from Avening, it suggests this is not the same family we're looking for ?

Name Sarah Townshend
Gender Female
Christening Date 04 May 1783
Christening Date (Original) 04 MAY 1783
Christening Place SAPPERTON,GLOUCESTER,ENGLAND
Father's Name John Townshend
Mother's Name Sarah

And these records seem to confirm this ?

Name Mary Townshend
Gender Female
Christening Date 11 Feb 1787
Christening Date (Original) 11 FEB 1787
Christening Place SAPPERTON,GLOUCESTER,ENGLAND
Father's Name John Townshend
Mother's Name Sarah

Name Jane Townshend
Gender Female
Christening Date 16 May 1790
Christening Date (Original) 16 MAY 1790
Christening Place SAPPERTON,GLOUCESTER,ENGLAND
Father's Name John Townshend
Mother's Name Sarah

Name John Townshend
Spouse's Name Sarah Harris
Event Date 03 Apr 1782
Event Place Avening, Gloucester, England
"England Marriages, 1538–1973"

FamilySearch gives Baptisms for five different "John Townsend"s all born 1757/1758 in that Cirencester/Cerney area.

https://www.familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3Ajo...

===========

Re your Sarah Harris of Longhope, I cannot find a PR, think this is the record you have, also from FamilySearch;

England Births and Christenings
Name Sarah Harris
Gender Female
Christening Date 30 Mar 1760
Christening Date (Original) 30 MAR 1760
Christening Place LONGHOPE,GLOUCESTER,ENGLAND
Father's Name Thos. Harris
Mother's Name Eliz.

The ONLY marriage record or bond I can find for a Sarah Harris / John Townsend is that Avening one.
However I'm struggling to see why two people born in Longhope should travel that far to marry.

???