Family roots in the Forest of Dean

My wife’s family originated in the Forest of Dean. Family names are Blake (Westbury on Severn), Cole (Blaisdon), Morgan (Abenhall).

Interested in any information - more details on my Profile.

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The database has 33 Blake entries in Westbury, 50 Cole entries in Blaisdon and 67 Morgan entries in Abenhall.

If you want our help you need to be more specific.

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Graham

Many thanks for this. Kept my intro post brief - many times have been criticised for information overload!

Much more on my Profile. My wife’s Blake ancestors originate out of the Forest (Hartpury) but moved to Huntley and then Elton in the 18C.

The Morgan side a bit more difficult, particularly trying to identify origins of 3x great grandfather George Morgan who was recorded as 70 when buried in Westbury. He appears on 2 censuses with 1851 recording 72 years born Huntley. He married Elizabeth Smith of Minsterworth in 1808 (I have her family traced back another 6 generations). His first 3 children, including wife’s 2x great grandmother Mary Ann Morgan, were all baptised in Abenhall (rest all Huntley). Cannot trace any Morgans in Huntley register for period 1770-80.

The Cole side appears to have originated in Hartpury also, with 3x great grandfather Richard Cole moving to Westbury before 1841. His 4 daughters, including 2x great grandmother Elizabeth, were all baptised in Blaisdon. Elizabeth was captured on the 1841 census as a servant to farmer Ruder at Elton, and in 1851 to Henry Crawshay at the now demolished Abbotwood house at Ruspidge. She died in 1867 at Bilson Woodside and is buried at Drybrook. She does not appear appeared to have married but had 2 children, great grandmother Harriet and a son Charles, both baptised in Westbury out of the Workhouse in 1848 & 1850. Cannot trace any paternity records - are the Union records or minutes books available?

Visiting the Forest this week I can understand the geography a little more.

Any help with leads would be appreciated.

David Cadd
Long Buckby

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Hi David,

Just a quick message since you are going to visit the FOD this week. You might already know about these sites but if you don't (I have found them useful) following is a quick summary.

Know your place Gloucestershire.

Once you get used to navigating the site, it is possible to bring up different maps of a particular area or location. From a modern map travelling back in time to tithe maps .

Tithe Apportionments Data Base- Gloucestershire Archives.

This is searchable where bu using the filters you can list every plot of land owned or occupied by a particular person. It is possible to print the entire County or filter down to a Parish or a name etc.
The information is restricted to a particular time (around 1838-1841 but shown on the data base).
Works well with the 1841 Census.
e.g. a John Morgan occupied plot 615 in Westbury on Severn
With this information it is generally possible to look at the Tithe Map on the "Know Your Place" site for Westbury on Severn and find where his cottage etc was located. Then using a more current map see whether it still exists.
Not all Tithe Maps can be found. I think some of them might have been nibbled at by mice over time.

Also i have found "British History online" a good source to read about a particular area through time.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&...

Some of the other names/locations in your post ring a bell with me so i will have a look to see if i can find anything for you.

Good luck

Sid Toomey

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Hi
Welcome to the forum.
Does Mark Cole, aged 22 in 1861 Census from Stonehouse form part of your family tree ?
There was a pall bearer at Henry Crawshay's funeral;l by that name who was also employed on Oaklands Park estate.

Sid Toomey

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Sid

Thanks for this. Will investigate. Obviously there is a lot documented about the ‘Iron King of the Forest of Dean’. As for the Cole family I am looking at not so much, just the usual ‘ag labs’. But he may be connected.

Again, thanks

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1909 views

Hi again,

I don't know whether this helps but the 1841 Census for Huntley District 4 (page 10 of 12) has a George Morgan aged 50 Ag. Labourer
Charles Morgan aged 15
Hannah Morgan aged 10.
All answered yes for born in the Parish.

The Gloucestershire Tithes Apportionment Data Base (free searchable on line) has some entries for George Morgan.
Huntley for the year 1838.
George Morgan was the occupier of two separate plots of land.
One was a house and garden . 28 perches.
The other was only 1 perch.
The owner in both instances was the Reverend John Robyn who also appears in the 1841 Census for Huntley.

Newland for the year 1840.
George Morgan owned and occupied two properties and occupied a third.

Unfortunately the Know Your Place Gloucestershire web site is down at present so i cant look at the Tithe Maps to identify just where the plots of land were. Might have been a stopping place for you to look at on your trip to FOD.

Sid Toomey

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1937 views

Thanks Sid. I located George Morgan in 1841 at Huntley Hill, ag lab with son Charles 15 and in same household Richard Blake (wife’s great great grandfather) and his wife Mary Ann (nee Morgan). Definitely correct as holdhold reversed in 1851 with George lodging with son in law. Charles is disabled ‘deaf and dumb’ and dies in the Westbury workhouse in 1893. He spends the 1891 census with married sister Charlotte World

I have access to copies of all the parish registers for Gloucestershire through Ancestry and FindMyPast - tend to use transcripts as a guide but never rely on them. The main problem I have is trying to find a suitable George Morgan baptism. There are none around 1779 in Huntley or Abenhall. Plenty elsewhere - there are a number in Littledean which I am tracking to see what happens to them although they seem a little too far away, even for the FOD.

Thanks for the heads up on the tithe holdings - very useful. That is essentially why I joined the group last week - to enquire what other online records were out there. Will dive into Resources section.

Leaving the FOD this morning after a fruitful couple of days. Have at least found a Smith direct ancestor’s 18th century MI at Minsterworth, identified the house in Elton where grandfather born and great grandparents lived and an MI at Flaxley related by marriage.

Will have to come back soon. Have much to process.

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1940 views

Have you looked at the Resources section on this site ?
There are a few Morgans in the Huntley Parish Register Transcriptions including for the 18th Century.Plus others for different Parishes.
Marriage Allegations resource also shows some Morgans.
Also Morgans in the Inquests section.
Some of them might fit in to your tree.
Good luck

Sid Toomey

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1918 views

Hi David,

Just a quick message since you are going to visit the FOD this week. You might already know about these sites but if you don't (I have found them useful) following is a quick summary.

Know your place Gloucestershire.

Once you get used to navigating the site, it is possible to bring up different maps of a particular area or location. From a modern map travelling back in time to tithe maps .

Tithe Apportionments Data Base- Gloucestershire Archives.

Also i have found "British History online" a good source to read about a particular area through time.

Some of the other names/locations in your post ring a bell with me so i will have a look to see if i can find anything for you.

Forest of Dean FHT Forum

Family roots in the Forest of Dean (General)