Hi all, what an excellent website.
I am searching for any information on the parents of Thomas Symonds born 1810/11 Eastnor Herefordshire/Worcestershire and living in Dymock from 1841 until 1881.

Also any records on the Newent Union Work House from 1880s-late 1890s. As Thomas is listed as living there in 1891 age 80, he must have died there as there are no records of him after that.
Thank you.

Hi again,
re the Newent Workhouse it always pays to search this forum for related prior threads. Thanks to you I've found a resource I didnt know we had !
see
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=39969

This is recognised as "the" authority website on the subject.
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/

So for Newent, http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Newent/

From this site's PRs:

Record_ID: 81431
Entry_Number: 635
Year: 1893
Month: Jun
Day: 7
Surname: SYMONDS
Forenames: Thomas
Residence: Newent Union (late of Dymock)
Age_at_death: 86
Officiating_Minister: Reginald Horton vicar
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P125 IN 1/31
Page_No: 80
Parish_Chapel: Dymock
Soundex: S553

Excellent detective work there, I had already looked at that page before you sent me the information and my search result came up as no records, obviously Im not doing something quite right.
Are there any parish baptism records for Thomas, I sm still searching for his parents names,
the borders of Herefordshire changing to Worcestershire are listed for Eastnor on different censuses.
Thank you.

This is probably an impossible question to answer from just viewing the records, rather need to have a proven line from someone else's research eg tree in family Bible. I say this as we're unsure as to his birthyear, plus it's such a common name.

Re the birthyear, adult ages for the 1841 Census were supposedly rounded down to the nearest 5, ie someone claiming to be aged 39 might be quoted as 35 on the Census. In other words altho the Census quotes Thomas as aged 30, in theory he might have been 32 or even 34, so born as early as 1807 !
And of course this is only what he believed, or he wanted the census official to believe, so ???.

The 1851 Census supposedly recorded exact ages, in this case thanks to MPG,
"Tomas Simmons 43 -born Eastoner ? Hereford" (as transcribed) Eastnor?
His 1841 Dymock Census return states born "out of county", Dymock's always been in Glos, so assume Herefordshire is correct

So maybe his birthyear was 1807... ??.

Either way, searching this site for all Baptisms of Thomas Symonds(Soundex ticked) for year 1809 +/- 2 gives FOUR possibles, and unfortunately all are within the "correct" area !

1807 SYMMONDS Thomas Baptism Redmarley
1810 SIMMONDS Thomas Baptism Ross on Wye
1808 SYMONDS Thomas Baptism Ledbury
1811 SYMONDS Thomas Baptism Ledbury

One guide is to lookup the parents on some of the above, and trace their later whereabouts thro' the Censuses after the above Baptisms. This should help narrow things down, their Thomas' may have died young or moved away etc ?. Hopefully the parents of your Thomas will stay nearby to him (although of course in general people, particularly the elderly, didnt move far then, so ??).

If you don't know an area, the Genuki site is great for more local info,
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/HEF/Eastnor/index.html

So sadly for us Eastnor is only a couple of miles from Ledbury and Redmarley !!, so no help wrt the selection on those grounds...

Another excellent free website is the LDS aka FamilySearch site, here's its findings for Baptisms in Herefordshire 1800-1810, so a few more on top of the above.
https://familysearch.org/search/record/results#count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3Athomas...

Sorry without more information thats as near as I can guess

???

SORRY Birks, I've been a fool !

I'd completely overlooked the fact that MPG found Thomas's marriage record, and unlike the ones I saw earlier this has witnesses, a great help !:

Record_ID: 21931
Entry_Number: 194
Year: 1835
Month: Jun
Day: 13
Grooms_Surname: SYMONDS
Grooms_Forenames: Thomas
Grooms_Age:
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation:
Grooms_Residence: Dymock
Grooms_Fathers_Surname:
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames:
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation:
Brides_Surname: TYLER
Brides_Forenames: Eliza
Brides_Age:
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: Dymock
Brides_Fathers_Surname:
Brides_Fathers_Forenames:
Brides_Fathers_Occupation:
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: He marks she signs
Witness_1: Mark of William Lewis
Witness_2: Mark of Elizabeth Symmonds
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: J Simons
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P125 IN 1/13
Page_Number: 66
Parish_Chapel: Dymock
Soundex_Groom: S553
Soundex_Bride: T460

SO, it's a shame no father is recorded for Thomas, but one of the witnesses is presumably a relative, quite POSSIBLY his mother, namely ELIZABETH SYMMONDS.
(one wonders why it's spelt differently than Thomas', an error or a deliberate action by the Minister ???).
Who is William Lewis, a friend or relative of the bride ?.

OR has Thomas's father died, hence not named, and this is perhaps the current "partner" of his "mother" Elizabeth ???.

It maybe worth trying to trace these two witnesses thro this site's PRs and the Censuses, altho there may still be some supposition....

jeff,Thanks for all the information, looks like I will give up on him. I have tried a lot of these websites before and got nowhere .At least I have traced him from 1841 until his death 1893 and also found detail of Eliza Tylers parents with your help,
thanks again.
I will now concentrate on following them up.

The messages crossed.
So Elizabeth Symonds may have been his mother then.
Thanks

I have found an Elizabeth Symonds on the 1841 census born 1781 living
Haw Crosse, Redmarley (Dabitot?)Worcester age 60 so that date may fit, as Thomas was born about 1810/11.or as you say could be 1805-7

Living with her was William Symonds born 1801 age 40,who could Thomas's father, maybe if plus or minus a 5 or 6 years discrepancy was used on the census

there is no sign of her in 1851,
She then turns up on the 1861 census age 80 living in Upton on Seven, Worcester.
Listed as Head of Household Ag, Labourer.
I think this could end of the line....

By searching Census returns for any SYMONDS or variations of - born EASTNOR

Found this - may be more!

1851 Census, Dymock, the Village

SYMMONDS

Edward - 34 - farm labaourer - born Eastnor
Margret - 31 - born Redmarly
George - 13
Edward - 10
Catherine - 8
Henry - 4
Harriett - 2

1841 Census, Dymock, Hopes Bottom

William DAVIS - 50
Ann DAVIS - 40
William DAVIS - 11
Edward SYMONDS - 20
Margaret SYMONDS - 20
George SYMONDS -2

---

Fod Record

Marriage Dymock - 24 September 1838

Edward SYMONDS, full age, Bachelor, residence: Brooms Green

father: William SYMONDS, labourer

married

Margaret DAVIS - age 20, Spinster, father: William DAVIS, labourer, residence: Brooms Green

mark of William & Elizabeth WEOBLEY (this couple married 15 January 1838 - Elizabeth nee DAVIS, Edward SYMONDS and Margaret DAVIS - witnesses)

----

On the 1861 Census, Dymock, Anchor Inn

John SIMMONS age 55 - Married, Servant, born Hereford, Eastnor

---

???

CLDS

Marriage at Eastnor, Hereford - 1800

William SYMONDS/Nancy SANDFORD

---

1851 Census, Donnington
Brand Oak

Nancy SYMONDS - Widow - 71 Pauper, born Eastnor, Hereford
Richard SYMONDS - son - 37 born Eastnor, Hereford

RE:

Fod Record

Marriage Dymock - 24 September 1838

Edward SYMONDS, full age, Bachelor, residence: Brooms Green

father: William SYMONDS, labourer

married

Margaret DAVIS - age 20, Spinster, father: William DAVIS, labourer, residence: Brooms Green

Thanks for your reply.

Edward could be a brother to Thomas Symonds born 1811 Dymock who married Eliza Tyler born 1816.They married in Dymock in the 1830s as well.)
I think? maybe, Thomas's parents were William and Elizabeth Symmonds.

Elizabeth was born 1781(Eastnor) but William Symonds was born 1801 a bit confusing, I will have to have another look at the census dates.
Thanks again