Richard Low(e) 1771-1853 ? parents. (General)

by pclark , Friday, July 10, 2009, 15:46 (5689 days ago) @ Paul Andrews

PLEASE NOTE ============ Richard was born before the start of civil registration (1837). In 1771 the only official proof of a person being born was the recording of his or her baptism in a church parish register. In Richard's case, no record has (yet) been found of him being baptised, however, all the available evidence points to his parents being Richard Lowe (1737-1816) and Rebecka Beddis (1746-1808). In census data Richard claimed only to have been born in East Dean and gave no indication of any village or hamlet. The actual Forest of Dean at that time was not divided into parishes and settlement within its boundaries was not legal, although increasingly common. It is possible that Viney Woodside was just inside the Forest boundary, although it is close to Blakeney which was in Awre parish. Nothing is known of Richard's life or where he may have lived until the 1841 census was taken, but it should be noted that his eldest son, Richard (b1803), clearly stated in the 1861 census that he was born in Awre. It must be emphasised, therefore, that although there is strong circumstantial evidence, Richard's relationship to his 'parents', 'brothers and sisters' and his 'ancestors' etc is speculative and has no documentary proof. Richard and Elizabeth married at All Saints, Newland, possibly because this was her home parish, although no trace of her baptism has been found in the parish register of that church. Perhaps, like her husband, she was never baptised. In the 1841 census Richard stated his occupation to be Wood Cutter: in the 1851 census he gave his occupation as Agricultural labourer. Whether in fact he was still working at the age of about 80 is impossible to know. Richard's will can be seen at Gloucestershire Records Office and his beneficiaries were his three sons, Richard, William and Joseph. Richard inherited the cottage immediately to the north of Richard's own house in Pig Street, (now known as Pollards Lane) Viney Woodside. The cottage still stands and has a date stone above the front door with 1828 carved into it: this, presumably, is the date that the cottage was constructed. William received an adjoining field, and Joseph inherited his father's own house which also still exists. The documents which accompanied the property transactions can be seen at Gloucester Records Office and it is noticeable that although Richard and Joseph could sign their names, William was illiterate. The name Pig Street arose from the road being used to transport iron bars, known as 'pigs', from the iron works which stood by the brook at the bottom of the lane. Viney Woodside sometimes appears in old documents as Blakeney Woodside. Richard's property ownership entitled him to vote after the 1832 Reform Act was passed, and who he voted for is also recorded because secret ballots did not come into force until 1872

Thanks to Mr R Lowe