Sterry at Awre: can we trace back to the 1500s?

I am a great-great-great-great-grandson of Richard Sterry who married Ann Toomey (or similar surname) at Minsterworth in 1794 and died at Awre in 1831. "My" Sterrys (also latterly spelt "Sterrey") eventually ended up mainly inhabiting Lydney and thereabouts. This Richard is the earliest identified of my line, but a shared ambition among Sterrys is to link this Richard to the earliest known Sterrys, who are recorded at Longhope and Ruardean in the 1500s.

Research by a local contact at Awre during the weekend just gone has indicated that the only Sterry still recorded in the books now retained at Awre Church is a Sterry I believe to be unrelated, namely Alfred Sterry, buried there following his death on 31/7/1876. (This is not without interest in itself, as in 1864 Alfred married a daughter of Henry Crawshay - the "Iron King of the Forest of Dean" - and they went on to have a son, Henry Crawshay Sterry, who ended up owning some islands at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and died in Queensland in 1943. Unsurprisingly, Alfred's grave is rather splendid, surrounded by railings.) However, there are several earlier Sterrys noted by the parish record transcribers as registered at Awre between 1800 and 1831, including the above Richard and two other Richards, both related.

Can anybody tell me where the records leading to those earlier Awre transcriptions now are? Also, I have heard it said that records were made of inscriptions on Awre gravestones that were becoming eroded by the adjacent salty air - can anybody verify that and/or tell me where those records might be found?

Post reply

2081 views

Gloucestershire County Council Genealogical Database

www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/familyhistory

Will

John STIRRYE - 1557 of Ruardean

and

Will

Anthony STIRREY of Lydney 1627

If you tick the SOUNDEX box when searching - there are quite a few early variations of the this surname in the 1500's i.e. STIRRIE, SATTRY, STIRRI, STYRRYE etc etc

Post reply

1803 views

You might like to try this website http://www.sterryworldwide.com/ , it should answer most of your questions.

Post reply

1801 views

Thanks, but I've already been there a fair bit. Robert Sterry who runs the site and I would both like to make the link back from Richard Sterry's 1794 marriage at Minsterworth to earlier Sterrys at Ruardean/Longhope but we have drawn blanks. I was only hoping that if there was a record of the inscription on Richard's grave it might give a clue, like "formerly of Longhope" if only such a thing ever fell into one's lap! We have an elderly surviving Sterry of the Minsterworth line in Lydney as a candidate for the sterryworldwide DNA project but the approach hasn't got anywhere yet.

Post reply

1751 views

I've had a look at Bigland's gravestone transcripts for Awre, but your Richard who died in 1831 is a bit too late for that. Bigland did not record any Sterrys at Awre, nor at Longhope.

Hope this helps
regards

Julien

Post reply

1699 views

Thanks Julien. It helps, but only in the sense of eliminating possibilities!

Post reply

1706 views

1891
Henry James abt 1860 Lydney, Gloucestershire, England Head Lydney, Gloucestershire
Ann James abt 1862 Lydney, Gloucestershire, England Wife Lydney, Gloucestershire
Laura James abt 1886 Lydney, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Lydney, Gloucestershire
Penlea James abt 1890 Lydney, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Lydney, Gloucestershire

1881
Richard Sterry abt 1823 Lydney, Gloucestershire, England Head Lydney, Gloucestershire
Eliza Sterry abt 1833 Lydney, Gloucestershire, England Wife Lydney, Gloucestershire
Richard Sterry abt 1860 Lydney, Gloucestershire, England Son Lydney, Gloucestershire
Annie Sterry abt 1862 Lydney, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Lydney, Gloucestershire
Harry Sterry abt 1864 Lydney, Gloucestershire, England Son Lydney, Gloucestershire

1871 Lydney
Richard Sterrey 48
Eliza Sterrey 36
William Sterrey 15
Richard Sterrey 11
John [Ann] Sterrey 9
Henry Sterrey 7

1861
Richard Sterry abt 1824 Blakeney, Gloucestershire, England Head Lydney, Gloucestershire
Eliza Sterry abt 1832 Lydney, Gloucestershire, England Wife Lydney, Gloucestershire
William Sterry abt 1856 Lydney, Gloucestershire, England Son Lydney, Gloucestershire
Richard Sterry abt 1860 Lydney, Gloucestershire, England Son Lydney, Gloucestershire

1841 Viney Hill / Blakeney Hill
William Sterry abt 1796 Gloucestershire, England Dean Forest, Gloucestershire
Ann Sterry abt 1796 Gloucestershire, England Dean Forest, Gloucestershire
Richard Sterry abt 1826 Gloucestershire, England Dean Forest, Gloucestershire

Year: 1831
Month: May
Day: 6
Surname: STERRY
Forenames: Richard
Residence: Blakeney
Age_at_death: 68 [inferred 1762 ish]
Officiating_Minister: J H Malpes
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P30 IN 1/10
Page_No: 63
Parish_Chapel: Awre

Year: 1823
Month: Dec
Day: 14
Parents_Surname: STERRY
Child_Forenames: Richard
Fathers_Forenames: William
Mothers_Forenames: Anne
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Tithing of Etloe
Occupation: Labourer
Officiating_Minister: F Wilkinson Curate of Newnham
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P50 IN1/1
Page_Number: 71
Parish_Chapel: Blakeney

Year: 1822
Month: Feb
Day: 28
Grooms_Surname: STERREY
Grooms_Forenames: William
Grooms_Age: [not stated]
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: [not stated]
Grooms_Residence: Awre
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: [not stated]
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: [not stated]
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Surname: SHAW
Brides_Forenames: Ann
Brides_Age: [not stated]
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Residence: Awre
Brides_Fathers_Surname: [not stated]
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: [not stated]
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: [not stated]
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: He signs she marks
Witness_1: Thomas Shaw
Witness_2: Elizabeth Shaw
Other_Witnesses: Charles Fennell
Officiating_Minister: C. P. N. Wilton Curate
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P30 IN 1/5
Page_Number: 31
Parish_Chapel: Awre

1797 STERRY Mary Richard Ann Minsterworth
1804 STERRY Richard Richard Ann [nee](Tomey Sp[inste]r) Awre
1807 STERRY Elizabeth Richard Anne [nee](Toomy Sp[inste]r) Awre
1809 STERRY Louisa Richard Anne [nee](Tomey Sp[inste]r) Awre

Year: 1795
Month: Oct
Day: 11
Parents_Surname: STERRY
Child_Forenames: William
Fathers_Forenames: William {should this be Richard ?}
Mothers_Forenames: Ann
Mothers_Surname:
Residence:
Occupation:
Officiating_Minister: William Gyllett Vicar
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes: In this record a surname was not clear so the best guess was given
Register_Reference: P218 IN 1/2
Page_Number: 32
Parish_Chapel: Minsterworth

Year: 1794
Month: Dec
Day: 29
Grooms_Surname: STERRY
Grooms_Forenames: Richard
Grooms_Age:
Groom_Condition:
Grooms_Occupation:
Grooms_Residence: Minsterworth
Grooms_Fathers_Surname:
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames:
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation:
Brides_Surname: TOOMMY
Brides_Forenames: Ann
Brides_Age:
Brides_Condition:
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: Minsterworth
Brides_Fathers_Surname:
Brides_Fathers_Forenames:
Brides_Fathers_Occupation:
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: He signs she marks
Witness_1: W[illia]m Young
Witness_2: Samuel Rider
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: Wm Gyllett Vicar
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes: Signature Steery not Sterry
Register_Reference: P218 IN 1/5
Page_Number: 6
Parish_Chapel: Minsterworth

--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

Post reply

1597 views

Thanks again, Slowhands.

I think we've already captured most if not all of those. The golden, nay platinum, egg would be some ancestry of the earliest Richard Sterry shown, i.e. born about 1762, married at Minsterworth 1794, buried at Awre 1831. We have been unable to state his birthplace or (except by "guesstimate") his birth year or date.

50-odd years ago I could count the best part of 30 relatives in or just outside Lydney including a fair clutch of Sterrys/Sterreys, but I didn't then know of any up the Severn or across the Forest. However, the fairly short distance between Minsterworth and Longhope/Ruardean points to the reasonable possibility of a link between our man Richard and the very early Sterrys in the latter parishes.

Post reply

1506 views

..and another complication to consider is when the Parishes come into existence (i've not looked yet) :-)

--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

Post reply

1514 views

RSS Feed of thread

Forest of Dean FHT Forum

Sterry at Awre: can we trace back to the 1500s? (General)