Carters (and Preece) of Arlingham, Newnham (Inquests)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Friday, December 30, 2016, 22:10 (2891 days ago) @ aussie

I have a John Carter from around that era and at this stage I only have three children for him. Does anyone have access to any old books about Arlingham people or genealogy family trees etc (wishful thinking) that might help me get my ancestors sorted, please?

Hi Aussie,
I've today re-read an excellent book by Margaret Willis pub'd 1993 entitled "The Ferry Between Newnham & Arlingham". Despite it's title it also includes a lot of interesting history about the area and it's people and not just the ferry itself, it also lists several cases of drownings but sadly not John Carter in 1794. Similarly the Carter name doesn't appear in these detailed online histories which I suspect you're read,
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/glos/vol10/pp29-36
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlingham

The "Fisheries" chapter of the above book does mention a later Carter who may be part of your tree ?. Under a photo of a beautiful detached Georgian? house it states

"Castle House, Newnham. This was the home of Maurice Frederic Carter, who was born on 8th April 1826 and was a solicitor from 1848 to 1907. He was also the Coroner for the Forest Division of the County from 1868 to 1907. Maurice died on 25th March 1907. His son Maurice Frederic Carter, and grandson Maurice Fitzgerald Carter, are buried with him in Newnham Churchyard.
Following the Salmon Fishery Act of 1873, boards of Conservators were given guidance by the Home Office. The annual Report of the Severn Fishery Board for 1894 lists the elected members including Maurice Frederic Carter, gentleman of Newnham.
This reference to fisheries, the Severn Fishery Board and it's members for 1895 has been included to show that Mr Carter, who was an executive member as well as being on the Pollution Committee, was well-versed in river law."

The book contains more mentions of Coroner M.F.Carter, especially regarding the tragic drownings of the 2 sons of ferryman Tom Phillips on 17th July 1889. (In fine weather during lunchbreaks the local scholchildren often paddled on the shallow shore of the River. This day Gaius(7) slipped off the sandbank into deep water, his brother Victor(9) tried to save him, but both were swept away and drowned - all in full view of father Tom who's ferry was too far away to help...
(It may interest Peter Preece that Tom Phillips lived in Preece's Alley, Newnham, and that during the enquiry the Ferry Compnay was represented by a "Mr Preece", who I think was named Henry ?).

The book also mentions that in 1894 Mr M.F.Carter formed a committee, with Reverend Bevis (Rector of Arlingham) as vice-chairman, who met at the Victoria Hotel Newnham, to discuss alternative forms of crossing the river. The committee commissioned the firm of Keeling & Reichenbach to survey the River in 1894 with a view to building a bridge; this was Keeling's last major civil engineering project, the bridge was never started thro lack of funding.

Hoping this maybe of interest.
At the very least it seems to me M.F. Carter may well have been knowledgable about the local river and salmon fishing, perhaps inspired by his possible ancestor Doctor John Carter ?...

Also see the final post in this prior thread
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/fodmembers/index.php?mode=thread&id=40671

Maurice Carter is mentioned in the 1868 Slaters Directory of Newnham and in some detail in the 1876 Morris & Co. Directory, he was clearly a respected and influential man in the town.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cbennett/

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From Ancestry I've found the Bishops Transcript of his Baptism;

Name: Maurice Frederick Carter
Baptism Date: 25 Apr 1826
Parish: Gloucester, St Michael, Gloucestershire, England
Father: Joseph Carter, solicitor
Mother: Mary Carter
Register Type: Bishop's Transcripts

Re the term "Doctor" and John Carter, I thought I had another theory about this.

The clear image of the above Baptism entry for Maurice Frederick Carter at first glance appears to read "Maurice Frederic Doctor of " !
Closer scrutiny shows the word is actually an abbreviated form of "Daughter", and not "Doctor". Clearly, the entry should really be "son", but as most of the entries above Maurice were girls hence "Daughter", maybe the minister was having a bad day ?

This made me wonder if the word "Doctor" on some of the Parish Records mentioned elsewhere in this thread is just someone misreading/mis-transcribing a Minister's error ?? HOWEVER, following Peter Preece's lead wrt the Burial PR for Patience Carter DOCTOR buried Arlingham in 1836, I've searched her on Ancestry. Oddly I couldn't find her original records (to check the image), but I did find Tax records for Richard Carter Doctor and Phillimore Carter Doctor in Arlingham in 1809, so looks like this was indeed a genuine surname. Also see Mike Pinchin's post.
By searching Patience CARTER instead of DOCTOR I found her 1836 Burial PR on Ancestry... ??!!. Yet the actual PR clearly shows her as Carter Doctor, whereas her baptism shows just CARTER. A public tree has her father as William Carter born 1779 in Arlingham, and his father as Philemon Carter b1734 in Arlingham, NO mention of Doctor. ???

The 1841 Census shows Maurice Carter and family still in Gloucester city. The 1851 shows father Joseph is born Wheatenhurst, so not too far from Arlingham..., and living with wife and children (not Maurice) in St Mary de Crypt, Gloucester. I cannot find Maurice on the 1851 Census. He marries in Newnham in 1847, while still resident in Gloucester, his wife is from Westbury on Severn, full PR in this site's database. So on the face of it, M.F.Carter may not be a direct(ish) descendant of John, ah well..

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Ref Castle (formerly Banksian) House, apparently it's still there in Newnham High Street, seemingly on a rise overlooking the River. Thanks to Aussie I now know that a Norman castle was built at Newnham, soon after 1066 !
http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English%20sites/1226.html
http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-353959-the-castle-house-newnham-gloucestersh...