Ambury & Hall (General)

by rhianonturrell , Monday, October 06, 2008, 22:17 (5895 days ago) @ mchatt

I do have some information on Joseph Ambrey and his family. First of all there are several Ambrey families in the area at the time of Joseph's birth (1816-1818) and they all have a habit of naming their sons Joseph or William, as they are all distantly related.

You record Joseph as born at Longhope but christened at English Bicknor. I believe that your Joseph is the one baptised at Longhope in 1817, son of Joseph and Mary as I have a Joseph christened at E. Bicknor in 1816 son of William and Mary who is the brother of Ann Ambrey from whom I am directly descended. There is also a Joseph Ambrey baptised in English Bicknor in 1818 son of Joseph and Mary Anne who could just be your Joseph, but I think the Longhope one is more likely, unless you know differently.

I have a copy of a will of a Joseph Ambrey in 1825 who decribes himself as of Morastone, Peterstowe, Hereford but gives his son Joseph properties at Aston Ingham and Longhope where your Joseph later resided. As well as Joseph, his son, he mentions his sons John, Anthony, Robert and James, and his daughter Anne or Anna. His wife is Mary. I also have copied a will dated 1862 where a Joseph Ambrey leaves property at Longhope to daughters Eliza and Elizabeth, money to daughter Jane, and mentions grandson James, the same land at Aston Ingham to his son Joseph, other grandchildren- Mark,William and Joseph Drinkwater There are quite a lot of wills available on line at the Public Record office, also an online index of wills at Gloucestershire record office.

It may not be connected but a Mary Ambrey dies at Longhope in 1818 aged 33.
I think the Joseph you are descended from (if it is the one who makes the will proved in1825) may have married Mary Morris in 1809 in Bridstow as the Joseph at that marriage describes himself as of Longhope. The witnesses are Joseph Ambrey and Mary Phelps. There is however as usual another Joseph getting marries to a Mary Bennett in 1810 in E.Bicknor.

If your Joseph is the one marrying Mary Morris then his father is Anthony Ambrey, mother Jane Jones and is the same line as my husband is descended from. Anthony is one of the brothers of yet another Joseph from whom I am descended!

Complicated or what? Some of this is tenuous as there are other Josephs around who could fit the bill, and it seems from some of the wills cousins lived in the property of other cousins so it is very confusing. I have been working on and off on these lines for quite a few years and I'm still not sure I have the right connections.