James Baynham (1790-1860)
Born: 1790 at Lea Bailey
Parents: John Baynham and Sarah Woodward
Married: 1816 to Elizabeth Simmonds and 1833 to Elizabeth Rosser
Died: 1860 at Newland
James, my three times great-grandfather, was born at Lea Bailey in Gloucestershire in 1790.
He married Elizabeth Symonds, daughter of Philip Simmonds and Mary Harrington at English Bicknor in 1816, when they were both 26. They had seven children: Matthew in 1818; Cornelius in 1820; Sarah in 1822; Isaiah in 1824; Ezekiel in 1826; Tryphenia in 1826; and Jeremiah, my two times great-grandfather, in 1829. Elizabeth appears to have died in 1831, aged 41.
In 1833 James married Elizabeth Rosser, daughter of Edward and Mary Rosser at Newland in 1833, when he was 43 and she was 24. She had already had two children: Timothy in 1831 and Catherine in 1833. Together they had another five children: Enoch in 1835; Emma in 1839; Charles in 1843; Thomas in 1846; and Richard in 1851.
James died at Newland in 1860, aged 70.
Elizabeth Rosser died at Scowles in 1869, aged 60.
James appears to have been born at Lea Bailey, a wooded area to the north of the Forest, in around 1790. He was the only child of John Baynham and Sarah Woodward and was my great-great-great grandfather.
[ find baptism of James ]
He married Elizabeth Simmonds at English Bicknor on 8th September 1816, presumably at the Norman parish church of St. Mary the Virgin.
They are described as being ‘both extraparochial’, which means that they would have been living in an area outside the jurisdiction of any parish and therefore able to choose the church in which they would get married. However, it would have also meant they they were living without any parish support.
James and Elizabeth both made their mark in the register, as did her mother Mary Simmonds.
Elizabeth had been born at Upton Bishop in 1790 and was the only daughter of Philip Simmonds and Mary Harrington. She had three brothers, one younger and two older – one of whom was William Simmonds who, with his wife Ann, would bring up my great-great-grandfather Jeremiah.
From the birth records of their children, James and Elizabeth appear to have lived at Lea Bailey for about a decade. In this area people often lived in cabins which were very primitive, low dwellings – most had dry stone walls and turf roofs, but no windows; inside they had a paved floor and, at one end, a fireplace and chimney.
James and Elizabeth had six children there:
Matthew was baptised at St. Michael’s church, Hope Mansell on 25th April 1818.
Cornelius was baptised at Holy Trinity church, Drybrook on 9th April 1820.
Sarah was also baptised at Hope Mansell, on 12th May in 1822.
Isaiah too was baptised at Hope Mansell, on 6th June 1824.
Ezekiel and Tryphenia were the last children to be born in Lea Bailey and baptised at Hope Mansell, on 17th December 1826; perhaps they were twins?
Throughout this period James was working as an agricultural labourer.
Jeremiah, my great-great grandfather, was born elsewhere – at Upton Bishop, in 1829 – and he was baptised at Weston-under-Penyard on 27th May 1929.
So perhaps his mother Elizabeth, then aged 39, went to Upton Bishop to stay with her sister-in-law Ann Symonds, the wife of her brother William, for his birth? And perhaps Weston-under-Penyard was therefore a more convenient place for the baptism than Hope Mansell?
Elizabeth appears to have died around 1830, aged 41.
James was married again two years later, to Elizabeth Rosser on 27th September 1833; they wed at All Saints church in Newland, traditionally and affectionately known as the ‘Cathedral of the Forest’.
Their witnesses were Edward and Sarah Frowen – most likely this is Edward the second son of William Frowen, a coal miner, and Elisabeth Aston. Edward had been born and grown up in nearby Whitecliff and now, like James, was working as a labourer and living at Scowles after marrying Sarah Thomas in 1828.
However, the Thomas Frowen whom James’ daughter Sarah married in 1842 does not appear to be Edward’s younger brother Thomas – Sarah’s in-laws were Thomas and Mary Frowen (nee Bolton).
Elizabeth Rosser had been born in 1809, the only daughter of Edward and Mary Rosser, and baptised at Coleford Chapel on 27th September 1809.
[ find baptism of Elizabeth Rossr ]
By the time they were married, Elizabeth had already had two children with James:
Timothy, who was born at Coleford in 1831 and baptised (as ‘Timothy Beynam, son of Elizabeth Rosser Single Woman’) at All Saints church, Newland on 19th June 1831. Elizabeth’s abode is recorded as Scowles.
and Catherine who was born at Scowles in 1833 and baptised (as ‘Catharine, illegitimate daughter of Elizabeth Rosser’) at Newland on 11th September 1833. Again, Elizabeth’s abode is recorded as Scowles.
Together they had another two children before the 1941 census was taken:
Enoch was baptised at Newland on 18th October 1835.
Emma was also baptised at Newland on 7th April 1839.
In the 1841 census, James is shown living at Scowles with four children – Isaiah (15), Timothy (9), Catharine (6) and Enoch (4). Elizabeth is not there – she is in Little Dean Prison.
So at the time of the 1841 census, Elizabeth (30) is an inmate in Little Dean Prison and living there with her daughter Emma (2).
[ find Elizabeth and Emma in 1841 census + committal to prison]
Two more sons were born at Scowles in the 1840s:
Charles on 5th March 1843 and Thomas in 1846; they were were baptised together (as ‘Tom’ and ‘Charles’) on 14th November 1847 at All Saints church, Newland.
James was still working as a labourer.
10 years later, the 1851 census showed James and Elizabeth living together at Scowles with a different four children – Enoch (15), Emma (12), Charles (7) and Thomas (5). The two older children were described as simply ‘at home’ while the younger ones were at school; James was still working as a farm labourer.
In 1851 Elizabeth was again committed to the Littledean House of Correction, this time for ‘feloniously stealing at Newland on the 11th of June 1851 eighty four pounds weight of bark the property of Our Sovereign Lady the Queen’.
[ find committal to prison ]
Later that year, Elizabeth gave birth to another son in the House of Correction – Richard, born on 17th August 1851.
[ find baptism of Richard ]
James died at Scowles in 1860 and was buried at Newland, presumably at All Saints church on 7th April 1860, aged 80.
After his death, Elizabeth continued to live at Scowles and in the 1861 census is shown living there as a widow aged 50 with three sons – Charles (19), Thomas (14) and Richard (8). The two older boys are both working as coal miners and the youngest is at school.
[ find Elizabeth and sons in 1861 census ]
Elizabeth died at Scowles in 1869 and was buried at Newland, presumably at All Saints church on 2nd April 1869, aged 60; the burial register describes her as ‘relict of James Baynham’.
[ find burial of Elizabeth ]
Notes:
Her birth record shows her family name as ‘Simonds’
Why did they choose to marry at English Bicknor?
James and Elizabeth were both recorded as extraparochial’; James had been born in Lea Bailey, which is probably why he was extraparochial, but Elizabeth had been born in Upton Bishop so why was she extraparochial?