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| PETER MARLOW'S FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH |
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Peter Marlow is the Great Grandson of Tryphena Townsend [ she married Charles Comley ] and was sister
to our William. Peter found this website several months ago and has turned up some very interesting
information on the Brittain's and the Townsend's living in and around Bremhill. With his permission I have added some of his findings in 'bullet' form similar to Desmonds contribution. |
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In the last couple of weeks I have made some progress with the family history. I have at last located
a BC for Tryphena Townsend - basically it makes for rather sad reading. The birth was registered as Jane
Tryphena Brittain; 8th August 1855; mother Ann Brittain; and the father left blank. Place of birth is
Union Workhouse Calne - did William and Matilda cast her out? It does at least resolve my niggling worry that the Tryphena Brittain born in 1849 to William and Matilda might somehow have been "our" Tryphena. However now we have to worry as to whether William Townsend was the father - I believe he was, and I will try and prove it in time. I am sure you realise that for me proving William as the father makes quite a difference to my tree, there might be no Townsend's at all in my ancestry! On your CD there is a reference to a friend of Desmond's having seen the Parish(?) records, and it had William as the father for 4 of the 5 children baptised, but not Sarah. We need to check this out really, and of course there is Thomas to consider as well - born around 1853 I gather. I will now look for his birth. I also have a death certificate for Ann Townsend - again it is a rather sad thing to see - she died at home, Pewsham, Derry Hill on 8th June 1862; cause of death - "malignant postule of face 9 days"; husband is "William Townsend Railway Worker"; informant and present at death is Jane Dolman - (sister Jane Brittain who married William Dolman). All in all poor Ann must have had a miserable short life - we will never really know the full details. I do now understand why there were things my Nan (Kate Comley) never spoke about and possibly why she didn't want to move back to Wiltshire. Although both Tryphena and Kate both lived to a good age there is no doubt that they both experienced a great deal of tragedy and hardship. Tryphena lost at least one child that I know of, and then Charles Comley (husband) died when he was 46 - 9 children to support. Apparently my Nan didn't go to school until she was 7, when she got her first pair of shoes! I have been using a fairly new website www.1837online.com. Unlike FreeBMD it is complete and is 1837-2003, mind boggling really! It is easier to search than you initially think and I believe that they are working towards overseas researchers being able to order certificates online. I will send you a photo of Tryphena in a few weeks, meantime here is a photo of my mother and her siblings - Tryphena's grandchildren. This was taken about 10 years back - can you see any resemblance to your own family? |
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Hello Peter - many thanks for your latest email, this has helped me enormously. My last message to you
was a bit rambling, I suppose because I have been trying to get things straight in my head. I am certain that this DC I have for Ann is correct - the address (Pewsham), the husband, and of course her sister as informant. Interestingly her age is given as 30 on the certificate. You say that Desmond's memoirs say she was buried June 12th, and the certificate says she died June 8th so that all fits really. As for the difference of 30/32, we could speculate - there could be all sorts of reasons. What is most interesting to me is that you have spelt out what Myrtle [Cooper] saw in the register, that really is what I wanted to hear. If Sarah was baptised seperately and her mother written as Ann Brittain that really does make things almost certain. As you say I really must go and look at the parish records myself. On a more instinctive level the MC I have for Charles and Tryphena gives her father as William Townsend, and somehow I have always felt this was the truth, her age being exactly correct as well. How do you manage to see LDS films of the actual registers? I have been under the mistaken belief that all one could see was the microfiche.... There are 2 LDS family history centres fairly close to home here, would I be able to see any Wiltshire records there? I should have told you who was who in the photograph I sent you, so.... L to R: my mother Jean, Gordon (Sonny), Winnifred (Win), Margaret (Margie), and Kathleen (Kath). Who looks like Mabel do you think? My mother is coming up 74 and now looks remarkably like Tryphena, or at least the one photo I have of her. I only have a blurry copy of this one photo, but will have the original here in a week or so's time - I shall email it to you. I have now found an entry for "Tom Brittain", born Calne, July-Sept 1853, do you think this is Thomas?. I shall try to apply for this in the few days - I have quite a list of certificates to send for at present, and am gradually working my way through them. I know that like me you are very interested in images, so I hope you don't mind if I send you another, this was taken in Clevancy just after WW2, L to R: Mary Ann Comley (Annie - eldest child of Tryphena's), her husband Edwin Henry Diccox (Harry), Comley John Diccox (grandson), my mother, and then Comley Charles Diccox (Uncle Comley to me, and son of Annie and Harry). The little cottage was also the village shop - fortunately it is still there, quite unchanged but no longer a shop needless to say! Best wishes Peter |
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Hello Peter - thanks for you reply. I have continued using 1837online overnight and have confirmed a
suspicion of mine. If you remember, a year after Sarah was born to Ann (1848), William and Matilda had
a child Tryphena Brittain (1849). As I wondered, she did in fact die - 1851. The next female child born
to the 2 Brittain families (Matilda's and Ann's) was Tryphena Jane in 1855 - my G Grandmother. I have the BC for Sarah Brittain 1848 and as you say the father is left blank. But what does the parish register say for the 5 children who were baptised together in 1859? I thought this was what your friend had seen, or have I confused things? Ann Brittain was born in 1830, and William I believe 1834, so it seems unlikely that he would have been having a relationship with a girl who was 17/18 when he was just 14 - but who knows? However, if you let a few more years pass, say when Thomas was born he would be 19 and her 23, and for Tryphena 21 and 25 - far more likely. When they married in 1857 Ann was already pregnant with William (your Grandfather), perhaps William the elder was forced to marry Ann? Also interesting of course is that as far as I can see, William was the boy next door, I wouldn't mind betting it was William all along, possibly even for Sarah? If Sarah has no father on the records for their group baptism in 1859 then I think that should confirm William as the father for Thomas and Tryphena. As I say I am now going to look for the birth of Thomas. The DC for Ann does not say where she was buried. I doubt if LDS records will either. I think I am right in saying that the Mormons don't transcribe deaths because their aim is to baptise the ancestors of church members believing them to live on in the hereafter. I have this from one of my customers who is an elder in the Jehovah Witnesses. I have a couple more DCs which say "9 days" or "10 days" etc, this means their containment, from taking ill to dying - I think! Thanks for the 2 Brian Comley emails. I wonder if they realise that there is an area called "New Zealand" near Lyneham? Brian is the cousin of Andrew Mead (of Bristol) - Andrew Mead has a site called "Andrew Mead's Comley Family" - it is an astonishing piece of work. We all are all descended from the same John Comley born in Gt Somerford in about 1645. Whereas their ancestors moved further afield - mostly to South Wales, mine stayed close to that small area of Wiltshire. In fact it would seem that quite a lot of the Comleys still living in the Calne/Wootton Bassett area are in fact relatives - and some are descendants of Charles and Tryphena. Recently I found a message posted from somebody called Mandy McPhee, looking for her Great Grandfather Arthur George Comley of Calne, Andrew Mead responded and said he wasn't sure but was it could be Arthur George Comley of Swindon, born about 1880. In fact it is my mother's Uncle George born in Clevancy to Tryphena (his son Lenny is still alive and living in Calne). I have emailed her twice but have had no reply. Cheers Peter |
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I have two certificates that arrived this morning. One is for "Annes Brittain" died Studley, Bremhill,
1845 aged 70, informant Matilda Brittain. She is described as a "Singlewoman engaged in garden work
".I am assuming this is William Brittains mother, and that he was illegitimate?- but of course she could
be an Aunt, maybe his fathers sister? I also received a BC for Ernest Frederick Comley , my mothers cousin Fred. I am only telling you this because he too was born in the Calne workhouse, in March 1894 to Tryphenas's eldest daughter, Mary Ann Comley. Tryphena was herself 7 months pregnant with my Grandmother, Eleanor Kate, at the time. Ican only speculate what happened here-in time I will have to seek out the records from the Calne Workhouse. I may have found a death certificate for Mary Townsend [nee Davis], 1873 aged 67-I shall keep you informed. George Townsend is proving to be more elusive. Just a quick note...I have obtained a BC for Thomas. Tom Brittain, born Studley, Bremhill, 21 August 1853, motherAnn Briitain, father William Townsend Labourer. |
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Peter - it's rather late now, but I have made an interesting discovery. I have found Matilda Brittain
on the 1881 census - living back in Bremhill, aged 76, widowed. Her dwelling is listed as next to the
vicarage, or at least the next to be enumerated. Interestingly 2 doors the other way is Henry Slade and
his wife Rosanna. Other close neighbours are Samuel Slade, and Cornelius Townsend. Also Rummings and
Pontings..... all related names. I believe William Brittain died in 1872 - I will look into this more.
Regards Peter |