Family Connections in Northamptonshire

Quaker Records

Northampton Quarterly Quaker Meeting Records
FHL #811721

A collection of the sufferings of the people called Quakers... by Joseph Besse
FHL #599671

Family Names
Ashby | Boone | Butcher | Gill | Haddon | Hopkins | Warner
Vital Statistics

As I was researching my family lines, especially the Hopkins and Haddon families, I began to notice mention of Northamptonshire locations, especially in the records of marriages. For example, a William Hopkins married an Ann Warner on 11da 1mo 1696/7. His father was William Hopkins, yeoman, deceased, from Farthingstone, Northamptonshire. Her father was Isaac Warner, deceased, cooper, from Whitechappell, London. (From London & Middlesex QM Records, p 339.)

Then I checked the IGI for Hopkinses and Haddons in Northamptonshire, and found many there. I found Matthew Haddon (John Haddon's father) and a number of other Haddons, and a large number of Hopkinses. I began to suspect that both families might have emigrated to London from Northamptonshire, and had known one another there through proximity and their membership in the Society of Friends (Quakers).

Following is some data I found in the Northampton Quarterly Meeting records about these and other related families:

The Ashby Families

A surname prominently mentioned in the records was the Ashby family. John Ashby of Bugbrook married Mary Gamage on 11da 11mo 1671.

Husband: John Ashby
Born: Abt 1645 in: England
Died: 1-Sep-1728 in: Northamptonshire, England
Wife: Mary Gamage
Married: 11-Jan-1672 in: Bugbrook, Northamptonshire, England
Born: Abt 1653 in: England
Died: 19-Jan-1734 in: Northamptonshire, England
Children:
1 Robert Ashby b. 14-Nov-1673 d. 9-May-1767
2 Jane Ashby b. 12-Apr-1676
3 Mary Ashby b. 2-Jan-1681
4 Elizabeth Ashby b. 26-Dec-1682
5 Hannah Ashby b. 12-Jun-1685
6 Sarah Ashby b. 15-Sep-1687
7 Alice Ashby b. 5-Dec-1688
8 Alice Ashby (2nd) b. 8-Dec-1689
9 Joseph Ashby b. 31-Jan-1691
10 Anna Ashby b. 24-Sep-1692 d. 28-Jan-1693
11 John Ashby b. 22-Jul-1695 d. ??-Nov-1695

There were Ashbys in Bugbrook before this family, but there isn't enough information in the Quaker records to put them into a family group. Please see the death records for the names of earlier Ashbys.

In a document titled The Voice of the Innocent uttered forth: or The Call of the Harmless and Oppressed for Justice and Equity published in London in 1665, is a description of a trial on 6th day 2nd month 1665 at the castle of Northampton of four people who were charged as a result of attending a Quaker meeting in Robert Ashby's house in Bugbrook. The four charged were William Robinson, Richard Parsons, John Coory, and Elizabeth Harris. The document says that numerous others were at the same meeting, but weren't charged in this trial. The four were found guilty, and Robinson was sentenced to transportation to Jamaica for seven years, unless he paid a fine of £100 by the end of the Sessions. The rest were returned to prison. The judge in this case was Richard Rainsford; the jurors were "William Smith, William Blisse, Nathaniel Blisse, Robert Bartles, Robert Barber, William Smalbone (? not clear), Thomas Henchman, &c."

The Boone Families

I always record any Boones I find when I'd doing research, even though I may be looking for other surnames. There were Boones in Northamptonshire during this time, living in Corby and Kettering. Emanuel Boone of Corby married Elizabeth Mutton of Geddington on 28da 2mo 1689 in Brigstock. There was also a Thomas Boone and his wife Mary in Kettering, for whom I found no marriage record.

The records for these families are included in the vital statistics databases referred to below.

The Butcher Families

Mary Hopkins, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah, married Edward Butcher, a tallow chandler, in 1729. He had been apprenticed to London tallow chandler Daniel Dale in 1712 for 7 years.

Edward and Mary apparently had no children. In their wills, they identified several relatives, all living in or near Northamptonshire. I also found the will of Edward's father, John Butcher, yeoman of Althorp. It names his wife, children, and other people. Here is a register report in pdf format for Edward's father and the children identified in his and Edward's will.

I found a number of Butchers listed in the Sufferings. Here is a list in rtf format of those I found, some of whom were in Northamptonshire.

The Gill Families

When I began looking through the Quaker records, I also found some of the Gill family. In one of his letters to his daughter Elizabeth, John Haddon referred to John Gill of Haddonfield as his nephew. I found the marriage record of Anne Haddon, daughter of Matthew and Phillipiah Haddon, to John Gill on 19da 9mo 1685.

Husband: John Gill
Born: Abt 1660
Occupation: Husbandman
Wife: Anne Haddon
Married: 19-Nov-1685 in: Northampton, Northamptonshire, England
Born: 11-Oct-1657 in: Hardingstone, Northamptonshire, England
Died: ??-___-1718
Buried: 13-Mar-1718 in: Northampton, Northamptonshire, England
Father: Matthew Haddon
Mother: Philippiah Marriott
Children:

1 John Gill Born: Bef 1689
2 William Gill Born: 29-Apr-1693
3 George Gill Born: 19-Jun-1698

The Haddon Families

Besides the Matthew Haddon family of Hardingstone, there was also a Haddon family living in Bugbrook. Thomas Haddon married Alice Ashby on 16da 2mo 1671 at the Bugbrook Meeting.

Husband: Thomas Haddon
Born: Abt 1648 in: England
Wife: Alice Ashby
Married: 16-Apr-1671 in: Bugbrook, Northamptonshire, England
Born: Abt 1650 in: England
Children:

1 Ann Haddon Born: 19-Jan-1672
2 Hannah Haddon Born: 5-Mar-1673
3 Elizabeth Haddon Born: 1-Jul-1677

There was a mention of a Thomas Haddon, who might have been another child of Thomas and Alice, but there wasn't enough information to make the connection.

I found the birth record for Anne Haddon, and the death record for Phillippa Haddon (bur. 3da 2mo 1707, Hardingstone), but no record of the death of Matthew or of their marriage.

I also found a death record for Sarah Haddon (13da 8mo 1675, Bugbrook) but nothing about her parents or husband. She might have been a daughter of Thomas and Alice Haddon.

The Hopkins Families

As to the Hopkins families, I found a disappointingly small number of records about them in this meeting. The main family I was able to find was that of William Hopkins of Bugbrook and Grace Arnold.

Husband: William Hopkins
Born: Abt 1643
Wife: Grace Arnold
Married: 19-Nov-1668 in: Northamptonshire, England
Born: Abt 1645
Children:

1 Grace Hopkins Born: 16-Feb-1670
2 Sarah Hopkins Born: 29-Dec-1672
3 Mary Hopkins Born: 18-Sep-1676
4 Anne Hopkins Born: 13-Oct-1679
5 Elizabeth Hopkins Born: 13-Oct-1679

It has been suggested that William Hopkins of Southwark was born in Northamptonshire and emigrated to the London area as a young man. I've found no evidence to support that theory so far.

I did find some Hopkinses from Northamptonshire listed in the book A collection of the sufferings of the people called Quakers. These were two Henry Hopkinses (in 1663 from Muskut, and in 1679) and one William Hopkins from Bugbrook (1663). There were also these Haddons: Elizabeth (wife of Philip), Matthew, and Philip (all in 1662 from Hardingstone).

The Warner Families

One of the other surnames I researched was Warner. They were well documented in the Quaker records. The family lived in or near Kettering for a long period of time. The earliest family I found was that of George Warner and Agnes Hackney, married on 20da 3mo 1665.

Husband: George Warner
Born: Abt 1640 in: England
Died: 10-May-1710 in: Kettering, Northamptonshire, England
Wife: Agnes Hackney
Married: 20-May-1665 in: Kettering, Northamptonshire, England
Born: Abt 1640 in: England
Died: 21-Aug-1710 in: Kettering, Northamptonshire, England
Children:

1 George Warner Born: 26-Sep-1666
2 Edward Warner Born: 14-Apr-1670
3 James Warner Born: 14-Aug-1672
4 Joseph Warner Born: 11-Oct-1674
5 William Warner Born: 4-Dec-1677
6 John Warner Born: 24-Feb-1680
7 Samuel Warner Born: 7-Nov-1681
8 Susanna Warner Born: 15-Oct-1682
9 Thomas Warner

Other Sources of Information

Some time ago, I had a chance to see The Victoria History of the County of Northamptonshire, from that series of histories of the counties of England. I was disappointed in it because it contained no information about my own ancestors, but it did contain some useful background information about the county, the more prominent families, and the historic homes and churches.

Links to Northampton Quaker Data

Births Marriages Deaths

See also Southwark Monthly Meeting records.


Northamptonshire Parish Records

I've also transcribed a number of records from several Northamptonshire parishes. Please see this page for the transcriptions and other information from non-Quaker sources.

This file was last updated on 9/30/2018.

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