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  • Safe to add these?

    Perhap being a bit naive but on my 5 x great grandfathers Will, made in 1811, he splits his estate up equally between his children. However he also gives equal shares to the two sons of his 'house keeper' Hannah Burgess, namely William and Peter Burgess.

    5x g grandad, John Mears, was married in 1768 and widowed in 1780. Hannah Burgesses childrens baptisms are on the IGI. Significantly perhaps they were all born after John was widowed, and have no fathers name on the record, which seems to strongly suggest they were illegitmate:

    WILLIAM BURGESS - 10 AUG 1785 Bishops Waltham, Hampshire, England
    WILLIAM BURGESS - 21 SEP 1790 Bishops Waltham, Hampshire, England
    PETER BURGESS - 14 MAR 1792 Bishops Waltham, Hampshire, England

    Do you think given this and the will that there is enough evidence to add Peter and William to my tree as 4xgreat grandads half brothers?

  • #2
    might'nt the baptisms say who the father was?

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    • #3
      The IGI just has mother 'Hannah'. No father on record. Just checked the Bishops Transcripts too for them, as they are covered in Hackmans 1780-1810, and again just mother Hannah, no father given. Some of the other entries do include additional comments copied from the original register, so I don't think it's likely the original register does give a father.

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      • #4
        Sounds pretty much to me that they are illegitimate children. Might it be worth seeing if they were subject to a bastardy order? It might not have been necessary if they were all living in the same household and being supported as part of the family.
        Margaret

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        • #5
          It's the conclusion I would draw, and almost certainly his contemporaries too.

          I have a will from the 1830s where a childless man left some of his fortune to his late housekeeper's daughters. They were in their late twenties/early thirties and suddenly were snapped up in marriage by members of the family.

          Luckily, a personal letter survives which comments acidly on how much they inherited (massively overstated) and their singular likeness to the old man!
          Phoenix - with charred feathers
          Researching Skillings from Norfolk, Sworn from Salisbury and Adams in Malborough, Devon.

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          • #6
            I think I would still want to see the original baptism register - quite often the Vicar didn't pass on his little marginal comments to the Bishop!

            I have one which has the father's name pencilled faintly in above the child's name, not in the column for the father's name. As I already suspected the father this was useful confirmation.

            However, it does sound very likely he is the father, I agree. It would be a most kindly and understanding employer who allowed his housekeeper to produce not one but two illegitimate children whilst in his employment and allow her to keep both position and children!

            I also have a Will where the bulk of the fortune, and it was a fortune, was left to two children who appeared to be complete strangers, without any explanation. Took some digging but they turned out to be his illegitimate children, born to his second wife whilst both were still married to other people!

            OC

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