The mystery of John Field
 

This emanates from my Jeffcoat family.

There was a long-running Chancery case involving the Purser and Jeffcoat families, amongst others. Samuel Purser had married his cousin Ann Jeffcoat in 1800. Ann was the daughter of my 4xgreat-grandparents, Joseph and Mary Jeffcoat from Upper Winchendon, Bucks., who were Quakers.

Some background:
Samuel and Ann farmed at Moreton-in-Marsh and thrived. Unfortunately, the couple was never blessed with children, but they were close to their nephews and nieces. There was another Purser-almost Jeffcoat marriage when Rebecca Jeffcoat Freeman, daughter of Ann's sister Rebecca, married Isaac Purser. Samuel Purser took the couple under his wing and bought a fam at Hook Norton for them to farm. Sadly, Rebecca died young, and Isaac remarried.

Meanwhile, Samuel Purser died in 1852 and Ann in 1853. Samuel's will stipulated that the farm at Hook should remain with Isaac for the rest of his life. When Isaac died in 1869 the will had to be sorted out, but a family member contested it and it went to Chancery.


The case wasn't settled until 1882, and some shares were unclaimed, including that of a John Field.

Apparently John Field was a mystery to most of the family, but it seems he was the product of a second marriage of one of the Jeffcoat girls. The candidate we have is that he was the son of Sarah (Jeffcoat) from a second marriage to John Field.

Sarah's first marriage was within the Quaker faith - she married William Hemmings in 1794 and they lived at Brailes in Warwickshire. Her two sons attended Ackworth School in Yorkshire. However, William Hemmings died in 1801.

When Sarah's mother, Mary Jeffcoat, died in 1828, Sarah Hemmings is only mentioned in the will in relation to her daughter Hannah Hemmings. There is no mention of the surname Field and no indication of whether Sarah is still living or not.

I've never established what happened to Sarah or anything about John Field.

There is a marriage for a Sarah Hemmings and John Field in 1813 at Meppershall, Bedfordshire, but I have yet to find a birth for a son John Field.

Do you know that this Sarah was a widow at her marriage?

When was Sarah born, Elizabeth? I'm wondering what is the latest date that she could have had children? Also is the John Field / Sarah Hemmings marriage in 1813 a Quaker one or C of E?

Hi Merry and Kate,

Sarah was born in 1772 in Upper Winchendon and her records are entered in the Upper Side Meeting. (Bucks.)

She married William Hemmings on 14 July 1794 and he died on 17 June 1801 at Brailes, Warwickshire. They had 3 children - John, Joseph Jeffcoat and Hannah. Joseph Jeffcoat Hemmings was a grocer and sausage maker in Oxford, John died in the USA in 1827 and Hannah married later in life to a William Simcox.

I have just found the relevant passage in Samuel Purser's will:

"Upon trust after paying and retaining thereout all expensces of and incidental to the Sale and realization of such real estate and conveying same to the purchasers thereof to pay and divide such monies unto between and amongst my Brother Richard Purser my Sister Elizabeth Johnson and all and every my nephews and nieces who shall be born in my lifetime the Sons and Daughters of my said Brother Richard Purser my said Sister Elizabeth Johnson my deceased Brothers William Purser John Purser Joseph Purser and Robert Purser and of my deceased Sisters Hannah Purser and Ann Fisher and the nephews and nieces who shall be born in my lifetime of my said wife Ann Purser the Sons and Daughters of my said Wife’s Brothers Daniel Jeffcoat of her two Sisters Sarah Field Hannah Freeman and Rebecca Freeman in equal shares and proportions on their severally attaining the age of twenty one years"

The marriage of a Sarah Hemmings and John Field is on the IGI:

Name: John Field
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Age:
Spouse's Name: Sarah Hemmings
Spouse's Birth Date:
Spouse's Birthplace:
Spouse's Age:
Event Date: 19 Mar 1813
Event Place: Meppershall, Bedford, England
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M00378-2

It doesn't appear to be a Quaker marriage.
This is the marriage my Purser contact found, but I don't know how convinced he was either!
I would have thought an earlier marriage more likely.

Found the following.

Warwickshire Land Tax records for 1805 have a Saml Field as an occupant of Thos Hemming.

Daniel Field married Mary Hemmings in Brailes on 1 September 1835.

1851 census

Brailes

James Hemmings, 64, head, cooker, b Brailes
Sarah Hemmings, 64, wife, b Marston, Gloucester
Henry Field, 28, son-in-law, watchmaker, b Brailes
Eliza Field, 24, daughter, b Brailes
Frederic Field, 2, grandson, b Brailes

1861 census

Brailes

Daniel Field, 46, head, tailor and draper, b Brailes
Mary Field, 50, wife, b Brailes
Eliza A Field, 12, b Braikes
Sarah Hemmings, 74, mother-in-law, b Kidderminster, Worcs
Eliza Harris, 14, servant, b Brailes

Thanks, Shona.

I can't see where this Sarah would tie in with my family.
James Hemmings might have been a relation of Sarah's husband, William.

Off to the shops, so not ignoring anyone who posts in the next half hour or so!

My family friend has a tentative death for Sarah Field in Southwark.

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin...028&recoff=6+7

I don't know whether he has the death certificate too.
I'm trying in vain to establish whether this is Sarah (Jeffcoat or Hemmings) Field from my tree without buying the certificate.

This Sarah was living at Suffolk Street at the time of her death, which I can't find on the 1841 Census. More questions than answers! Edit: Will try Great Suffolk Street.

(Note: I bought the will of a Sarah Field of Southwark from the TNA site yesterday, but I should have looked more closely at the date as it was just before the death of the Sarah above.)

AHA! I found this on the National Archives website:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/A...er15&cid=-1#-1

[no title] ER 15/12/4 29 October 1818

Contents:
Draft release by John Hemmings, Warwick, woolcomber, eldest son and heir of William Hemmings late of Lower Brailes, Warks., deceased and Sarah Field, Compton, Bedford, widow of John, deceased and formerly wife then widow of said William Hemmings, deceased to Job Swetman, Sibford Gower, Oxon., tailor and Joseph Ashby Gillett, Brailes, Warks., gent., his trustee, for £80 of messuage and appurtenances in Sibford Gower in occupations of William Norton, William Applebee and Ann Applebee.


The early Jeffcoats came from Sibfod Gower.

Do you read this as Sarah being deceased, or just John Field?

I can't make up my mind.:(

There is also this:

ER 12/19/25 26 February 1811

Contents:
Memorandum of Agreement between Sarah Hemmings, Shipston-on-Stour, widow and Richard Hemmings for the sale, for £160 of her life interest in estates at Burmington under the will of her late husband.