Blasted Bodycotes again!

[Anstey Nomad]

Still battling with the Bodycotes, but have made no real progress in the last 12 months.

We still need to find if there is any connection between Charles Bodycote (b Berhampore Bengal 1821) and Robert and Henry Bodycote, allegedly born in St Lucia in the years immediately following. It is physically impossible for these three to be brothers, although everybody researching this line assumes they are, and I have not yet been able to identify the fathers of the other two.

We still need to find the forebears of Ann Elizabeth Beckwith (Charles Bodycote's mother), born Madras c1803 and whether she has any family connection to the Mr Beckwith who was Registrar of BMD in Leeds in 1881 and officiated at the wedding of Ann Elizabeth's grand-daughter. I have her marriage entry, but annoyingly it gives no details of the parents of either Ann Elizabeth or her husband Joseph Bodycote.

I posted on another forum about the St Lucia end and got a lot of irrelevant stuff back, but I did get this:

"Leicester Chronicle 9th May 1829

Joseph Bodycote was brought up for leaving his wife and family chargeable to St Leonards parish. It appeared that the defendant had offended four different times in this respect, and had cost the parish about twenty pounds. He brought his wife from the East Indies, and has since been cohabiting with another woman, who has had one child, and is again pregnant by him. The prisoner was sentenced to hard labour for three months."

That's my Joseph (4 x GGF) all right and this makes sense of all the census entries.

I'm now venturing into unknown territory, but presumably if he'd abandoned his wife and family to the parish there will be something in the Poor Law books or whatever they're called?

Would someone be able to clarify this and/or point me in the right direction?

I have a week's leave coming up and could spend the day in the Record Office.

Thanks

AN

[kiterunner]

I was going to say the nearest I can see on FamilySearch is Elizabeth Beckworth born 16 Jun 1805 Madras, baptised 29 Jun 1805 Ft St George, Madras, parents John and Elizabeth, but I see they have her listed as plain Elizabeth on the marriage to Joseph Bodycott, so it (the Elizabeth Beckworth entry) looks much likelier to be her than I thought. Does it say Ann Elizabeth on the actual marriage entry?

Edit - they also have her as just Elizabeth on Charles and Amelia's baptisms.

[Anstey Nomad]

She is Elizabeth Beckwith of Fort William, spinster on the marriage entry and she is known merely as Elizabeth thereafter until she dies in Leicester in 1884.

We got the Ann Elizabeth b Tamil Nadu 1803 from the IGI. The 1803 birth would tie in with the quoted age through to death.

AN

[Anstey Nomad]

Currently searching the Record Office catalogue to see if they have any Poor Law stuff - what key words should I be using. I've tried Parish Relief and Poor Law and nothing's coming up?

AN

[kiterunner]

Originally Posted by Anstey Nomad

She is Elizabeth Beckwith of Fort William, spinster on the marriage entry and she is known merely as Elizabeth thereafter until she dies in Leicester in 1884.

We got the Ann Elizabeth b Tamil Nadu 1803 from the IGI. The 1803 birth would tie in with the quoted age through to death.

AN

I would think she's that Elizabeth whose birth I found, then.

[Mary from Italy]

I have the Leics Poor Law CD, but I can't find anything that seems to be relevant to your people; there are several Bodycotes, with different spellings, but not a Joseph.

The index contains the following collections, plus a name index:

Leicester Division Bastardy Book 1844-1874
Order Books Bastardy 1678-1832
Order Books Removal & Settlement 1678-1832
Quarter Sessions 1714-1844 - Surname

Anyway, as it's an unusual name, if you'd like to send me a PM with your e-mail address, I can send you the Bodycote entries from the disc.

There's a Poor Law card index at the Record Office in Wigston (in the second room, not the one with the fiche readers); I assume the CD I have contains what's on the card index, but I'm not sure, so it's probably worth a visit to the RO anyway.

[kiterunner]

Originally Posted by Anstey Nomad

whether she has any family connection to the Mr Beckwith who was Registrar of BMD in Leeds in 1881 and officiated at the wedding of Ann Elizabeth's grand-daughter.

1881 census:
10 Byron St., Leeds
George Beckwith Head Mar 65 Registrar Birth Death Mar York Leeds
Eleanor Do Wife Mar 57 Middlesex Shadwell
Thomas Do Son Visitor Mar 31 Printer / News Agent Yorkshire Leeds

[kiterunner]

Originally Posted by Anstey Nomad

We got the Ann Elizabeth b Tamil Nadu 1803 from the IGI. The 1803 birth would tie in with the quoted age through to death.

AN

That's just a submitted entry and since it has no details of her parents but does give her husband's name, it isn't taken from a baptism or birth registration but surmised from the information that they had about her from her marriage etc.

[kiterunner]

There are some John Beckwith military records on findmypast including one born 1779 Middleton, Yorkshire. I haven't got a sub to check whether he served in India.

[kiterunner]

Possible baptism for George Beckwith the registrar is 4 Jul 1816 St Peter Leeds, parents Thomas and Hannah.