FRENCH family biographies 8 13 August 2006

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Dr G.M.W.Mann. Baytrees Burnhams Rd, Lt.Bookham Surrey, U.K. KT23 3AU geoff.mann@btinternet.com

8 Ann FRENCH 1711-1793

m John SPEAKMAN 1737

Ann was baptised at Sible Hedingham in 1711, son of Thomas, a farmer, and his wife Ann. The family moved to Gt.Yeldham shortly after, and in 1737, she married John SPEAKMAN at Toppesfield just 2 miles away.

They baptised one son at Gt Yeldham and another at Gt.Maplestead before moving to Gosfield where they remained for eight years between 1742 and 1750. Five more children were baptised there, though the last of them died young. John became overseer and churchwarden of Gosfield

In 1750 they moved to Terling or the adjacent parish of Gt.Leighs. Two more children were baptised at Gt Leighs. The family became prominent people in the parish of Terling, and John and Ann were both buried there in 1793 aged 88 and 82 respectively.

Their family erected a memorial on their grave inscribed "A father kind a mother dear, two faithful friends lie buried here"

EVENTS

C=Christened

age DATE AF JS

EVENT

30Sep1711 c1715 4 13Sep1737 26 32 16Jul1738 27 33 11Jun1740 29 35 26Jan1742 31 37 19Feb1744 33 39 3Nov1745 34 40 Feb1746 35 41 1746 35 41 5Nov1747 36 42 Apr1749 38 44 25May1749 38 44 4Oct1749 38 44 12Apr1752 41 47 28Jan1757 46 52 13Oct1757 46 52 10Dec1793 82 88 17Dec1793 82

Ann C at Sible Hedingham, da ofThomas & Ann FRENCH family moved to Gt Yeldham m John SPEAKMAN at Toppesfield son John C at Gt Yeldham son Thomas C at Gt.Maplestead son William C at Gosfield son Rober C at Gosfield dau Ann C at Gosfield John overseer at Gosfield John assessed for £2-15 poor rate at Gosfield son Stephen C at Gosfield John churchwarden at Gosfield for a year son Francis C at Gosfield son Francis buried at Gosfield dau Mary C at Gt.Leighs father Thomas' will proved; £40 to Ann son Frances C at Gt.Leighs John buried at Terling Ann buried at Terling

PRINCIPAL RECORDS

b=born m=married d=died

C=Christened B=Buried

BIRTH

Ann's gravestone at Terling gives her a burial age of 82 in 1794, so born c1712. From the 1754 will of Thomas FRENCH of Gt.Yeldham, her parents are known to be Thomas and Ann FRENCH and that she had a sister Mary and a brother John. There is a suitable baptism of John FRENCH at Gt Yeldham in 1715 but not of Ann or Mary. There is a suitable baptism of Ann however in the adjacent parish of Sible Hedingham, 3 miles from Gt Yeldham, and also of her sister Mary two years before that of Ann:

C 30Sep1711 Ann da Thos & Ann FRENCH at Sible Hedingham

There is a further baptism of Elisabeth in 1713 at Sible Hedingham, but no further mention of John & Ann in this parish; little doubt therefore that the family returned to Gt Yeldham for the baptism of John in 1715 and that this is the correct baptism of Ann.

MARRIAGE

Looking for the m of John SPEAKMAN & Ann who baptised their first child in 1740 at Gt.Maplestead. No suitable marriage found there or elsewhere, but there is a marriage at Toppesfield, 5 miles from Gt.Maplestead, 3 years previously between John SPEAKMAN & Mary FRENCH:

m 13Sep1737 John SPEAKMAN & Mary FRENCH at Toppesfield

The will of Thomas FRENCH of Gt.Yeldham (2 miles from Toppesfield) made in 1754 however refers to his daughter Ann SPAKEMAN; given the comparative rarity of the SPE(A)KMAN surname and the absence of any other suitable marriage, it seems likely that the Toppesfield register entry is an error, substituting Mary for Ann. The possibilty that John married Mary FRENCH first is ruled out by Thomas FRENCH's will which mentions his daughter Mary CHOATE.

DESCENDANTS

from Gt.Yeldham register

C 16Jul1738 John s John & Elizabeth SPAKEMAN

this baptism is just 9 months after the marriage of John & Ann at Toppesfield, 2 miles from Gt.Yeldham, and it will be assumed that Elizabeth is a register error for Ann; further support for this is given by a suitable burial of John SPEAKMAN in 1771 at Terling where John & Ann SPEAKMAN lived. No marriage of John SPEAKMAN to Elizabeth has been found

from Gt.Maplestead register

C 11Jun1740 Thomas s John & Ann SPEAKMAN [Ann overwritten on what looks like John]

from Gosfield register:

C 26Jan1742 William s John & Ann SPEKEMAN

C 19Feb1744 Robert s John & Ann SPECKMAN

C 3Nov1745 Ann d John & Ann SPEKEMAN

C 5Nov1747 Stephen s John & Anne SPEAKMAN

C 25May1749 Francis s John & Anne SPEAKMAN

B 4Oct1749 Francis s John & Ann SPEAKMAN

from Gt.Leighs register:

C 12Apr1752 Mary d John & Ann SPEAKMAN

C 13Oct1757 Frances s John & Ann SPEAKMAN

DEATH

from Terling register:

B 10Dec1793 John SPEAKMAN 88

B 17Dec1793 Ann SPEAKMAN

Terling MI (west side):

In memory of John SPEAKMAN who died 4Dec1793 aged 88 years also of Ann his wife who died 11Dec1794 aged 82 [B 1712]

A father kind a mother dear two faithful friends lie buried here"

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