Wright Genealogy  

26 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

 

 

 

 

 

5 Richard WRIGHT 1767-1841

 

 

m Mary HARRY 1792

 

 

 

 

 

Richard WRIGHT was born in 1767 in Mousehole and became a fisherman, probably like his father before him.

 

He married a Mary HARRY at the parish church when he was 25, and they had six children including twins.

 

Mary died in 1832, but Richard outlived her for nine years.  Richard’s death was attributed simply to old age, and the death was registered by his son John.

 

Both Mary and Richard were buried in Paul churchyard

 

 

 

EVENTS

 

 

 

           age

 DATE     RW MH

 

EVENT

 3Mar1767

15Nov1792 25 25

14Jul1793 26 26

11Oct1795 28 28

 8Jul1798 31 31

 8Aug1800 33 33

15Jun1806 39 39

24Apr1808 41 41

 1Jny1832 65 65

 6Jun1841 74

17Sep1841 75

19Sep1841 75

Richard baptised at Paul, son of Martin and Anne

Richard married Mary HARRY at Paul

son Rd baptised at Paul – died young       

son Richard baptised at Paul

son Benjamin baptised at Paul

son John baptised at Paul

dau Mary baptised at Paul

twin sons Charles and Frederick baptised at Paul

wife Mary buried at Paul

with son Charles and his family at Mousehole; Richard was a fisherman

Richard died “of old age” at Mousehole; his son John present at death

Richard buried at Paul

 

 

 

 

 

PRINCIPAL RECORDS

 

 

b=born  m=married  d=died

C=Christened      B=Buried

 

BIRTH

 

Richard was married in 1792, so a birth date around 1770 or before is expected and from the 1841 census he was born c1769.  His age at burial however gives a birth year of around 1757, but as discussed below, this is considered to be unreliable.  Moreover, there are no suitable baptisms at Paul for Richard c1757, but there are two possible baptisms c1769:

 

C 3Mar1767 Richard  s Martin  & Anne WRIGHT

C18Feb1771 Richard  s Thomas  & Phillis WRIGHT;  B 14Sep1771 Richard WRIGHT

C 1Nov1772 Richard  s Thomas  & Phillis WRIGHT

 

Richard did not name any of his children Martin, Anne, Thomas or Phillis, so a birth outside Paul has to be considered.   However, there are no suitable baptisms in the Cornwall IGI other than the three listed above, so it will be assumed at present that Richard was born to Martin & Anne or to Thomas & Phillis.  There is only one suitable marriage at Paul for these two Richards, and the other Richard probably died in 1787:   B28Dec1787 Rd WRIGHT.

 

The only guide to the correct baptism at present available is the name of the witness to Richard’s marriage: Martin WRIGHT.  His handwriting appeared similar to the witness of the same name to the marriages of Martin WRIGHT and Sarah WRIGHT:

 

m 30Apr1791 Sarah WRIGHT spr otp        & John TREWAVAS otp bb    w: Martin WRIGHT; Benedict CARVASOE

m 16Jul1791 Martin WRIGHT otp fisherman & Grace TREEVE spr otp bb w: Martin WRIGHT; John WRIGHT

m 15Nov1792 Richard WRIGHT otp          & Mary_x_HARRY otp bb     w: Benjn._HARRY; Martin WRIGHT

 

It is probable that this Martin WRIGHT was the father of the groom or bride in each case and therefore Sarah, Martin and Richard were siblings; it gives considerable confidence to this analysis that there are in fact suitable baptisms for Sarah, Martin and Richard, all children of Martin and Anne.  The other witness to the last marriage, Benjamin HARRY, was Mary’s father

 

the records of the family of Thomas & Phillis are as follows:

 

C 25Apr1743 Thomas  s Martin  & Mary WRIGHT

m 19Feb1770 Thomas WRIGHT otp fisherman & Phillis x WILLIS spr otp bb w:Peter WILLIS Henry PENTREATH

C  1Nov1772 Richard        s Thomas     & Phillis WRIGHT;   ? B28Dec1787 Rd WRIGHT

C  8Dec1774 Phillis        d Thomas     & Phillis WRIGHT

            ?m29Dec1798 Phillis WRIGHT otp & John HUMPHRY otp bb w:Joseph BEADEN William HARRY

C 21Apr1777 Elizabeth      d Thomas     & Phillis WRIGHT

            ?m 1Jny1799 Elizabeth WRIGHT otp & Richard PENTREATH otp bb w:John WRIGHT Samuel WRIGHT

B 22Oct1779 Thomas WRIGHT

m  6Nov1781 Phillis x WRIGHT wid otp & Joseph BEADEN otp fisherman bb w:Stepn BARNES Richard JASPER

 

Unfortunately, Thomas died before any of his children were married, so there is no confirmation of these marriages by his name as witness

 

In the absence of further evidence, it will be assumed, on the basis of Martin’s signature as a witness to the three marriages, that Richard-5 was the son of Martin & Anne, baptised 1767

 

 

MARRIAGE

 

John Richard-4 was baptised at Paul in 1800, son of Richard & Mary.  A series of baptisms to these parents is preceded by the following marriage:

from Paul parish register:

 

m 15Nov1792 Richard WRIGHT otp & Mary_x_HARRY otp by banns w: Benjn._HARRY Martin WRIGHT

 

Richard is a less common name in the WRIGHT family at Mousehole, and there is no reason to doubt that this is the correct marriage.  There is no other Richard WRIGHT/Mary marriage at Paul before 1800 and John-4 named two of his children Richard and Mary

 

DESCENDANTS

from Paul register

 

C 14Jul1793 Rd        s Richard & Mary WRIGHT

C 11Oct1795 Richard   s Richard & Mary WRIGHT

C  8Jul1798 Benjamin  s Richard & Mary WRIGHT

C  8Aug1800 John      s Richard & Mary WRIGHT

C 15Jun1806 Mary      d Richard & Mary WRIGHT

C 24Apr1808 Charles   twin s Richard & Mary WRIGHT

C 24Apr1808 Frederick twin s Richard & Mary WRIGHT

 

m  6Feb1831 Charles WRIGHT otp & Elizabeth Ellis BOYENS otp by banns; w Peter HOLARTH{?}, Rich PENTREATH

 

 

DEATH

 

From his marriage and last baptism date, Richard must have been born before c1775, probably around 1770, and died after 1800; there are only two possible burials of Richard WRIGHT in the Paul register meeting these criteria:

 

B 17Sep1801 Rd WRIGHT mar 58 Mousehole dropsy [b1743]

B 19Sep1841 Richard WRIGHT Mousehole 84 [b1757]

 

however the death certificate for the Richard buried in 1841 gives a different age:

 

d 17Sep1841 Richard WRIGHT, fisherman, 75 [b1766] at Mousehole, Paul of old age

r 18Sep1841 at Penzance, Cornwall by John WRIGHT of Mousehole, Paul pad

 

the first burial gives a marriage age of 49, whereas the death certificate age gives a far more likely marriage age of 26.   The only possible entry for this Richard in the 1841 census for Mousehole gives him an age of 72 in line with the death certificate and he is living with Charles and Elizabeth who are almost certainly his son and daughter-in-law, as there is a suitable Charles/Elizabeth marriage at Paul: m 6Feb1831 Charles WRIGHT otp & Elizabeth Ellis BOYENS otp by banns; w Peter HOLARTH{?}, Rich PENTREATH.  This supports the census and death certificate as referring to Richard-5.  The informant on the death certificate is probably Richards’ son.

 

There is a suitable baptism for the Richard buried in 1801: C 6Nov1743 Richard  s Martin  jun & Mary WRIGHT

 

 

Mary HARRY was baptised in 1767, and there is only one burial of Mary WRIGHT at Paul which gives this birth date:

 

B 1Jny1832 Mary WRIGHT Mousehole 65 [b1767]

 

 

CENSUS

1841 Mousehole HO107/143/10 f34

 

Richard    WRIGHT             72  1769    fisherman                                       y

Charles    WRIGHT             30  1811    fisherman                                       y

Elizabeth  WRIGHT             30  1811                                                    y

Elinor     WRIGHT             6   1835                                                    y

Mary       WRIGHT             4   1837                                                    y

 

 

 

 

 

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