The HEARD Family
As we have seen, Catherine Gillam married WILLIAM HEARD 15th November 1756 at Countesthorpe. The Heard family had lived in the village since WILLIAM HEARD married ELIZABETH ASEN [ASTON] on 22nd July 1680.
I believe that William was a younger son of JOHN and JONE HURD of Beaumont Leys. John was a Yeoman, he left sizeable bequests to his children, who were all under 20 when he died in1671. William Heard named his first daughter Jone in 1685, she could have been named after his mother. A descendant of John and Jone, Jane Heard married a Tilley at Leicester in 1710, and William's son John married a Susannah Tilley of Wigston. There are 2 listed Heard family tombs in Anstey churchyard, they would be the Beaumont Leys branch; John Hurd of Thurcaston, a yeoman, took out a mortgage on land purchased from the Coltman family at Wigston in 1737. This is in Congregational Records; the Beaumont Leys church records are scrappy and some of them seem to have been Non-Conformist. William was a landowner, like the Beaumont Leys family who once owned Beaumont House and lands. William voted in 1719 for Francis Mundy Esq.
Wiliiam and Elizabeth had 9 children at Countesthorpe between 1685 and 1701, 5 of them survived: John, William, Elizabeth, Terre[ingham], and Mary who married Robert Bellamy. One of their sons was named TERINGHAM, he was baptised on 6th June 1696. He married Mary Hall on 23rd November 1731. 6 months later, Mary was buried in Countesthorpe churchyard. Teringham soon remarried ALICE, their first child being WILLIAM* who was baptised on 26th May 1734. Gabriel, Elizabeth, John, Joseph and Sarah followed, being baptised between 1736 and 1748. Teringham also had a vote in Guthlaxton Hundred. In 1741 he voted for Waring Ashby.
*William married CATHERINE GILLAM at Countesthorpe on 15th November 1756. They both signed the Register, so were educated. Their first child was William in 1757, followed by Thomas in 1759 and Teringham in 1761. From Catherine's Will in 1825 we know that they also had a daughter, Mary, baptised at Wigston in 1768, and 2 more sons: Gillam, born ca. 1776 [1841 Census]; Joseph, born 1773 at Wigston Magna [1851 Census ] a but I haven't found their births/baptisms, but it would seem the family had moved to Wigston by 1768
William's uncle William had moved to Wigston Magna, where he married Elizabeth Jackson in 1716. They had one daughter, Elizabeth, who inherited the family's messuage and tenement, yard, garden, orchard, buildings and edifices in Wigston, and 1/2 yardland. (Will of Elizabeth Hurd, widow, in 1762). If she had no heirs it was to go to William and Elizabeth's nephews: William Heard, William Bellamy and Robert Brewin was to have £30. William's father, Terringham, was one of the Guardians and Trustees.
William and Catherine Heard also moved to Wigston Magna.
WILLIAM HEARD was born on 16th April 1803, according to the entry made in our family Bible [now held by Judith Taylor of Birkenhead, widow of Alan Taylor]. It is difficult to pin down his parents; Joseph and Mary Heard are the best candidates as their son William was baptised on 18th April 1803. However, an entry in Familysearch has his burial on 23rd of April, but this is a private family tree so must be suspect. Another contender is William, the son of William Heard, as mentioned in the Will of his grandmother, Catherine Heard. A further complication is that the Wigston Heards sometimes baptised their children at Congregational or Independant chapels. Tyrringham baptised 2 of his children there, one being William in 1802 who died the same year. There are other Heards, apparently born at Wigston, for whom there are no birth or baptism records, at least online, so maybe they were lax about baptism. One tenuous link could be through appearance; William and Catherine's son Thomas was a career soldier. His service records record him as having dark hair and hazel eyes; William has the same description in his army records as does his son William. The colouring is the same for Alan Keats and his son Peter.
Our William went to be a soldier, joining Her Majesty's Royal Regiment of Artillery on 12th December, 1823 at the age of 20. He was a gunner and served 23 years, 6 in Nova Scotia and 8 in Canada. The rest would have been at Woolwich. He applied for a Chelsea Pension in 1847; the reason being, he had got very wet and cold when stationed at Montreal in 1837 after being forced to get into the water when their boat ran into sandbank, and he had suffered Rheumatics ever since. His conduct over 23 years was described as Exemplary, he had never appeared in the Default Book. He wore 5 distinguishing marks for good conduct: 2 in 1839, 1 in 1844, 2 in 1844. Perhaps one was for saving the horses at a burning Mission, where he was awarded our Family Bible in gratitude. On his Discharge, he was described as being 42, a Stockingmaker, height 5' 83/4", dark hair, hazel eyes and dark complexion.
While in Nova Scotia, the Regiment was based at Halifax and it was here that William fell for SARAH JANE WATT. She was born at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 16th February 1810. Although we don't have written evidence, Sarah was a Canadian Indian, or at least her mother was; she would most likely have been Miq'Maq as these were the only Indian tribe in Nova Scotia at the time, part of the Algonquin nation. It was known in the family, we were told as children although we didn't know then who she was. But more than that: Sarah herself recounted her memories to her daughter, Julia, of shooting the rapids with her mother in a canoe. Her grandson, Maxwell, recalled being asked in the street if he knew his grandma was an Indian; when he asked his mother Julia about this, she burst into tears. Apparently, she had tried to keep it quiet. But Max had thought the old lady a little strange; she squatted on the floor rather than sit on a chair, surrounded by bright-coloured blankets and weaving baskets. The neighbours said she was very dark, and didn't speak to them. She was a Framework Knitter like her husband after they had settled back in Wigston, living at Barrack Yard, then Moat St., before living at Newgate End.
William and Sarah's first son, William, was born at Halifax at 5.30 am on the 18th September, 1828. William senior does not record the marriage of him and Sarah in the family Bible. I suspect he was away when his son was born. Their marriage was recorded thus: 'William Heard RA married Sarah Watt on 18th Feruary, 1829 at St. Matthew's Presbyterian Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia'.
You can see William and Sarah's travels in the Army by the births and deaths of their subsequent children: Sarah jnr., born in Georges Island, Halifax in October 1831, died at Woolwich in November 1833; Charles, born at Woolwich in April 1834 and died at Kingston, Canada West in November 1841; Thomas, born at Quebec in November 1836; Jane, born at Kingston in February 1846; Hariet, born at Kingston in June 1843, died at Woolwich October 1843: Elizabeth, born at Woolwich in March 1845, died at Wigston in September 1851: JULIA was born at Great Wigston (W. Magna) 6th December 1847 at 11.30pm: Arthur, born May 1851 at Great Wigston.
An entry at the bottom of the family list in the Bible records that ' William Heard Jun. went to his trade of boot and shoe maker the 25th August 18 43'. It would seem he had other ideas though, because in 1846 he enlisted in the Royal Artillery at Woolwich as a gunner and driver, giving his trade as shoemaker. He was promoted to Corporal in 1849, Sergeant in 1855 and Battery Sergeant Major in 1862. He saw service in Mauritius, Crimea and Halifax NS, eventually applying for a Chelsea Pension in 1867.
Thomas, their second son, was baptised at the Anglican Garrison at Quebec. He married Harriett Brewin in 1860. They lived in Bell St., Wigston where Thomas was a Framework Knitter. By 1881 he was Manager of Workshops & Rate Collecter. Thomas and Harriett had 3 daughters: Mary. Julia and Sarah.
Jane was born at Kingston, Canada West on 23rd February 1846. She married Edward Cooper.
Arthur became a Carpenter; his son, William, was killed in WW1, Oct. 5th, 1915; He won the British medal, the Victory medal and the Star. His name is commemorated on the Loos Memorial in France.
Their daughter Elizabeth died in 1851 at Wigston.
Their daughter JULIA was born at Wigston on 6th December 1847 at 11:30 pm. As a young woman she was a Stitcher in the hosiery trade, perhaps working with her father. Alfred Alexander Keats came into her life, possibly because he worked on the railways as a Railway Detective. She eloped to marry him and they were wed at the Parish Church of Ovenden, Yorkshire on 10th October 1871. Julia gave her father's name as John, either because she didn't know it, or perhaps so that their marriage would not be discovered, though both were of full age.
I believe that William was a younger son of JOHN and JONE HURD of Beaumont Leys. John was a Yeoman, he left sizeable bequests to his children, who were all under 20 when he died in1671. William Heard named his first daughter Jone in 1685, she could have been named after his mother. A descendant of John and Jone, Jane Heard married a Tilley at Leicester in 1710, and William's son John married a Susannah Tilley of Wigston. There are 2 listed Heard family tombs in Anstey churchyard, they would be the Beaumont Leys branch; John Hurd of Thurcaston, a yeoman, took out a mortgage on land purchased from the Coltman family at Wigston in 1737. This is in Congregational Records; the Beaumont Leys church records are scrappy and some of them seem to have been Non-Conformist. William was a landowner, like the Beaumont Leys family who once owned Beaumont House and lands. William voted in 1719 for Francis Mundy Esq.
Wiliiam and Elizabeth had 9 children at Countesthorpe between 1685 and 1701, 5 of them survived: John, William, Elizabeth, Terre[ingham], and Mary who married Robert Bellamy. One of their sons was named TERINGHAM, he was baptised on 6th June 1696. He married Mary Hall on 23rd November 1731. 6 months later, Mary was buried in Countesthorpe churchyard. Teringham soon remarried ALICE, their first child being WILLIAM* who was baptised on 26th May 1734. Gabriel, Elizabeth, John, Joseph and Sarah followed, being baptised between 1736 and 1748. Teringham also had a vote in Guthlaxton Hundred. In 1741 he voted for Waring Ashby.
*William married CATHERINE GILLAM at Countesthorpe on 15th November 1756. They both signed the Register, so were educated. Their first child was William in 1757, followed by Thomas in 1759 and Teringham in 1761. From Catherine's Will in 1825 we know that they also had a daughter, Mary, baptised at Wigston in 1768, and 2 more sons: Gillam, born ca. 1776 [1841 Census]; Joseph, born 1773 at Wigston Magna [1851 Census ] a but I haven't found their births/baptisms, but it would seem the family had moved to Wigston by 1768
William's uncle William had moved to Wigston Magna, where he married Elizabeth Jackson in 1716. They had one daughter, Elizabeth, who inherited the family's messuage and tenement, yard, garden, orchard, buildings and edifices in Wigston, and 1/2 yardland. (Will of Elizabeth Hurd, widow, in 1762). If she had no heirs it was to go to William and Elizabeth's nephews: William Heard, William Bellamy and Robert Brewin was to have £30. William's father, Terringham, was one of the Guardians and Trustees.
William and Catherine Heard also moved to Wigston Magna.
WILLIAM HEARD was born on 16th April 1803, according to the entry made in our family Bible [now held by Judith Taylor of Birkenhead, widow of Alan Taylor]. It is difficult to pin down his parents; Joseph and Mary Heard are the best candidates as their son William was baptised on 18th April 1803. However, an entry in Familysearch has his burial on 23rd of April, but this is a private family tree so must be suspect. Another contender is William, the son of William Heard, as mentioned in the Will of his grandmother, Catherine Heard. A further complication is that the Wigston Heards sometimes baptised their children at Congregational or Independant chapels. Tyrringham baptised 2 of his children there, one being William in 1802 who died the same year. There are other Heards, apparently born at Wigston, for whom there are no birth or baptism records, at least online, so maybe they were lax about baptism. One tenuous link could be through appearance; William and Catherine's son Thomas was a career soldier. His service records record him as having dark hair and hazel eyes; William has the same description in his army records as does his son William. The colouring is the same for Alan Keats and his son Peter.
Our William went to be a soldier, joining Her Majesty's Royal Regiment of Artillery on 12th December, 1823 at the age of 20. He was a gunner and served 23 years, 6 in Nova Scotia and 8 in Canada. The rest would have been at Woolwich. He applied for a Chelsea Pension in 1847; the reason being, he had got very wet and cold when stationed at Montreal in 1837 after being forced to get into the water when their boat ran into sandbank, and he had suffered Rheumatics ever since. His conduct over 23 years was described as Exemplary, he had never appeared in the Default Book. He wore 5 distinguishing marks for good conduct: 2 in 1839, 1 in 1844, 2 in 1844. Perhaps one was for saving the horses at a burning Mission, where he was awarded our Family Bible in gratitude. On his Discharge, he was described as being 42, a Stockingmaker, height 5' 83/4", dark hair, hazel eyes and dark complexion.
While in Nova Scotia, the Regiment was based at Halifax and it was here that William fell for SARAH JANE WATT. She was born at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 16th February 1810. Although we don't have written evidence, Sarah was a Canadian Indian, or at least her mother was; she would most likely have been Miq'Maq as these were the only Indian tribe in Nova Scotia at the time, part of the Algonquin nation. It was known in the family, we were told as children although we didn't know then who she was. But more than that: Sarah herself recounted her memories to her daughter, Julia, of shooting the rapids with her mother in a canoe. Her grandson, Maxwell, recalled being asked in the street if he knew his grandma was an Indian; when he asked his mother Julia about this, she burst into tears. Apparently, she had tried to keep it quiet. But Max had thought the old lady a little strange; she squatted on the floor rather than sit on a chair, surrounded by bright-coloured blankets and weaving baskets. The neighbours said she was very dark, and didn't speak to them. She was a Framework Knitter like her husband after they had settled back in Wigston, living at Barrack Yard, then Moat St., before living at Newgate End.
William and Sarah's first son, William, was born at Halifax at 5.30 am on the 18th September, 1828. William senior does not record the marriage of him and Sarah in the family Bible. I suspect he was away when his son was born. Their marriage was recorded thus: 'William Heard RA married Sarah Watt on 18th Feruary, 1829 at St. Matthew's Presbyterian Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia'.
You can see William and Sarah's travels in the Army by the births and deaths of their subsequent children: Sarah jnr., born in Georges Island, Halifax in October 1831, died at Woolwich in November 1833; Charles, born at Woolwich in April 1834 and died at Kingston, Canada West in November 1841; Thomas, born at Quebec in November 1836; Jane, born at Kingston in February 1846; Hariet, born at Kingston in June 1843, died at Woolwich October 1843: Elizabeth, born at Woolwich in March 1845, died at Wigston in September 1851: JULIA was born at Great Wigston (W. Magna) 6th December 1847 at 11.30pm: Arthur, born May 1851 at Great Wigston.
An entry at the bottom of the family list in the Bible records that ' William Heard Jun. went to his trade of boot and shoe maker the 25th August 18 43'. It would seem he had other ideas though, because in 1846 he enlisted in the Royal Artillery at Woolwich as a gunner and driver, giving his trade as shoemaker. He was promoted to Corporal in 1849, Sergeant in 1855 and Battery Sergeant Major in 1862. He saw service in Mauritius, Crimea and Halifax NS, eventually applying for a Chelsea Pension in 1867.
Thomas, their second son, was baptised at the Anglican Garrison at Quebec. He married Harriett Brewin in 1860. They lived in Bell St., Wigston where Thomas was a Framework Knitter. By 1881 he was Manager of Workshops & Rate Collecter. Thomas and Harriett had 3 daughters: Mary. Julia and Sarah.
Jane was born at Kingston, Canada West on 23rd February 1846. She married Edward Cooper.
Arthur became a Carpenter; his son, William, was killed in WW1, Oct. 5th, 1915; He won the British medal, the Victory medal and the Star. His name is commemorated on the Loos Memorial in France.
Their daughter Elizabeth died in 1851 at Wigston.
Their daughter JULIA was born at Wigston on 6th December 1847 at 11:30 pm. As a young woman she was a Stitcher in the hosiery trade, perhaps working with her father. Alfred Alexander Keats came into her life, possibly because he worked on the railways as a Railway Detective. She eloped to marry him and they were wed at the Parish Church of Ovenden, Yorkshire on 10th October 1871. Julia gave her father's name as John, either because she didn't know it, or perhaps so that their marriage would not be discovered, though both were of full age.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete