#52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 40, Prompt: ‘Ten'

Week 40 – ‘Ten’

I had no ancestors with anything happening on the  10.10 of any year ending in 10, or even just on the 10 October, so I looked for a mother who was strong enough to have had ten births.

The first one I found was Sarah CLARK who is my great grandmother. 

Sarah was born between Jul-Aug 1839 in Doddington, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England as the second child of William CLARKE and Alice EDGLEY. 

Sarah CLARK was baptized on 04 Aug 1839 in St Mary's Parish Church, Doddington, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.

St Mary's Parish Church, Doddington, Cambridgeshire. 1.

So, where and what is this place with the funny name – Doddington? 

Some old time history - Doddington was one of the principal centres of population in the Isle of Ely, sitting as it does on one of the few ridges in this part of the fens.  

"The Isle of Ely is so called becuse it was only accessible by boat until the waterlogged fens were drained in the 17th Century.  It is still susceptible to flooding today.  It was these watery surrounds that gave Ely its original name the 'Isle of Eels' a translation of the Anglo Saxon word 'Eilig'. 2.

In 970, when the abbey at Ely was restored after having been destroyed by the Vikings a century earlier, Doddington was one of the manors with which the new foundation was endowed. It is mentioned at Domesday, and the bishops of Ely even had a palace here.

The medieval parish of Doddington was one of the largest in England due to the combination of a decent population and extreme isolation.  It covered nearly thirty-eight thousand acres.  This included other little settlements on the same ridge, such as Benwick and March, and these were eventually separated off as distinct parishes in 1847, leaving Doddington itself with a much-shrunken territory.

All of this implies that there must have been a Saxon church in Doddington, once upon a time. What we see now though is rather younger. The oldest parts of the church were started in the middle of the 13th century.  About a hundred years later there was a big reconstruction in which the nave arcades, the tower, the south aisle and the western end of the north aisle were built. The fifteenth century added a south porch and fitted out the chancel with some very nice tall three-light Perpendicular windows. 3.. 
In the centre of the village is a clock tower built in 1897 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.  The village has almost 1000 dwellings.  

This large important place is now something of a backwater, bypassed to the east by the busy A141 from Chatteris to March. (Poor Doddington)

Map of Doddington, in Cambridgeshire, and inset in England. 4.

Back to Sarah Clark – 

Sarah had six siblings, namely: Mary Ann, Susanna, Alice, George, William, and Joseph. 

When she was 26, she married William (Will) PEARCE, son of Richard PEARCE and Ann NYE, on 08 Jul 1865 in 26 Weston Lee Cottages, Dumbarton, Scotland.

Now I am wondering how this came about - that a young lady from Cambridgeshire is marrying a fellow from Scotland and in Scotland ???

                                Well, guess what - I did some more research and have come up with an answer.  In the 1861 Census, Sarah is not included with her family in Cambridgeshire.  Instead, I have found her in Brighton living at 19 East Street, only 2 blocks from Brighton Beach.  It seems she has moved away to find employment.  

However, that doesn't help me at all in linking her up with William.  

So next,  checking on William - I find that he is also not at home, but living with his young brother Albert, at his married sister's home in - GUESS WHERE ??? 

Yes -  Brighton at 9 Jubilee Place, only a 9-minute walk from where Sarah is living !!      5.   

"Can you picture William going for an evening walk on the promenade at the beach with his family, and setting eyes on Sarah, who is also out that evening.  They manage to chat for a moment and organize to meet that weekend when Sarah is free. Magically they fall in love and William vows he will come back for Sarah to marry."

Four years later they do marry in the Pearce family home in Scotland.
Thus we have the next quandary:
Why do they marry in Scotland and not in England in the bride's hometown as is customary?

                     This is a harder one to establish and I haven't been able to verify anything as yet.  However there is mention in some family historians' trees, that Sarah's father William died in 1862 and his wife Alice not that long after.  This would certainly account for the marriage being held in Scotland.  
I will continue researching this.

Sarah and William lived at Dumbarton for about four years and then spent the rest of their lives at Innerleithen, Peeblesshire.

Photo of Sarah and William Pearce, Innerleithen, later in life. 6.

Sarah Pearce delivered the following ten children at regular birth intervals, apart from Joseph the last baby who was 5 years younger than James, so I guess there is the possibility of her having lost at least one child in that period.

1.   Frederick William PEARCE was born on 29 Sep 1866 in Dumbarton. He died on 11 Dec 1924 in 28 Princes Street, Innerleithen.  (High blood pressure reg. by son Henry A Pearce). He married Margaret (Maggie) JOHNSTON on 10 Mar 1891 in Innerleithen.

2.  Alice Annie (Elsie) PEARCE was born on 03 Jul 1868 in Dumbarton. She died on 04 Mar 1958 in 26 Waverley Road, Innerleithen. (Cerebral haemorrhage reg. by William Clapperton, son). She married Thomas George CLAPPERTON in the USA.

3.  Francis George (Geordie) PEARCE was born on 08 Mar 1870 in Innerleithen. He died on 30 Jun 1922 in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. He married Isabella McIntosh LUMSDEN on 30 Dec 1898 in Winton Cottage, Princes St, Innerleithen. (According to the banns of the Church of Scotland).

4. Winfred (Fred) Stuart PEARCE was born on 12 Dec 1871 in Innerleithen. He died on 12 Mar 1926 in Innerleithen. He married Margaret (Maggie) Jenkins LAMONT on 12 Oct 1900 in Miller Street, Innerleithen. He later married Mary Stobie STEVENSON after 1926 in Scotland.

5.  Richard (Dick) PEARCE was born on 05 Nov 1873 in Innerleithen. He died on 02 Oct 1909 in Port Arthur, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada (Age: 35 although death says 39). He married Janet BRUCE on 18 Jan 1901 in Innerleithen.

6.  Edward (Ned) John PEARCE was born between 1875-1876 in Innerleithen. He died in Tisdale, Canada. He married Sarah (Sally - Aunt Lally) BICKERTON in London, England.

7.   Mary Elizabeth PEARCE was born on 29 Jan 1878 in Innerleithen. Sadly little Mary was unwell and died only 8 months old on 02 Oct 1878 in Miller Street, Innerleithen. (Meningitis reg. by father).

8.  Charles Albert PEARCE was born on 26 Jul 1879 in Miller St, Innerleithen. He died on 27 Oct 1947 in Berwick, on Tweed, Northumberland North First. (16 North Road.). He married Jessie JENKINS on 25 Jul 1906 in Loch Ryan Cottage, High Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

9.  James (Jim) Arthur PEARCE was born on 04 Sep 1881 in Innerleithen. He died on 04 Jun 1967 in Saskatchewan, Canada. He married Margaret Helen MANN in Canada.

10. Joseph Henry PEARCE was born on 16 Feb 1886 in High St, Montgomery cottages, Innerleithen, Peeblesshire. He died on 05 Dec 1912 in Kilsyth, Forth Bridge, Stirlingshire, Scotland.

Sarah Pearce nee Clark was 73 years old when she died at 5.30pm on 29 May 1912 in 22 Waverley Rd, Innerleithen, Peeblesshire, Scotland. She suffered Enteritis and Heart Failure.  (The 29th May is the same day as my father’s birthday – her grandson.)

Gravestone for Sarah Pearce, her husband William and three children

 - Richard 39, Joseph 26, and baby Mary Elizabeth.  7.

REFERENCES

1.   Flickr Images Internet.
2.  The History of Ely, Cambridgeshire - Historic UK.
      https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Ely/
3.  Ben Colburn & Mark Ynys-Mon
4.  C Can: Cambridgeshire Community Archive Network.
      http://www.ccan.co.uk/

5. Google Map.
6.  Family Photo.  
7.  Photo from 2015 when I visited Innerleithen and paid my 
      respects.