The DNA evidence strongly suggests that the Swinfield family from Earl Shilton (which I originally called
Family 5), from which myself, Derrick and all our relatives descend, was connected with that of
Family 3& 4. This relationship must have been at some point from the 14
th to the 17
th century, after our distant common ancestor had chosen to use our distinctive and pretty rare surname. What do we know about the history of that branch of our family?
 |
| Wolvey Church |
Records have enabled that line to be traced back as far as John Swinfield and Frances Collins who married in the church of
Wolvey inWarwickshire on 25
th August 1755. They were buried in the churchyard there in 1796 and 1805 after having five children, only two of whom survived their childhood. The only adult son, Thomas, who had been christened on 8
th July 1781, married in the nearby church of
Monks Kirby on 21
st August 1803. His bride was Elizabeth Hackett from Copson. The couple settled in his parish and they named 10 children there from 1804 to 1822. Eventually, they moved six miles to the north-west to
Mancetter where their last two issue were baptised. Thomas was buried at Nuneaton in 1847, aged 66.
|
The Blue Pig on the road to Wolvey Hall |
 |
| 1841 census of Nuneaton |
Of their 12 children, half were boys, of whom one died when he was only 4. Two of them, Daniel, who was a rick cloth worker in Foleshill, and Samuel, a medical doctor in Nuneaton, had no surviving male offspring.
Three have living present-day descendants. George Swinfield, born in 1825, became a boiler maker, probably connected to the railways. Moving south to the East End of London by 1865, his two sons, Daniel and Herbert Victor, and all the modern representatives of “Family 13” still live there today. These include Paul Frederick, whose DNA matches with that of Derrick Joseph George of
Family 5.
 |
| Passenger list of "Walmer Castle" in 1848 |
What was the fate of the two oldest sons, William and John, born in 1804 and 1806? They both emigrated to
Australia in the middle of the 19
th century. William had already been married and had buried his first wife in Nuneaton by the time that he left with his very new second wife sailing from Plymouth on 12
th September 1848 aboard the “Walmer Castle”. They arrived with his four children on 30
th December 1848. The oldest son, Thomas (1824-1881) remained in England and has produced a plethora of living Swinfields! William started another family with his new bride, Sarah (Williamson), in New South Wales. There are many branches which descend from both of his spouses there today.
 |
| Passenger list of the "Beejapore" 1853 |
John Swinfield left with his wife and five children on the “Beejapore” which docked on 9th February 1853. She and their youngest child died on arrival. Of course, he married again soon after and had more offspring. He too had left his oldest son of 21 behind in Mancetter, Warwickshire. That son, Edward, is also the head of a very large pedigree with many English descendants.
There are just so many cousins who are part of
Families 3, 4 & 13. The stories of some of them remain to be told.
No comments:
Post a Comment