Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Another Morphet line...

Although not directly connected with Giggleswick, I have found ANOTHER tie with the Morphets which solves a huge mystery.

For those who are not aware, the cemetery inscriptions for Giggleswick and the neighboring parish of Horton in Ribblesdale are filmed and typed by the Lancashire Family HIstory and Heraldry Society: Ribble Valley Branch.

My Morphet ancestors go back into Arncliffe, a neighboring parish. However, they lived in Horton in Ribblesdale and Giggleswick for years. Some cousins still live there!

While going through those of Horton in Ribblesdale...


No. 26
In memory of Richard Morphet late of Foredale who departed this life October 8th 1828 aged 89 years also of Martha Morphet his wife who departed this life August 28th 1817 aged 79 years, Mary Morphet daughter fo William and Mary Morphet of Hornby and granddaughter of the above Richard and Martha Morphet died April 5th 1836 ages 22 years also of John Morphet of Foredale son of the aforesaid Richard and Martha Morphet who died April 22nd 1860 aged 90 years also of William Morphet of Hornby their son who died December 2nd 1857 ages 84 years also of Mary wife of William Morphet of Hornby who died September 18th 1862 aged 86 years.

This is Richard Morphet, my 7th great uncle.

His son William moved to Hornby, Lancashire. Its like 15 miles away or something like that... but he returned to Horton to be buried.

Why is this significant?

Well, when searching through the census in Hornby, I found William... In 1851, he was living with his granddaughter Mary Morphet who was born in Hornby.

I looked up Mary's christening and she was the daughter of Henry and Grace Morphet.

Who are these people? No one significant... EXCEPT for a line of Morphets which NO ONE HAS RESEARCHED BEFORE!

And I don't know if people realized that Henry is the son of William Morphet... nor that William's family is from up in Yorkshire.

Sure, you could find the 1851 census which says William is from there. However, there are no entries for this family in the IGI... So most lazy genealogists wouldn't know how to locate the family.

William and his wife Mary (Baynes) married in 1802 and had a number of children. I'm still finding them. I've now tracked Henry's descendants to the late 1800's on one line...

So William Morphet of Horton in Ribblesdale and Hornby has been located!

If anyone is a descendant of this line, Email me! I'd like to know more details. I also have William's ancestry back to the 1600's... For reals.

Bradley