MARY KNIGHT
As far as we can ascertain Mary KNIGHT was the 4th child born to William KNIGHT and his wife Ann nee RAND. She was born c.1807 and baptised 14 June 1807 St. Nicholas, Berden, Essex, UK.
At Berden, Essex on the 17 November 1825 Mary married Edward RICKETTS who was b. c1800 in Rickling, Essex, UK. Mary was a minor with parents consent.
A daughter Louisa was born to Edward and Mary RICKETTS c. 1824 although to date no record of this event has been located. is is of course possible the birth was either not registered or registered under the surname of KNIGHT rather than RICKETTS. Or another surname altogether...!
Finding herself minus a husband when Edward was tried, convicted, sentenced to Life and transported to VDL on the convict ship “GOVERNOR READY ” in 1826, Mary re-married.
Mary RICKETT, widow and John TANT, bachelor were married in Great Amwell, Hertfordshire on 6 February 1829, (both were shown to be ‘of the Parish ’). This was not really correct for Mary as she was born in Berden. It is possible that with her husband Edward RICKETTS still living (albeit gone for Life) she/they felt the marriage would not be ‘noticed’ in a more distant Parish... John TANT was shown to be a carpenter by trade.
There are records on the Latter Day Saints Family History website (IGI) that show children born to Mary KNIGHT and John TANT. The dates are ‘interesting’ when one considers that Mary married Edward RICKETTS in 1825 and John TANT in 1829.
No Parish records are held by me for the following - they are included for research purposes alone and I do not intend them to be taken as gospel.
POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL CHILDREN BORN PRIOR TO MARY'S MARRIAGE TO JOHN TANT
Frederick TANT b. c1825 Berden, Essex - IGI
John TANT b. c1825 Berden, Essex - IGI. John KNIGHT burial 30 April 1827 Berden, Essex - IGI
William TANT b. c1827 Berden, Essex - IGI. William KNIGHT death March 1839 Free BMD Bishops Stortford
Charles TANT b. c1828 Berden, Essex - IGI
Charles KNIGHT death March 1839 Free BMD Edmonton
NOTE: The district Edmonton spans the boundaries of the counties of Essex, Hertfordshire and Middlesex - included as a possibility.
AFTER HER MARRIAGE TO JOHN TANT
Jane TANT Christened 8 December 1829 Berden, Essex - IGI
Mary Ann TANT Christened 5 August 1832 Berden, Essex - IGI
George TANT b. c1835 Clavering, Essex - IGI Father John TANT Mother Mary KNIGHT - IGI
George TANT died 10 January 1841 - Father John TANT Mother Mary KNIGHT - IGI
Sarah TANT b. c1838 Saffron Walden, Essex - IGI - Father John TANT Mother Mary KNIGHT - IGI
Sarah TANT christened 10 January1841 Berden age 2 - IGI
Sarah TANT buried 10 January 1841 - IGI
Just 1 month after the death of their daughter Sarah, Mary's 2nd husband John TANT died; he was buried at Berden 18 February 1841, aged 35.
The 1841 UK Census shows Mary residing with her widowed mother Ann aged 60 in Rose Lane, Berden. With Ann and Mary are Mary's children John aged 20, Jane 12, Mary 9, George 7 and Sarah new born. For some reason the children (apart from John) are listed with the surname RICKETT; technically Mary was still married to her first husband Edward and as her 2nd husband John was by then deceased, and although born to him, the children have been listed under the name of RICKETTS.
Louisa RICKETTS - daughter of Mary and her first husband Edward - married Thomas CHAPPEL on 16 November 1844 at Berden. She named Edward RICKETT labourer as her father. Witnesses to the marriage were Joseph CHAPPEL and Susan NEWMAN. Thomas' occupation was Labourer and all parties signed with their mark.
Thomas and Louisa had four children - Sarah Ann born 1846, John 1848, James 1850 and Eliza born in 1852.
In the meantime Louisa's widowed mother Mary married for a 3rd time to Edward NEWMAN. The marriage was registered on Free BMD in the December quarter of 1849 at Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire.
There are three entries on Free BMD that could relate to the birth of a daughter to Mary and Edward NEWMAN:
Sarah NEWMAN December quarter 1844 6/3[32] (or 36/523) Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
Sarah TANT June quarter 1844 Dunmow
Sarah NEWMAN December quarter 1844 Dunmow
(Dunmow is within 25 miles of Berden, Stocking Pelham, Saffron Walden etc).
There must have been family discussions concerning the option of emigrating to Australia as both Edward and Mary NEWMAN with their daughter Sarah aged 13, and Thomas and Louisa CHAPPELL with their children Sarah, John, James and Eliza boarded the ship “ROBERT SMALL” and left England for a new life.
The ship arrived on 23 May 1856 - shipping lists show that Edward had no relatives in the colony, while Mary had a nephew John KNIGHT residing at Canterbury, NSW.
(NOTE: John Knight - son of Mary's brother George and his wife Mary nee Woodcock - and his wife Sarah nee Dellow had emigrated to Australia prior to Mary's arrival. They resided in Canterbury, NSW)
Both families settled in the mid north west of NSW.
25 years after her arrival in Australia Mary NEWMAN formerly TANT, previously RICKETTS nee KNIGHT died on 2 November 1881 at Gunnedah NSW. She was buried on 3 November 1881 in Gunnedah Cemetery. The informant on her Death certificate was Adeline BROOK, granddaughter, of Murrurrundi, NSW.
There are many headstone transcriptions online for Gunnedah Cemetery - Mary does not appear to have a marked grave.
No details are held by me regarding the death of Mary's husband Edward NEWMAN.
Nothing is known of how and why Thomas and Louisa came to a parting of the ways, but on 18 February 1882, Louisa CHAPPLE (W) married John ASHWORTH (W) at the Baptist Church in Kapunda, South Australia.
At this time Louisa's husband Thomas CHAPPELL was still living in Narrabri. He died on 30 May 1893 aged 78 at Narrabri West, NSW and was buried in Narrabri Cemetery on 31 May 1893.
Thomas Chappel d. 1893, William Henry Beavis d. 1898, Eliza Beavis nee Chappel d. 1927, Henry Beavis d. 1937
(son of William Henry and Eliza and wife of Margaret nee Casey)
Narrabri Cemetery, NSW Australia
Louisa ASHWORTH died in Brompton, Adelaide on 11 October 1899 age 73 yrs. Nothing further has been discovered relating to her husband John Ashworth.
Birth, marriage and death details can be seen for the many descendants of Edward and Mary NEWMAN, and Thomas and Louisa CHAPPELL by visiting the KNIGHT descendants' page.
NOTE: I had desperately hoped that in following the path of Mary KNIGHT (sister of Sarah BRAHAM/BRAME nee KNIGHT) I might be amazingly lucky and find there had been some contact between siblings after Sarah (convict) received her Free Certificate on 9th May 1853....
Not a word, not a whisper - nothing!
The above details (including dates, places and names) have been collated from information garnered from various sources including indexes, websites, certificates, publications and fellow researchers. Some of the details were supplied by KNIGHT and RICKETTS descendants with follow-up research conducted to verify the facts where possible.
Names, dates and information are presented with the best intentions. Family history being what it is, although much time, effort and money is expended, we can never know it all!
If you notice any inconsistencies or errors, or if you feel you have information to add, please go to Contact Page to submit form, or send me an e-mail
bndoneil@gmail.com
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