Nicholas Bigs - Nicholas Biggs - Nicholas Bigbrook - Nicolas Bigbrooke
I have recently been working on the Penny family
Initially Charles Penny of Southampton, but the scope soon widened.
I added the oldest marriage record I could find in Hampshire Parish Records of a Penny family or name variations
Marie Penneye
B:1553 Rockbourne, Hampshire, England
D:Abt. 1622
From there I built an unattached branch moving towards the current time.
Another Ancestry tree allowed me to find a link via the Mintrum family, and the branch ceased to be an orphan.
Exploring that line led me to a join with the Biggs surname.
Also my 5th Great Grandfather is a Biggs.
So I started another exploration, similar to the Penny one, as yet only half done, but for Biggs, all within Hampshire.
Seed
...
The first step above was finding early marriages in Hampshire for Bride and Groom with the surname Penny or variations thereof.
HGS Marriages 1538 - 1660
Hampshire Genealogical Society (HGS) Marriage Index 1538 - 1660
Filtered for, All Parishes
Filtered for Surname, Penny - Bride and Groom
These settings only produced a list of 14 marriages, with the brides name being Penny, plus 2 Pennye, none Penney, and one Pennycott. For the groom there were only 9 named Penny, with no extras.
That is only 25 marriages for Penny, Pennye or Penney, both bride and groom in 123 years. About 2 weddings per decade on average across the period.
It should be noted that for a lot of Parishes, the end date of 1660, is before or close to the first date of Parish records still in existence. So, the absence of a return for a parish, does not necessarily mean that there were no families of that name in that Parish, just none in the register.
Bride Filtered for Surname, Penny
Groom Filtered for Surname, Penny
Bride Filtered for Surname, Penn*
Groom Filtered for Surname, Penn*
I don't currently propose to do further analysis of the lists in the way that I have done for baptisms for this period as the length of the marriage lists are comparatively short.
The largest population density appears to be in the parish of Rockbourne, with some fanning out from that centre, together with some further afield isolated instances.
The earliest records here are for the bride 29 Sep 1574, in the parish of Rockbourne, Marie Penneye married Anthonie Holloweye.
The earliest records here are for the groom 06 Dec 1582, in the parish of Rockbourne, Edward Penney married Marie Stronge.
I will add both these records to my Ancestry Tree to see if I can develop families from there.
Rockbourne
Parish of Rockbourne Hampshire
Rochesburna (xi cent.); Rechesburna, Rochesburna (xii cent.); Rokeburn (xiii cent.); Rogborne (xvii cent.). Rockbourne contains about 3,923½ acres, of which 2,029 acres are arable land, 1,039½ acres permanent grass and 302¼ acres woods and plantations. (fn. 1) Rockbourne Down, in the north-west of the parish, and Knoll Down, which extends over the borders of Damerham, are in some places over 300 ft. high. The lowest part of the parish is along the banks of the little stream known as Sweatfords Water, which rises in Rockbourne Down and flows straight through the village by the side of the main street. The soil is sand, clay, gravel and chalk on a subsoil of chalk.
NLS OS 1" Hills Old Map Rockbourne Hampshire
I have added annotation to the map regarding the towns of Salisbury, Winchester, and Southampton, to aid visual location finding.
Rockbourne is approximately three miles NNW of Fordingbridge in the New Forest.
NLS OS 25" Old Map Rockbourne Hampshire - Hampshire and Isle of Wight LIV.10 Revised: 1908, Published: 1909
NLS OS 25" Old Map Manor Farm Rockbourne Hampshire - Hampshire and Isle of Wight LIV.10 Revised: 1908, Published: 1909
It appears that there was a Monastery at Rockbourne at one time. The rectory seems to be as big as the St. Andrew's Church, so presumably there was a good living to be had by the Rector in this very rural community.
Sweatfords Water flows through Rockbourne village, broadly in line with the main road. It is a tributary of the River Avon, which it joins at Fordingbridge.
A little South of Rockbourne village lies West Park country house. Unfortunately, the house was demolished in 1948 following damage sustained during WWII. Further information about the estate can be seen on Hampshire County Council site. According to British History Online, West Park was the property of Sir Eyre Coote. The park extends into South Damerham parish.
The village consists chiefly of one street almost half a mile long. The church is in the north-east of the main street Close to the church, adjoining the north side of the churchyard, is a very interesting group of buildings, consisting of a small L-shaped 14th-century house, now used as part of a modern farm-house, the remains of a large Elizabethan or Jacobean house a short distance to the east, a 13th-century chapel near its south-east angle, and a large 15th-century barn running northward from the chapel. The barn has two large waggon-porches, and at the north end has been divided into two stories for use as living rooms; the chapel is now used as a barn, and its most interesting feature is a north doorway with a cinquefoiled head. The buildings are doubtless manorial, the story of the existence of a leper hospital on the site being quite unfounded.
There is evidence of Roman occupation in the area, and Rockbourne was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Rockbourne
Land of King William
Households
Households: 4 villagers. 20 smallholders.
Land and resources
Ploughland: 2 lord's plough teams. 3 men's plough teams.
Other resources: Meadow 3 acres.
Owners
Tenant-in-chief in 1086: King William.
Lord in 1086: King William.
Lord in 1066: King Edward.
Early Hampshire Marriages, from the Parish Register Database - Bridge and Groom surname of Penn*
Filter on database set to Bride Surname; Pen*, Parent Forename; All, Parish; All
Marriage of Anthonie Holloweye to Marie Penneye on 29 Sep 1574, in the Parish of Rockbourne, Hampshire
Filter on database set to Groom Surname; Pen*, Parent Forename; All, Parish; All
Marriage of Edward Penney to Marie Strone on 06 Dec 1582, in the Parish of Rockbourne, Hampshire
Both pairs have been added to my Ancestry Tree, initially as an unattached orphan branch.
Discovery
Lets start with the HGS Lists.
HGS Marriages 1538 - 1660
Hampshire Genealogical Society (HGS) Marriage Index 1538 - 1660
Filtered for, All Parishes
Filtered for Surname, Big* - Bride and Groom
These settings produced a list of 46 marriages, many more than the 14 for Penny previously. With the brides name being Biggs being 21 times, across many parishes, with the most prevalent being North Hayling, at 6 number.
It should be noted that for a lot of Parishes, the end date of 1660, is before or close to the first date of Parish records still in existence. So, the absence of a return for a parish, does not necessarily mean that there were no families of that name in that Parish, just none in the register.
Database Filtered for Bride Surname, Big*, Biggs and variations thereof, all Parishes
Of that list, three are shown to be (w), presumably widow, so the name Big* is probably from the previous marriage, and possibly on the next list.
29 Jan 1609 Ovington Thomas Garret Elizabeth (w) Bignole
27 Jul 1619 Bishops Waltham Leonard Parker Johane (w) Biggs
15 Sep 1657 Blendworth William Hrtshurst Joane (w) Biggs
Database Filtered for Bride Surname, Big*, Biggs and variations thereof, all Parishes
These settings produced a list of 56 marriages. With the grooms name being Biggs being 14 times, across many parishes, with the most prevalent being North Hayling and Alverstoke, at 3 each.
Potentially matching the above widow marriages to previous spinster marriages. Assumed spinster by absence of (w).
That is 46+56=102 marriages for Big, and variants, both bride and groom in 123 years. About 1 wedding per year on average across the period.
Database Filtered for Bride Surname, Biggs, all Parishes
Database Filtered for Bride Surname, Biggs, Parish of North Hayling
Database Filtered for Groom Surname, Biggs, all Parishes
These settings produced a list of 14 marriages, with the grooms name being Biggs. Over multiple Parishes.
I don't currently propose to do further analysis of the lists in the way that I have done for baptisms for this period as the length of the marriage lists are comparatively short.
The largest population density appears to be in the parish of Rockbourne, with some fanning out from that centre, together with some further afield isolated instances.
The earliest records here are for the bride 29 Sep 1574, in the parish of Rockbourne, Marie Penneye married Anthonie Holloweye.
The earliest records here are for the groom 06 Dec 1582, in the parish of Rockbourne, Edward Penney married Marie Stronge.
I will add both these records to my Ancestry Tree to see if I can develop families from there.
Potentially matching the above widow marriages to previous spinster marriages. Assumed spinster by absence of (w).
29 Jan 1609 Ovington Thomas Garret Elizabeth (w) Bignole
A Bride forename beginning with Eli, which having married a Groom with the surname Big* would possibly result in the widow surname of Biggs.
There are three Mariages listed which predate 29 Jan 1609.
27 Jul 1619 Bishops Waltham Leonard Parker Johane (w) Biggs
15 Sep 1657 Blendworth William Hrtshurst Joane (w) Biggs
Both have a Bride forename beginning with Jo, which having married a Groom with the surname Big* would possibly result in the widow surname of Biggs.
There are only two records prior to 27 Jul 1619.
I do pattern matching and clusters, within databases of the Parish Registers.
Filter on database set to Surname; Big*, Parent Forename; All, Parish; Bishops Waltham
The tendency at the time was only to record the father's name, unless there was only a mother, widow or single mother of an illegitimate child.
Filter on database set to Surname; Big*, Parent Forename; Nic*, Parish; Bishops Waltham
Normal thoughts would lead to the possibility of the six records above being three families. Reasonable consideration could result in Bigbrook and Bigbrooke being on in the same person, just a variation in spelling, which was not unusual for the time.
A bigger leap is that they are all the same person.
I am looking for family sized groups, with baptisms spaced, but within the span of child bearing age.
Nicholas Bigs only had one child in the period between 1537 to 1659, in 1620. Perhaps his first, but there is a lot of years both before and after 1620 to record additional baptisms.
Perhaps he moved away.
Filter on database set to Surname; Big*, Parent Forename; Nic*, Parish; All
He could have moved to Fareham, where there are three baptisms at the church of St Peter and St Paul. Jane of 1620 is in conflict of Jane in 1626. However, the same applies in Bishops Waltham, where Mary 1624, and Mary 1630, are a repeat if it is the same family. It could be a case that the first Jane or Mary has died and the name reused, which is not unusual.
