Hi Lorna.
I suppose looking for the right Venables starting point is like looking for the proverbial needle.I
think the main problem is that the visitations only track the lines of "noble" descendency and
ignore everything else and i'm certain they do not include all the sons in each family - only the
ones who succeeded into titles.
I still think i'm going to have to spend some time in the Aylesbury record office to see if i can pick
up any clues there. Most of the information we have at present points to the fact that the
Venables moved into Wycombe no later than 1720 (confirmed by baptism of William Venables in
1720) They did not need to be examined under the poor laws so Williams father must have been
a skilled worker ie papermaker - i think you're right in saying the Venables in Wycombe were
workers as opposed to owners although the Venables in Wooburn and Cookham were owners (
we must fit into the Cookham lot somewhere but haven't found it yet). The one common factor to
all the Venables in Wycombe, Taplow, Cookham, and Wooburn is papermaking which suggests
to me a Venables master papermaker out there in the mid 1600's who passed on his skills to his
sons - some of who became businessmen and some were workmen. I'll have a look through
google books to see if there are any references to papermaking that could be of use.
Could you send me a copy of John Coltmans will so i can have a look through it.
Hi Mick,
I did strike lucky with one family, by doing what we are doing. I got back to around 1530
and was then stuck. IGI gave him a parent but no birth date which did not really help, so I
looked at many visitations. Only one showed him born to the parents mentioned and the
date of birth was roughly correct, but none of the other visitations showed him. The
family story was that one of the family fell out with the others, but who and when was
unknown. I had traced the family back to this person and used many wills which included
an unusual first name which did not seem to occur in other branches, which indicated that
I may have been on the right family line. However it was not until I was able to find this
one person in the pedigree that we decided this was where the split had occurred. He was
the only one who had been given the name of Arthur in his family line which did make
the decision easier. With ours we seem to have William or Thomas…. and possibly Peter.
I do not have a baptismal date for William, could you send it to me please? Did you have
that for Thomas? I have their parents as William and Sarah…is this correct? I have just
checked on IGI which gives William’s marriage to Elizabeth Elms and ASSUMES he
was born in High Wycombe. Do you have proof? Otherwise IGI suggests Great
Budworth, Cheshire, on 23 Jun 1720.
I usually use occupations to help in finding likely people, so you are right, but we do
have a Venables working as a millwright. He was a gentleman which does indicate that
this was a wealthy family. He was mentioned in the same breath as Harman, another
influential family in the town, and a solicitor, even more proof that we are looking for a
“good” family. Still I do think you are right to follow up paper making as this industry
was as well established as millwrights by 1800. However looking at Google Books, in
particular one on Huguenots, paper making did not seem that widespread. I think if we
are to consider occupations we need to see what there was in Cheshire too.
The following is gleanings from Google books:
Google books mention paper mills, County Durham, Lancashire, paper-makers,
Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Dartford, Countess Wear, England, Berkshire, Scotland,
Devon, Kent, Oakenholt, East Lothian, Maidstone district as being active in the 1800s.
Paper Making in the British Isles: An Historical and Geographical Study
By Alfred Henry Shorter
Published by David and Charles, 1971
Original from the University of Michigan
Digitized 9 Aug 2006
ISBN 0715353802, 9780715353806
272 pages
Members of the Venables family worked mills at Hampton Gay in Oxfordshire
http://ebasic.easily.co.uk/012037/03300D/Paper%20Mills.html
195 CHARLES VENABLES, Paper Works, near Maidenhead, Berks (mill in Bucks) PS
Maidenhead or Taplow, 1m.; T Maidenhead, 1m.; GS Taplow, 1 m; Lon. ...
Is this Charles 1849- 1893?
The Paper Mills Directory (of Great Britain and Ireland). 5th-78th Ed - Page 25
1866
282 CHAS. VENABLES, Jun., Maidenhead, Berks : London Agent, THOMAS
DUNSTER, 200, Upper Thames Street, E.C. — Pure Hope Brown Papers.
283 CHAS. VENABLES, jun., Taplow Mills, Maidenhead — Browns — various
The Paper Makers' Directory of All Nations - Page 16
Papermaking
VENABLES, G. & SON, Cookham Mills—Berks. Double Small Hands, Blue Printings
and
Cartridges. 2 machines. . WADDINGTON, JH & Co., Crown Paper Works,
paper-making machine at the mill without any previous knowledge of engineering.
... One of its founder members, chemist and clergyman William Venables ...
The history of the rebellion and civil wars in England to which is added an ...
By Edward Hyde
under the command of general Venables, a gentleman of a good family in Cheshire ; who
had served long in the army in the condition of a colonel.
I have a friend who is a member of Cheshire FHS. She has sent me the following list of
contacts, so tomorrow I shall email the mamiebell contact
42 VENABLES Marston CHS ENG 1851-1881
42 BENNETT Mrs J R, 42 Ralph Road, Shirley, SOLIHULL, B90 3JX
1739 VENABLES Nantwich CHS ENG 1800-1900
1739 CLARKSON Mr Spencer B.E., 6 Fairacre Drive, MIDDLEWICH, Cheshire, CW10
0RS
2191 VENABLES Chester CHS ENG any
2191 COX Miss Elizabeth M T, 91 Old Road, HARLOW, Essex, CM17 0HF
2539 VENABLES Rostherne CHS ENG circa 1200-1691
2539 RILEY Mr Stanley, 17 Oldbrook Fold, Timperley, ALTRINCHAM, Cheshire
WA15 7PA
2809 VENABLES North SAL ENG 19st Century-date
2809 RENDER Mrs C., 71 Kingswood Road, West Bridgford, NOTTINGHAM, NG2
7HT
3596 VENABLES Leftwich CHS ENG 17th Century
3596 VENABLES Norley CHS ENG 17th Century
3596 VENABLES Frodsham CHS ENG 17th Century
3596 VENABLES Aston CHS ENG 17th Century
3596 VENABLES Heaton Norris CHS ENG 18-19th Century
3596 VENABLES STS ENG 18-19th Century
3596 VENABLES Miss Maureen Ann, "Blevsena", 3 Clipsley Crescent, Moorside,
OLDHAM Lancashire OL4 2TG
3721 VENABLES Sandbach CHS ENG Pre 1866
3721 PIERPOINT Mr Colin, 5 Linden Court, SANDBACH, Cheshire, CW11 3RU
4098 VENABLES Sandbach CHS ENG All
4098 BELL Mrs Mamie, 6 Brookfield Drive, Holmes Chapel, CREWE, Cheshire CW4
7DT
4826 VENABLES Chester CHS ENG 1773-1848
4826 VENABLES Liverpool LAN ENG 19th Century
4826 VENABLES Great Crosby LAN ENG 19th Century
4826 DODD Joan, 66 Castledine Crescent, Glen Innes, Auckland 1006, NEW
ZEALAND
david@mamiebell.freeserve.co.uk