Frances (Marshal) Thompson (bef. 1761 - 1807)

Born before 26 Nov 1761 in Ingram, Northumberland, England

Wife of Thomas Thompson — married 21 Jun 1783 (to before 17 Jun 1791) in Longhoughton, Northumberland, England

Descendants

Died 3 Dec 1807 after age 46 in Longhoughton, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Frances (Marshal) Thompson was born in Northumberland, England.

Birth and Parentage

Frances Marshall was born near or in the tiny hamlet of Ingram, in the heart of rural Northumberland in the Cheviot Hill range, near the River Breamish, on the eastern edge of what is today, the Northumberland National Park, in the winter of January 1761. She was baptised in the 11th century church of St Michael and All Angels twice; once on 20 January 1761, ^[1]and again on 26 November 1761^[2] by one William Radley, M.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge; (also Rector of Bishopwearmouth and Chaplain to the Earl of Darlington), who became Ingram's rector in 1749 on the death of the previous incumbent, Rowe. ^[3][4]Double christenings were not uncommon if a child appeared weak and its survival was uncertain. (There is no record of the death of a Frances Marshall after 20 January 1761.) The Registers of Ingram do not show her first christening, but the preface records that the edges of the leaves are much worn and torn, and probably some of the Births' Register are lost.^[3]

Her father was a William Marshal (spellings vary). According to The Militia List of 1762, Ingram at that time had a population of 30 men, including the villages of Reaveley, Fawdon and Clinch; just under half the total of 64 given on the muster roll of 1538. The occupations recorded in the 1762 list were mainly connected with farming. There were 5 farmers, 10 herdsmen, 7 husbandmen, 2 shepherds, 1 miller, 1 boulouner, (someone who bolted things together with iron pins) 2 servants and 2 clerks.^[5] It can probably be assumed that William Marshall was a herdsman. In 1801, Ingram's census returns showed a population of 66, which included the 'townships' Linhope, and Greenshaw-hill, which were little more than farmsteads.

A son, Joseph had been born to the Marshalls before Frances; baptised in Ingram on 7 October 1759.^[3]

Interestingly, no other Marshall child was born in Ingram after this; neither are there any Marshall burials. William Marshall seems to have vanished from the parish, which may be coincidence, or explained by the actions of the British government.

In 1757, an Act of Parliament had been passed to conscript able-bodied men into the militias and send them to fight against France and Spain in North America, India and other parts of the world in the Seven Years' War (1754-1763). Men between the ages of 18 and 50 would serve for 3 years (eventually extended to 5). If they wished not to serve, they could either provide a substitute, or pay a £10 fine, the equivalent of £1,024.62 (in 2017) - far more than a humble agricultural labourer or herdsman could afford. When conscription in the north-east began, bloody protests broke out down south near the old Roman Wall, in Hexham, one of the main recruiting centres, on 9 March 1791. ^[6]

With Joseph aged 2 and Frances barely a year old, William may have decided to take his family, leave Ingram for another parish and keep his head low. In any case, at some point the family moved to Long Houghton (now Longhoughton), about 17 miles east, half a day's walk from Ingram, and near the sea. William Marshal crops up in the Long Houghton church registers on two occasions as witness to both his daughters Frances and Mary's marriage ceremonies. ^[7] Frances' mother was Margaret, but her surname is as yet unknown. There was another family of Marshalls living in Long Houghton at the time - they may have been related to these Marshalls. The parish register shows another William, married to a Margaret, (born in 1713 and 1721 respectively), a Mary Marshall who died in 1736, possibly this William's mother, and a Joseph baptised in 1741. Interestingly, a Margaret Marchael, daughter of William Marchael was baptised in Long Houghton on 29 November 1761 ^[7] only three days after Frances' own christening in Ingram. Was this the time window that the family fled their home village? Is the spelling of Marshall a clerical anomaly?

Marriage and Family

Frances was 21 when she married Thomas Thompson, an agricultural labourer of Elingham, Northumberland, on 21 June 1783, in Long Houghton. They were married by banns by the Alnwick, Long Houghton and Long Horseley curate, Alexander Turnbull D.D., ^[8]William 'Machel' (presumably her father) and a Thomas Foreman were witnesses. ^[7][9][10]They stayed in Long Houghton for the births of their four sons:

1. William, bap. 29 Aug 1784 ^{[11] [7]}
2. Thomas, bap.2 Jul 1786 ^[12][7]who left home when still very young, and became a wealthy shipowner in Kingston-upon-Hull.
3. John, bap. 21 Dec 1788 ^[13][7]
4. Robert, bap. 16 Jan 1791^[14][7] who became a shepherd.^[15]

The family were of 'humble circumstances'^[16][7]and lived in Longhoughton/Long Houghton, a small village, which in 1801 had only 371 inhabitants.^[17]By 1818 there was a small day school at Great/Long Houghton, which the Thompson children may have attended.^[18]

Frances lost her husband Thomas shortly before 17 June 1791, when he was buried at St Peter and St Paul's Longhoughton. She was left to manage four sons as best as she could. Six years later, her son Thomas, who must have shown early promise, left home to start an apprenticeship with Frances' brother Thomas Marshall in Hull, East Yorkshire. Thomas Marshall in his turn, was the clerk for his and Frances' uncle Thomas Nesbitt, a salter and provisions merchant of Hull.

Robert married a Doxford woman named Jane, and on Sunday 7 April 1861 was living in the nearby Alnwick parish of Lesbury. With him that night was an unmarried son, Thomas, born in Lesbury, a grandson, Robert, 7, (born in North Shields, Durham) and a George Younger (age n.k) from North Shields.^[15]

Death

She must have died before 1841, as her name doesn't appear in the census of that year, but there is no burial record for her in Long Houghton, so she must have moved away.

Research Notes

Parish Registers: Northumberland - FamilySearch ^[19]

Sources

1. ↑ Frances Marshall, 1761 in England, Northumberland, Parish Registers, 1538-1950, FamilySearch Online Database with images. Retrieved from FamilySearch (Here;) Accessed 6 Jun 2023.
2. ↑ Frances Marshall in 1761., Northumberland And Durham Baptisms., Northumberland, England. Retrieved from fmp (Here;) Accessed 5 Jun 2023.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} The Registers of Ingram in the County of Northumberland. Baptisms: 1696-1812. Marriages: 1684 -1812. Burials: 1682- 1812. Transcribed by the Rev. A. C. C. Vaughan, M.A., Rector of the Parish, Indexed and edited by Herbert Maxwell Wood. Sunderland: Hills & Co. Retrieved from us archive (Here;) Accessed 5 Jun 2023.
4. ↑ Person: Radley, William (1741 - 1776)., CCEd Person ID: 73990 Retrieved from cced (Here;) Accessed 6 Jun 2023.
5. ↑ Northumberland National Park Historic Village Atlas., Ingram; Northumberland; An Archaeological and Historical Study of a Border Township. Retrieved from (Here;) Accessed 5 Jun 2023.
6. ↑ Northumberland & Durham Family History Society. See (Here;) Smith, D.W., (January 1980)., The Hexham Riot. NDFHS Journal, Volume 5, Number 2. Retrieved from ndfhs (Here;) Accessed 6 Jun 2023.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7} The registers of Long Houghton, in the county of Northumberland: baptisms 1646-1812, marriages 1646-1812, banns 1754-1805, burials 1646-1812. Retrieved from gengophers (Here;) Accessed 4 Jun 2023.
8. ↑ Edward EVANS (Printseller.) (1836)., Catalogue of a collection of engraved Portraits ... on sale ... by E. Evans. (Vol. 2. Catalogue of engraved British Portraits, etc.). Retrieved from Google e-Books (Here;) Accessed 4 Jun 2023.
9. ↑ Frances Marshal in entry for Thomas Thompson, 1783, in England Marriages, 1538–1973. FamilySearch Online Database. Retrieved from FamilySearch (Here;) Accessed 4 Jun 2023. Frances Marshal in entry for Thomas Thompson, 1783.
10. ↑ Frances Marshal in 1783. Northumberland Marriages., Long Houghton, Northumberland, England. Retrieved from fmp (Here;) Accessed 5 Jun 2023.
11. ↑ England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. FamilySearch Online Database. Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City. Retrieved from FamilySearch (Here;) Accessed 30 Mar 2021.
12. ↑ England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. FamilySearch Online Database. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City. Retrieved from FamilySearch (Here;) Accessed 30 Mar 2021.
13. ↑ England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. FamilySearch Online Database. FamilySearch. Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City. Retrieved from FamilySearch (Here;) Accessed 30 Mar 2021.
14. ↑ England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. FamilySearch Online Database. Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City. Retrieved from FamilySearch (Here;) Accessed 30 Mar 2021.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Robert Thompson in the 1861 England Census. Retrieved from Ancestry Sharing. (Here;) Accessed 8 Jun 2023.
16. ↑ General and Concise History and Description of the Town and Port of Kingston-upon-Hull, Sheahan, James Joseph, Pub. Simpkin Marshall, & Co., Stationers' Hall Court. Beverley: John Green, Market Place 1854, Retrieved from (Here;) Accessed 3 Jun 2023.
17. ↑ , Whellan, William., (1855)., History, Topography, and Directory of Northumberland...:., Whittaker & Co. Retrieved from Google e-Books (Here;) Accessed 8 Jun 2023.
18. ↑ A Digest of Parochial Returns made to the Select Committee appointed to inquire into the Education of the Poor. Session 1818., Vol.2., Great Britain; Parliament: House of Commons. (1819)., Reports from Committees., Vol. 9, Part 2. (p.1140)., Retrieved from Google e-Books (Here;) Accessed 8 Jun 2023.
19. ↑ (Here;) Accessed 6 Jun 2023.