George Barrett great grandfather of author A A Milne has a brick wall

Question

George and his wife, Jane Garland, were married in Melcombe Regis.

Might the following be true about this George (among a good handful of Georges in and around the region)...

Some possible matches on George's vital data:

• "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch: indexed 11 Dec 2014, George Barriet, 24 Oct 1781, Baptism; citing p. 9, Poole, Dorset, record group RG4, Public Record Office, London. Not enough data to evaluate whether this is a match. The possible match is based upon a variant in the spelling of the surname and a possible location match.

And, a possible match on his death (note the youngest child was basptised in Dorset),

• EDIT: Death record has been below noted. Helen Ford located a burial record, additionally for both George and Jane (Garland) Barrett. 

Given the notable status of his great grandson, I was hoping to maybe get more confirmed about this George. I added location categorization on the marriage place, but given the variability among the children, I wasn't sure if I should go all out and categorize each county.

I am unfamiliar with where to look other than FamilySearch for any possible will, but even his death date is uncertain.

Comments

Another curiosity is that many Barrets (including the Elizabeth Barrett Browning family) were in/out of Jamaica at the time, and George's daughter (who married the pivotal Milne), married in Jamaica. His son Rev William Garland Barrett was in and out of Jamaica, and at least one of George's grandsons for certain was also born in Jamaica (Sir William Fletcher Barrett FRS FRSE).

Answer 1

His widow Jane '  'late of  the city of New Sarum' (i.e Salisbury)died intestate c 1839 (probate granted to daughter Sarah Read Barrett). https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/19293602?h=5966a6&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

George's death is likely to have occurred there also: the  later children were  born there. 

Edit: found burial of Jane and George( 1838) at St Thomas Salisbury (this is the parish church in the centre of the city) He may have a will which I'll search for on Ancestry. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D267746 ( need to work this on a computer as can't paste references on a phone nor read a will!)

Comments

The dates in her document get interesting: she's of late, but the document has written out 10 Sep 1839. So the burial date seems unreliable. Another bad stone, perhaps.

---

No, my error the date for Janes burial is 1838 my typo (sorry)

Gro ref is Barrett Jane(with an E) 1838 Dec Q Salisbury Vol 8 p251 age 59

 https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp ( I use the GRO site because it has the age at death)

Burial https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/19380360?h=a91dd3&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

So administration was  granted in Sept the following year. 

---

I found William Bowles Barrett on FamilySearch. He doesn't fit with being the son of William who died in 1829. Also, he is probably NOT be a sibling of this George in the range of the births, because the William father of William Bowles was still having children into 1836 and George's date of birth is apparently much earlier than the siblings.

Nevertheless, he's probably a cousin given the other things that you learned about him. His being born when he was makes more sense with him having had an apparent contemporaneous relationship with A A Milne collaterals.

---

William Bowles Barrett was born c.1833. He married at age 35 in 1868 at St Peter Dorchester. He was the son of William .

Hypothesis: William B Barrett's father was George's brother William . William and George are sons of William shoemaker of  Melcombe/Wyke Regis (will1829).  In his will he identified himself ' now of Rodwell in the parish of Wyke Regis. 

In 1901, Kenneth Milne as a 20 year old solicitor's articled clerk was living in St Leonards Rd which is a street in Rodwell This is a tiny area, it's  now part of Weymouth.William Bowles Barrett was living about a quarter of a mile away in Belfield Terrace https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101148002-belfield-terrace-weymouth-and-portland#.XmatNhinzZE

---

On FamilySearch, William Bowles Barrett's father is William Barrett, who married Martha White (no dates for either); however, this couple had a son George Barrett b. 1836, and other children from 1827-1833, so the 1829 death is a problem for Bowles' father to be our George's father, much less the father of Wm Bowles Barrett.

Like I said, William Bowles Barrett's probably a cousin, but does not appear to be George's brother.

---

Think.we're at cross purposes. 

William cordwainer  d c 1829 2 sons George and William. Amongst other property he leaves to son William 'my dwelling house and malthouse in Rodwell'

George shoemaker   b Melcombe moved to Salisbury died 1838(children born  1810-20)

William  m Martha White in Upwey on  7 Dec 1825 (he of Melcombe  bach,  she spinster, otp by license.) Their  son William Bowles Barrett  born in 1833.  William's occupation; malster. Baptism at same independent Church.as George's younger children.  https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/19385793?h=cc9180&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url 

William b c 1788. (10 years older than wife and 7 years younger than George Barrett) See family 1851 census https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/19386132?h=ccf028&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

---

In working up William Bowles Barrett further on FamilySearch, the 1851 census shows us that his father, William, was born 1788; thus, it is not at all improbable that that generation of William was George's brother and therefore, Bowles' uncle.

I'll continue to work the sources on FamilySearch to see if this might be proven.

---

I think that the latest relationships that you describe are reflected on FamilySearch, and the alignment is consistent with the leads that you've provided. The confusion may be because of so many generations of George and William...

I'm not sure anymore. If you have any facility with FamilySearch, I think it's aligned correctly.

Here's Bowles

Bowles' father, William's brother is our George. No?

---

Here's his death record:

William Bowles Barrett
Probate, 26 Jun 1916, Dorset, England, United Kingdom
(Original): Dorsetshire, United Kingdom
Death Date: 17 Apr 1916
Beneficiary's Name: William Edward Cowdell Barrett [son]
Second Beneficiary's Name: George Banks [possible son-in-law]
Digital Folder Number: 007706175
Image Number: 00075

"England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957," database, FamilySearch: indexed 17 Sep 2018, William Bowles Barrett, 26 Jun 1916; citing Probate, Dorset, England, United Kingdom, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Great Britain.; FHL microfilm

---

Hm,those aren't necessarily the beneficiaries.  They are executors to whom administration was granted. He died on the 17th April 1916. The Calendar is free to view here https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=Barrett&yearOfDeath=1916&page=2#calendar

I agree with what you've worked out on FS, As you can see I don't use FS very much. There are very few records for the area I tend to research (Dorset, Wilts, Somerset)  that are any more than indexes or very brief transcripts.

I've transcribed the will of William prob 1829 it's here. 

I think it's going to be very hard to get back another generation because I suspect the two brothers may have been baptised (if they were baptised) in a non conformist church that we don't have the registers for. Bowles Barretts talks include a lot about early non conformism in Weymouth....maybe there might be some indicators there.

Martha White might be worth following up.( As an aside I have a bit of the 'same name' thoughts about her... my husband's Melcombe Regis ancestor,a butcher called William Baunton,  had a shop just  a couple of doors away from a shop owned by William Barrett Coal merchant and Malster.  William Baunton used the middle name White for a son and his daughter used it for her son. I've not yet discovered where it came from... You never know )

I haven't given full references for records I've 'shared'  and those links don't have good references. I'll go back and look for any you use on the profile 

Answer 2

Index record for this George's obituary:

"British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices," database with images, FamilySearch: indexed 17 Apr 2019, George Barrett, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, 11 Jun 1838, death 3 Jun 1838, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland: Salisbury and Winchester Journal; FHL microfilm.

Comments

All from the Salisbury and Wiltshire Journal

Died on Sunday morning,June 3 aged 57,Mr George Barrett of the High Street,many years a resident of this city.His memory will be long endeared to his family and friends

Monday 11 June 1838

High Street Salisbury

Jane Barrett respectfully returns thanks for the many and long-continued favours conferred on her late husband George Barrett BOOT and SHOEMAKER and solicits the same kind support for herself and her family

Monday 18 June 1838

TO ALL BOOT AND SHOEMAKERS

AN ELIGIBLE OPPORTUNITY

TO be disposed of-A very old and first-rate BUSINESS in the above line which has been advantageously carried on by the late proprietor for upwards of thirty years.To a person of business-like habits, an opening like the present seldom occurs since their appears to be an excellent prospect of increasing the profits in all its branches

Applications if by letter post-paid,to be made to Mrs Barrett,High Street, Salisbury

Monday 9t= July 1838

Died 26 December,in this City after a long illness aged 59, the relict of Mr William Barrett boot and shoemaker of the High Street

Monday 31 December 1838

---

Hi Helen,

Doubled back to reexamine the Barretts. Several of the children's non-conformist baptismal records came up from Essex. From some of the great Salisbury and Wiltshire Journal tidbits, we know that Jane (Garland) and George Barrett both died in Salisbury, Wiltshire AND that his shoe shop was on High Street for about 30-years.

So it seems that we ought to have captured the family in a few census years... Oh, and his wife was the one from Melcombe Regis (where they m. in 1805); he, from Weymouth, assuming that he was born in the same place as his brother... 

 I'll see if I can figure out how to leverage residence by time period and maybe I can get a hit on the census/ quite possibly for his father, too.