Ancestral Trails: Bazeley

This page covers Northamptonshire families in the maternal line of John's father James MARIS. The narrative starts with third great grandfather Thomas BAZELEY.

Thomas BAZELEY (d.1828)

Thomas BASELEY married Ann JONES in Wappenham in October 1786. The parish register, however, also records the marriage of Thomas BEESLEY to Mary JONES in April 1786. Unfortunately, the Wappenham baptismal register contains only one entry for Thomas son of Richard and Mary BEASLY in January 1764. It is not yet clear whether this is our Thomas BAZELEY or whether he was born elsewhere. Thomas and Ann had eight children - all born in Wappenham.

Richard BAZELEY (b.1803)

Richard was the seventh child of Thomas and Ann BAZELEY. In 1830 he married Hannah PHIPPS in Wappenham. Hannah was born in Hook Norton, Oxfordshire and it was there that the couple's first two children were born. The family then moved to the Grandborough area of Warwickshire where their other six children were born. Thomas first worked as a labourer and subsequently as Baker and Farmer of 66 acres. By the time of Richard's death in 1860, the family had returned to Wappenham. Under the terms of his will, his wife Hannah was empowered to carry on his farming and grazing business. By 1881, she was farming 163 acres in Helmdon, Northants employing six men and two boys. She died in Wappenham in 1885.

Of Richard's siblings, Mary (b.1787) married Richard KING. John (b.1792) worked variously as farmer and carrier. He married Sarah KING and went on to have seven children. Estell (b.1795) worked variously as shoemaker and "ag lab". He married Hannah JONES and had at least three children. Sarah (b.1800) married William FEARN. Anne (b.1806) married George HOLLOWAY.

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Thomas BEAZLEY (b.1838)

Thomas was born in Woolscott near Grandborough, Warks the fourth child of Richard and Hannah BAZELEY. In 1861 he married Eleanor COCKERILL in Wappenham. They had ten children, the first five being born in Pattishall. By 1871 the family had moved to Northampton where the other children were born. Thomas was employed as a wheelwright and blacksmith in Northampton before working on his own account running a livery stables.

Little is known about Thomas's three older siblings George, Ann and Samuel. The fifth child Jane (b.1841) married Thomas COCKERILL (Brother of Thomas's wife Eleanor and one of John's great grand uncles). They had five children in Wappenham where Thomas worked as a shoemaker. Estell (b.1844) farmed with his mother in Helmdon. After her death he worked as a farm bailiff in King's Sutton. He married Emily KILBY from Sulgrave. Joseph (b.1846) had a small shop in Helmdon where he also workes as "ag lab". Jesse (b.1849) also worked on the family farm in Helmdon.

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Eleanor BAZELEY (b.1873)

Eleanor was the eighth child of Thomas and Eleanor BAZELEY. In 1901 she was working as houskeeper at the family home in Cooper, Street, St Sepulchre, Northampton. In 1909 she married William MARIS son of John MARIS and Ann SPENCE. They had four children, the eldest being John's father James MARIS. Eleanor lived most of her married life at 16 Semilong Place, Northampton. John can remember that the house still had gas lighting in the 1950s. Eleanor died in 1965 at the age of 92.

Of her siblings, Thomas (b.1862) was a blacksmith in Northampton and Estell (b.1863) was employed variously as blacksmith, greengrocer and wheelwright. John (b.1866) started out as an engine driver, but by 1901 was employed as cab driver and groom - presumably in the family business. Robert William (b.1868) was employed as bricklayer and builder's labourer. Richard (b.1871) was employed as greengrocer and bricklayer's labourer. He married Louisa LEEKING and they had at least four children. Henry (1872) was variously employed as greengrocer and cab driver. Jesse (b.1879) was a hawker and George (b.1879) was a cab driver.