Case Study - The Drapers of Castle Donington
Early on in my own research, it was quite a shock for me to discover a bit of Anglo-Saxon "pollution" in my hitherto splendidly Celtic family tree. My Victorian great grandmother had been the daughter of a London coachsmith but her family branch, Draper, hailed from the little Leicestershire market town of Castle Donington. In fact, if your name wasn't Draper and you couldn't wield a hammer in the smithy, then I don't think they let you in! Currently top of my tree is blackmith Thomas Draper who died there in 1766/7. If you would like to learn more about the history of the town, see this Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society article.
I was able to build up some quite substantial Draper side branches as I explored people of that name in the town and the surrounding villages. I discovered that many of my Drapers had actively embraced Non-conformism, leaving their mark in the records of the local Baptist and Methodist churches. In addition to censuses and church records, Leicestershire wills (online with FindMyPast) were a great resource. This was where I came across another Thomas Draper whom I currently cannot connect to my tree but decided to research forward as a case study.
I am sharing this work with you, both to highlight the type of detail and style of reports that you can expect to receive from any Kindred Ancestry research commission, but also of course in the hope that someone out there will help me connect him into my clan! Be sure to check out my blog post on the "Frog Eating Thomas Draper of Castle Donington" too!
Thomas Draper (1800-1878) of Castle Donington and Shardlow was a baker rather than a blacksmith. He was able to retire from his profession and presumably live off the proceeds of his land investments until his death. His will, proved in the Leicester Registry in early 1879, disposed of these assets in trust to provide legacies for 2 generations of his descendants. These included his 2 married daughters Elizabeth Cotton, wife of Robert White Cotton and Eunice Lacey Griffin, wife of Thomas Griffin.
There were also several grandchildren mentioned who usefully sported a clutch of middle names that allowed me to search for other records with more confidence. For example, it was no surprise to find that Thomas had married a Eunice Walton Lacey in 1822 when you consider that not only was his younger daughter named for her mother but she also named her son Richard Thomas Lacey Griffin. Walton also appeared later as a middle name for a great grand-daughter, Lilian Lucy Walton Cotton and a great grandson, Thomas Walton Griffin. Draper also featured in a similar fashion with a grand-daughter - Jeannette Draper Cotton and a splendidly named great grandson, Barrowdale Draper Griffin. In fact, he was doubly blessed as his mother had been Lydia Barrowdale! This sowing of family surnames in later branches of the family tree, especially maiden names, as middle names was a very widespread and genealogically useful practice.
There were also several grandchildren mentioned who usefully sported a clutch of middle names that allowed me to search for other records with more confidence. For example, it was no surprise to find that Thomas had married a Eunice Walton Lacey in 1822 when you consider that not only was his younger daughter named for her mother but she also named her son Richard Thomas Lacey Griffin. Walton also appeared later as a middle name for a great grand-daughter, Lilian Lucy Walton Cotton and a great grandson, Thomas Walton Griffin. Draper also featured in a similar fashion with a grand-daughter - Jeannette Draper Cotton and a splendidly named great grandson, Barrowdale Draper Griffin. In fact, he was doubly blessed as his mother had been Lydia Barrowdale! This sowing of family surnames in later branches of the family tree, especially maiden names, as middle names was a very widespread and genealogically useful practice.
If you would like to see some charts and a report on Thomas Draper and his descendants then here are the links:
Please note the following about this research:
- Children and Grandchildren of Thomas Draper [1800-1878] (Chart)
- Descendants of Thomas Draper [1800-1878] (Report)
- Descendants of Elizabeth Draper [1825-1877] (Chart)
- Descendants of Eunice Lacey Draper [1834-1901] (Chart)
Please note the following about this research:
- It is the result of several days work done entirely via available online resources - some free, others via subscription. There are source citations in the Descendants Report if you would like to follow up the references yourself.
- The tree takes some of Thomas' descendants well into the 20th century but, in line with professional practice, the report only contains the names of people where I believe I have found their death or they were born more than 100 years ago.
- Candidate records were found for later descendants that would really need to be verified by buying the necessary certificates. References, theories and questions are included in the notes sections for the relevant people.
In the hope that anyone out there is trying their luck with a name and place search, here is a list of the people identified in the report (direct descendants of Thomas are in bold):
- Thomas Draper, ba.1800, Castle Donington - d.1878, Castle Donington
- Eunice Walton Lacey, ba.1799, Castle Donington - d.1867 (wife)
- Elizabeth Draper, ba.1825, Castle Donington - d.1877, Hemington
- Robert White Cotton, ba. 1822, Hemington - d.1899, Hemington (husband)
- Eunice Mary Cotton, ba. 1852, Hemington - d. 1936, Bagthorpe, Nottingham
- Henry Hind, ba. 1854, Bingham - d. 1930, Nottingham (husband)
- Andrew Cheetham Hind, b. 1888, Nottingham - d. 1917, Belgium
- Elizabeth Hind, b. 1884, Nottingham - d. 1962, Nottingham
- Henry Tinley Hind, ba. 1883, Radcliffe-on-Trent
- Elizabeth Maria Cotton, ba. 1853, Hemington
- James Thomas Morris, ba. 1852, Kegworth (husband)
- Annie Cotton, ba. 1855, Hemington
- Thomas Pearson, ba. 1850, Kildwick (husband)
- Laura Annie Pearson, b. 1877, Manchester - d. Canada?
- Harry Kennedy, ba. 1886, Meaford, Ontario (husband)
- Thomas Henry Pearson, b. 1878, Manchester
- Robert Hartley Pearson, b. 1880, Manchester - d. 1880, Manchester
- Margaret Jeannette Pearson, b. 1882, Manchester - d. 1962, Manchester
- Ernest Hodgkinson, ba. 1888 - d. 1955, Sale (husband)
- Edith Bell Pearson, b.1887, Manchester
- Ada Constance Jessica Pearson, b. 1890, Manchester - d. 1891, Manchester
- Robert Hartley Pearson, b. 1893, Manchester - d. 1894, Manchester
- Thomas John Cotton, ba. 1858, Hemington - d. 1931, Hemington
- Annie Audinwood, ba. 1865, Castle Donington - d. 1932, Hemington (wife)
- Tom Audinwood Cotton, b. 1888, Hemington
- Annie Cotton, b. 1888, Hemington - d. 1888
- Robert William Cotton, b. 1891, Hemington - d. 1908, Hemington
- Mabel Elizabeth Cotton, b. 1892, Hemington
- Michael Cotton, b. 18897 - d. 1897
- Winifred Mary Cotton, b. 1898, Hemington
- Lilian Lucy Walton Cotton, b. 1900, Hemington - d. 1972
- Albert Henry Smith (husband)
- John Edward Sutton Cotton, b. 1902, hemington - d. 1990
- Gladys Mabel Clay, b. 1907 - d. 1979/80, Oxfordshire (wife)
- Walter Cotton, b. 1904, Hemington - d. 1936, Alfreton
- Lucy Emily Holmes, b. 1890, Loscoe - d. 1954, South Normanton (wife)
- Samuel Mark Cotton, b. 1907, Hemington
- Jeanette Draper Cotton, ba. 1862, Hemington - d. 1942, Castle Donington
- William Bywater Lees, ba. 1862, Hemington - d. 1932, Castle Donington (husband)
- Laura Bywater Lees, ba. 1890, Castle Donington - d. 1938, Castle Donington
- Annie Bywater Lees, b. 1891, Castle Donington - d. 1978, Ashby-de-la-Zouch
- Elizabeth Cotton Bywater Lees, b. 1892 - d. 1892
- William Cotton Bywater Lees, b. 1892 - d. 1898/9
- Robert Bywater Lees, ba. 1896, Castle Donington - d. 1934, Castle Donington
- Lily Martha Abbott (wife)
- Ted Bywater Lees, ba 1896/7 - d. 1897
- Dorothy Jeanette Bywater Lees, ba. 1898/9 - d. 1899
- Francis Bywater Lees, ba. 1901, Castle Donington - d. 1952, Derby
- Barbara Helen Stanton, b. 1905 (wife)
- Eunice Lacey Draper, b.1834 - d.1901, Castle Donington
- Thomas Griffin, ba. 1834, Coleorton (husband)
- Richard Thomas Lacey Griffin, b. 1854, Castle Donington
- Lydia Barrowdale, b. 1854, Castle Donington - d. 1892 (wife)
- Barrowdale Draper Griffin, b. 1881, Castle Donington - d. 1908
- Ellen Dickens Burrows, ba. 1879, Bedworth
- Thomas Barrowdale Griffin, b. 1904, Sneinton
- Thomas Walton Griffin, b. 1888, Castle Donington
- Fanny Simpson, ba. 1855, Gloucester (2nd wife)