Genealogy Chat

Do you think it’s possible for a woman of around 50 to have a child or as I suspect do you think the child is likely a grandchild that she and husband took responsibility for?

Frances had her first child at 22 and I suspect one of the daughters from the early days of her marriage had a child outside of marriage which her parents took responsibility for. What do you think?

There is no birth certificate as the child was born pre registration I think.

Either scenario is possible.

If you give us some details of the people concerned, we'll have a look.

You post reads like a follow-on from some other thread

EDIT:
In view of the last sentence you've added re pre-registration, it may not be possible to give a definitive answer, unless a baptism record can be found.

The mother is Frances Brownsell sometimes spelt Brounsell who was born around 1789 and Lavinia Brownsell born around 1837

The family are from Hanslope in Buckinghamshire.

For our reference:

Levinia Brownsell
in the 1841 England Census
Name: Levinia Brownsell
Age: 4
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1837
Gender: Female
Where born: Buckinghamshire, England
Civil Parish: Hanslope
Hundred: Newport
County/Island: Buckinghamshire
Country: England
Street Address:
Occupation:
View image
Registration District: Newport Pagnell
Sub-registration District: Olney
Neighbors:
Piece: 57
Book: 4
Folio: 6
Page Number: 7
Household Members:
Name Age
George Brownsell 55
Thomas Brownsell 50 - presumably this is Frances - hard to read image
Joseph Brownsell 20
Ely Brownsell 12
Jane Brownsell 15
Alfred Brownsell 8
Hepzibah Brownsell 6
Levinia Brownsell 4



Francis Brownsell
in the 1851 England Census
Name: Francis Brownsell
Age: 62
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1789
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: George Brownsell
Gender: Female
Where born: Hanslope, Buckinghamshire, England
Civil Parish: Hanslope
Phillimore Ecclesiastical Parish Maps:
View related Ecclesiastical Parish
County/Island: Buckinghamshire
Country: England
Street Address:
Occupation:
Condition as to marriage:
Disability:
View image
Registration District: Newport Pagnell
Sub-registration District: Fenny Stratford
ED, institution, or vessel: 18a
Neighbors:
Household Schedule Number: 36
Piece: 1723
Folio: 742
Page Number: 9
Household Members:
Name Age
George Brownsell 67
Francis Brownsell 62
Alfred Brownsell 19 - son
Levinia Brownsell 14 - daughter
Charles Ward 7 - grandson

Baptism of the daughter Hepzibah, who is only a couple of years older than Levinia:

Hepsibah Brownsill
in the England, Pallot's Baptism Index, 1780-1837
Name: Hepsibah Brownsill
Baptism Date: 1835
Parent 1: Geo Brownsill
Parent 2: FrancesBrownsill
Parish: Hanslope
County: Buckinghamshire

Jane Brownsill
in the England, Pallot's Baptism Index, 1780-1837
Name: Jane Brownsill
Baptism Date: 1825
Parent 1: Geo Brownsill
Parent 2: FrancesBrownsill
Parish: Hanslope
County: Buckinghamshire

Frances might have been in her late 40s when Levinia was born, going by the censuses - not impossible , especially for someone who had had numerous children.

Thank you for looking and for the christenings. I suspect there might be 14 children that George and Frances had.

I am descended from Richard who was born around 1819 and died in 1844 just months before his last child was born.

not finding a marriage or death for levinia so she may have been born with a different name

Lavinia's baptism gives Frances and George as her parents:-

First name(s) Lavinia
Last name Brownsill
Baptism year 1837
Birth year -
Denomination Anglican
County Buckinghamshire
Country England
Place Hanslope
Mother's first name(s) Frances
Father's first name(s) George
Father's last name Brownsill
Document type Bishop's transcripts
Page 154
Baptism date 23 Jul 1837
Father's occupation Labourer
Residence Tathall End
Register type Baptisms, marriages & burials
Register year range 1813-1837
Archive reference D/A/T/214/3

Kath. x

Tawny ................

go to the FreeReg site. George and Francis seem to have gone in for bulk baptisms, eg 3 on the same day 23 July 1837, Lavinia being one of them

Could be because it was cheaper to do bulk, or because a vicar only came round occasionally

https://www.freereg.org.uk/

Thank you for the christening record Kathleen and the web address for checking them Sylvia.

Looks like I’ve got some more digging to do on Lavinia without a marriage or death record Malyon

I think I’ve found Lavinia though I’ll need to order the certificate to confirm. I have a death for a Lavinia Brounsell in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire in 1853

BROWNSEL, LAVINIA AGE 16
GRO Reference: 1853 M Quarter in NEWPORT PAGNEL UNION Volume 03A Page 325

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp

GRO death record below.

Her age at death would fit.

BROWNSEL, LAVINIA 16
GRO Reference: 1853 M Quarter in NEWPORT PAGNEL UNION Volume 03A Page 325

Thank you both. I’ll order the certificate to confirm but the age does fit the age on the census records.

Tawny ..

remember that you can get a pdf of the death certificate for, I think, £7, from GRO, and sent by email.

It's a copy of the death certificate, fine for family history but not for official purposes


EDITED:- ca 9:45 pm Feb 24; spelling mistake

Thank you Sylvia. I think I’ll look at getting the pdf

Tawny ........

I got the pdf last year for one of OH's ancestors, just as a confirmation that it was her.

It was fine, just printed in black, instead of being on official-looking certificate.