James HAMBLING

Abt 1723 - 1787  (~ 64 years)

 Set As Default Person

• Name	James HAMBLING
  Relationship	with Teresa Ann GOATHAM
  Born	Abt 1723	Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England
  	I had 'abt 1722' - I don't know where I got this date from, I suspect it is an estimate based on the date of his wife's baptism. Date and place now shown from baptism.
  Baptised	11 Apr 1723	St. Mary’s Church, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England
  	From PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 18 Apr 2017) "Aprill 11.th Then Was Baptized James Son of James Hamling and Anne his Wife"
  Gender	Male
  Proof Argument	For linking the Berry Pomeroy and Blackawton James's as one
  Introduction Hambling and variants (Hamling, Hamblyn, Hamlyn etc.) is a name not that unusual in the South Hams, with families in adjacent families to Blackawton at various times. In Blackawton, where this James first married in 1745, the Parish Registers are in good condition, and accurately indexed on FMP, and it is clear that not only is there no baptism of James in the PRs but there was no Hambling family there around the time James was born that could be his immediate family, but just the odd occurence of the surname before he married. So where was James from? Although there is no evidence of a Hambling family in Blackawton at an earlier date, and no evidence of a James born around the right time in an adjacent parish, one John Hambling married in Blackawton in 1754 (his burial suggests he was born about 1729). In addition a George married in the neighbouring parish of Slapton in 1759; his burial suggests a birth c. 1740, but he too seems to have come from elsewhere. Were either or both of these brothers or otherwise closely related to James and give a clue to his origin? The main evidence 1. Contenders to be James of Blackawton There were lots of John and George Hamblings; James Hambling was a far less common name in the South Hams, the only baptism I have found which could be his is the one given here, in 1723 in Berry Pomeroy. (I think a James born in Widecombe in the Moor in 1722 was probably one with the name who died there soon after). It would be unsafe to assume that the Berry Pomeroy James was the right one merely from it being the only one found 'to fit'. Although most PRs for this area are now indexed online, some indexes are poor, with many entries inacurrately transcribed (though by the C18th generally more accurate than for the C16th or C17th). In addition, some baptisms may have been recorded in registers, of parish or non-conformist churches, which do not now survive, and in some reigsters not all pages or all parts of pages are complete, and some clergy were negligent in the keeping of the registers. However, being the only one found, though, Berry Pomeroy James has to be a strong contender. 2. What became of James bapised in 1723 in Berry Pomeroy? The only burial of a James that could be the one baptised in 1723 in Berry Pomeroy itself was in 1762 (no age or other info. given). However, since James bap. 1723 had a father called James it seems far more likely that the burial is that of the father. (So far I have not looked for a gravestone, nor have I viewed the burial PR entry I think likely to be the widow of James senior; this burial was in Berry Pomeroy so confirming this would make it more likely that James senior was buried in Berry Pomeroy). If I am wrong and the 1762 burial was that of James junior of Berry Pomeroy, there should be a burial somewhere for James senior; I have found no other that seems likely to be his. It seems highly probable that the 1762 burial was James senior. Other than in Blackawton I have found no burial that could be that of James junior. Of course James junior of  Berry Pomeroy need not have married, but I have also found no other marriages that could be of James junior in the immediate vicinity of Berry Pomeroy (that parish or adjacent ones); those in Blackawton seem the most likely for this James. There was a James who married in Churchstow in 1761 with no obvious James baptism there or nearby, but this would be quite late for the first marriage (if such it was) of someone born in 1723, so I don't consider that too much of a challenge to be the James baptised in Berry Pomeroy. Taking evidence points 1 and 2 together, a James in Blackawton with no other possible origin found than James of Berry Pomeroy, and a James in Berry Pomeroy for whom no very likely fate is known than in Blackawton does now suggest the two are probably the same one. Looking at more evidence ... 3. James the marriage witness When this James married in 1778 two witnesses were called James Hambling. One I believe was his son ('James Junr'). Since James senior of Berry Pomeroy was probably buried in 1762 it cannot be him. Clearly if I am wrong to identify this James as James junior of Berry Pomeroy then the witness could be that James. However, there was another James living near Blackawton in 1778: James, the son of George of Slapton. Baptised in 1762 he would have been a minor, but this was not a bar to being a witness. It seems most likely that James of Slapton was the witness. Unfortunately I have not been able to discover what became of James of Slapton (quick search only); if he could be identified and a signature could be found for him it would be useful to compare them.  4. Possible brothers To return to the question raised earlier, could John of Blackawton and / or George of Slapton closely related to James? Brothers do often move together, although the relatively short distance this time and the number of Hambling families around mean it is more likely than often in such situations that there was no link. John born c. 1729: James of Berry Pomeroy did have a brother John but he was baptised 1734; whilst a five year error is certainly not impossible it does make it less likely that Blackawton John was the same person as Berry Pomeroy John. Blackawton John had four sons, and whilst these included not only one with his own name but also a George, there was no James, as one might have expected if he were the son and brother of a James, and the other two were William and Robert, not names found in the Berry Pomeroy family but found (along with John and George) in other South Hams Hambling families. In addition John of Blackawton made his mark when he married, unlike James of Blackawton who signed. If they had been brothers it is most likely both or neither would have been able to write. I have not studied the various South Hams Hamblings sufficiently to see where he might fit but at present it seems most likely he was not the John baptised in Berry Pomeroy in 1734. George of Slapton: of James and his two possible brothers George is the one with the clearest and I suggest most certain link to Berry Pomeroy. His burial suggests a birth about 1740, which fits perfectly with the baptism in Berry Pomeroy. Of course this is assuming that the George that was buried in Slapton is the one who had earlier married there in 1759.  The dates of deaths of two wives of Georges in Slapton suggest all three were of the same George, and whilst this would mean he was young, perhaps unusually so for the period, for the 1759 marriage the fact that the PR entry shows that parents consented does suggest that that George was under 21. As well as the date of birth, the names of sons of George of Slapton give a strong indication that this was George from Berry Pomeroy. The first four match the names of George of Berry Pomeroy and his brothers. George of Berry Pomeroy only had three brothers so the fifth son of George of Slapton could not follow this pattern - but he was given the name Henry, the name of the only 'Hambling' uncle of George of Berry Pomeroy not to have been the same as the name of a brother. While none of the names was a rare one, the exact combination does seem too much to be a conincidence. In addition, his three daughters bore the names of his two wives who bore them, and Ann, George of Berry Pomeroy's mother's name, though with it being such a common name this could be a conincidence. Evidence points 3 and 4 taken together, i.e. with it seeming likely that James who witnessed this James' 1778 marriage was the son of George, thus suggesting George and this James were closely related, this evidence that George was from Berry Pomeroy suggests that James was probably also from that parish. Minor pieces of evidence 5. Less signigicant than sons names, but still often pointing to a link I think it may be significant that this James named his second daughter Ann - his first being Mary, his then wife's name. His second daughter was also a daughter of Mary and I think it likely he was giving her his mother's name. (Of course with such a common name another James could easily have had a mother called Ann too, or it could very easily have been after a godmother and not an indicator of mother at all). 6. Marriages were usually between people of a similar social standing. With Ann Bartlett's father being described as 'Mr' when she was baptised, and the Berry Pomeroy couple who were the parents of James junior of Berry Pomeroy marrying by licence, both indicators of families better off than the average, it suggests they may have been of a similar social standing, and therefore a marriage between the two more likely. But was George of Slapton of the same social standing? On two occasions George of Slapton was described as a woolcomber, which sounds to me a more humble occupation, but it is interesting that on the third he was described as a yeoman. Usually this is thought of as a farmer, a freeholder rather than a leaseholder (who would be described as a husbandman). However, it had a wider meaning, reflected in the OED definition (II. 3.) which includes "... hence vaguely, a commoner or countryman of respectable standing, esp. one who cultivates his own land." Thus more respectable origin than  'woolcomber' suggests may explain the 'yeoman' description. Of course, George was a younger son, James the oldest; primo geniture may have meant that James had better prospects than his brother George.  Conclusion Taking all the above evidence together I do think that we can be reasonably certain that James junior of Berry Pomeroy and James of Blackawton were one and the same person.
  Occupation	1760	Blackawton, Devon, England
  	Blacksmith
  	Recorded as blacksmith in the baptismal records for his children, also when he married . I haven't studied the entries to identify as many as possible, but noticed that a William Ching, Blacksmith, had a daughter baptised on the same day as James' daughter Anne, and a Daniel Farley, Blacksmith, had a daughter baptised within a month of James' daughter Mary; it is clear there were several blacksmiths at work in the parish at this time.
  Died	Mar 1787	Blackawton, Devon, England
  	(assumed from burial. or his father died this year)
  Buried	28 Mar 1787	St. Michael’s Church, Blackawton, Devon, England   [1]
  Siblings	4 brothers and 2 sisters
  + 1. James HAMBLING,   b. Abt 1723, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England ,   d. Mar 1787, Blackawton, Devon, England  (Age ~ 64 years) ▻ Mary GIBBS,  m. 6 Jul 1745 ;   Anne BARTLETT,  m. 6 May 1760 ;   Elizabeth QUARMO,  m. 25 Dec 1778   2. Anne HAMBLING,   bap. 11 Nov 1725, St. Mary’s Church, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England ,   bur. 28 Apr 1726, St. Mary’s Church, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England  (Age ~ 0 years)   3. Anne HAMBLING,   bap. 23 May 1727, St. Mary’s Church, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England ,   bur. 9 Sep 1741, St. Mary’s Church, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England  (Age ~ 14 years)   4. Edward HAMBLING,   bap. 27 Jan 1729/30, St. Mary’s Church, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England ,   d. Yes, date unknown   5. John HAMBLING,   bap. 2 Aug 1734, St. Mary’s Church, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England ,   d. Yes, date unknown   6. George HAMBLING,   bap. 19 Mar 1736/37, St. Mary’s Church, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England ,   bur. 25 Jan 1738/39, St. Mary’s Church, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England  (Age ~ 1 years) + 7. George HAMBLING,   bap. 13 Aug 1740, St. Mary’s Church, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England ,   bur. 4 Jun 1821, St. James’ Church, Slapton, Devon, England  (Age ~ 80 years) ▻ Elizabeth CODMER,  m. 22 May 1759 ;   Willmot KELLOND,  m. 9 Jul 1771 ;   Elizabeth,  m. 19 Oct 1783
  Origins
  Patriarch & Matriarch	John HAMBLING,   b. Est 1654,   d. Nov 1732, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England  (Age ~ 78 years)  (Grandfather)  Elizabeth HEYWOOD,   b. Est 1660,   d. Dec 1723, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England  (Age ~ 63 years)  (Grandmother)
  Person ID	I46	All | Teresa's direct ancestors
  Last Modified	8 Mar 2018

  
  

  Father	James HAMBLING,   b. Abt 1692, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England ,   d. Mar 1762, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England  (Age ~ 70 years)
  Mother	Ann SHINNER,   b. Abt 1697, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England ,   d. Nov 1775, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England  (Age ~ 78 years)
  Married	31 Jul 1722	St. Mary’s Church, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England
  	From PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 18 Apr 2017) "July 31.th Then was Married James Hamling and Anne Shinner by Mr. John Prince Vicr. By Licence Dated November 28th: 1721 Granted by Doctr. Steward. Edw: Cook Rejester"
  Family ID	F9233	Family Group Page  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Mary GIBBS,   d. 1753
  Married	6 Jul 1745	St. Michael’s Church, Blackawton, Devon, England   [2]
  Children	4 children
  1. Mary HAMBLING (HAMLYN),   b. 1746,   d. 1753  (Age 7 years)   2. Ann HAMBLING,   b. 1747,   d. 1753  (Age 6 years)   3. Elizabeth HAMBLING,   b. 1749, Blackawton, Devon, England ,   d. Yes, date unknown   4. Joanna HAMBLING,   b. 1751, Blackawton, Devon, England ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Last Modified	29 Apr 2017
  Family ID	F146	Family Group Page  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Anne BARTLETT,   b. Abt 1724, Blackawton, Devon, England ,   d. Jan 1777, Blackawton, Devon, England  (Age ~ 53 years)
  Married	6 May 1760	St. Michael’s Church, Blackawton, Devon, England   [3]
  	James signed, Anne marked
  Children	2 children
  1. Anne HAMBLING,   b. 1760, Blackawton, Devon, England ,   d. 1780 ? + 2. James HAMBLING,   b. Abt 1761, Blackawton, Devon, England ,   d. 14 Jul 1837, Blackawton, Devon, England  (Age ~ 76 years) ▻ Ann BURGOIN  m. 16 Jun 1783
  Last Modified	15 Jun 2014
  Family ID	F25	Family Group Page  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 3	Elizabeth QUARMO,   bur. St. Michael’s Church, Blackawton, Devon, England
  Married	25 Dec 1778	St. Michael’s Church, Blackawton, Devon, England   [4]
  	James Hambling junr. was a witness
  Last Modified	15 Apr 2017
  Family ID	F144	Family Group Page  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Sources

  [S294] Blackawton - St Michael and All Angels Church Parish Registers (FMP images), St Michael and All Angels’ (Blackawton, Devon), (brightsolid online publishing ltd. FindMyPast. http://www.findmypast.co.uk/  .), Burial of James HAMBLIN; accessed 31 May 2014 (Reliability: 2). Under '1787' - "March 28 was buried James Hamblin" Archive reference: 995A/PR/1/5 (date starts 2, if or what 2nd digit is not clear, I think an 8) [S199] Blackawton - St Michaels Church - m/f images, St. Michael’s Church (Blackawton, Devon), Marriage of James HAMLYN to Mary GIBBS 1745; DE/REG/57869/1-16 m/f 5 (Reliability: 3). "July. 6th: were married James Hamlyn & Mary Gibbs." (entry under heading 'Anno Dni: 1745') [S199] Blackawton - St Michaels Church - m/f images, St. Michael’s Church (Blackawton, Devon), Marriage of James HAMBLING to Anne BARTLET 1760; DE/REG/57869/1-16 m/f 9 (Reliability: 3). "Banns of Marriage between James Hambling and Anne Bartlet on the 23d, the 30th days of March and the 6th day of April 1760 by me Thomas Adams Vicar No 38 The said James Hambling of this Parish Blacksmith and the said Anne Bartlet of this Parish Spinster were Married in this Church by Banns this Sixth Day of May in the Year One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty by me Thomas Adams Vicar.    This Marriage was solemnized between Us      { James Hambling { Anne + Bartlet   In the Presence of   { V Hingston { Thoms Hyne" (Thomas Hyne was a witness at many around this time and was probably the Parish Clerk) [S199] Blackawton - St Michaels Church - m/f images, St. Michael’s Church (Blackawton, Devon), Marriage of James HAMBLING and Elizabeth QUARMO 1778; DE/REG/57869/1-16 m/f 10 (Reliability: 3). "Banns of Marriage between James Hambling and Elizabeth Quarmo were published on the 29th Day of November the 6th & the 13th Days of December 1778 by me Thoms Adams Vicar No 163 The said James Hambling of this Parish Blacksmith and the said Elizabeth Quarmo of this Parish Spinster were Married in this Church by Banns this Twenty first Day of December in the Year One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy Eight by me Thoms. Adams Vicar.    This Marriage was solemnized between Us      { James Hambling { The mark of O of Elizabeth Quarmo   In the Presence of   { James Hambling James Hambling Junr { Thomas Hyne" (Thomas Hyne was a witness at many around this time and was probably the Parish Clerk)