Finding the Ancestors of John Bassett 1790

 A small group of researchers including myself and Warrick Anderson have, for a number of years, been actively researching our Bassett ancestors from Cornwall. We have been trying to determine the parents of John Bassett(1790) and to test alternative theories for his ancestry. This Blog is the result of that work and examines two possible theories.

Both Warrrick and I would be very interested to receive any feedback regarding our research as discussed in this Blog.

Although it is known that John(b.1790)’s father’s forename was William, which William has not been so clear, nor who his mother was.  At present we know with some certainty the following about John, he was baptised on 5 September 1790 as John son of William Bassett, pauper at Madron, he married Martha Carbis 15 Mar 1812 in Paul, Cornwall and died in Australia.[i] [ii]

Identifying John Bassett(b.1790)’s parents

Theories concerning the identity of John Bassett(b.1790)’s mother

•          Eleanor Sampson was the mother of John Bassett(b. 1790)
•          Jane Matthews was the mother of John Bassett(b. 1790)

After considerable research we know that Jane Matthews is the mother of John Bassett, as Eleanor died in 1780 aged 63 years. However, it is not clear which William Bassett is his father.[iii]

Theories concerning the identity of John Bassett(b.1790)’s father

The next question then becomes which William Bassett was Jane Matthews’ husband & the father of John Bassett(b. 1790)?

There are two likely scenarios

Scenario 1.   William Bassett(b.1762) the son of William Bassett(b.1736) & Eleanor Sampson where Jane Matthews was his only wife. This couple go on to have two children which have been identified William born circa 1760 & Eleanor born circa 1765.

[research notes No baptismal records have yet been located for either of William Bassett(b.1762)’s children.]

Scenario 2.   William Bassett(b.1736) the son of William Bassett[Cordwainer] and his wife Margery Grenfield where Jane Matthews was his second wife.

In this scenario, William Bassett(b.1736) & William Bassett(b.1762) identified Scenario 1 are the same person. We refer to the William Bassett in Scenario 2 as William Bassett(b.1736) [pauper] to help distinguish him in the context of having two wives.

William married his first wife Eleanor Sampson on 23 June 1761 in Madron, Cornwall, England.[iv] He was 26, she was 45, no children have been verified for this couple, they were married for 19 years. Eleanor dies at the age of 63 and buried as the wife of William Bassett, Pauper on 29 August 1780 in Madron, Cornwall, England.[v]

Given Eleanor’s age when she married William it is unlikely that the couple had any children.

After William Bassett(b.1736) [pauper]’s first wife,  Eleanor died, he then married Jane Matthews (his second wife) at the age of 48 on 13 September 1783 in Madron, Cornwall, England.[vi] It is after this second marriage that he begins to be identified as William Bassett, pauper in the parish records when his second child is baptised. The couple go on to have nine children between 1784 and 1800, three of which die in childhood, two we know get married but what happened to the others remains a mystery. Jane, his wife, dies in 1810 she is buried on 12 August as Jane Bassett, Pauper, at Madron. [vii]

William dies at the age of 84 while residing at Marazion and is buried on 8 December 1819 in Madron.[viii]

The generation in dispute

Is there one or two generations between William Bassett (married 1735) [cordwainer] & John Bassett (born 1790)?

 

Examining the Evidence

Baptismal Records

William Bassett pauper from Madron, had nine children in total.  The children, except for the eldest, were all identified as being the children of William Bassett Pauper. The lack of the pauper designation could indicate that the first child she was not his daughter, but daughter to another William Bassett.

William Bassett the Pauper is the father of the 9 children based on the following: -

Reason 1 - there are no other children born to a William Bassett in Madron between 1770 and 1820 other than these 9 children.
Reason 2 - In all cases except for the first child the father is identified as a pauper
Reason 3 - other than for the first two children there is a regular 2 years gap between the births of his children.

At the time of the birth of his first child it seems he was not considered a pauper.

Burial Records as Evidence of Life

Burial of Eleanor Basset in Madron, 1780

Eleanor dies at the age of 63 and was buried as the wife of a William Bassett on 29 August 1780 in Madron, Cornwall, England.[ix] Eleanor was listed as the wife not the widow of William Bassett which suggests that her husband William was still alive. If he had been dead, she would have been listed as the “widow of” rather than the “wife of”. In the Bishops transcripts she is described as being “at Madron, wife of William, pauper”[x] [which indicates that her husband is still alive and a pauper]

[Research Note - It is interesting to note that Eleanor’s death is recorded slightly differently in the parish records and the Exeter bishop’s Transcripts.  In the parish register she is described as being “wife of William, at Madron” and in the Bishop’s Transcripts she is described as “at Madron, wife of William, pauper”. This can be explained by the following: [the] “Bishops’ transcripts (BTs) are copies of the parish register, sent to the Diocese once a year. In Cornwall they were sent to the Dioceses of either Bodmin or Exeter (Devon), and very occasionally to both. … Bishops’ transcripts are often of value even when parish registers exist, as priests often recorded either additional or different information in their transcripts than they did in the original registers.”[xi] Which helps to explained why there might be more information in the Exeter transcriptions. [The use of the phrase “at Madron, wife of William, pauper” would tend to support the notion that Eleanor is the wife of the still-living William Bassett(b.1736) [pauper].]

Burial of William Basset of Penzance in Gulval, 1799

There was burial on 27 October 1799 for a William Basset of Penzance in the Gulval parish register.[xii]

No age was given in this record nor was the person listed as a Pauper or a widower.

So who was this William Basset, and how he fits into the wider family is not clear. He is not the husband of Eleanor Bassett for the reasons stated above, nor the husband of Jane Matthews as William Bassett(b.1736) [pauper] is recorded in his daughter Jane’s baptism six months later, on 23 March 1800, as the father and not recorded as deceased.

It is possible that this is the burial of William Bassett son of William Bassett(b.1736) [pauper] & Jane Matthews who was baptised 20 January 1788 in Madron Cornwall.

Burial of Jane Bassett, pauper, in Madron, 1810

Jane dies in 1810 she is buried on 12 August as Jane Bassett, Pauper, at Madron. [xiii] The use of suffix of pauper is consistent with the description used for William Bassett, her husband, during their married life as evidenced by the children’s baptismal records.

Burial of William Bassett in Madron, 1819

William dies at the age of 84 while residing at Marazion and is buried on 8 December 1819 in Madron.[xiv]

The term “Pauper”

There as been some debate around the use of the suffix of pauper that appears in the parish records and the significance of the term.

After 1783 a new “Stamp Duty Act” was introduced which levied duty of 3d on each parish register entry.  Inclusion of the term pauper after a person name allowed the parish minister to exempt the parishioner from having to pay.[xv] Some vicars objected to the tax and were particularly lenient in their definition of 'pauper'. The act was finally repealed in 1794.

William Bassett was listed as a pauper in the baptismal records from 1785 to 1800, for all of his children with the exception his eldest daughter who was baptised in 1784.

We have instances of the term pauper being used before & after the act as evidenced by Eleanor’s burial record in 1780 and the baptisms of William’s children after 1794, this supports the idea that William Bassett was genuinely poor and needed parish support.

[Research note: - "Poor law records, 1646-1859" for Madron (Cornwall). Have been filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah they have not been digitised. And are not available freely online.]

The child bearing age of women in 1700s

Eleanor Sampson was 45 years age at the time of her marriage [which is confirmed by the age given at the time of her burial] so it is unlikely that she bore any children. As William Bassett(b.1736) [pauper] was only 48 at the time of Eleanor’s death it is quite reasonable that he went on and remarried a much younger woman, such as Jane Matthews.

Two other alternative scenarios are

1.       Eleanor had her first child at 45 and her last child, her name-sake, Eleanor Bassett when she was 48.

2.       The Eleanor Bassett (1765) could be related in some other sort of way, such as a niece. It is this Eleanor that married John Dash on 4 November 1793 in Madron after Banns were published.[xvi] The couple appear to have two children Mary baptised on 10 June 1799 and Joseph baptised 13 June 1802 in Madron.[xvii] [xviii] John Dash died and is buried on 15 October 1802 in Madron, Cornwall.[xix] Eleanor (now a widow, of Penzance) then married John Levi on 7 April 1804 in Madron after banns[xx]

The Will

William Bassett[Cordwainer] left a Will which helps to establish his family configuration.[xxi]

The property may be significant and still needs to be looked at closely.

The property was leased and originally held on three lives of which two remained - “one old and one infirm”. The identities of these two people are difficult to establish without sight of the original lease. The property may have been in Bassett or Grenfield occupation and was leased to one of these families. There has been some conjecture that the lease was about to expire, however we are unaware for the basis of these claims.

[Research note:- The property was leased and originally held on three lives of which two remained - “one old and one infirm”. The identities of these two people are difficult to establish without further information. Sighting the original lease might reveal more information. (possibly mentioned in this set of documents - https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/255506d6-090a-4433-966d-689a17ef8f73 ). The property may have been in Bassett or Grenfield occupation and was leased to one of these families but the lease was about to expire. This does not mean that the lives would necessarily be, as you say, an old Margery and perhaps an infirmed offspring such as Francis who was not mentioned in his father’s will of indeed William Bassett(b.1736) [pauper]. It is equally possible that the lives were written into the lease before either of them were born]

The use of signatures

William Bassett[Cordwainer] personally signed his Will which allows us to compare his signature with the William Bassett that signed James’ Bassett marriage record in 1761. As the signatures match this allows us further confirm that William Bassett[Cordwainer] is the father of James Bassett and therefore by implication the father of his brother, William Bassett.

Conclusion

This paper is the resulting effort to compare, contrast and discuss two different scenarios for the parentage of John Bassett b.1790. We believe that the weight of evidence currently supports the idea that William Bassett(b.1736) [pauper] is the  father of John Bassett b.1790 and that this is borne out by the evidence as outlined above. It might be that as further evidence comes to light this conclusion will be modified to reflect these new facts. The authors of this paper would welcome feedback on any section of this paper particularly if further evidence can be provided to support either scenario.

Further research suggestions:

1.         Examine "Poor law records, 1646-1859" for Madron (Cornwall) for mentions of William Bassett[pauper].  [Note these records have been filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah but they have not been digitised. And are not available freely online. So it would mean that the would have to examined by someone at the CRO, which is not possible in time of COVID]         
2.       Examine the property records - The property was leased and originally held on three lives of which two remained - “one old and one infirm”. The identities of these two people are difficult to establish without sight of the original lease or when the lease was about to expire. (Possibly mentioned in this set of documents - https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/255506d6-090a-4433-966d-689a17ef8f73 ). The property may have been in Bassett or Grenfield occupation and was leased to one of these families but the lease was about to expire. This does not mean that the lives would necessarily be, as you say, an old Margery and perhaps an infirmed Francis who was not mentioned in his father’s will. It is equally possible that the lives were written into the lease before either of them was born.
3.          Continue DNA research to assist in establishing family connections – The possibility of using DNA to either prove or disprove a genetic connection between Eleanor Sampson the descendants of William Bassett(b.1736) [pauper] is an interesting one. To establish this connection we would need to find DNA matches between the descendants of William Bassett(b.1736) [pauper]  and the descendants of  Eleanor Sampson siblings.  If a connection can be found this would demonstrate that William Bassett(b.1736) [pauper]  had married Eleanor Sampson and that William Bassett(b.1762) is the son of William Bassett(b.1736) & Eleanor Sampson, thus supporting Scenario 1.

Past Research

Australian Research

It has long been contended by a local researcher and descendant of John Bassett (b.1790) that Jane Matthews was not his mother. This researcher is no longer actively communicating about her research, this paper arose out of a desire try and investigate and test alternative theories for the ancestry/parentage of John Bassett (b.1790) to try and establish who his parents were.

Ken Ripper’s Research

Ken Ripper graciously shared his extensive research with us, which supported the idea that William Bassett(b. abt 1762) & Eleanor Sampson were the parents of William Bassett(b. 1735) who married Jane Matthews. The lack of records could be considered a weakness for this scenario however there are several plausible reasons why no records have been found:

                    I.            The children were never baptised, for reasons unknown.

                  II.            The baptismal records for this period have been lost.

                III.            The children were baptised at home, there being few chapels, as Methodists then they will not feature in Church of England records and early non-conformist records are scant, not having survived.

 Legend: 

Colour coding has been employed in this document to try and clarify the identity of which William is being discussed as follows:  

•      William Bassett(b.1762) the son of William Bassett(b.1736) & Eleanor Sampson - Scenario 1
•      William Bassett(b.1736) [pauper] is the son of William Bassett Cordwainer - Scenario 2

WikiTree Link John Bassett (bef. 1790 - 1868)

Blogpost Meta Data

The URL for this post is: https://ancestralresearchjournal.blogspot.com/2021/09/finding-ancestors-of-john-bassett-1790.html originally published 11 September 2021

Author 2021, Sandra Williamson

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Sources:

[i] FamilySearch, Baptism of John Bassett baptized 5 September 1890,  Madron Parish Church, Penzance, Cornwall, "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images, Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1784-1810, Penzance Madron, Cornwall, Cornwall Records Office, Truro, (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12896-157190-89?cc=1769414 : 14 April 2015, image 19 of 100)

[ii] FamilySearch, Marriage of John Basset & Martha Carbis, married 15 Mar 1812 Paul Church Register, Cornwall p. 273"England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images, Marriage banns, marriages, Paul, Carnwall 1754-1813, Cornwall Records Office, Truro. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D8M7-YCZ?cc=1769414&wc=3CBW-GPX%3A138123201%2C140206301%2C1582887602.  Accessed 14 April 2015 (Image 141 of 143) [annotated by minister as Copy 1]; FamilySearch, Marriage of John Basset & Martha Carbis, married 15 Mar 1812 Paul Church Register, Cornwall p. unpaginated  "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images, Marriage banns, marriages, Paul, Carnwall 1799-1813, Cornwall Records Office, Truro. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R77-9ZNQ?cc=1769414&wc=3CB7-BZ7%3A138123201%2C140206301%2C1582899508.  Accessed 14 April 2015 (Image 38 of 40)

[iii]   Burial of Eleanor wife of [unable to read heavily crossed out with the name William written above] Basset buried at Madron on 29 August 1780 aged 63, Madon & Penzance parish register for Christenings and burials, 1756-1783 register unnumbered entry last entry for August, page 64, year 1780, “at Madron” (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89L3-D9NZ-W?i=61&cat=45937  ; FHS film # 004091988, image 62 of 317 : accessed 23 March 2021)

[iv] FamilySearch, Banns of Marriage for  William Bassett & Eleanor Sampson married by banns on 23 March 1761, Marriage Register Book for the parish of Madron in County of Cornwall, Marriage banns, marriages, 1754-1800, entry 578, page 45 "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images, Marriage banns, marriages, 1754-1800, Penzance Madron Cornwall, Cornwall Records Office, Truro  (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12877-90083-27?cc=1769414 : 14 April 2015,  image 27 of 198.)

[v] Cornwall OPC Database, Burial of Eleanor Bassett, buried on 29 August 1780 in Madron and described as being at Madron, wife of William, pauper, transcribed by L Cox (http://www.opc-cornwall.org/ Accessed 20 August 2021) citing Exeter Bishops Transcripts FHL film # 5749782, image 181

[vi] FamilySearch, Banns of Marriage for  William Bassett & Jane Matthews "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images, Marriage banns, marriages, 1754-1800, Penzance Madron Cornwall, Cornwall Records Office, Truro  (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12877-92229-15?cc=1769414  : 14 April 2015,  image 112 of 198.)

[vii] FamilySearch, Burial of Jane Bassett, buried 12 August 1810, Madron Parish Church Register Penzance Madron, Cornwall, "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images. Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1784-1810, Penzance Madron, Cornwall, Cornwall Records Office, Truro. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-XCT7-PD2?cc=1769414&wc=3CB8-824%3A138123201%2C140336001%2C1582884504 Accessed 14 April 2015  (image 99 of 100) .

[viii] FamilySearch, Burial of William Bassett aged 84 residing in Marazion buried 8 December 1819 Madron Parish register for burial 1813-1833 entry 249, page 32 year 1819; "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-67Y3-ZVM?cc=1769414&wc=3CBZ-L24%3A138123201%2C140336001%2C140359101  : 14 April 2015), Cornwall > Penzance Madron > Burials, 1813-1832 > image 21 of 56; Cornwall Records Office, Truro.

[ix] Burial of Eleanor wife of [unable to read heavily crossed out with the name William written above] Basset buried 29 August 1780 aged 63, Madon & Penzance parish register for Christenings and burials, 1756-1783 register unnumbered entry last entry for August, page 64, year 1780, “at Madron” (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89L3-D9NZ-W?i=61&cat=45937  ; FHS film # 004091988, image 62 of 317 : accessed 23 March 2021)

[x] Cornwall OPC Database, Burial of Eleanor Bassett, buried on 29 August 1780 in Madron and described as being at Madron, wife of William, pauper, transcribed by L Cox (http://www.opc-cornwall.org/  Accessed 20 August 2021) citing Exeter Bishops Transcripts FHL film # 5749782, image 181

[xi] Author unknown, “Bishops’ Transcriptions (BTs) – an explanation” accessed https://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/Bishops'%20Transcripts%20-%20an%20explanation.pdf : 29 August 2021)

[xii] Burial of William Basset of Penzance buried 27 October 1799, Gulval, parish register for Baptisms, burials, 1781-1812, 4^th unnumbered entry from bottom of page 185 entitled Burial 1799;  "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6XSW-8R9?cc=1769414&wc=3CB8-MNR%3A138123201%2C138830001%2C1582885907  : 30 November 2016), Cornwall > Gulval > Baptisms, burials, 1781-1812 > image 48 of 75; Cornwall Records Office, Truro.

[xiii] FamilySearch, Burial of Jane Bassett, buried 12 August 1810, Madron Parish Church Register Penzance Madron, Cornwall, "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images. Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1784-1810, Penzance Madron, Cornwall, Cornwall Records Office, Truro. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-XCT7-PD2?cc=1769414&wc=3CB8-824%3A138123201%2C140336001%2C1582884504 Accessed 14 April 2015  (image 99 of 100) .

[xiv] FamilySearch, Burial of William Bassett aged 84 residing in Marazion buried 8 December 1819 Madron Parish register for burial 1813-1833 entry 249, page 32 year 1819; "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-67Y3-ZVM?cc=1769414&wc=3CBZ-L24%3A138123201%2C140336001%2C140359101  : 14 April 2015), Cornwall > Penzance Madron > Burials, 1813-1832 > image 21 of 56; Cornwall Records Office, Truro.

[xv] Wikipedia contributors, "Stamp Duties Act 1783," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stamp_Duties_Act_1783&oldid=1002315027  (accessed August 28, 2021).

[xvi] Cornwall OPC Database, Marriage of John DASH (residing in town of Penzance) & Eleanor BASSETT (residing in town of Penzance)  were married after banns on 4 November 1793 in Madron, Cornwall, transcribed by L Cox (http://www.opc-cornwall.org/  Accessed 15 August 2021) citing Exeter Bishops Transcripts

[xvii] Cornwall OPC Database, Baptism of Mary DASH baptised 10 June 1799, Chapel of St Mary, Burryton in Madron, Cornwall, daughter of John transcribed by L Cox (http://www.opc-cornwall.org/  Accessed 15 August 2021) citing Exeter Bishops Transcripts Film # 5749783 image 254

[xviii] Cornwall OPC Database, Baptism of John DASH baptised 13 June 1802, at Penzance on the Madron paish circuit, Cornwall, daughter of John transcribed by L Cox (http://www.opc-cornwall.org/  Accessed 15 August 2021) citing Exeter Bishops Transcripts

[xix] Burial of John Dash, buried 15 October 1802 at Penzance, Madron Bishop's Transcripts 5th entry from bottom of unnumbered page entitled ‘Burials at Penzance in the year 1802’ (citing Film # 005750104, Image 75 of 411: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93K-KW1V?i=74&cat=1833619  accessed 6 September 2021)

[xx] Cornwall OPC Database, Marriage of John LEVI (residing in Penzance) & Eleanor DASH (widow, residing in Penzance) were married by banns on 7 April 1804 in Madron, Cornwall, transcribed by Ian J Trewhella (http://www.opc-cornwall.org/  Accessed 15 August 2021) [witnesses John Bassett & John Ancell]

[xxi] FamilySearch, “Original wills, administrations and inventories for the Consistorial Court of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall”, William and Inventory of William Bassett of Maddren, cordwinder, written 1762: Proved 1768. LDS Film # 2776053, Image number 2182-2185 citing CRO Ref.No.AP/B/4261 (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-XSM9-ZZ4?i=2181&cat=329778  : accessed 5 August 2021)