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2nd Generation
Frances Adams (1801 - 1887)
Fanny Bird
Creeksea, Essex, England
9. FRANCES ADAMS was born March 5, 1801 in Southminster or Burnham, Essex and was baptized March 6, 1801 at the church in Southminster, Essex.
Father: Philip Adams (No. 1)
Mother: Elizabeth ---?---
Her father, Philip Adams, was an Agricultural Labourer. Philip and Elizabeth Adams had several children baptized in Southminster in the 1783 to 1801 period.
Frances Adams married THOMAS WESTWOOD around 1828 or earlier.
Thomas Westwood was born ca. 1788 in Hatfield, Essex.
In 1841, Thomas and Frances Westwood were living in Creeksea, Essex. Thomas was an Agricultural Laborer.
From the 1841 Census of Creeksea:
Name - Age Sex - Profession - Born in County ?
Cottage
Thos
Westwood 45 M
Ag Lab y
Francies do 35 F
y
Elizabeth do
12 F
y
Eliza
do 6 F
y
Hannah do 3 F
y
In 1851, Thomas and Frances Westwood were living in Creeksea, Essex. Thomas was an Agricultural Laborer.
From the 1851 Census of Creeksea:
Name - Relationship – Married or Single – Age – Sex – Profession – Birthplace
Damyon Cottages
Thomas
Westwood Head Mar 63
M Agricultural Laborer Essex Hatfield
Frances Do
Wife Mar
59 F
Do Southminster
Hannah Do
Daur
9
F Scholar
Do Creeksea
In 1855, Thomas Westwood died.
From the England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes, we find the following Death entry from the Indexes:
Name: Thomas
Westwood
Year: 1855
Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar (1st Quarter)
District: Maldon
County: Essex
Volume: 4a
Page: 135
Frances Westwood married THOMAS BIRD on January 14, 1858 in the Independent Chapel in Southminster, Essex.
From the marriage certificate, we have the following information:
Registration District Maldon
1858. Marriage solemnized in the Independent
Chapel, Southminster in the District of Maldon in the County of Essex
No. 77
When Married. Fourteenth January 1858
Name and Surname.
Thomas Bird
Frances Westwood
Age.
46 years
30 years
Condition.
Bachelor
Widow
Rank or Profession.
Labourer
Residence at the time of Marriage.
Crixea
Crixea
Father’s Name and Surname.
Thomas Bird Deceased Philip
Adams Deceased
Rank or Profession of Father.
Labourer
Labourer
Married in the Independent Chapel according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Congregationalists by me, Charles Winter Minister
This Marriage was solemnized between us,
X
The Mark of Thomas Bird
X The Mark of Frances
Westwood
In the Presence of us,
X The Mark of James Mays
X The Mark of Sarah Barker
Notice the ages of Thomas Bird and Frances Westwood, it is more likely that the recorder got the ages mixed up, but still Frances was actually 57 at the time she got married.
You can see that in the next census three years later she is listed as 60 years old. Frances was about 13 years older than her husband.
It is from 1858 until her death that she is Fanny Bird, the name she is known to history.
Thomas Bird was born ca. 1814 in Steeple, Essex.
In 1861, Thomas and Frances Bird were living in Creeksea, Essex. Thomas was an Agricultural Laborer.
From the 1861 Census of Creeksea:
Name - Relationship – Married or Single – Age – Sex – Profession – Birthplace
Thomas Bird Head Mar
36 M Ag Lab
Steeple Essex
Frances Do Wife Mar
60 F
Southminster Essex
In 1871, Thomas and Frances Bird were living in Creeksea, Essex. Thomas was an Agricultural Laborer.
From the 1871 Census of Creeksea:
Name - Relationship – Married or Single – Age – Sex – Profession – Birthplace
Thomas Bird Head Mar 54
M Ag Lab
Steeple Essex
Francis do Wife
Mar 70 F
Burnham do
In 1881, Thomas and Frances Bird were living in Creeksea, Essex. Thomas was a Road Laborer man.
From the 1881 Census of Creeksea:
Name - Relationship – Married or Single – Age – Sex – Profession – Birthplace
[Osl] End
Thomas Bird Head Mar
67 M Road Labr. man
Essex
Steeple
Frances
Wife
78 F
Essex Burnham
In 1887, Frances Bird died at the age of 86 years.
From the England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes, we find the following Death entry from the Indexes:
Name: Frances
Bird
Year: 1887
Age: 86
Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar (1st Quarter)
District: Maldon
County: Essex
Volume: 4a
Page: 240
In 1891, Thomas Bird, age 76 and a widower, was living on Maldon Road in Creeksea, Essex. Thomas was an employed Agricultural Laborer.
From the 1891 Census of Creeksea:
Name - Relationship – Married or Single – Age – Sex – Profession – Birthplace
Maldon Road 2 - Number of rooms occupied if less than five
Thomas Bird Head Widr 76 M Agricultural Labourer Employed Essex Steeple
In 1897, Thomas Bird died at the age of 83 years.
From the England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes, we find the following Death entry from the Indexes:
Name: Thomas Bird
Year: 1897
Age: 83
Quarter: Oct-Nov-Dec (4th Quarter)
District: Maldon
County: Essex
Volume: 4a
Page: 312
Comments about Fanny Bird from the magazines, books and the internet:
From the magazine - Folklore Vol. 73 Autumn
1962
The Witches of Dengie - By Eric Maple
Page 178
“In the year 1960 I completed an investigation of the witchcraft traditions of the Dengie Hundred of South-East Essex, a district lying to the north of the river Crouch and bordered on the east by the North Sea….”
Page 180
“One witch named Fanny Bird, who lived at Tinkers Hole, a devil-haunted wood near Ostend, was said to have bewitched a farmer’s steam threshing machine causing it to break down. The labourers in revenge smashed all the windows of her cottage and she narrowly escaped personal violence.
It is said that she had trafficked with the Devil and during one of these rituals a sheet of lightning had come down, setting her arm on fire. This was the local explanation for her withered arm and incidentally for her husband’s club foot.
It is said that on her deathbed Fanny Bird attempted to pass on her powers by handing over her imps to her daughter, but she, ‘though the living image of her mother, was a good woman and refused to take them.”
Note: Ostend is next to Creeksea parish in Essex. And when you look at the censuses, the daughters are sometimes listed as born in Creeksea and sometimes Ostend. Tinkers Hole may be the specific location of where the family lived.
CHILDREN OF THOMAS AND FRANCES (ADAMS) WESTWOOD
14. + ELIZABETH WESTWOOD was born ca. 1829 in Creeksea, Essex.
Elizabeth married 1st. William Green then married 2nd. Francis Barnham.
15. ELIZA WESTWOOD was born ca. 1835 in Creeksea or Ostend, Essex.
Eliza married William Bowtle.
16. + HANNAH WESTWOOD was born ca. 1840 in Creeksea or Ostend, Essex.
Hannah married 1st. George William Hemstead and then 2nd. William Barber.
Sources:
1. Church records of Southminster, Essex, England. International Genealogical Index v5.0 online at FamilySearch.org, Batch No. C150681, Dates 1700-1840, Source Film No. 6036265. Baptisms: 1801 Frances Adams. Searched and Extracted May 12, 2009 Tuesday.
2. 1841 Census of England, Essex, Creeksea, District 3, Image No. 3, Ancestry.com. Public Record Office Reference: HO 107 / 327 / 14, Original Page No. 5, Household of Thos Westwood. March 24, 2009 Tuesday 7:14 PM.
3. 1851 Census of England, Essex, Creeksea, District 2, Image No. 9, Ancestry.com. Public Record Office Reference: H.O. 107 / 1778, Original Page No. 9, No. of Householder’s Schedule 33, Household of Thomas Westwood. March 24, 2009 Tuesday 7:19 PM.
4. Civil Registration Index, Death of Thomas Westwood, 1st Quarter (Jan-Feb-Mar), Year 1855, District Maldon, County Essex, Volume 4a, Page 135. Searched March 24, 2009 Tuesday 7:25 PM.
5. Civil Registration Index, Marriage of Frances Westwood and Thomas Bird, 1st Quarter (Jan-Feb-Mar), Year 1858, District Maldon, County Essex, Volume 4a, Page 193. Searched March 24, 2009 Tuesday 4:49 PM.
6. 1858 Marriage Certificate of Frances Westwood and Thomas Bird. From the General Register Office, Southport, Merseyside, England. Received May 12, 2009 Tuesday Morning.
7. 1861 Census of England, Essex, Creeksea, District 3, Image No. 2, Ancestry.com. Public Record Office Reference: R.G. 9 1087, Original Page No. 2, No. of Schedule 10, Household of Thomas Bird. March 24, 2009 Tuesday 4:32 PM.
8. 1871 Census of England, Essex, Creeksea, District 3, Image No. 3, Ancestry.com. Public Record Office Reference: R.G. 10 1671, Original Page No. 5, Stamped Page No. 54, No. of Schedule 14, Household of Thomas Bird. March 24, 2009 Tuesday 4:42 PM.
9. 1881 Census of England, Essex, Creeksea, District 3, Image No. 7, Ancestry.com. Public Record Office Reference: RG 11 / 1773, Original Page No. 7, Stamped Page No. 57, No. of Schedule 25, Household of Thomas Bird. March 24, 2009 Tuesday 6:46 PM.
10. Civil Registration Index, Death of Frances Bird, 1st Quarter (Jan-Feb-Mar), Year 1887, Age 86, District Maldon, County Essex, Volume 4a, Page 240. Searched March 24, 2009 Tuesday 7:00 PM.
11. 1891 Census of England, Essex, Creeksea, District 3, Image No. 2, Ancestry.com. Public Record Office Reference: RG 12 / 1395, Original Page No. 2, No. of Schedule 10, Household of Thomas Bird. March 24, 2009 Tuesday 6:51 PM.
12. Civil Registration Index, Death of Thomas Bird, 4th Quarter (Oct-Nov-Dec), Year 1897, Age 83, District Maldon, County Essex, Volume 4a, Page 312. Searched March 24, 2009 Tuesday 7:02 PM.
13. Magazine - Folklore Vol. 73 Autumn 1962 - “The Witches of Dengie” by Eric Maple. Page 178 & 180 Fanny Bird mentioned. From my own copy of the magazine purchased December 5, 2009 Saturday.
Last updated April 9, 2010 Friday 9:13 PM
Researched and Compiled by William Wallworth
Deadfamilies.com
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