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Re: Parish Records

Hi Mike,

Here is what I have found so far. At the moment I can not find a connection
between Charles Pryor (1799) and Charles Robinson Pryor (1841).

Charles Pryor bap. 17 Feb 1799 at Sheffield Parish Church (Cathedral).
Parents - Josh' and Elizth', grinder.
Charles Pryor aged 30yrs, buried 26 April 1829, St. Philip, Sheffield.
(Not found a marriage for Charles as yet).

Charles Robinson Pryor born 15 May 1841, bap 18 July 1841, Sheffield
Parish Church. Parents: Richard and Sarah, steel caster.
Charles does not appear to have ever married. By 1881 (census) he
is living as a lodger, single and a steel furnaceman.
Charles Robinson Pryor, aged 44yrs, was buried 17 Dec 1885 at City Road
Cemetery, Sheffield. The burial details are on this site. There are other
members of the Pryor family in the same grave.

In the 1851 census, Richard Robinson Pryor, aged 30, Born on the Sea, is with his wife Sarah(33) and children CHARLES ROBINSON PRYOR 9yrs, Sarah Ann
Robinson Pryor aged 7, Richard Robinson Pryor aged 3 and Joseph Robinson
Pryor aged 11 months. All born Sheffield except Richard.

Richard Robinson Pryor aged 19, steel caster, father - Chas. Pryor, grinder.
married Sarah Lawrence aged 21, father - Thomas Lawrence, edge tool manr'
29th July, 1839, Sheffield Parish Church.

Are these the people you are looking for?


Moira.

Re: Parish Records

Hi Mike

I can add a little more to this thread. Charles Pryor married Mary Green at Sheffield Cathedral on 17th May 1821 and two of their daughters drowned in The Great Sheffield Flood when, on 11th/12th March 1864, the embankment of the Dale Dyke Dam collapsed officially killing 240 people. They were Charlotte Taylor née Pryor and Ann Mount née Pryor. The sisters lived next door to one another in Malin Bridge and sadly ended up buried next to one another at Wadsley Church. Both have headstones and Charlotte Taylor’s makes really sad reading as they lost 6 young children between 1852 and 1863, Charlotte was widowed in 1860 and then drowned in the flood in 1864.

After Charles died Mary went on to marry William Watson on 25th Sep 1831 in Rotherham. Their son William Watson survived the flood but he lost his wife Sarah Ann Watson and their two children Caroline Oakley Watson and George Henry Watson as well as his father-in-law John Oakley. It was also reported at the time that Mrs Watson lost 5 daughters in the flood but I have only managed to trace and name two daughters and one daughter-in-law so far. I have not come across Charles Robinson Pryor so far in my research.

Making contact with descendants of the people who died is a special part of my research so I would love to hear if you are related to Charles Pryor!

I am currently getting all of my flood research and memorabilia together ready to attend the family history fair tomorrow in Stocksbridge where I am hoping to meet some of the “flood descendants” that I am currently in touch with!!

I will happily pass on the details I have about these families if it is of interest to you – my direct email address is KarenL823@aol.com

Best wishes
Karen Lightowler
Researching the victims of the Sheffield Flood

Re: Parish Records

Hi Mike,

Thanks to the lead from Karen, I found the marriage.
Charles Pryor married Mary Green, 17th May 1821, Sheffield Parish Church.

Baptisms at Sheffield Parish Church.
Parents - Charles and Mary, grinder.
Charlotte Pryor, born 10 July 1821, bap 3 Mar 1822.
Ann Pryor, born 21 May 1824, bap 13 June 1824.
Elizabeth Pryor, born 6 Aug 1826, bap 8 Oct 1826.

Moira.

Re: Parish Records

Hi Moira and Karen. Thankyou for your replies and research. I had heard of the Sheffield Flood but did not realise it was so tragic.
Re Charles Pryor, I am clutching at straws trying to establish the relationship of Richard Robinson Pryor and Charles Pryor. On the marriage certificate of Richard to Sarah Lawrence in 1839 he (Charles Pryor) is noted as the father also his occupation is Grinder.
The information re Charles being born in 1799 to Elizabeth (mother) is what I already had but have no positive proof that he is the Charles I am looking for.

Richard is my GGGF and reportedly Born at Sea with India, Calcutta and an Indonesian island all being noted. His birth is supposed to have been registered in Middlesex in 1821 but apparently all records lost during WW2. From his marriage onwards he is fairly easy to trace. The first twenty years of his life are a mystery.
So far Charles Pryor has been the invisible man with Richard the invisible junior.

There are a few descendants in Sheffield and elsewhere in the UK who are all trying to find the same answer. Even the Yanks have laid claim to him.

Once again thankyou for all your help, I will go back to banging my head against the wall.

Regards

Mike Webster

Re: Parish Records

Hi Mike,

Not sure where you would need to look for confirmation of his birth but would like to add a little.

You stated.

"Richard is my GGGF and reportedly Born at Sea with India, Calcutta and an Indonesian island all being noted. His birth is supposed to have been registered in Middlesex in 1821 but apparently all records lost during WW2."
**************************************
There were no "Birth Certificates" prior to JUly 1837 when Civil Registration started.

If his father was in the Army there maybe a way to trace him that way.

The records that were lost in WW2 and are known as the Burnt Documents would have been his Army records. I believe it was something like 60% of Attestation Records were lost.

Having said that I was told way back that my grandfathers records were lost but they turned up about five years ago on Ancestry. So dont give up.
Have you checked on Ancestry?

Elaine in Ottawa.

Instant Messenger: Skype

Re: Parish Records

Mike, if I understand this correctly you have only 2 documents which hint at the origin of Robert and they are a marriage certificate in 1939 on which he says his father was Charles Pryor a grinder and a reference on the 1851 census that he was born at sea and was 30 years old. It is highly unlikely that someone born at sea would be the son of a grinder. His mother must have been present on the boat when he was born, so presumably was on her way back to Uk from foreign climes. I am guessing that Charles was illegitimate and simply invented a father for the purpose of the marriage. That was a very common occurrence.
As Elaine said, there is probably military involvement here and perhaps you should be looking for his mother as being the daughter of a military family abroad.
Dave

Re: Parish Records

Thanks Elaine for your reply. The only thing I know about my GGGF is from 1839 onwards from his marriage to Sarah Lawrence and his father being recorded as Charles Pryor a grinder.
The information that he was born at sea somewhere around India comes from Ancestry.Com. and that his birth was registered in Middlesex. I don't know what records Ancestry had access to to print this info. To date I don't know that any of the living descendants are any wiser than me and there are a few who I have been in contact with previously. Some have checked army records for India and also run into a brick wall.
The first 20 years of Richards life remains a complete mystery. I was hoping to back track through his father Charles but he is more elusive than his son.
I have been working on the idea that Charles may not be the biological father and Richard may have been adopted (legally or otherwise) as the Robinson Pryor name continues to the next generation. My GGM was Amelia Robinson Pryor one of Richards daughters.
The only reference to Richards father is on the marriage certificate where there is no reference to his name being Charles Robinson Pryor.

Will keep on banging the head against the wall in my search.

Regards

Mike Webster

Re: Parish Records

Hi Dave, thanks for your reply. If you read my last reply it will save me writing it again.
Most of the census collections after 1841 state he was born at sea BTW I have all census collections.
I have also come to the conclusion previously that it is highly unlikely that a grinders son would be on a south pacific cruise. I have even checked Australian records for returning convict ships which I believe picked up cargoes on the way back to the UK.
It would be a reasonable assumption I suppose that the mother was present at his birth LOL but there are no records found as yet to say who his mother was.
I also agree that he may have been illegitimate or had lost both parents and was taken in by Charles and wife and added the name Pryor to his Richard Robinson name.
To date I have had absolutely zero results for Charles Pryor, the ones I have traced all turned out to be red herrings.

Regards

Mike Webster

Re: Parish Records

Hi Mike,

Just to explain our database.

"Charles Robinson Pryor baptised in July 1841. There is an entry in the baptism section for him where it says Godparents followed by Page 150 Reg No 1195. I don;t know if this sheds any light on anything of interest."

Our entry.
Pryor, Charles Robinson (of Sheffield, born 1841-05-15).
Baptised July 18, 1841, by T Sutton at Sheffield Parish Church, Church Street, Sheffield.
Parents name(s) are Sarah & Richard (Steelcaster).
Note:
Godparents: ~ :Page No 150 :Reg No 1195


The Tilde ~ notes that their information was not entered.
Page No 150
Register entry no 1195.

Elaine in Ottawa.

Instant Messenger: Skype

Re: Parish Records

Thanks Elaine, I was hoping that it might but did not know what that mark was for, do now.

Mike Webster