Hi there
You guys helped me out some time ago and I'm hoping you can do the same this time.
Francis HUNT was born about 1733, based on age on his headstone. He lived in Darlington area. When he married jane Goodrick in 1769 he was described as a gentleman, resident at Blackwell Grange (hone of the Allans). Later he rented Hillcose House from the Allan family, where he farmed 250acres. He also "acquired' land in barton.He bred horses and won awards for them. He died in 1819 and is buried at Staindrop. His wife jane lived until 1831 and is listed as a private resident in the Durham County Directory of 1828.
My questions are all around the birth and parentage of Francis. What were his origins? How did he become a gentleman? Who were his parents? Why was he with the Allan family?
All the usual birth record avenues have been searched but no conclusions can be reached. I need some sort of document about him - like an obituary - which might cast light on where he came from.I've searched newspapers but only come up with stories about his horses. Are there estate records housed somewhere? Any advice on where else to look would be gratefully received.
I have loads of information about his children etc so please no need to look into that.
Wakefield Registry of Deeds
You can fill out a research form on their website. You pay for a limited time of work
Say an hour or maybe half hour is possible.
The first thing they will do is look up the alphabetical list of persons named in the deeds. If they find your name they will list all the documents under that name then if there is time left they will look up a couple of the originals and tell you about them. You can then decide if you want to request and pay for more. Nothing is digitised. Everything is original paper documents. Documents are about buying and selling of land and property.
Dave