A list of Bartletts who were probably born in Babcary in the mid 1700s and their offspring plus two candidates, Samuel and one of the Johns as their father or uncle. Please see the notes at the end of the list.
See map of locations for places mentioned on this page
- James Bartlett c1750-1800 went to South Barrow and married Mary Shean c1747-1809 witnesses Samuel Bartlett and Jonathan Shean
- James Bartlett 1772–1791 (birth and death: son of James and Mary)
- Samuel Bartlett 1775-1851 married in 1805 Mary Lye 1780-1808 then in 1809 Lucy Braine c1790- after 1861 census, both marriages at Corton Denham. Samuel farmed at Foddington in 1841 & 1851 during censuses – line continues
- William Bartlett 1779–1781 (birth and death: son of James and Mary)
- Susannah Bartlett 1782–1838 married James Oram – line continues
- William Bartlett 1784-? – line to be investigated
- Thomas Bartlett 1787–1788 (birth and death: son of James and Mary)
- one unnamed and undated son of James & Mary (or a corrupt or duplicate transcription record)
- William Bartlett 1756-1830 married Mary Baker ?-after 1830 24 Jul 1777 in Babcary, witnesses John Bartlett and Samuel Hutchings, all signed the marriage register.
- Edith 1780-? married William Whitting – line continues
- William (Jnr) 1782-1846 married Elizabeth Bartlett in 1807 – son Richard 1808-1813 – line to be investigated
- Sophia 1791-1880 unmarried (daughter of William on death certificate – family tree of jeanette1905 in ancestry.com)
- Ann 1793-1814
- Samuel Bartlett who witnessed James’ marriage in South Barrow. Samuel could have been James’ father or uncle.
and at least two John Bartletts:
- John Bartlett 1762-1807: His death is mentioned on the same memorial as
- Susanna 1785-1808 “daughter of John and Mary” and “wife of John Newport”. John of East Pennard and Susanna were married 1806 in Babcary
- John Bartlett is referred to in the memorial
- Elizabeth 1791-1810 “daughter of John and Elizabeth”, wife of John Cabbitt. Had John married twice or was this a different John Bartlett?
- John Bartlett who witnessed the marriage of William 1756-1830 in 1777. The John b1762, mentioned above would have been 15 years old at the time of the marriage, so the witness must have been an older John. This John could have been William’s father or uncle.
Research into the Babcary roots of the family is not easy for a number of reasons:
- The surname Bartlett was common in area of Somerset around Castle Cary. There appears to have been two distinct Bartlett families living in Babcary during the eighteenth century. There are marriages of Bartletts to Bartletts in 1799 and 1800 who may or may not have been closely related. The arrival of a Bartlett family from Dorset during the nineteenth century also muddies the scene.
- Many of the vital parish records are not held by the Somerset archives. Some may have been lost or damaged by neglect. There are recent cases when ‘borrowed’ registers have turned up; we can only hope that some of the missing Babcary registers will mysteriously reappear. The baptism records are the most useful as the father, and sometimes the mother is recorded.
- Baptisms: None available Jan 2013. Unfortunately there is a 1689-1800 gap in the records, so only 1648-1688 and 1801-1902 will become available.
- Marriages: 1745 onwards covering our research. Unfortunately Somerset archives hold no earlier marriage records.
- Burials: Unfortunately research is hampered as no records are available before 1801. These records definitely take us back to William 1756-1830. In one transcription list the first Bartlett is John 1731-1781, twenty years before the records are supposed to start. Is this a transcription/database error or was a new register used by a mistake for just one entry? We will have to wait until the images are available.
On the positive side we have, thanks to Thelma Munckton of Lovington a list of the memorial inscriptions at Babcary that often give parentage. Then there are images of late 1700s and early 1800s Land Tax and Poll records available online for South Barrow and Babcary that include Bartletts.
I have entered all the memorial inscriptions parish records, census returns and birth, marriage and death records into a spreadsheet to come up with the above draft, I emphasis draft, list of the family members in Babcary in the mid 1770s. Images and transcriptions of Babcary documents relevant to the Bartlett family are presented here.
Carolyn