Monday, November 22, 2010

We have a number of Elizabeth Chittock/Chiddock suspects.

The odds on favourite is the daughter of Robert Chittock and Anne Lacy born 1769 in norwich, St John Timberhill.

The second favourite is Elizabeth Chiddick, daughter of Robert Chiddick and his second wife, Rebecca Bush. She was baptised at St. Gregory's parish in 28th of July 1776. In 1809, an Elizabeth Chiddick marries by license the widow William Hillings at St. Gregory's. . His first wife was Mary Chiddick, married in 1792 in the same parish, also by license. She died in 1807 aged 39. Whether she was a sister is not yet known.

This is what is so far known about this family:

At somepoint in the late 1760s, Robert Chiddock, born circa 1744 marries Susanna Swanton. They then turn up in the registers of St George Tombland. Their short lived son John is baptised on the 3rd of March 1771 and is buried on the fiftenth. On the 19th of February 1772, Robert Chiddick is baptised, and then William in the parish of St. Simon and St Jude on the 24th of October 1773. Susan (Swanton) Chiddick is buried aged 28 at St George Tombland, and barely six months later, Robert has married Rebecca Bush of St Martin at Oak parish, which is to the north of Norwich, at St Gregory's church. The witnesses are William Hillling and Harper Leddelow. Hilling is probably Robert's future in-law. At St Gregory's, the new Chiddick family have Elizabeth (28th of July 1776), James (30th of November 1777) who is buried on the 20th of January 1778 at the village of Caister St. Edmunds a few miles south outside of Norwich. This is the old Roman fort with the church perched at the corner on one of its walls. It is a mere spitting distance from Poringland where future, unrelated to us - Chittocks set up camp. Rebecca (1780) and Thomas (1781) are also buried here. Robert Chiddick junior is buried at St. Gregory's aged 57 on the 29th of March 1829 and his 66 year old father, a widow by now, on the 22nd of March 1803. We haven't found Rebecca's death yet.

It must be said that the consistent spelling of Chiddick is quite telling, suggesting they knew how to spell this variant of their name, and that Elizabeth Chiddick's marriage to the widowed William Hilling might rule her out of the hunt for our Elizabeth - if she is Norwich based at all. She and Mary, sister or cousin, were not illiterate. Until we can find her burial, which if post 1850s is going to be either at Rosary Road cemetary or the big one at Earlham.

So, Robert Chiddick senior ,ay be related to a family of Chiddicks who kept this variant after leaving the numerous Chittocks in the villages of Starston and Redenhall (which also encompass several hamlets like Wortwell.) In the 1783 directory we see a Robert Chiddick listed as Porter House at No. 3 Lower Goat Lane in Norwich which is next to the market. This is the right time for porter house steak to become a staple. This might account for the following advert I stumbled across in a local newspaper whilst looking for sedition:

NORFOLK CHRONICLE: 21. 01. 1792
Robert Chiddock:
At the Castle and Lion Inn opposite the Hall in the Market Place.
Respectfully informs his friends and the public in general that he has taken the above on for the better accomodation of his customers whose favours he solicits, at the same time thanking them for their former support, he assures them that no attention shall be working to merit their approbation in this undertaking.
NB: Good accomodation for horses and carriages.
Norwich January 25 1792


As well as the two Hilling weddings to Mary and Elizabeth Chiddick, in 1792 and 1809 respectively, a William CHITTOCK marries Ann Athill on the 2nd of February 1795 with witnesses John Rix, Harper Leddelow again (probably a parish clerk) and Mary Wormsley. He is illiterate. So he is not Robert Chiddick's son.

At the moment, usual problems apply in finding out what happened to sons Robert and William.

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