My great great great grandmother, Jane Jones, is recorded in the 1881 and 1891 censuses as a farmer or cottager with 5 acres at Shotatton. She was also a widow - Richard Jones, agricultural labourer and sometime sawyer had died since the 1871 census. It has been suggested that Richard and Jane had this smallholding while he was alive, but that he was only ever recorded as "Ag lab" whilst he was alive. Are there any records available as to who owned and rented land in the area? I'd like to find their names on some rent roll, or even a map showing just where they farmed, if possible. Was Shotatton part of a large estate?
Any help gratefully received.
Mike
Michael was far too quick to answer there, Tithe Maps are definitely your best bet.
Luckily for me, the Broseley History Society had made theirs publically available on their website and I was able to easily locate my family members. It was also very eye opening to see where other relatives lived within the vicinity!
As you may have noticed from Google Map, or may know (you may be local) Shotatton is more an area comprising of just a few properties - more like a Hamlet. It is only down the road from Ruyton Xi Towns and is classified as one of the historic townships (one of the 'eleven towns'), which still falls within the boundaries of the Parish. So might be worth looking into this a little more...
Hmmm, the census only says Shotatton, so the Tithe Map is going to be your best bet to work out which cottage it was and the land that associated with it. You may find the building still remains! Although I have noticed a couple of (terribly designed) replacement dwellings down that way lately.
Thank you both, that's extremely helpful. I don't live anywhere near Shropshire, but will organise a visit to the archives. At least I'm getting to know what I should be looking for when I get there.
Yes, I've seen Shotatton on Google earth and there's not much there in the way of settlement - hopefully this will help to track the cottage down, as well as the land.
Best regards
Mike
If you're not able to get to the Archives, they will do a search for you at a cost. You can contact them on archives@shropshire.gov.uk to enquire. Its usually Liz Young who replies.
I would offer to have a look for you - but not sure when I am next going to be there as only went last weekend.
Penny
That's very kind, Penny. I definitely want to come down anyway, because there are a few other family-related villages and farms that I want to visit. If you do plan a trip to the archives before I manage to wangle some leave, and feel that you have the time and the inclination to start the search, perhaps you could let me know beforehand? Failing that, I will do as you suggest and contact them direct.
Many thanks again
Mike
There are some documents for the peculiar Manor for Ruyton of the XI Towns up to the 1800s at Shropshire Archives:
Having looked through some records two landowners in Shotatton were Rowland Hunt, and the Mostyn Owen family. The former estate was run into the ground in the 20th C.
Thanks for these, David, and also for the links you gave me elsewhere. This gives me some names to work with when I visit the archives
Cheers
Mike
Hi Mike
I am popping into the Archives tomorrow as I need to go trhough some electoral records and local photographs.
I have emailed in advance to request these but also asked them about the Tithe Map which covers Shotatton. I've got a copy of the above posts with me and a copy of the census with your relatives on. Ill see what I can do!
Best wishes, Penny.
Hi Mike
I managed to get a good photograph of the field maps (1839)- which were prepared on the basis of the tithe maps and apportionments but give names to all the historic fields! Quite fascinating really...
I went through the apportionment records for Shotatton but there is obviously no mention of your Jones' because of the date. I was hoping to get copies but they were 50p each and I had already spent £8.00 there!
I spoke to one of the assistants and they said that if you ring/email, they will explain about paying for copies that can be sent to you. There is only 10 sheets for the whole of Shotatton - so £5.00 total plus P&P. The apportionment ref is 289.
It's quite difficult to ascertain where your family lived given the date of the tithe index and the lack of details on the census records... i.e. living at "shotatton" and no house name/number.
One thing I may suggest is ordering the death certificate for Richard (who died sometime the 1871 and 1881 census records) - it might give a cottage name??
I can email you a copy of the field map, if you leave your address.
Hope I have been of some help, in any event.
Shotatton is one of the Eleven Townships of Ruyton XI Towns .
The Parish Council have recently discovered and have now placed in the Shropshire Archives , quite a few books of Rates ,Tithes and other information on the area which includeds Shotatton
The access number is 08531 dated 07/08/2012
Rates Books 1882 - 1902
Vestry Book 1875 - 1894
Shame they didn't mention those to me yesterday when I visited for Mike!
Superb!
Thank you very much, Penny and Daisy.
Mike
(edited to remove email address)
Hi Mike,
Email sent if you want to remove it from here now!
Apologies but I couldnt seem to figure out how to directly upload a photo to this forum? - only through URL from another site.
Thank you Penny, the map is fantastic. I'm going to order the tithe index next, and Richard's death certificate should arrive any day now. I'll let you know if it all leads anywhere.
Best regards
Mike
Hi Mike
Have any luck with the death certificate?
Hi Penny
I received the death certificate but unfortunately it didn't give any clues as to where Richard and Jane lived.
I have sent off for the apportionment records and I'll let you know whether they offer any clues or not. I think they will be too early to show Richard, but it's possible that other names (perhaps his parents) will jump out at me.
Best wishes, and thanks for your continued help and interest.
Mike
I now have the apportionment records and I might just have the answer to my query. It will take a bit more thinking through,
There are several Joneses renting land around Shotatton in this record (1850ish). There are two John Joneses, one with 13 acres and one with 5. Richard's father was called John Jones (another ag lab), and I think he moved from Eardiston to Shotatton between 1816 and 1827 (from baptism records). I am sure I can see his family there on the 1851 census.
5 acres is the same size plot as the one that Jane Jones (John's daughter in law) is recorded as farming. I think that perhaps John and his wife (another Jane) were there at the time of the apportionment record, and that Richard and Jane II took it over soon after. (John was born in around 1790).
The names of the fields in the register match perfectly the names on the map that Penny kindly copied for me, and a look on Google Earth shows the fields still there, unaltered, as well as an old, dilapidated cottage. If I can convince myself that the John Jones on the register is, indeed, my John Jones, and I can date the house to the early 1800s, I think I will have found where they lived!
So, more confirmation work to do yet, but it's looking good. Many thanks for all the help.
Mike
Hello Mike
There is another source which might help you and which I don't think has been mentioned so far, that is the 'Return of Owners of Land' of one or more acres of land compiled in the mid 1870's. It will be particularly useful if your family actually owned the land but may still be useful if you know who they rented the ground from.
The information is available in various places including microfiche and on Ancestry.
Mike
Hi Mike
My family were tenants rather than landowners, but any piece of information is useful in building the overall picture so I'll definitely follow up on that via Ancestry.
Many thanks
Mike J
Hi Mike
Sorry for the slow response (been wedding planning!), fabulous news with your findings and glad that the map was of some use in the end. These are the things that I find most interesting and rewarding.
Did you say the cottage still exists? I would be intrigued to know where as I often pass this stretch of road!
Penny
Hi Penny
Sorry for the equally slow response! Yes, I 'm reasonably sure I have located it, but I need to review what knowledge I have gathered before I can be anything like sure. I'll definitely let you know though.
Thanks again
Mike
According to Kelly's:
http://forebears.co.uk/england/shropshire/ruyton-of-the-eleven-towns/shotatton
It was the Lloyd family, and it appears some of their documents are at Shropshire Archives:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/A2A/records.aspx?cat=166-4464&cid=0#0
Very helpful, thank you David.
I am planning a trip to the archives and will follow this up when I am there.
Best regards
Mike
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Hello Mike
I suggest you organise yourself a trip to Shropshire Archives and look at the Tithe Map and Apportionment. Whilst this was dated in the 1850's the Apportionment will tell you the names of the owners of all the land together with the name of the occupiers at that time and the map will tell you which plot was which - both the plots and the listing use the same numbering system.
You can purchase copies of the map from Shropshire Archives (called Field Name Maps) for a modest sum. I made a working copy which I coloured to identify each occupier using the plot numbers.
With the above information you can use the census and other sources to trace the occupiers forwards to the time your ancestors were there.
Mike