Is anyone researching BANCROFT in Hazel Grove (or Bramhall) please? I am partiuclarly interested in John BANCROFT b c 1816 who married twice (Hannah and Elizabeth) but both marriages have eluded me so far. I think Hannah died in 1844. My "guess" is that Hannah was BOWDEN and Elizabeth was DRINKWATER. Thanks, Eric Millward

From: "Eric Millward" <bruckshaw1@tiscali.co.uk> > Is anyone researching BANCROFT in Hazel Grove (or Bramhall) please? > > I am partiuclarly interested in John BANCROFT b c 1816 who married > twice (Hannah and Elizabeth) but both marriages have eluded me so far. I > think Hannah died in 1844. My "guess" is that Hannah was BOWDEN and > Elizabeth was DRINKWATER.> Could you please tell us why you think John Bancroft married firstly Hannah Bowden and then Elizabeth Drinkwater? I cannot find matching marriages for either spouse at FreeBMD or CheshireBMD, the latter being the more precise in detail since, as you know, FreeBMD has four marriages to a page at that period in time. Cheshire BMD is among the best and most comprehensively covered counties at the UK BMD website, BTW. Nor can I find in the 1841 census a John Bancroft in Cheshire who was married to a Hannah or Elizabeth. There is a John Bancroft of the right age, born about 1816, who was living at Hyde Lane, Stockport, but his presumed wife (relationships were not given in 1841) was Eliza, though they had a 2-year-old daughter called Hannah. I suppose it's possible the marriage was before 1837 but the only one I can find at FamilySearch is of John Bancroft to Elizabeth Bardsley at Cheadle on 21 December 1834. Cheshire BMD has a marriage for John Bancroft at Stockport St Mary in 1838 to Ann Bibby or Ann Redfern (the same woman in two different names) and FreeBMD shows this to have been in the first quarter of 1838. There are also marriages for John Bancroft to Elizabeth Walsh at Stockport St Mary in 1841 and John Bancroft to Hannah Longson, also at Stockport St Mary, in 1846. The Hannah Bancroft who died in 1844 was buried on 29 May 1844 at Stockport St Thomas, aged 28. She was of Thomas Street, according to the image from the parish register at Findmypast but there is no indication of who she was, whether married or a single woman. Perhaps you could offer a little more information on to why you think John Bancroft married Hannah Bowden and Elizabeth Drinkwater, and in which order? -- Roy Stockdill Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Famous family trees blog: http://blog.findmypast.co.uk/tag/roy-stockdill/ "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE