David Henwood wrote (not in this order): >I have contacted the genealogist of LEWTHWAITE at Broadgates, >Millom but they have no trace. That's a problem. If this Lewthwaite genealogist is doing a one-name study, then she/he will probably already have accessed some of the things below. If the genealogist is only interested in the one Lewthwaite family at Broadgate, then perhaps not. >Boyd Marriage Index recorded a marriage, by special licence at >Stoke Damerel between John, mariner of HMS Renown, and >Catherine THOMAS on 28/1/1781 >He had one son, William Thomas who was baptised at Stoke >Damerel, Devon, on 2/8/1787 - we are descended from him You may have already done this, but here goes. The IGI confirms what you say. There don't seem to be any other Lewthwaites at Stoke Damerel. Interesting that William Thomas was baptised so long after the marriage. Was that simply because, er, conjugal bliss was intermittent with Thomas being away at sea. Or, maybe, was she sailing with him and this was the first chance to have the boy baptised at home? Wives and families were known to sail the seven seas on HMS, but I don't know whether it happened at this time. If it did, you might want to think about extending his age? Any comments, anyone? --- If you haven't already done so, get access to the parish registers for Stoke Damerel. There are lots of entries for THOMAS on the IGI, so you may learn a lot about the mother's family. There may well, of course, be additional information anyway about your known ancestors - possibly burials. The parish registers are available on LDS film and can be ordered at your local LDS FHC. There are 9 films: 0916919 -0916927. --- Your mention of Ship Muster Rolls suggests that you have already looked at naval records. However, if you haven't looked at the PRO leaflets on this, it would be worth doing so - might give you a few extra ideas: Royal Navy: Ratings' Service Records 1667-1923 Royal Navy: Officers' Service Records at: http://www.pro.gov.uk/leaflets/Riindex.asp --- Probate. I know, I go on and on about probate. Mariners were more likely to make wills than others of a comparable social status, simply because death was always so close and back pay often so far away. You probably need to think about three probate jurisdictions: the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC), the Deanery of Copeland (for Millom, etc., all probate being on LDS film), and the Archdeaconry of Totnes or of Barnstaple or of Exeter for Devon (I don't know which Stoke Damerel falls under). The problem is that probate records for the latter were destroyed by enemy action in 1942, but some indexes and copies do exist. An index to Copeland Probate (ISBN 1 871420 09 1) exists and can still be purchased through a bookshop. There are 49 entries for Lewthwaite, including a number for the Lewthwaites at Broadgate. Two of those, in 1790 and 1836, could be your John. I would be inclined towards the 1790 one, unless you know from Muster Rolls that he was alive after that date, simply because the lack of children sounds a bit ominous. There is a 10-line entry for the Lewthwaites of Broadgate in 'Cumberland Families and Heraldry'. Hmm, baronets, no less; and still the owners of the Broadgate estate. Your final option is to start going through the parish registers of the areas that were thick with Lewthwaites. Some of these will be available on LDS film, others only available through the Whitehaven (or Barrow?) record office Chris chris@dickinson.uk.net