Hi all As you have probably gathered, John Lovelock and myself believe we have made a major breakthrough in researching the earliest generation of the Berkshire Lovelock line - thanks in no small part to Helen Norton! We have put together a proposed search strategy based on the latest findings. We would really appreciate any ideas or suggestions from other members of the Lovelock list. It's a bit long for email but I can't send atachments to the list. So apolgies for size of file. Many thanks in anticipation of your valued thoughts. Robert Sterry _______________________________________________ PROPOSED SEARCH STRATEGY FOR JOHN LOVELOCK WHO MARRIED ELIZABETH WOOLFE John Lovelock married Elizabeth Woolfe on 3 Oct 1739 at St Mary, Berkshire Reading. We know, from a ‘Settlement Examination’ dated 3 Oct 1739 at the Borough of Reading, that John Lovelock was born in Burghfield, Berkshire. Presumably, his marriage on the same day was connected to the settlement examination and his ‘settlement’ may have been conditional on it. Establishing place of legal settlement was important if one wished to receive parish poor relief (the equivalent of our modern ‘dole’ or ‘unemployment benefits’.) So it is likely that John Lovelock was seeking parish relief at the time. Four years later, in a Settlement Certificate dated 26 Oct 1743, John, his wife Elizabeth and his three children at that time, John, Lucy and Dorcas (spelt ‘Darkis’ on Certificate), were stated as legally settled in the parish of South Stoke, Oxfordshire. The 1743 Settlement Certificate was addressed to the Church Wardens and Overseers of the Poor at St Marys, Reading. Presumably John and his family were still living at the time at Reading and were seeking to remain there. We do not know when John Lovelock was born, who his parents were or where he was buried. However, we do know from his Settlement Examination that ‘he was hired for 4 years to Thomas Jennes of Woodcott in the parish of South Stoke in the County of Oxon with whom he lived as a servt (servant?) for the space of two years and saith that he hath not gained any settlement since his service at Stoke as aforesaid’. Elizabeth Woolfe was born about 1718 and baptized at St Mary, Reading on 31 Aug 1718. She was probably buried at St Mary, Reading on 5 Aug, 1767. There is no record of John Lovelock having been also buried there. John and Elizabeth first child, John Lovelock, was also named John. He was baptized 2 Jul 1739 at St Mary, Reading and was born illegitimate. John is the only known male descendent of John and Elizabeth Lovelock. He married in 1779 at Wallingford St Mary le More, Berkshire and was buried there in 1817. We do not know what became of John and Elizabeth’s daughter, Lucy, who was also baptized at St Mary, Reading on 1 Feb, 1740/41. Dorcas died when she was about 16 and was buried in 1759 at St Mary Reading. John and Elizabeth had five other known children: Martha, Mathew, Elizabeth I, James and Elizabeth II. However, only Martha, who was baptized at St Mary Reading on 3 Oct 1745, survived. We do not know what happened to her. There is a Lovelock family at: Burghfield Baptisms John Lovelock located the following entries in the Burghfield PRs: 1702 Dec 7 Elizabeth d. of Richard & Elizabeth Lovelock 1704 Jan 25 Laetitia d. of Richard & Elizabeth Lovelock 1705 Feb 19 Mary d. of Richard & Elizabeth Lovelock 1717 Sep 23 Richard s. of Richard & Elizabeth Lovelock The following baptisms are in the IGI: 1702 Dec ? Elizabeth LOVELOCK, Father: Richard LOVELOCK Mother: Elizabeth 1704 Jun 25 Laetitia LOVELOCK, Father: Richard LOVELOCK Mother: Elizabeth 1705 Feb 19 Mary LOVELOCK, Father: Richard LOVELOCK Mother: Elizabeth 1717 Sep 23 Richd LOVELOCK, Father: Richd LOVELOCK Mother: Elizabeth 1813 Jun 27 Thomas LOVELOCK, Father: James LOVELOCK Mother: Lucy Burghfield Marriages John Lovelock located the following entries in the Burghfield PRs: 1726 Sep 21 Elizabeth Lovelock and Henry Frewin Burghfield Burials John Lovelock located the following entries in the Burghfield PRs: 1704 Jul 31 ____ d. of Richard Lovelock 1735 Mar 28 Richard Lovelock 1744 Feb 19 Elizabeth Lovelock This is very likely to be John Lovelocks family. But we still have to prove it! Fellow researcher John Lovelock also checked the Burghfield registers. However, there is no sign of any John Lovelock baptism about 1718 at Burghfield. The baptism entry may have been lost or he may have been baptized in parishes surrounding Burghfield. The contiguous parishes to Burghfield are Tilehurst, Reading St Mary, Reading St Giles, Shinfield, Sulhampstead Abbots, Stratfield Mortimer and Sulhampstead Bannister. Nearby Englefield is also a possibility. These parishes have been searched as follows: Tilehurst (Baptisms 1700-1813, Marriages 1700-1808 and Burials 1700-1813 - PR) No Lovelocks. Reading, St Mary(Baptisms 1538 -1812 [PRs]; Marriages 1538 -1754 [PRs] 1754-1812 [BTs]; Burials 1538 - 1641, 1653 - 1880[PRs] ) Reading, St Giles(Baptisms 1564-1812 [PRs]; Marriages 1564-1812 [PRs]; Burials 1564-1812 [PRs] ) John Lovelock searched for the baptism of John Lovelock abt 1718 at Shinfield, Sulhampstead Abbots and Sulhampstead Banister without success. Shinfield has not been extensively searched but the following baptism for Shinfield is in the IGI: 1782 Jan 6 Hannah LOVELOCK, Father: John LOVELOCK Mother: Hannah Sulhampstead Abbots has not been extensively searched but the following baptisms for Sulhampstead Abbots are in the IGI: 1669 May 2 Sarah LOVELOCK, Father: Edward LOVELOCK 1673 Mar 27 Mary LOVELOCK, Father: Edward LOVELOCK Mother: Sarah Sulhampstead Banister has not been extensively searched but the following baptisms for Sulhampstead Abbots are in the IGI: 1660 Nov 25 John LOVELOCK, Father: Edward LOVELOCK 1664 Mar 27 Edward LOVELOCK, Father: Edward LOVELOCK 1666 Nov 1 Thomas LOVELOCK Father: Edward LOVELOCK 1669 May 2 Sarah LOVELOCK Father: Edward LOVELOCK Stratfield Mortimer has not been searched. We may never of course find John Lovelock’s baptism to establish any link to the Burghfield Lovelocks. So we may need to look to other sources of information – in particular, parish records. Fellow researcher John Lovelock has already had the Berkshire Record Office search the Poor Law Records for Burghfield. These have been surname indexed. No Lovelocks are mentioned at all. However, Richard Lovelock, who is almost certainly Richard Lovelock above, appears as a witness on a Settlement Certificate for Burghfield for Thomas Adams and his wife Elizabeth dated 1716. Apart from Poor Law Records, it would also be worth checking Overseer’s accounts, churchwarden’s accounts and vestry minutes (if they exist) for any mention of John and Elizabeth Lovelock and their family in the parishes of St Mary, Reading and South Stoke and the same for Richard and Elizabeth Lovelock in Burghfield 1700-1750. I have for some time been searching other parish registers in this area of Berkshire and any nearby parishes in Oxfordshire (which have not been checked via modern transcriptions) for the baptism of John Lovelock abt 1718. I have complied a proposed search list as follows: Berkshire Sulham Pangbourne Englefield Sonning Moulsford Streatley Basildon Oxfordshire Newnham Murren Rotherfield Peppard All except Rotherfield Peppard are available on film through the Mormons. All are PRs except Sulham for which only Bishop’s Transcripts have been filmed. Pangbourne has already been ordered and is currently waiting for me. Fellow researcher John Lovelock recently checked the modern transcription for Newnham Murren for John and Elizabeth Lovelock and his family without any success. Helen Norton has already checked the PRs for Sonning. Between John and myself I believe it would be therefore worth checking parish registers between 1680 and 1775 (at least) for Sulham, Englefield, Moulsford, Basildon (Berks) and Rotherfield Peppard (Oxon) for any sign of the baptism of John Lovelock abt 1718 (NB: John could have been born as late as 1723 or as early as 1700) and marriages of daughters Lucy and Martha Lovelock and the marriage of John’s possible parents Richard and Elizabeth Lovelock. If we want to include a search for John Lovelock’s burial we should extend the search range to 1800. Robert Sterry 19/04/02