Thomas Watman of Newton Holme had three daughters called Mary, and one Gretna Green marriage, so for sure qualifies as a Cumbrian Character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my book, Port Carlisle, a history built on hope<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>there are several chapters that look at people\/families who lived there, and played an important part in the creation of Port Carlisle as a village. (The others cover topics like the canal, the railway, fishing, the Dandy, and even manure!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the \u2018people\u2019 chapters looks at Jeffray Peat, who was born about 1797, and died in 1844, drowned in an accident in the Solway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You need to buy the book to read the full story (!), but this post contains further information about his second wife that I didn\u2019t know when I wrote it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Specifically, it is about her father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jeffray Peat\u2019s second wife<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1838, widowed Jeffray Peat married Mary Blenkinsop \/ Blenkinship in March 1838. He was 40\/41. She was \u2018a minor\u2019 and heavily pregnant: baby Ann was born three months later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On her marriage certificate (to Jeffray Peat and second husband Joseph Thompson), she named her father as Thomas Watman, yeoman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mary Blenkinsop \/ Blenkinship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The only \u2018candidate\u2019 I\u2019ve found, births-wise, is a Mary Blenkinship born to a Betty, single-woman, of Slightholme, and baptised in Holme Cultram in 1822. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This fits her father having a different surname to her father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Mary\u2019s mother was Betty, she looks to have been born in September 1797, and baptised at Holme Cultram in May 1798. An Elizabeth Blenkinship, spinster, married Joseph Waite Anderson, in 1827. If this was Mary\u2019s mother, Mary would have been about five. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whoever brought Mary up, by 1837 she was living in Port Carlisle. Perhaps working as a domestic servant, a common role for girls of her background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thomas Watman<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So, who was Thomas Watman?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Thomas Watman died at Port Carlisle in 1839. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u2018At Port Carlisle, on the 21st January, Mr. Thomas Watman, in the 58th year of his age,\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<cite><em>Carlisle Journal<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>So this Thomas was born about 1781. Further \u2018digging\u2019 into the records suggests he was the son of Thomas Watman (died 1818) and Isabel (Pattinson). And that he was born at Newton Arlosh, with a brother Robert dying at Watch Hill, Longnewton, also in 1839. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If this is Mary\u2019s father, he was about 40 when she was born (and her mother was about 25). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A gravestone at Newton Arlosh has:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Thomas Watman, of Newton Holme, died January 2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mary; 110 336, D136 197 3301, 1839, 58 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mary his daughter died 1830 aged 15 years.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thomas Watman senior<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1818 will of Thomas Watman senior describes him as being of Longholme, Abbey Holme, and his estate seems to be <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Daughter Ann Elliot gets estate called \u2018Gaill bee Wrea medea,\u2019 which after her death is to go her children (bar Bella Fisher, who gets a house). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Son Robert Watman gets estate called \u2018Senis hand\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a son Pattinson Watman, and a daughter Arabella\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for son Thomas Watman\u2026 there a lots of plots of land with names that reminded me of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguin.co.uk\/books\/60407\/cold-comfort-farm-by-stella-gibbons-intro--lynne-truss\/9780241418895\">Cold Comfort Farm<\/a>!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Back to Thomas junior<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So if this Thomas was Mary\u2019s father, he was, as said, about 40 when she was born in 1822. And looking perhaps to all as a \u2018confirmed a bachelor\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A Thomas Watman married a Mary Ann Fawcett in 1813, at Crosscanonby (when he was 33 and she was likely 24).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They had a daughter, Isabella Watman, in Maryport in 1816. She was to marry a Thomas Chambers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if it all fits, they had a daughter Mary in about 1821, who died in 1830.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1822, Thomas got Betty Blenkinship pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then in 1833, a Thomas Watman of Newton Holme married \u2013 at Gretna Green \u2013 a Miss Jane Wilson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if it all ties up, Thomas was a widower \u2013 assuming his first wife hadn\u2019t run off! I\u2019ve not found a death for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The address (1833) ties in. So Thomas Watman, aged 52, looks to have married a woman who was then about 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thomas Watman\u2019s wife Jane<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thomas died in 1839, so missed the 1841 census. There\u2019s a Jane Watman, 30, in Wigton on 1841, occupation \u2018independent means,\u2019 with a Mary aged 7, a Mary Lawson, 15, ind, Ann Reed, dressmaker, 20 and Eliza Armstrong, 15. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1851. Jane, widow, 43, b Scotland, annuitant. Daughter Mary, 17, b Newton Holme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mary, Mary, Mary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So as things stand, Thomas Watman had three daughters called Mary!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mary c1815-1830, daughter of Thomas Watman and Mary Ann (n\u00e9e Fawcett)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mary 1822, daughter of Thomas Watman and Betty Blenkinship<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mary baptised November 1833, daughter of Thomas Watman and Jane n\u00e9e Wilson).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mary1 is recorded in the Cumberland Pacquet, with unusual (and sad) detail:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Suddenly, at the house of the Misses Bustin, from the rupture of a vessel near the heart, Mary, eldest daughter of Thomas Watman esq of Newtonholme.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And as quick recap:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thomas Watman m1 Mary Ann Fawcett 1813, when he was 33 and she was 24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fathered Mary Blenkinship in 1822, when he was 40 and her mother 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Married 2 1833 Jane Wilson when he was 52 and she 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The will<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>1839. Thomas Watman of Port Carlisle<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is NO mention of a \u2018natural daughter,\u2019 even though Mary, now Mrs Peat, is living in Port Carlisle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He does name daughter Mary Watman (the third Mary!). She is get \u00a31,000 (charged to lands etc bequeathed to Thomas\u2019 daughter (Mary\u2019s half-sister) Isabella Chambers) when she turns 21. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Isabella is to pay Mary \u00a3400. Mary gets a gold watch, chain and seals.Thomas\u2019 wife (not named, but has to be Jane) gets furniture and \u00a340 a year while a widow. Isabella gets all his estate at Newton Holme.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas Watman of Newton Holme had three daughters called Mary, and one Gretna Green marriage, so for sure qualifies as a Cumbrian Character. In my book, Port Carlisle, a history built on hope there are several chapters that look at people\/families who lived there, and played an important part in the creation of Port Carlisle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[419],"tags":[78],"class_list":["post-2262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cumbrian-people","tag-port-carlisle"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Thomas Watman - daddy? - Cumbrian Characters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thomas Watman of Newton Holme had three daughters called Mary, by three different women. 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