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Saturday 27 April 2019

The 1810 settlement and bastardy examinations of Mary Gidley

Whitestone Church
9 March 1810
Touching the last legal place of settlement of Mary Gidley, single woman.
Now residing in St Thomas, now with child. Told she was born in Whitestone, her parents legally settled there, she went to St Sidwell aged 15 and agreed with the wife of John Reed at 6d a week; received meat, drink, washing and lodging. Worked there almost one year, and told "If you behave well and be a good girl, I will give you 3d a week more", so after one year she had 9d for near two years, then left and hath done no act since to gain a settlement.
The mark X of Elizabeth [sic] Gidley.

On the reverse of the document are listed the costs for, amongst others, the bastardy examination on 23 February 1810 and the removal order on 16 March 1810.

23 February 1810
Bastardy examination
William Goldsworthy of the City of Exeter [St George's Clyst is crossed out] has admitted carnal knowledge at the end of July and at sundry times since, no other person has had carnal knowledge.

16 March 1810
Removal order of Mary Gidley from St Thomas to St Sidwell as actually chargeable to that parish. Her lawful settlement is judged to be St Sidwell.

St Sidwell''s in 1829, as it was before destruction in the bombing of 1942
Mary Gidley is certainly on the Whitestone family tree, but which Mary she is is not quite clear. The baby, Lucy Gidley, was christened in St Sidwell's, Exeter, on 16 May 1810, daughter of Mary Gidley. Mary could be the daughter of John and Mary Gidley of Whitestone, christened in 1783. Mary's mother's name was also recorded as Lucy in the Whitestone parish registers, and it makes sense for Mary to have called her daughter after her mother. But Mary would be aged 27 in 1810, and the account of her working life in the settlement examination doesn't seem quite long enough.
That she is recorded as Elizabeth Gidley as the signee to the examination is probably an error. That  name seems unfeasible, as all the Elizabeths or Bettys on the Whitestone tree are the wrong age, or not born in Whitestone.
And what happened to Mary and Lucy? Of Mary I have found nothing further so far. I think Lucy Gidley may have died aged 18 in 1829. She was buried in Exeter St Thomas and was recorded as being the daughter of John and Mary Gidley, her place of residence being Exwick. The age fits exactly and I can't find other candidates with those parents' names at that time.

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