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Sunday, 26 May 2019

Three mystery apprenticeship indentures at Bovey Tracey

A view of Bovey Tracey
I can't find much, if any, further information on three Gidley girls from Bovey Tracey, Devon who were apprenticed under the Poor Law to more prosperous inhabitants. This saved the rate payers of the parish from having to support the pauper parents of those children. The children may have had otherwise to resort to begging and vagrancy. In rural areas the girls were usually apprenticed for housewifery, but it could be for husbandry. By the early 19th century apprentices had to be at least 9 years old. These indentures can all be found in the Devon Record Office in the Bovey Tracey parish records.
The first girl is Mary Gidley, described as "a poor child of Bovey Tracey", who was apprenticed to Thomas Collihall for husbandry in 1772. She is possibly descended from George Gidley and Jane How who married in Mortonhampstead in 1688. If so, she was christened in Mortonhampstead, about 7 or 8 miles from Bovey Tracey, in January 1764. Her father, John Gidley, died there in 1769. Her mother, Susanna Gidley nee Pethybridge, died in Bovey Tracey in 1774. I can't find any more about Mary.

The second in date order is Susanna Gidley, "aged 10 and upwards, a poor child of Bovey Tracey", apprenticed to William Bowden, yeoman of Bridford, till the age of 21 or married. Housewifery work. No further information found for Susanna.

The third is Honor Gidley, aged 11, apprenticed to William Palk, yeoman of Bovey Tracey, for housewifery, on July 7th, 1823. No further information found on Honor. The only entry for an Honor in the Bovey Tracey parish baptismal register for 1812 is for a Mary Ann Honour Collinder. For Devon as a whole there is a baptism of an Honor Kiddy in 1812 in Kilmington (East Devon). Kiddy is an extremely rare surname in Devon at that time, with only 2 baptisms 1754 - 1837 (the Devon Baptisms on FindMyPast) and 3 marriages (Devon Marriages on FindMyPast) over the same period. I wonder if Honor Kiddy and/or Honor Gidley should in fact really be Honor Giddy.

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