Wilmot Gidley who married John Yealland in 1699

 

Gidley Bridge, the boundary between South Brent and Dean Prior

Photo taken by Derek Harper and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons licence. Gidley Bridge is situated in Harbourneford, west of Rattery, Dartington and Dean Prior.

Many thanks to Ruth Waldron, one of Wilmot Gidley's descendants, for raising a question about Wilmot Gidley and finding the original recognisance for Wilmot in the Devon Heritage Centre. She has sent me a copy of the original document but copyright restrictions mean it cannot be published on the internet. The catalogue reference is to Willmott Yalland of Rattery, widow, guarantors being William Gidleigh of Dartington, yeoman, and Robert Gidleigh of Rattery, yeoman, S/4/1741/MIDSUMMER/RE/14.

Ruth says:

I am descended from Wilmot Gidley, who married John Yealland in Dean Prior in 1699. I have been unable to find a baptism record for Wilmot but I visited the Devon Heritage Centre whilst on holiday in Devon last week and came across a 1741 Quarter Sessions record which linked Wilmot Yealland to a William Gidley of Dartington and a Robert Gidley of Rattery (all 3 were charged £10 each and bound over on condition that Wilmot attended the next Quarter Sessions on suspicion of felony - I think!). Wilmot Yealland died only a couple of months later.  Based on the death dates I have found for the two men, I think they may have been Wilmot's brothers and wonder if all 3 were children of Hercules Gidley of Buckfastleigh.

So, was there a Robert and a William who could be linked with Rattery and Dartington at about the right time? The ones I came up with who spanned all three criteria were:

1. Robert Gidley christened in Dean Prior in 1712, son of William Gidley and wife Mary Winter. Robert was described as "of Dartington" when he married Margaret Burt in 1738, and a Robert Gidley was buried in Rattery in 1771.

2. Robert's father William, christened in Buckfastleigh in 1686, was buried in 1750 in Rattery, when his residence then was Dartington, according to the burial record.

Wilmot's guarantors were probably close family. Could they be brother and nephew of Wilmot? 

William Gidley christened in 1686 in Buckfastleigh was the son of Archilaus Gidley and his wife Joan Lane, who married in Staverton in 1671. There was then a gap before I found children between 1678 - 1692. Wilmot could well have been born in that 1671-1678 gap if she married in 1699. And one of the other children of Archilaus and Joan was a Robert, christened in 1686. I found nothing definite further on him, and he would have been very old if he were the Robert Gidley buried in Rattery in 1771. Not impossible, but but it was such a common name amongst the Gidleys of that branch, that he could well have been confused on the family tree by me with another Robert Gidley, or his burial may not have been  recorded.

So I conclude that Wilmot was almost certainly a child of Archilaus and Joan. Whether Archilaus and Hercules were the same person I think is quite possible, as I have seen Hercules recorded as Harculas in parish registers, but it's not conclusive. And that William and Robert, her guarantors, were probably her brothers, but Robert was possibly a nephew.

The lane to Gidley Bridge, taken by Derek Harper, licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence

John Gundry Gidley, boat builder of Ontario, Canada, written by his great great grandson, Bryan Gidley

John Gundry Gidley 1829 – 1893

John Gundry Gidley was born in Camborne, Cornwall, England, 27 Dec 1829, to John b: in Breage, Corwall, England and Jane (Kempthorne) b: in Sithney, Cornwall, England. He was christened in Sithney, 16 Jan 1831.

In the 1851 Census of Sithney, he is listed as a copper miner.

John and Mary Ann’s Marriage certificate 15 Sep 1854

Married Mary Ann Warren in Copper Harbour, Ontonogan Michigan, a place on the northern tip of the state as it juts into Lake Superior. Mary Ann was the adopted daughter of James Gilmour Warren who was apparently of native descent and it was likely an elopement. She was supposedly betrothed to an English lieutenant back in her home town of Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada. A distance of some 650+ miles by land or water. Witness Charles Parker was born in Ontonogan, he was a prospector, mineral land broker and a mine promoter.

John’s business took him away from Ontonogan at times and the family lived at Fairbault, Minnesota, USA for a brief spell.

John and Mary stayed in Ontonagon until after April 1861 when Agnes was born and before Henry was born in April 1864. In all there were 10 children, in order, John Gundry, James Warren, William Kempthorne, Agnes Christina, Henry Edward, Edith Jane, Clara, Mary Elizabeth, Alfred Howard and Earnest Gilmour. William's obituary stated that William was born aboard "his father's passenger vessel at Kewenawa sic (Keweenaw) Point Michigan.

John was a fisherman in 1871, mariner in 1881 and boat manufacturer with rank of Sea Captain in 1891.

William - owned the Midland Boat Works

Henry - owned the Gidley Boat Works Of Penetang

James - moved to Vancouver and 'made a fortune'

John’s six sons, Henry is in light suit)

Alfred Gidley Picnic Island, Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada

Owned by John.

Vessel Name SAUCY JIM

Build Year 1887

Official Number C92305

Original Owner John & James Gridley (sic)

Type at loss : propeller steam tug, wood

Build info : 1887, A. Morill, Meaford, Ontario, Canada

Specs : 84x17x8, 93gc 63nc

Date of loss : Nov 18 1910

Place of loss : Christian Island., NW of Midland, Ont.

Lake : Huron

Registered out of Collingwood. 1891 Owned John Gridley (sic), Collingwood.

1897 Owned Frank Scott, Collingwood; harbor tug.

1905 Pushed the still burning CITY OF COLLINGWOOD to her final resting place at Collingwood.

1910, 26 Nov Burned at wharf.

Lease portion Midlands Government to J. G. Gidley and Son etc. of other portions of the same wharf to the Georgian Bay Shipbuilding and Wrecking Company - Actg. Min. M. and F. [Acting Minister of Marine and Fisheries] 1919/10/08

Order-in-Council Number: 1919-2143

Date Introduced: 1919-10-15

Considered Date: 1919-10-16

Approved Date: 1919-10-18

Reference: RG2, Privy Council Office, Series A-1-a, For Order in Council see volume -1-, Access Code 90

Register Number: Series A-1-d, Volume 2815

Captain John Gundry Gidley’s son Henry, was the owner/operator of the Gidley Boat Company up until the year 1915 at which time he sold it to Art Grew. The boat company has an illustrious career with some interesting history. At one time all six sons were involved in the boating business.

John Gundry Gidley died on 2 May 1893 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His granddaughter Violet (Gidley) Jeffreys replaced the original marker with the one shown about 1989.

Intimation for John Gundry Gidley

Copelands Hill Cemetery Penetanguishene, Ontario