'Clare Fisher' - Today we may consider
this to be a strange first name to give to a male
child but going back in the the Fisher ancestry this
name pops up quite often. I found this rather intriguing
so I did a search of other counties throughout the
UK for the period 1600-1800 and discovered that this
appears to be unique to Norfolk. - So has this name
given us a means to trace this Fisher's ancestry line?
So what does the name mean - below
is what I have found from the internet:-
Clare is a given name, the Medieval
English form of Clara. The related name Clair was
traditionally considered male, especially when spelled
without an 'e', but Clare and Claire are usually
female. It is very often associated with the Irish
County Clare. That name was derived from the Irish
word ('Clár') given to a small bridge that
crossed the river Fergus near the town of Ennis
in what is now known as County Clare.
Below is a list of all records relating
to the name 'Clare Fisher' obviously we can only go
on transcribed records and as time goes by more will
become available which could strengthen or weaken
this theory -
Our line is in the left Menu the link
could be that Thomas Fisher (1726) in 'Ancestors'
and Clare Fisher (1724) below, both of Barford
could be brothers!!!!
This is what I have found so far -
so is this a means of tracing our family line of Fishers?
The earlest mention of a 'Clare Fisher'
is a burial in 1681 at East Ruston (between Stalham
and Happisburgh Norfolk) no mention is given to age
and it have to be said if it is a man or women, infant
or an older person plus nothing is mentioned either
if he or she was actually from that parish but that
so far is the earlest mention. The next turns up in
Costessy again a burial in 1780 of a Clare Fisher
aged 56 which gives him a birth date of 1724. Again
there is very little information but we can only wonder
is he was the Clare Fisher (below) who married Mary
Syers in 1751 at Tasburgh which was most proberly
the home of Mary. Following that the family seems
to be centred round Barford.
The first are two burial record -
with limited information we can get a rough date of
birth but no means of relationship
DOB |
Burial Year |
Burial Date |
Name |
Age |
Other information |
Church |
Village |
16** |
1681 |
May 01 |
Clear Fisher |
? |
None |
St Mary |
East Ruston |
1724 |
1780 |
Apr 12 |
Clare Fisher |
56 |
None |
St Edmunds |
Costessy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Next we have a marriage - This Clare
Fisher was a bacholar at the time of his marriage
in 1751 so we would assume Clare would have been aged
about 20-30years which would give him a birth date
of about 1721-1731. This could mean that the above
Clare Fisher who died in 1780 buried at Costessey
and the Clare Fisher below could be one of
the same person as there is burial record at Welborne
to fit his demise.
Year |
Date |
Name |
DOB |
Father |
Occ |
Mother |
Other |
Church |
Village |
1724? |
? |
Clare |
1724? |
? |
|
? |
|
|
|
To-date not sure of parents
- but was this Clare Fisher the brother
of what could be our Thomas Fisher (1726)?
- in menu under 'Ancestors'
This Clare Fisher (bachelor) married
Mary Sayers (spinster ) on Oct 29 1751
at Virgin Mary Church Tasburgh
Clare and Mary had children:
[1] Mary Fisher baptised
Jun 12 1753 at St Botolph Church Barford
[2] Clare Fisher baptised Dec 02 1757
at St Botolph Church Barford - died 1770 -
burial Dec 29 at Welborne
[3] Joseph Fisher baptised May 23 1762
at All Saints Church Welborne - died 1762
- burial Nov 21 at Welborne
[4] Charlotte Fisher baptised Nov 27
1763 at All Saints Church Welborne
[5] Joseph Fisher baptised 1766 or
67 (date unclear) at All Saints Church Wleborne
Daughter [4] Charlotte
Fisher (1763) married Robert Coplane
at Barford in Oct 18, 1796 – from all
acounts Charlotte carried on her father’s
name:
1799: May 05 – Baptism
record at St Peter Church Wramplingham - Clare
Coping - Son of Robert Coping and Charlotte
Fisher
There is a church burial record
at Welborne in 1770 of a Clare Fisher
the son of Clare Fisher and Mary. This
from all accounts leave this family without
a 'Clare' which then opens a problem to the
records below as it would have fitted relationship
wise.
|
As mention this leaves
the above family without a 'Clare' which puts a question
mark over the parents of follow Clare Fisher
as he would have fitted in giving him an age of 28
when he married - So where did this Clare Fisher
come from?
Year |
Date |
Name |
DOB |
Father |
Occ |
Mother |
Other |
Church |
Village |
? |
? |
Clare |
? |
? |
|
? |
|
? |
? |
To-date with the above in
mind I am unsure of parents
1785: Oct 10 - Clare Fisher
(single man) married Pleasance Purdy
(spinster) at St Botolph Church Barford
Clare and Pleasents had many children:
[1] John Fisher baptised
privately Oct 30 1785 at St Peter's Church
Wramplingham
[2] Clare Fisher baptised Jun 27 1788
at St Peter's Church Wramplingham
[3] Joseph Fisher baptised Jun 28 1789
at St Peter's Church Wramplingham
[4] Thomas Fisher baptised Jul 01 1792
at St Peter's Church Wramplingham - Died 1794
[5] Sarah Fisher baptised Sep 01 1793
at St Peter's Church Wramplingham
[6] Mary Ann Fisher baptised Oct 12
1794 at St Peter's Church Wramplingham
[7] Charlotte Fisher baptised Feb 21
1796 and Mar 13 1796 both privately at St
Peter's Church Wramplingham
[8] Thomas Fisher baptised Apr 30 1797
at St Peter's Church Wramplingham
[9] James Fisher baptised Aug 26 1798
at St Peter's Church Wramplingham
[10] Pleasence Fisher baptised Feb
09 1800 at St Peter's Church Wramplingham
[11] Lizzy Hannah Fisher baptised Nov
25 1804 at St Petr's Church Wramplingham
1839: Death
record - Clare Fisher at Forehoe -
Sep quarter (13 72)
There is no mention of relationship or age
- So which Clare
Fisher was it?
More on Children:
Son [2] Clare Fisher
(1788) Bachelor of Wramplingham married
Sarah Darby at Great Melton in 1811.
and then in 1819 Clare Fisher Widower
of Wramplingham in 1819 to Catherine
Plummer again at Great Melton. No Burial
for Sarah has been found - Clare is not
found in the 1851 census but does turn up
in 1861, below.....
1861: Census
- Mill Road, Wramplingham Costessey -Norfolk
Enumeration District: 8
Clear Fisher - Head - Widower - age
76 (1785) - Ag Lab Norfolk - Wramplingham
John Poll - Sonlaw - Married - age
46 - Ag Lab Norfolk - Great Melton
Elizabeth Poll - Dau - age 44 - 44
(1817) - Norfolk - Wramplingham
It appears Clare/Clear
died in the Dec quarter of 1863
Son [3]
Joseph (1789) married Rebecca unknown from
Methwold - in 1861 he was recorded as a
Famer of 42 acers age 69 living at Downham
Road Wramplingham - He was also recorded
as a Local Methodist Preacher -
So could he have had contact with our Mattishall
Fisher's through the church?
Son [8] - Thomas
Fisher (1797) married Mary Ann Leggatt
of Dunstan in Mar quarter of 1842. In the
1851 census is recorded as a Farmer of 28
acres aged 53 of Wramplingham carried forward
the family name and had a son Clare Fisher
born Dec quarter 1843
Either
John [1], Clare [2] or Joseph [3] could
be the father of the Clare Fisher
below unfortunately the church records
(on-line) only go to 1812 so it cannot
ne confirmed.
Clare Fisher married
Bet (Elizabeth) Howlett of Pulham
St Mary in Jun quarter 1838. In the 1851
census at the Heath Ditchingham Loddon
he is recorded as an Agricultural Labourer
age 34 born at Wramplingham which gives
him a birth date of about 1817. It is
recorded that Clare and Elizabeth (Bet)
had a son Clare Fisher born at
Ditchingam in the Jun quarter of 1847.
In the Sep quarter of 1880 Clare's wife
(Bet) by 1891 Clare Fisher (1817) was
in the workhouse at Heckingham.
It is noted that in 1871 a large
part of the Fisher family of Wramplingham were
living in a row of cottages between the Kings
Head and the Water Mill.
|
Year |
Date |
Name |
DOB |
Father |
Occ |
Mother |
Other |
Church |
Village |
1788 |
Jun 27 |
Clare |
|
Clare |
|
Pleasance Purdy |
|
St Peter |
Wramplingham |
At this time I cannot find
the birth record of Clare Fisher the father
of Clare (1788) below - however we do know that
he married Pleasence Purdy in 1785 and historically
a man would marry somewhere between the age
of 20-30years which would make a birth date
of about 1760 ish.
No sure if
these relate to Clare snr or his son
Deeds MC 472/14, 751x4 1786-1802
7 docs
Contents:
Re property in Wramplingham conveyed by John
Gay to Rev. James Stoughton in trust for Clare
Fisher in 1802. Property: messuage with inclosures
called Nursery; Upper Two Acres; Orchard Two
Acres; with closes in Church Close, Great
Field, Dodd Meadow, Heavy Close, Little Field,
Marle Pit Close, Sandway Field.
Deeds, copyhold documents,
abstracts of title MC 472/32, 751x9 1814-1885
32 docs
Contents:
Re estate at Wramplingham owned successively
by Clare Fisher, Joseph Fisher and Fredrick
Robert Fisher and sold by the latter to William
Cann 5th January 1880, with schedule and plan
of the property in the 1880 conveyance. With
plan of Upper Estate Wramplingham belonging
to Clare Fisher 1817 [John Glegg surveyor,
no scale].
http://apps.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=153-mc472&cid=-1#-1
|
Year |
Date |
Name |
Father |
Occ |
Mother
|
Mother’s
Abode |
DOB |
Church |
Village |
16** |
SEE |
BURIALS |
? |
|
|
Mar = Married |
|
St Mary's |
East Ruston |
1724 |
SEE |
BURIALS |
? |
|
|
|
|
St Edmunds |
Costessey |
1764 |
Feb 05 |
Clear
died 1796? |
Joseph |
|
Elizabeth (Bell?) |
Mar-Dec 25 1758 |
|
St Botolph |
Barford |
1785 |
Dec 04 |
Sarah |
Clare |
|
Mary (Rogers?) |
Mar-Jul 21 1785 |
|
Saint Mary |
Gt Massingham |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1790 |
Dec 05 |
Frances |
Clear |
|
Mary (Rogers?) |
|
|
Saint Mary |
Gt Massingham |
1793 |
Mar 29 |
John |
Clear |
|
Mary (Rogers?) |
|
|
Saint Mary |
Gt Massingham |
1811 |
Nov 17 |
Mary Ann |
Clare |
|
Sarah Darby |
Mar-Oct 29 1811 |
Nov 15 1811 |
All Saints |
Great Melton |
1832 |
Jun 24 |
Clare |
William |
Labourer |
Ann Isbel |
|
Jun 03 1832 |
Mattishall Con |
Mattishall Burgh |
1839 |
Oct 27 |
Elizabeth |
Clare |
Labourer |
Bet Howlett |
Mar- Jun 1838 |
Oct 07 1839 |
St Michael |
Broome |
1841 |
Jul 11 |
Eleanor |
Clare |
Labourer |
Bet Howlett |
|
Jun 18 1841 |
St Michael |
Broome |
1843 |
Feb 26 |
Harriet |
Clare |
Labourer |
Bet Howlett |
|
|
St Michael |
Broome |
1844 |
Sep 22 |
William |
Clare |
Labourer |
Bet Howlett |
|
Sep 01 1844 |
St Michael |
Broome |
1847 |
Jun 27 |
Clare |
Clare |
Labourer |
Bett |
|
|
St Mary's |
Ditchingham |
1851 |
Sep 14 |
James |
Clare |
Labourer |
Bett |
|
|
St Mary's |
Ditchingham |
1873 |
Oct 12 |
Florence Elizabeth |
Clare |
Drover |
Hannah Kett |
Mar Jul 20 1869 |
|
All Saints |
Earsham |
1873 |
Oct 12 |
James William |
Clare |
Drover |
Hannah Kett |
|
|
All Saints |
Earsham |
1874 |
Jan 17 |
Alice Eliza |
Clare |
Labourer |
Hannah Kett |
Sunderland |
Nov 21 1874 |
All Saints |
Earsham |
1887 |
Oct 30 |
George Hardew |
Clare |
|
Frances |
|
Aug 09 1887 |
Wesleyan Meth |
Mattishall |
1889 |
**** |
Blank |
Clare |
Farmer |
Frances |
|
|
Wesleyan Meth |
Mattishall |
1832 |
This
Clare Fisher relates to this family Line - SEE
LEFT MENU |
1847 |
This
Clare Fisher his parents and family turn up in
the 1851 Census |
1851: Census - Heath, Loddon Ditchingham
Loddon
Clear Fisher - Head - age 34 - Lab Wramplingham-Nfk
Elizabeth (Bet) Fisher - Wife - age 40 - Pulham
St Mary-Nfk
William Fisher - Son - age 6 - Scholar Broome-Nfk
Clear Fisher - Son - age 3 - Ditchingham-Nfk
Elizabeth Fisher - Dau - age 1 - Ditchingham-Nfk
1861: Census -On Heath Ditchingham
Woodton
Clare Fisher - Head - age 44 - Ag Lab Norfolk -
Wramplingham
Bett Fisher - Wife - age 50 - Norfolk - Pulham
William Fisher - Saon - age 16 - Norfolk - Broome
Clare Fisher - Son - age 13 - Norfolk - Ditchingham
Elizabeth Fisher - Dau - age 11 - Norfolk - Ditchingham
James Fisher - Son - age 9 - Norfolk - Ditchingham
Charlotte Fisher
married Robert Coplane at Barford in Oct 18, 1796
– this appears to be the same Charlotte below
Charlotte (1763?) carried on her father’s name
1799: May 05 – Baptism record at St Peter Church
Wramplingham
Clare Coping
Son of Robert Coping and Charlotte Fisher
'Clare Fisher' Burials
in Norfolk – nothing in Suffolk
DOB |
Burial Year |
Burial Date |
Name |
Age |
|
Church |
Village |
16** |
1681 |
May 01 |
Clear Fisher |
? |
|
St Mary |
East Ruston |
|
1762 |
Nov 21 |
Joseph Fisher |
|
Son of Clare Fisher and his wife
Mary |
All Saints |
Welborne |
1757? |
1770 |
Dec 27 |
Clear Fisher |
13? |
Son of Clear Fisher and his wife
Mary |
All Saints |
Welborne |
1762 |
1796 |
Mar 04 |
Clear Fisher |
34 |
Son of Joseph Fisher and his
wife Elizabeth
Note: Married man |
St Michaels |
Bunwell |
1792 |
1794 |
** |
Thomas Fisher |
02? |
Son of Clear Fisher and his wife
Pleasance |
St Peter |
Wramplingham |
1724 |
1780 |
Apr 12 |
Clare Fisher |
56 |
|
St Edmunds |
Costessy |
1783 |
1786 |
Jun 17 |
Clare Fisher |
3 |
Son of Thomas Fisher a Thatcher
and his wife Ann |
All Saints |
Mattishall |
1815 |
1898 |
Feb 22 |
Clare Fisher |
83 |
House of Industry (Union Workhouse) |
|
Heckingham |
'Clare Fisher' Marriages
in Norfolk
Year |
Date |
Groom |
|
Bride |
|
Other information
|
Church |
Village |
1751 |
Oct 29 |
Clear Fisher |
Bachelor |
Mary Syers |
Spinster |
|
Virgin Mary |
Tasburgh |
1785 |
Jul 21 |
Clear Fisher |
Bachelor |
Mary Rogers |
Spinster |
By Banns
Witness: Mary Dawes and Davy Denham - Entry 129 |
St Mary |
Gt Massingham
|
1785 |
Oct 10 |
Clare Fisher |
Single |
Pheasants Purdy |
|
|
St Botolph |
Barford |
1811 |
Oct 29 |
Clare Fisher |
Bachelor of Wramplingham
|
Sarah Darby |
Spinster
OTP |
By Banns
Witness: James Hubbard and Elizabeth Darby |
All Saint |
Gt Melton |
1819 |
Jul 08 |
Clare Fisher
As Above
|
Widower of
Wramplingham |
Catherine Plummer |
Single
OTP |
Witness: James Fisher and Charlotte
Fisher – Charlotte, William, Caroline and
Henry James Willins - Entry 20 |
All Saint |
Gt Melton |
1869 |
Jul 20 |
Clare Fisher |
Bachelor of
Earsham
Age 22 |
Hannah Kett of Earsham |
Spinster
Age 22 |
Fathers:
Clare Fisher a Labour
Samuel Kett a Labourer
Witness: Nathan Kett and Elizabeth King - Entry
107
Note: Married at Denton as Earsham church being
under repair. |
St Mary
Earsham Church
In repair |
Denton |
|