Surname & Historical Interests
If you would like to add your Oakthorpe or Donisthorpe surname or other historical interests to this web site, please Email me. I can also insert hyper-links from the entries in the Trade Directory Listings to your web site or contact details. If you are able to provide some genealogical or historical information about your family and its relationship with Church Gresley, this would also be most welcome.
Index to Surnames
| HAYES | SMITH | STATHAM | SPEDDING |
Adoption: HAYES, The Crest, Donisthorpe by Geoff Alcock, of Arizona, USA
Olive HAYES was my birth mother when I was born David HAYES at Chesterfield Hospital Feb. 10, 1938. She lived at Abbeydale Rd. South, Dore, Sheffield until at least 1939. The address she gave on my birth certificate was The Crest, Donisthorpe, Burton on Trent Rural District. I believe her mother's name was Ann, also living in Donisthorpe in 1938. I was adopted through a Nurse WHETTER in Chesterfield and grew up in Derby. I would greatly appreciate any info. as I now reside in Arizona and it is difficult to search from here. I have visited Donisthorpe and searched the gaveyard but could not find any HAYES. No one seems to remember the name HAYES or The Crest. I wonder if The Crest was a home for young women who were pregnant. Would appreciate any help.
Geoff Alcock
STATHAM by Geraldine Bancroft
Francis STATHAM born abt. 1818 in Stanton, Derbys, son of James and Ann STATHAM, was baptised 1 Mar 1818 in Stapenhill, Derbys. He married Jane SMITH (1819 Oakthorpe) on 7 Oct 1839 in Donisthorpe. Jane died in February 1860 and by April 1861 he had remarried. His second wife was Mary (1817 in Newton Burgoland, Leics). Francis died in January 1875 in Oakthorpe and was buried on 5 Jan 1875 in Donisthorpe, Leics. Francis was an agricultural labourer. Thomas and Jane had eight children: Sarah (1839), Hannah (1840), Mary (1846), James (1850), Francis (1851-1869), William (1852), George (1857) and John (1860). Francis was the brother of Thomas STATHAM of Church Gresley
For further details contact Geraldine Bancroft
Rev. Francis SPEDDING Vicar of Donisthorpe (1865-1884) by Nan Spedding
My husband's great grandfather was a vicar at Donisthorpe. The Rev. Francis Spedding was born 4 Nov 1818 in Gilling, near Richmond, Yorkshire. He was married in St. Nicholas, Flimby, Cumberland 22 January 1846 and died in harness in Donisthorpe 29 Nov 1884 of "cerebral congestion" aged 66. Emma Hillson was present at his death.
Francis came of a Yorkshire farming family and appears to be the first among them to go on to higher education. He was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and served as deacon and curate in various livings until he came to Donisthorpe where he served as vicar for 19 years, 1865 to 1884. He had six children of whom three, Francis, Marion and Charles survived childhood. In 1875 the population of Donisthorpe and district was 2492, he had no curate and his salary was 191 pounds per annum.
In his will, a copy of which we have, he asked to be buried in Gilling, his birthplace. We hunted for that gravestone for years. A few years ago my husband Michael and I visiting from Canada went to Donisthorpe and found his grave there, in the New Cemetery. Our guess is that as he died in winter, it was not possible to bury him in Gilling. He was widowed at some stage and we have no information on his wife, Isabella Spedding (nee Mansfield). His sister, another Isabella Spedding, and his daughter Marion Spedding appear in various censuses as living with him in Donisthorpe.
If in your researches anything comes up of interest regarding the Rev. Francis, particularly if you find any photographs of him, I would be overjoyed to see them. Any possible references to his late wife - perhaps she died there? would also be of great interest to us.
For further details contact Nan Spedding
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This page last updated 20 February 2002 © Brett Payne
