Robert Farthing (abt. 1802 - 1866)

Born about 1802 in Nedging, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Critty (Gooch) Farthing — married 11 Oct 1826 in West Stow, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 1866 at about age 64 in Aldham, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom

Biography

Robert Farthing was born in Nedging, Suffolk, England in about 1802. He is believed to have been the son of Robert Farthing and his wife Sarah Cuthbert, who were married in Nedging in 1798,^[1] and whose son Joshua was born there in about 1805.

Robert's parents appear to have remained in Nedging for a few years, but were living in the village of Aldham, a few miles to its south-east when their daughter Sarah was baptised in 1813.^[2]

By the mid 1820s, however, the family had moved some way to the north, to the village of West Stow, close to the River Lack, north-west of Bury St Edmunds. It was here in West Stow that Robert married Critty (Mary) Gooch on 11 Oct 1826.^[3]

Robert had seven known children, of whom one died in infancy and another in childhood.

• Robert 1828, West Stow
• William 1830, n/k; DIED 1839 Aldham
• Eleanor (Ellen) 1832, Icklingham
• Jane 1834 Hadleigh
• Henry 1838 Aldham
• Mary Ann 1841 Aldham; DIED 1841 Aldham
• Mary Ann 1846 Aldham

The first three children were born close to West Stow, but in about 1833 Robert and his family moved south, back to the village of Aldham, close to Hadleigh in Suffolk, an area he would have known from his childhood. Robert's wife's name is recorded as Mary from this point onwards, and although at first sight it appears he has remarried, further research suggests that Critty and Mary were probably different names for the same person. (See Research Notes and profile for Critty (Mary) Gooch).

Robert worked as an agricultural labourer and lived in Aldham, and later in the neighbouring parish of Elmsett, for the rest of his life.

1841 census: Aldham, Cosford RD, Suffolk, England

Robert Farthing, 30-35, b Suffolk

Mary Farthing, 30-35, b Suffolk

Robert Farthing, 13, b Suffolk

Ellen Farthing, 9, b Suffolk

Jane Farthing, 6, b Suffolk

Henry Farthing, 3, b Suffolk^[4]

1851 census: Farm House, Aldham, Cosford RD, Suffolk, England

Robert Farthing, 48, b Nedging, Suffolk, farm labourer

Mary Farthing, 48, wife, b Cavenham, Suffolk

Robert Farthing, 23, son, b West Stow, Suffolk, farm labourer

Henry Farthing, 12, son, b Aldham, Suffolk, farm labourer

Mary Ann Farthing, 4, daughter, b Aldham, Suffolk^[5]

1861 census: Street, Elmsett, Cosford RD, Suffolk

Robert Farthing, 56, head, b Suffolk, agricultural labourer

Mary Farthing, 56, wife, b Cainham (sic) Suffolk

Jane Farthing, 26, daughter, single, b Hadleigh Suffolk

Henry Farthing, 21, son, single, b Aldham Suffolk, agricultural labourer

Maryann Farthing, 15, daughter, single, b Aldham Suffolk

William Farthing, 1, grandson, b Aldham Suffolk^[6]

Death: Robert Farthing died, aged 64, in the first quarter of 1866,^[7] and was buried at Aldham.^[8]

Research Notes

There is considerable room for ambiguity over whether Robert married one wife called Critty, who was also known as Mary (on paper, from the time of their move to Aldham onwards), or whether he had a second wife called Mary. (There is also potential for a third wife between the two called Catherine, but this is probably an error in formalising Critty's name on the parish register). However, Mary and Critty were the same age, and born in the same tiny parish, where there was just the one family named Gooch in the parish registers at this time, and since no trace has yet been found of Mary and Critty as separate people, it does seem likely that Critty was known by her mother's name of Mary once she left her home area, if not informally before that. See Critty (Gooch) Farthing for more details.

Sources

1. ↑ Parents' Marriage: Suffolk Marriage Index database at FindmyPast. Entry for Sarah Cuthbert and Robert Farthing, 1798 in Nedging (Paywall: full transcription not seen) (Note this entry is also in England, Boyd's Marriage Indexes, 1538-1850 on FindmyPast, and perhaps elsewhere).
2. ↑ Sister's Baptism: Suffolk Baptism Index 1538-1911 database at FindmyPast Entry for Sarah Farthing, at Aldham in 1813, parents Robert and Sarah (Paywall: full transcription not seen)
3. ↑ Marriage: "England Marriages, 1538–1973", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N21Q-CQR : 12 March 2020), Critty Gooch in entry for Robert Farthing, 1826.
4. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1841," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M733-W1R : 25 May 2019), Robert Farthing in household of Robert Farthing, Aldham, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom; from "1841 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
5. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1851," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGR6-3K2 : 12 September 2019), Mary Farthing in household of Robert Farthing, Aldham, Suffolk, England; citing Aldham, Suffolk, England, p. 14, from "1851 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
6. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1861," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7ZS-J49 : 3 March 2021), Mary Farthing in household of Robert Farthing, Elmsett, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom; from "1861 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 9, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
7. ↑ Death Registration: England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Death (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 14 Feb 2023), database entry for FARTHING, ROBERT (Age at death: 64).GRO Reference: 1866  S Quarter in COSFORD  Volume 04A  Page 305
8. ↑ Burial: National Burial Index For England & Wales database at FindmyPast. Entry for Robert Farthing, born 1802, buried 1866, at Aldham. (Paywall: full transcription not seen).

Acknowledgements

Farthing-52 was created through the import of Andrea Tree June 2011 edited.GED on Jun 4, 2011 by Andrea Steed.