Ann (Leake) Wright (abt. 1762 - 1821)

Wife of Joshua Wright — married 1782 in East Dereham, Norfolk, England

Descendants

Died 4 May 1821 at about age 59 in East Dereham, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Ann was born about 1762. She passed away in 1821.

Research Notes

Surname could be Lake not Leak or Leake.
According to the Register Index, Joshua's wife, ANN LEAKE was baptised in East Dereham in 1762, but I cannot find an entry in the Baptism Register itself (which is extremely hard to read).
But moving on to JOSHUA WRIGHT (1761-1807) we do have his marriage recorded in the St Nicholas Church East Dereham Marriage Register for 1762 (page 22, entry no. 63).
From this we know that both Joshua and Ann were illiterate, and that Ann's surname appears with two different spellings on the one Register entry! Later, in baptism entries for many of her children, her maiden name is written as Lake.
From the Baptism Records themselves, it seems that they had at least 7 or 8 children, and some of the entries are very revealing: 1784: Joshua Henry Son of Joshua & Ann Wright born the 21st baptised privately July 26th a pauper, (This page of the register has either been damaged and reinserted or is very tightly bound and most of the names on the left edge are either missing or are hidden in the binding— 'Henry' is obvious, but there would be space for him to be Joshua Henry, the given names noted later in the story and as appear on his death certificate,) 1786: Jane Daughter of Joshua & Ann Wright born Nov 27th baptised priv Nov 29th 1788; Ann Daughter of Joshua Wright & Ann his Wife born Septr 21st 1788 baptised privately Septr 27th 1788. 1791: Hester Daughter of Joshua & Ann Wright (late Ann Lake) born April 24th baptised publicly May 8th, 1791, a Pauper (buried 25 May 1791, 'a pauper') 1792: Hester Daughter of Joshua & Ann Wright, late Lake, born Septr 9th baptised publicly Septr 26th. [Is this the 'Esther Wright, infant daughter of Joshua & Ann Wright' buried July 4' 1795 or did they have another baby in 1795 who is not recorded in the Dereham baptism register?] 1796: Josaphat Son Joshua Wright & Ann his Wife, late Lake, born Decr 31st [17951 baptised January 2. (Is this the 'Joshua, infant son of Joshua & Ann Wright buried Oct 26 1796’, perhaps using the everyday form of his name?) 1797: Joshua son of Joshua Wright & Ann his wife (late Lake) born Sept 10th, [bapt] Sept 13th
These entries tell us that JOSHUA WRIGHT and ANN (nee LEAKE) were paupers for at least some of the years during which their children were born. The fact that they were baptised in St Nicholas church, East Dereham indicates that the family stayed in the town rather than being sent to Gressenhall Workhouse (opened in 1777 for paupers of the 51 parishes of Mitford & Launditch Districts) East Dereham did not separate from these Districts until an Act of Parliament passed in 1801, and had its own workhouse pre-1777 and from 1801 to 1836.
We also learn that several children died as babies (very common then). I wonder if another son was named Joshua in 1797 because by then Joshua Henry (age 13) had left home to seek his fortune in London and thus passed out of the world of his parents and the rest of the family?

Sources

• Sourced Wright family tree from the Wright family in the UK Peter Wright Wright-32103; youngest son of William Wright Wright-32062 & Mary Wright Gray-20188