Abiah Darby (born Abiah Maude) was a minister among the Quakers and the wife of Abraham Darby, a member of the family of ironmasters at Coalbrookdale.[1]
Abiah was the sixth daughter of Samuel Maude, a coal fitter of Sunderland, County Durham, and Rachel Warren.[1] She was born at Sunderland, County Durham on 4 January 1716/7 (Quaker 11th month 1716).[2][3]
John Sinclair and Abiah Darby married in about 1734. John died in 1737. They had one child, who died (of smallpox) before her father.[1]
On 9 March 1746 (Quaker 1st month 1745) Abiah married Abraham Darby at the Quaker Meeting House at Park End in Preston Patrick in Westmorland.[4][5] They had the following children:
Rachel, born at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire on 2 December (Quaker 10th month) 1746[6][7]
Mary, born at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire on 6 October (Quaker 8th month) 1748[8][9]
Abraham, born at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire on 24 June (Quaker 4th month) 1750[10][11]
Sarah, born at Madeley, Shropshire on 24 August 1752[12][13]
Samuel, born at Madeley, Shropshire on 16 January 1755[14][15]
William, born at Madeley, Shropshire on 12 December 1756,[16][17] died on 11 July 1757 and was buried at Broseley Quaker burial ground, Shropshire on 14 July[18][19]
Jane, born at Madeley, Shropshire on 9 June 1758,[20][21] died on 2 October 1758 and was buried at Broseley Quaker burial ground, Shropshire on 4 October[22][23]
Abiah acted as hostess both to other Quakers and to business contacts of her husband. She also kept a substantial diary.[1]
In 1748 Abiah felt a strong call to serve as a Quaker minister. In that capacity she travelled extensively in England, addressing public meetings as well as gatherings of Quakers.[1] Some of her talks were published, along witty a book of instruction for children in Question and Answer form.[24]
In her latter years ill-health curtailed her ministry, and she was more and more restricted to staying at her home in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire.[1]
Abiah Darby, of Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, died on 19 June 1794,
and was buried at Coalbrookdale Friends Burying Ground on 29 June 1794. Her age was given as about 78.[27][28][29]
Sources
↑ 1.01.11.21.31.41.5Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry by Nancy Cox for 'Darby [née Maude; other married name Sinclair], Abiah', print and online 2004
↑
Birth 4th day 11th month 1716:
Newcastle upon Tyne Monthly Meeting register of births:
The National Archives of the UK: reference RG 6/1253 folio 10:
Ancestry Record 7097 #198157
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/1253, DURHAM: Monthly Meeting of Newcastle [upon Tyne]: Sunderland, FindMyPast: transcript gives the year as just 1716
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/1282, WESTMORELAND: Monthly Meeting meeting for Kendal: Marriages, FindMyPast
↑
Abraham Darby, of Coalbrookdale, Salop, ironmaster; and Abiah Sinclair, of Kendal, Westmorland, widow; married ninth day of first month commonly called March, 1745; married in Friends' meeting at Park End in Preston Patrick, Westmorland:
"9 March 1745" taken to be 1745/46 because it follows a marriage on 30th of 4th month 1745:
The National Archives of the UK: Kendal Monthly Meeting marriage register, reference RG 6/1282
Ancestry Record 7097 #6057604
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/1327, HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE AND WALES: Monthly Meeting of Shropshire: Broseley Meeting, births, FindMyPast
↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQY2-YM2 : 11 December 2014), Abraham Darby in entry for Rachel Darby, 02 Dec 1746, Birth; citing p. 50, Broseley, Shropshire, record group RG6, Public Record Office, London
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/1327, HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE AND WALES: Monthly Meeting of Shropshire: Broseley Meeting, births, FindMyPast
↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWFB-29Z : 11 December 2014), Abraham Darby in entry for Mary Darby, 06 Oct 1748, Birth; citing p. 33, Shropshire, record group RG6, Public Record Office, London
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/1327, HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE AND WALES: Monthly Meeting of Shropshire: Broseley Meeting, births, FindMyPast
↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWFK-2SW : 11 December 2014), Abraham Darby in entry for Abraham Darby, 24 Jun 1750, Birth; citing p. 33, Shropshire, record group RG6, Public Record Office, London
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/1327, HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE AND WALES: Monthly Meeting of Shropshire: Broseley Meeting, births, FindMyPast
↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQHS-HZJ : 11 December 2014), Abraham Darby in entry for Sarah Darby, 24 Aug 1752, Birth; citing p. 51, Broseley, Shropshire, record group RG6, Public Record Office, London
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/1327, HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE AND WALES: Monthly Meeting of Shropshire: Broseley Meeting, births, FindMyPast
↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FW2H-TPD : 11 December 2014), Abraham Darby in entry for Samuel Darby, 16 Jan 1755, Birth; citing p. 35, Shropshire, record group RG6, Public Record Office, London
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/1327, HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE AND WALES: Monthly Meeting of Shropshire: Broseley Meeting, births, FindMyPast
↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQGL-3JP : 11 December 2014), Abraham Darby in entry for William Darby, 12 Dec 1756, Birth; citing p. 53, Broseley, Shropshire, record group RG6, Public Record Office, London
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/1003, HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE AND WALES: Monthly Meeting of Shropshire: Burials, FindMyPast
↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQPJ-JZV : 11 December 2014), William Darby, 14 Jul 1757, Burial; citing p. 25, Broseley, Shropshire, record group RG6, Public Record Office, London
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/1327, HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE AND WALES: Monthly Meeting of Shropshire: Broseley Meeting, births, FindMyPast
↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VWZ9-95Z : 11 December 2014), Abraham Darby in entry for Jane Darby, 09 Jun 1758, Birth; citing p. 36, Shropshire, record group RG6, Public Record Office, London
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/1327, HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE AND WALES: Monthly Meeting of Shropshire: Broseley Meeting, burials, FindMyPast
↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQSV-9ZF : 11 December 2014), Jane Darby, 04 Oct 1758, Burial; citing p. 26, Broseley, Shropshire, record group RG6, Public Record Office, London
↑ British Library catalogue, search for "Abiah Darby", web, search undertaken 30 August 2023
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/1327, HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE AND WALES: Monthly Meeting of Shropshire: Broseley Meeting, FindMyPast
↑
Abraham Darby of Coalbrookdale, died thirty first day of third month 1763 and buried third day of fourth month:
Shropshire Monthly Meeting burial register:
The National Archives of the UK, reference RG 6/1003 fol. 17
Ancestry Record 7097 #467376
↑
Shropshire Monthly Meeting burial register:
The National Archives of the UK: reference RG 6/457 folio 68:
Ancestry Record 7097 #13439
↑ The National Archives, ref. RG6/457, HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE AND WALES: Monthly Meeting of Shropshire: Burials, FindMyPast
↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQN5-1JY : 11 December 2014), Abiah Darby, 29 Jun 1794, Burial; citing p. 61, Shropshire, Montgomeryshire & Merionethshire, record group RG6, Public Record Office, London
See also:
Rachel Labouchere, Abiah Darby of Coalbrookdale, 1716-1793: Wife of Abraham Darby II, William Sessions, 1988
Arthur Raistrick, Dynasty of Iron Founders. The Darbys and Coalbrookdale, 2nd edition, William Sessions, 1989
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