Sarah (Bartlett) Penny (1789 - 1861)

Born 30 Nov 1789 in Closworth, Somerset, England

Wife of Charles Penny — married 12 Apr 1819 in Ashington, Somerset, England

Descendants

Died 21 Nov 1861 at age 71 in Mudford Sock, Somerset, England

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Biography

The master version of this biography is maintained at http://dorneyfamilyhistory.net/famtree_web/History_tricia.pdf

Sarah was born in the village of Closworth, Somerset in 1789 to Joseph Bartlett and Merriam Young. She as baptised on 30 November at All Saints church.

Closworth means “ enclosure in the valley”, and is derived from the Old English words clof, something cut; a crevice, a valley and worð, an enclosure. The village was recorded as Clovesuurda in the Domesday Book of 1086. Parts of All Saints church in the village date back to the thirteenth century. It’s a small village, and only 187 residents were recorded there in 1831.

Despite its tiny size and distance from anywhere important the village was the centre of a bell founding business in the seventeenth century operated by the Purdue family. Many of the churches in the West Country still have bells cast by William Purdue (active 1572-84), Thomas Purdue (active 1647-91) and their descendants. Four of the bells in Exeter Cathedral were cast by Thomas Purdue, and the bell foundry was still active towards the end of the eighteenth century.

By the time she married in 1819 she was living in the village of Ashington, eight miles to the north of Closworth.

Sarah married Charles Penny on 12 April 1819 at St Vincent’s church in Ashington. One of the witnesses was her brother James Bartlett.

Charles and Sarah had at least five children together in Ashington, James (1820), Mary Ann (ca1822), Jane (ca1826), Joseph (ca1828) and Sarah Ann (ca1833).

At the time of the 1841 Census, on 6 June, Sarah was living in Ashington with her husband and three of their children, James, Joseph and Sarah Ann.

Sarah’s husband died in January 1842.

The 1851 Census finds Sarah still living in Ashington. Her occupation was given as former house servant. In the household with her were her son Joseph and his wife, Joseph’s one month old daughter and two of Sarah’s grandchildren, Eliza and Caroline, both of whom had been born out of wedlock to her daughter Mary Ann.

By 1861 Sarah had moved to Mudford Sock. She was still living with her son Joseph and his family, but this time he was the head of the household.

Sarah died on 21 November 1861 at Mudford Sock, with the cause of death stated to be old age. Her granddaughter Eliza Penny was present at her death. Sarah was 72 years old.

Sources

• Baptism: freereg.org.uk
• Baptism: Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1531-1812 at ancestry.com, Somerset Heritage Service; Taunton, Somerset, England; Somerset Parish Records, 1538-1914; Reference Number: D\P\clos/2/1/2, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/20429071/person/29581479384/facts/citation/520374522561/edit/record
• Marriage: Somerset, England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914 at ancestry.com

• 1841 Census: "England and Wales Census, 1841," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQ1Q-H8T : 13 December 2017), Sarah Penny in household of Charles Penny, Ashington, Somerset, England; 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.
• 1851 Census: "England and Wales Census, 1851," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGGR-KCQ : 23 October 2017), Sarah Penny, Ashington, Somerset, England; citing Ashington, Somerset, England, p. 2, 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.
• 1861 Census: "England and Wales Census, 1861," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7XZ-9K6 : 12 December 2017), Sarah Penny in household of Joseph Penny, Mudford, Somersetshire, England; 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.