James Nicholls (1776 - 1861)

Born 1776 in Hemingford Grey, Huntingdonshire, England

Husband of Elizabeth (Colston) Nicholas — married 13 Oct 1807 in Hemingford Grey, Huntingdonshire, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 11 Jun 1861 at about age 85 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Andrew Lancaster [send private message]

Biography

In Hemingford Grey, Hunts., we find the family of James...

24 November 1767. Thomas Nichols married Sarah Prior. (NOTE: according to the FreeREG transcription of the marriage, her surname was Fryer or Frior.) These appear to be the parents of James. Baptisms of Thomas and Sarah:

• 22 November 1776. James, their son was baptised
• 14 November 1779. Sarah, their daughter was baptised
• 18 October 1781. Ann a daughter to Thomas and Darah was baptised. She was buried 19 Aug 1783.

It is possible that Thomas had a previous wife. A child of a Thomas Nickols was buried 08 May 1758, and the mother of this child died a few days later, 22 May 1758. According to FreeREG.org.uk there were two Thomas Nichols burials in Hemingford Grey in the late 18th century. The first one, 15 Sep 1782, was described as "senior" (the elder Thomas Nichols), and the second one was 07 Dec 1790. There had been a Thomas baptised to a father Thomas, 12 Dec 1756. A 68 year old widow named Sarah Nichols was buried 18 Jan 1807 (born about 1739). So perhaps the parents of James died in 1782 and 1807.

...and concerning Elizabeth the eventual wife of James...

• 26 Oct 1803 Richard BEARD, bach., and Elizabeth COLSTON (X), sp., both

of this parish, by banns. Witnesses: Henry DRAGE Henry HART

• 13 Oct 1807 James NICHOLS, bach., and Elizabeth BEARD (X), wid., both of

this parish, by banns. Witnesses: Elizabeth CRAIN(X) Henry HART

There was a James Nicholis, stagecoach driver, who was wrongfully charged tolls at Fenstanton in November 1818 by a William Long "the stage coach running from Cambridge to Huntington (owner George Giddings, St. Clement, Cambridge)" Huntingdon Quarter Sessions FILE - QUARTER SESSIONS BOXED PAPERS - ref. HCP/1/6 - date: 1815 - 1819 item: Michaelmas [no ref.] - date: 1818.

To confirm the connection to later generations there is an "Elizabeth Bard" who was witness at the wedding of Sarah Nicholas in 1835. There may have been children from the first marriage of Elizabeth Colston. Another example of a Beard/Bard link is on the census of 1841. At Mill Pit Road, Ely, we find:-

• James NICHOLAS, 60 year old Agricultural Labourer (so b. about 1781)
• Elizabeth NICHOLAS, 55 years old (so b. about 1786)
• William NICHOLAS, 25 years old (so b. about 1816)
• Mary BEARD, 30 years old (so b. about 1811)

A researcher very long ago reported to someone in the family that James NICHOLAS was in receipt of relief from 1843 to 1860, and that his widow received money in 1861.^[1]

In 1851 we find the same family again in Ely, St Marys, West End:

• James NICHOLAS, 72 year old Agricultural Labourer, born in Hemingford (so born about 1779)
• Elizabeth NICHOLAS, 68 year old wife, born in Sweasey? or Swavsey, Cambridgeshire (so born about 1783)
• William NICHOLAS, 38 year old son, also an agricultural labourer now, born in Ely. (so born about 1813)

In 1861, a census year, comes the death registration for James NICHOLS, an 83 year old Farm Labourer in West End, Ely. Unfortunately English certificates at this time did not mention very much about relatives at all.

• 1861 death in sub-district Ely, district Ely, County Cambridge
  1. 285 Eleventh June 1861, West End Ely
• James Nichols, Male, 83 years, Farm Laborer
• Old age, certified
• The mark of Mary Black present at death, West End, Ely
• registered sixth January 1861, George Cole, registrar

Parents

It is promising to find that a Thomas Nickals was baptised at nearby Fenstanton 6 Jul 1735, son of Thomas Nickals. In Dry Drayton there was a series of Nichols baptisms in the 1740s and 1750s. And in 1754 a Mary Nicholls was baptised to a father named Thomas in Hemingford Abbots.

One other line of investigation to be pursued is Sarah Prior, the wife of Thomas Nicholls in 1767 in Hemingford Grey.

Sources

1. ↑ Reported to Andrew Lancaster

• This family is the subject of a detailed webpage by descendant Andrew Lancaster.