Tentative identification of Mary Darby’s parents Establishing a range for her date of birth

1. Mary Darby married Richard Nightingale on 10 August 1834 at St Johns Halesowen, (the Parish Church). She was a spinster, described as ‘of this parish’. The marriage (by Banns) was not shown as requiring the consent of parents.

At first sight, this would seem to suggest that Mary must have been at least 21 at the time of her marriage, giving a date of birth on or before August 1813. However, consent of parents for minors wishing to marry was not needed if the parents were dead; and ‘consent’ to a marriage by Banns only meant that the parents had not dissented, not that they had actively consented. Therefore, Mary could have been a minor but it’s unlikely she was younger than 16, giving an upper limit on her date of birth of August 1818.

2. In the 1841 census (6 Jun 1841), Mary is living with her husband in Birchyfield Lane, Oldbury, Worcestershire. Her age was given as 25.

Ages in the 1841 census were rounded down to the nearest 5 years, so she could have been anywhere between 25 and 29 years old, giving a date of birth of between June 1811 and June 1815.

3. At her death (25 December 1847) her age was recorded as 34, giving a date of birth between December 1812 and December 1813.

In summary, the available evidence suggests that she was born between June 1811 and August 1818, with most evidence pointing towards 1811-1813. Establishing a place for her birth

Given her parish of marriage (Halesowen) and residence/death (Oldbury), it seems probable that she was born in Halesowen or one of the surrounding parishes. According to www.genuki.org.uk, that includes the following parishes: 1. Halesowen, Worcestershire 2. , 3. Broom, 4. , 5. Cradley, 6. Dudley, 7. Frankley, 8. , 9. Halesowen, 10. Lye, 11. Northfield, 12. Old Swinford, 13. Oldbury, 14. Pedmore, 15. Romsley, 16. Stourbridge, Staffordshire 17. Brierley Hill, 18. Harborne, 19. Rowley Regis, 20. Smethwick There is no information available to narrow it down further. What church was she baptised within?

Her marriage took place within a Church of England church, but this was the only option available in 1834.

Her husband Richard was baptised in the Parish Church in Dudley. Her eldest daughter Sarah was baptised in March 1836 in the Parish Church in Oldbury. Several of her known grandchildren were baptised in the Church of England. She was buried in the Parish Churchyard at Rowley Regis.

There are no ‘biblical’ names among her children (Sarah, Mary, Hannah, Daniel, Richard).

It seems highly probable that she was NOT a non-conformist, and I should only consider Church of England baptisms. Sources searched

The following sources were consulted to provide the coverage required. All searches were don on 4 February 2018, for a Mary Darby or Darbey baptised 1811-1818.

1. Ancestry.com. England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Original data: England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.

2. TheGenealogist.co.uk Worcester Parish Register Transcripts, various covering the parishes and dates of interest

3. Staffordshire Parish Registers Society. "Rowley Regis Parish Register Part IV (Baptism, Burials, Marriages 1813-1849)", printed transcription as PDF

4. Parish Register Transcripts for St John the Baptist Halesowen (produced by the and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry, now known as Midlands Ancestors).

5. FamilySearch.org

6. Freereg.org.uk Candidates

All candidates considered are baptised as Mary Darby (with no middle name).

Bap Mn Year Buried Baptis Count Fathe Mother Abode Occup. Day m Place y r 15 Mar 1812 Brierley Staffs Willm Anne Hill 3 Oct 1813 Rowley Staffs Isaac Johanna Birchfield Nailer Regis Lane Halesowen 15 Oct 1815 7 Dec Dudley Worcs John Mary Dudley Shop 1818 keeper 28 Jun 1815 18 Apr Rowley Staffs John Ann Birch Hill Butcher 1826 Regis 13 Oct 1816 Before Dudley Worcs Josiah Hannah Netherton 1819 when sister Maria baptise d 27 Feb 1816 7 Nov Rowley Staffs James Ann Birch Hill Nailer 1816 Regis 7 Jun 1818 Rowley Staffs Daniel Mary Dudley Wood Collier Regis

There are no baptisms of a Mary Darby in Halesowen in 1834, such as might be expected for an adult baptism prior to marriage. Tentative identification

When candidates known or strongly suspected to have died in infancy are eliminated, there are 3 candidates remaining.

1. Mary Darby baptised 7 June 1818 in Rowley Regis. Parents are Daniel and Mary. Daniel is a Collier; their abode is Dudley Wood.

This candidate would have been 16 if she married in 1834 and is eliminated on this basis (the average age at marriage for women at this period is 23-241).

2. Mary Darby baptised 15 March 1812 in Brierley Hill. Parents are William and Anne. No information is available about their abode of occupation.

This date fits well with the ages given or deduced from later events, but the parish of Brierley Hill is not a good fit for the subsequent locations where she is known to have lived. There is no William or Anne among her known children.

3. Mary Darby baptised 3 October 1813 in Rowley Regis. Parents are Isaac and Johanna. Isaac is a Nailer; their abode is Birchfield Lane Halesowen.

In 1813 and in 1834, Birchfield Lane Oldbury was within the parish of Halesowen, and this date fits well with the ages given or deduced from later events. In addition, she was resident in Birchfield Lane from at least 1841 to 1847. There is no Isaac or Johanna among her known children. Candidate 3 seems the best fit.

However, for the decade 1811-212:

 about 67% of births were baptised in the Church of England

 about 10% of births were baptised in non-conformist churches or baptised later in life. About 5-6% of all baptisms were non-conformist baptisms (excluding Quakers).

 about 22% of births were not baptised so, there is a 1 in 5 chance that she was not baptised at all and her parents cannot be identified via a baptism record.

Therefore, this identification is the best I can make on the evidence available, but it can only be tentative (until supported by DNA evidence?)

1 The Population History of England, 1541-1871 by E. A. Wrigley and R. S. Schofield (2010) 2 ibid