More Matriarchs in England

 

She lived her whole life in England, but her children came to America.

13) Jony Scholes was born in 1558 in Bury, Lancashire, England, and died on 21 Nov 1624 in Bury, Lancashire, England. 

Knowing such a concise date of death, it can be assumed that record was kept in the local parish church.

Knowing next to nothing about England, I use my trusty source, Wikipedia.

Church of St. Mary the Virgin: Church records suggest that the first church was built on the site in 971 A.D. when parishes were first formed by King Edgar of England, although this is likely to have been a wood and thatch structure. Churches of this type of construction are thought to have been used until a church in the gothic style was completed in 1585. Between 1773 and 1780 the main body of this church was demolished and rebuilt leaving only the spire from the original church. The spire was replaced in 1842 but by 1870 the wood in the rest of the church had rotted and a new building was needed. The new church designed by the architect J. S. Crowther, leaving the 1842 spire in place, was officially opened on the Feast of the Annunciation on 2 February 1876. 

This is where my ancestor is buried, in Bury, England.

The Bury Castle is situated on the top of a slope overlooking the River Irwell in a strong defensive position. Excavations have revealed there were six main construction phases on the site.

In 1540, antiquary John Leland described Bury Castle as "a ruin of a castle by the Parish Church in the town" In 1753, Thomas Percival drew plans of the visible foundations of the walls of Bury Castle, measuring 600 feet (180 m) by 270 feet (82 m). The ruins were looted to provide building material for the town of Bury.

So there was evidence of a castle when Jony lived there in 1558-1624, but the newly completed (1585) gothic church would have been much more imposing an as architecture than the ruins of the castle in the town. 

Bury is also known for "Bury's 'World Famous' Market, which has been on the same site for nearly 600 years; the original licence for a market was granted in 1444...It consists of a large market hall, with extensive stalls outside, selling fruit, flowers, clothing, hardware and groceries....It is famed for its black pudding stalls."

OK, dear Brit friends, what exactly is black pudding?

"It is generally made from pork blood and a relatively high proportion of oatmeal...  In the United Kingdom, black pudding is considered a delicacy in... the North West, especially in Lancashire, and sometimes in Greater Manchester (towns such as Bury), where it is traditionally boiled and served with malt vinegar out of paper wrapping.

Black puddings are also served sliced and fried or grilled as part of a traditional full breakfast in much of the UK and Ireland, a tradition that followed British and Irish emigrants around the world.

A single battered deep-fried chip shop black pudding (approx. 20 cm (7.9 in) long), sliced open

Well, I sure have gone far afield from my matriarchal ancestor, again, haven't I?

OK, back to dear 13) Jony Scholes.  Her father was 14) William Scholes (1530 – ?)
She married 13) Robert Dunster (1555 – 1599) in 1580 or 1582.  They had at least 3 children, including 12) Henry Dunster, Sr. (1580 – 1646).


12) Henry Dunster, Sr. married 12) Isabel Kaye, (b. 22 Dec 1595 in Bury, Lancashire, England, d. 10 Dec 1638). She's one of the women who is given credit for having children born starting when she would have been 10, 11 and 14.  I have discounted the first two, if indeed the birthdates are correct.

But the third child listed, 11) Henry Dunster, Jr (b. 26 November 1609 in Bury, Lancashire, England, d. 27 February 1659 in MA) is one who went on to become quite famous after immigrating to the Americas.  He was the first president of Harvard University, and I've spoken about him before HERE while discussing his sister, 11) Elizabeth Dunster Bowers, who is my ancestor.

I go down these branches in order to go back up another one, to find another matriarch possibly.

12) Isabel Kaye (who was the amazing woman supposedly giving early births) had her own mother, 13) Anne Speght, also from Bury, England.  Born in 1568 and died in 1598.  Anne married 13) Richard Kaye (1564 – 1598) in 1589 when she was 21 years old. But here's one of those annomolies that only happen in Ancestry, and it will end my posting for today.

Poor 13) Anne Speght Kaye who died in 1598 was supposed to have given birth to two more children in 1600 and 1605.  I throw my hands up, but not before deleting them from my tree.  They may have been real people and maybe born to Anne, and the death date is incorrect.  But I'm just going to pay attention to the numbers that most records have agreed to.

Tomorrow we'll explore the ancestors (especially the matriarchs) of Capt. Nathaniel Sylvester, "first settler of Shelter Island."