THE CHILD FAMILY
Recusancy in this family seems to have crept in sometime in the middle of the eighteenth century where George having married a papist wife merits the peculiar entry in the Egton returns for 1753 'George and one child protestant, wife and other papist'. Those for 1780 merely indicate that Agnes and Elizabeth were presented. No other evidence is known.The name features in the papist records of the next century. The conclusion to be drawn in this case is that the farijly conformed very early in the penal days to be reconciled in one single instance after one hundred and fifty years. The use of the parish registers shows that, by and large, the family occurences were entered with reasonable regularity and no penal fears.
Two Agnes Child persons died within two years of one another; one being a spinster and the other a widow whose husband was William Child and whose maiden name was Shaw. The former, dying aged 89 on the fifteenth of January 1841 was born in 1752 and could be one of Georges children, the widow died aged 87 on the twenty fifth of Oct. 1842 and being born in 1755 could be one of the recusant Benjamin Shaw's offspring. So having married in 1779 would be Agnes Child in time for the return of Egton papists the following year. Which Agnes was the one presented is not known neither is her fellow recusant Elizabeth. Margaret Child (the natural daughter of Agnes) born in 1785 became the wife of 621 John Harrison in 1808.
Ralph Child was Egton churchwarden in 1786 though relationship with another Ralph who was born in 1796 is not claimed. George Child was listed as a tenant of Grange Head farm on the Egton estate in 1795 where Margaret Harrison and Ralph Child are down for the same some fifty years later. There is a little ambiguity here since Egton Grange includes other farms which do not appear to exist today, two nearer the moor's edge having vanished. What appears to be the truth is that the estate book lists George in 1795 and Margaret and Ralph as tenants of separate farms on the Grange without differentiating between them. As Margaret was living at Grange Head till after 1861 it may be that her husband came to live with his in-laws after his marriage. Moreover the Parish burials include 'Elizabeth wife of George, Grains, farmer December 5th 1789, and George of Grains, farmer September 9th 1799'. This establishes that Ralph junior is not a son of George and that Margaret and Agnes her mother are respectively his granddaughter and daughter. It is already known that the Shaws were long domiciled on the Grange so the Childs appear to have been their neighbours.

MARRIAGES IN THE CHILD FAMILY BETWEEN 1700 AND 1830

DateParishPartiesHome or witnesses
1.4/9/1711EgtonThomas Child & Mary Nelson
2.29/4/1716EgtonMatthew Child & Mary Pearson
3. 1/3/1742EgtonWilliam Child & Grace Breckon
4.5/7/1748EgtonGeorge Child & Elizabeth Pearson Egton Grange
5.10/2/1751EgtonThomas Child & Ann Corner latterly Glaisdale
6.14/5/1779EgtonWilliam Child & Agnes Shaw Egton Grange
7.17/7/1803EgtonThomas Child & Eleanor Rowland
8.13/9/1820EgtonRalph Child & EIizabeth Lyth Egton Grange
9.
10.
11.
12.22/ 4/1846Eg. Br.Paul Harrison & Elizabeth Child 2ndly as widow to John Winspear 1883
13.George Child & Elizabeth Smith
14.
15.6/10/1866Eg. Br.Matthew Child & Elizabeth Harrison
16.1/12/1866Eg. Br.Aaron Child & Anna Readman
17.
18.27/10/1910W. HpoolThomas Child & Elizabeth Garvey (St. Joseph's)
19.
20.31/ 5/1951NcleJohn Matthew Child & Margaret Noble (St.Anthony's Walker)
Marriages 12, 15, 18, and 20 refer to descendants of Ralph and Elizabeth in marriage eight.
The list is not exclusive.

The family of George with whom the story opens is fairly well documented:-

George Child (d. Sept. 5th 1799) m. 4. Eliz. Pearson (d, Dec 5th 1789) Egton 5/7/174?
1.
2.
3. Agnes b. 1752 Recusant ? Egton 1780.
4. Mary b. 8/9/1754 date of baptism
5. Sarah b. 11/ 4/1757 date of baptism
6. William b. 29/10/1758 date of baptism
7. George b. 21/ 5/1760 date of baptism
8. Ralph b. 1762 d. 1837 aged 75
and perhaps others.

They lived apparently at Grange Head Farm, Egton. Grange.
6. William Child d. Aug. 24th 1835 m. 6. Agnes Shaw Egton 14/5/17? They lived at the Delves where William died aged 77. No issue of this marriage has been traced. Nothing is known about George 7. That Ralph is a family name is confirmed by the death of a bachelor so named in 1750, the death and birth of Ralph 8. just discovered, dying at Egton Grange at the unnamed farm (Dunnings was the other) makes him the churchwarden above and very likely Ralph senior. His marriage has not been found.

The main part of this narrative concerns the family of Ralph junior:
81. Ralph Child d. Apr.22nd 1864 m. 8. Elizabeth Lyth Eg. 13/9/1820
811.Elizabethb. 29/ 7/1821Gpts. John Elders & Mary Atkinson see marriage 12.
812.Williamb. 13/2/1823Gpts. Francis Pearson & Eliz.Lyth
813.
814.Georgeb. 16/5/1827Gpts. Francis Hoggarth & Mary Child (godmother could be 8.)
815.Thomasb. 23/5/1829Gpts. Isaac Lawson & Jane Swales.
816.Maryb. 15/9/1831Gpts. Thomas Lyth & Mary Lyth
817.Andrewb. 4/10/1834Gpts. Timothy Barker & Martha Harrison
818.Aaronb. 22/ 9/1856Gpts. Thomas Shaw jnr & Eliz. Barker
819.Matthewb. 14/12/1839Gpts. William Lyth & Anna Readman
81X.Edmundb. 27/11/1848Gpts. John Harrison & Agatha Harrison
Ralph's wife Elizabeth died at Glaisdale on May 17th 1870 aged 67.

814. George Child m. 13. Elizabeth Smith
This marriage date is not known.
8141.Matthewb. 24/ 3/1852Gpts. George Fletcher & Agatha Harrison
8142.Matthewb. 12/ 1/1855Gpts. John Hoggarth & Mary Child
No other children are traced.

819. Matthew Child d. Sept.24th 1909 m.15. Elizabeth Harrison E.B. 1866
8191.Maryb.
8192.Margaretb. 1876a spinster and priest's housekeeper, d. 19/5/1959 at W.Hpool
8193.Thomasb. 1880
8194.Elizabethb. 1885d. aged 27 at West Hartlepool.
Other children are unknown. Matthew's wife Elizabeth died aged 76 on 26/12/1919 at West Hartlepool.

8193. Thomas Child m. 18. Elizabeth Garvey WHpool 1910
81931.John Matthewb. 4/11/1911who married Margaret Noble see marriage 20.

A daughter of John Matthew has been seen by the writer. She states that as far as she remembers there are relatives of hers at Glaisdale. Elizabeth the wife of Matthew was the great-great aunt of the writer. 8192. Margaret well known in Whitby and great friend of Nellie Barker, housekeeper of Provost Mc Cabe was unkindly nicknamed 'Tombstone Maggie' on account of her missing teeth but whether it went with her to County Durham has yet to be told.
The spread of the family has no doubt left its present members unaware of their rich heritage, a lament which can be made about all the members of all the families in this essay though it is fervently hoped that the celebrations surrounding the tercentenary of the martyrdom of Nicholas Postgate in 1979 will rekindle the flame of affection for him and for the sheep of his Egton flock comprising the ancestors of all the people mentioned in these pages.
The contradiction concerning the relationship of Ralph in the opening paragraphs is another instance of pieces of the puzzle falling into place as the story unfolds.

families...