RECUSANCY IN THE WEDGEWOOD FAMILY
Very little recorded recusancy occurs in this family when it first appears in 1735 at Egton. Even then it is one name only namely Elizabeth the wife of William. The same time finds Francis sponsoring two of Fr. Hervey's baptisms and having a son baptised there himself on February 29th 1736. rhe name of the child was not given but his wife's name was Mary. He is cited in the Lythe returns for 1735. In 1740 John a son of Thomas and Jane from Robin Hood's Bay was baptised by Fr. Hervey when Francis was again sponsor. This time his home is given at Shorefoot and the godmother's name Elizabeth Harrison of Egton Banks. Ann Wedgewood of Shorefoot sponsors another child of William and Elizabeth Boyes of Stainsacre, an older child being stood for by Francis in 1734 eight years earlier. The baptism of a female child, again with no name in 1743 to Thomas and Jane reveals their home at Fylingdales. Such is the evidence from the Hervey registers at Ugthorpe.
Were it not for a single baptism from the Egton parish records it could easily be imagined that Thomas and Francis were brothers from a family originating in Fylingdales. The entry "Francis son of William 11/ 4/1707, the first Wedgewood entry in the Egton books, at first sight invalidates this idea, but it is found that two Francis's occur one a shoemaker of Egton and the one who has the first place above. Francis of Shorefoot's wife was buried in 1732 so Mary must be his second wife. What appears to be yet a third Francis makes the first marriage entry in the family in 1744, marrying Hannah Thompson of Lythe. The same year Francis of Shorefoot lost a daughter Hannah, and 'father' William died a labourer. Ann a poor widow was buried in 1747. Two baptismal occurences, sons of Francis and Hannah take place by 1760 and then the next item is the burial of Hannah herself in 1780, after a gap of twenty years during which no
Wedgewood events happen, or so it seems. Two occur in the next thirty years relating to Joseph a farmer of Shorefoot. His was the second marriage, and a birth of a daughter happen in the same year 1704.
The stage moves in 1811 to Leaserigg when Elizabeth a spinster was buried, and nine years later Mary R.C. of Shorefoot followed aged 66. Ann of Egton married Joseph Barker a widower in 1820, John Wedgewood being a witness. R.C. endorses Joseph's burial
entry on 29th June 1830 aged 75.
The Easter Communions for Ugthorpe add quite a fair amount of information. In 1781 Francis was down as from that village, and the next list seven years afterwards confirms the home as Shorefoot with the additional names of Jane and Joseph. Fr. haydock
obligingly added the age of each first communicant between 1804 and 1827 though the last relevant one for this story took place in 1813. In this way seven children were found and an extra one Jane from Ugthorpe who was born in 1796. By 1804 Hannah was with Jane and John was 'near Egton', Matthew one of the children apparently marries and moves to Ugthorpe in 1814, returning to Shorefoot two years afterwards. For some time two Janes were in the village together one perhaps elderly. It would be she who gave
£2/25 to the new chapel fund in 1808. Joseph contributed half that sum. That Ushaw College was interested too is shown by the gift of £5 per R.N. Gilbert of Whitby, who was an early priest there. The only Wedgewood in the Egton area in 1826 was Hannah at Egton Banks wIth Harrisons.
The census for 1861 shows that Matthew is still at Shorefoot and Luke his brother at Lealholme Lane and his wife Dorothy.
William, born 1755 and Peter born 1760, were the sons of Francis and Hannah referred to above.
WEDGEWOOD MARRIAGES 1730 TO 1840
| Date | Parish | Parties | Home or witnesses |
| 1. | | Ugthorpe | Francis Wedgewood & Mary Shorefoot | Recusants Lythe173? |
| 2. | | | Thomas Wedgewood & Jane | Fylingdales |
| 3. | | Egton | William Wedgewood & Eliz. Shorefoot | Recusants Egton 173? |
| 4. | 22/ 4/1744 | Egton | Francis Wedgewood & Hannah Thompson | Recusants Egton 178? |
| 5. | | | William Wedgewood & Jane | Ugthorpe Rails |
| 6. | 22/11/1784 | Egton | Joseph Wedgewood & Mary Tindale | Shorefoot |
| 7. | | | William Wedgewood & Catherine Robinson |
| 8. | 7/ 4/1806 | Lythe | John Knaggs & Hannah Wedgewood | Whitby Wm. & Ann wit. |
| 9. | | | Mark Lister & Hannah Wedgewood | Whitby |
| 10. | | | Matthew Wedgewood & | Shorefoot. 1861 |
| 11. | | | Luke Wedgewood & Dorothy | Lealholme Lane 1861 |
| 12. | 7/ 2/1828 | Egton | Joseph Barker wdr. & Ann Wedgewood | John Wedgewood wit. |
| 13. |
It is not known whether Francis, son of William, born in 1707 is the Egton shoemaker or the party in marriage 1, who in addition to the son born in 1736 had a daughter Hannah born in 1744. John born 1740, was a son of Thomas, marriage 2. A number of the children of marriage 5 are known:-
William Wedgewood m. (5) Jane Garbutt Ugthorpe
| W1. | Hannah | b. 1785 | from age at First Communion | see marriage 8. |
| W2. | Ann | b. 1738 | from age at First Communion |
| W3. | William | b. 17/10/179O | Ugthorpe First Register |
| W4. |
| W5. |
| W6. | Elizabeth | b. 6/11/1795 | Gpts. Francis Harrison & Mary Porritt |
| W7. | Jane | b. 17/ 9/1793 | Gpts. Robert Ellerby & Elizabeth Hodgson |
William junior registered the death of his father aged 90 on May 18th 1841 when the old man was described as a sailor from Sandsend.
Joseph Wedgewood (b.1755 d. 29th June 1830 aged 75) - m (6) - Mary Tindale
(b.1754 d. 22d December 1820 a.66) Shorefoot
| J1. | Ann | b. 16/12/1784 | Egton baptisms |
| J2. |
| J3. | John | b. 1788 | from age at First Communion |
| J5. |
| J6. | Mary | b. 1791 | Ugthorpe First Register |
| J7. | Matthew | b. 1792 | Ugthorpe First Register |
| J8. | Luke | b. 5/7/1796 | Gpts. Thomas Harrison & Helen Lawson |
| J9. | Eliz. | b. 19/10/1798 | Gpts. Joseph Harrison & Elizabeth Atkinson |
| JX. | Hannah |
William Wedgewood m. (7) Catherine Robinson
| W31. | Joseph | b. 9/ 2/1819 | Gpts.William Harrison & Jane Wedgewood |
| W32. | William | b. 8/ 3/1821 | Gpts. John Wedgewood & Elizabeth Hutchinson |
| W33. | Jane | b. 1/ 8/1823 | Gpts Zachariah Trattles & Jane Wedgewood |
| W34. | Elizabeth | b. 27/6/1825 | Gpts. Thomas Hodgson & Ann Porritt |
| W35. | Mary | b. 10/ 3/1826 | Gpts. Richard Harrison & Helen Roe |
| W36. | Mary | b. 29/ 3/1828 | Gpts. George Roe & Ellery Roe |
| W37. | Daniel | b. 31/10/1831 | Gpts. John Hodgson & Ann Wedgewood |
| W38. | George | b. 25/ 8/1833 | Gpts. George Headlam |
| W39. | Matthew | b. 15/ 9/1834 | Gpts. None Given |
| W3X. | Hannah | b. 10/ 2/1837 | Gpts. None Given |
None of the children of marriages 10 and 11 are known as yet.
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