Dursley Glos Forum

I am very keen to find details of my family origins. Living in Australia it is difficult to say the least! I know the Shipway family was fairly extensive in the Dursley area in the 18th Century and would appreciate any assistance from any member who has information. I was told that Thomas Shipway married Ann Jenner and that she was the sister of Dr Edward. I know this is incorrect and would like to find out if there was a connection betweenThomas's wife Ann and the other members of the Dr's family. Thomas and Ann with 8 children left Dursley and moved to London, have you any suggestions that would explain that move.
I would be so grateful for any information

stella wrote:I was told that Thomas Shipway married Ann Jenner and that she was the sister of Dr Edward. I know this is incorrect and would like to find out if there was a connection betweenThomas's wife Ann and the other members of the Dr's family. Thomas and Ann with 8 children left Dursley and moved to London, have you any suggestions that would explain that move.

Hi Stella
The information I have is that Thomas Shipway married Ann Jenner in Dursley on 27th June 1761. I don't know of any connection with Dr Edward unfortunately. I guess the move to London could be to do with looking for work as the wool industry was going through a rough patch. Bad harvests and food riots in 1756 plus poor trade due to war led to falling wages. By 1768 there was severe unemployment and many were forced to abandon their trade and look elsewhere. American independence in 1776 led to the loss of the US market and new techniques for weaving required less people.

I hope that helps.

Thank you very much for your comments particularly about the history of the area. Perhaps someone else will have information to add to it! It seems that there were about 5 family branches and my son is trying to tie them all together at some point. It looks as if one family went to London, one to Birmingham and one to the South West. I wonder if any of the existing Shipways in Gloucestershire have any records. The name itself appears to have originated in Kent in the 13th Century so at some stage they moved westward. I really wanted to print out the maps of the parishes but unfortunately they are too wide and a few critical ones are missing.

Hello Stella
According to "Scribes Alcove" there was an Ann Jenner baptised in Berkeley in 1741, daughter of Stephen, the Vicar of Berkeley.
Thomas and Ann, according to my transcription, had:-
Shipway Elizabeth 17 1 1762 Thomas Ann
Shipway Margaret 9 10 1763 Thomas Ann
Shipway John 20 10 1765 Thomas Ann
Shipway Nathaniel 29 12 1767 Thomas Ann
Shipway Thomas 10 5 1770 Thomas Ann
Shipway Daniel 13 11 1774 Thomas Ann
Shipway Sarah 20 7 1777 Thomas Ann
Shipway Amelia 10 2 1780 Thomas Ann
There don't seem to have been any Shipways in Dursley before 1760.

Hello Peter,
Thanks for that. I had seen that Thomas and Ann had a large family but she is not the Anne Jenner who was Edward's sister. That Ann married William Davies. So somewhere there was another Ann Jenner, and she is the one I am trying to find!
Kind regards
Stella

There is an Eliza Shipway (aged 60) listed as an "Outdoor Pauper" obtaining relief from Dursley Union Workhouse in October 1896. By that time she'd been in receipt of help for 27 weeks.