Emma Cowell Page2

Emma COWELL of Thaxted

Born Circa 1827

ESSEX

In 1829 the Vicar of Thaxted had to make a return stating all the places of Worship in Thaxted that were not Church of England and these other places comprised of a Baptist church, an Independent Meeting house and a Quaker Meeting House. The only records to survive are Congregational baptisms 1789 - 1837, 1844 - 1956, Marriages 1850 - 1956 and Burials 1885 - 1981. There are records of the monthly meetings of the Quackers from about 1631 to 1837and thes give details of Births, Marriages and Deaths. A search of these records did not reveal the baptism of Emma or the burial of a George. In another return made by the Vicar of Thaxted in 1829 it was estimated that there were 130 Quakers in the Thaxted, Stebbing, Felsted, Dunmow area, 105 Non Conformists and 106 Baptists.

An examination of the Overseers Accounts for 1831 - 1832 showed that in November 1831 a widow COWELL received five shillings from the Parish and she continued to receive this every two weeks until March 1832.

In the weekly pension lists 1834 - 1835 on 23 May 1834 there was the following entry "COWELL wid George late of the Rose and Crown Five shillings" and again on 6 June 1834 there is "COWELL Widow George and family, five shillings".

In the Overseers Accounts for the quarter Michalmas to Lady Day 1833 there is an entry that "Mrs COWELL - Rose and Crown was paid ten shillings for beer had by I SAYCH by order of doctor".

As these are Parish Poor Records a number of assumptions can be made:- 1) that a George COWELL ran or lived at the Rose and Crown; 2) that by 1831 he was dead and had left a widow and a nummber of children, and 3) that they were settled in Thaxted, otherwise the widow and family would have been returned to their home parish and a Mrs COWELL was still running the Rose and Crown in 1833.

In the 19 century Alehouses had to licensed and the Essex Record Office has a series of records the "Registers of Recognizances" these go upto 1828 and a George COWELL is shown as licencee of the Rose and Crown. The 1828 edition of Whites Trade Directory also confirms that a George COWELL is licencee of the Rose and Crown. I have not found any trade directory for the period 1829 - 1836.

The Rose and Crown is in Mill End, which is where Emma's husband, James FARROW, lived and ran his blacksmiths shop. Orange Street, where Emma was living in 1841, is the next adjacent street to Mill End.

Still no hard evidence of the parents of Emma, but the George who ran the Rose and Crown could be her father because he obviously dead by 1834 and the widow COWELL could be the Mary who married George FITCH in 1836.

The search for Emma's parents continues here