Goodwin Family 1636 - 1974
My maternal grandfather, Arthur Henry Goodwin, was the starting point for my research of the Goodwin family. Arthur was born 1881 in the Stafford parish of St. Mary as was his father and forefathers, as far back as Jacobi Godwyn (my 7ggf) who was born in 1636. Although it cannot be proved – because of a gap in parish records – he was probably descended from Thomas Goodwin who was living in St. Mary during 1575 – 1581.
Even prior to this, the Goodwin name (whose early usage was interchangeable with Godwin and similar[1]) was recorded in the Stafford entry for the Domesday Book in 1086[2]. The name was also associated with the Stafford mint during the 11th century and the town gaol in the 17th century. Various strands of the Goodwin family have therefore been associated with Stafford for at least 1,000 years – and with the parish of St. Mary for over 400 years.
Even prior to this, the Goodwin name (whose early usage was interchangeable with Godwin and similar[1]) was recorded in the Stafford entry for the Domesday Book in 1086[2]. The name was also associated with the Stafford mint during the 11th century and the town gaol in the 17th century. Various strands of the Goodwin family have therefore been associated with Stafford for at least 1,000 years – and with the parish of St. Mary for over 400 years.
There are some significant Goodwins associated with Stafford – though none of them have so far proved to be ancestral. They included the Earl of Wessex (Earl Godwin) who was a Staffordshire landlord prior to the Norman Conquest and also held property within Stafford itself[3]. His son Harold Godwin was king of England and defeated by William of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 - his army later took part in a great battle in 1069 in Stafford when the original castle was destroyed at The Mount[4]. It is possible then that Goodwin was a nickname given to the people who either lived in the vicinity of Godwin’s castle or on land he owned within the borough[5].
The Godwin family was also the king’s ‘moneyer’ at the Stafford mint at the time of the Norman invasion and minted coins between 1065 and 1070[6]. Coins of the period were inscribed “Godwinne on Stæf” – Godwinne of Stafford.
The gaoler of Stafford from 1636, and throughout the Civil War, was Burton Goodwyn[7]. He was born in Nottingham in 1583 and arrived in Stafford in the same year as Jacobi Godwyn (my 7ggf) was born. He remained in office up to his death in 1645.
The Godwin family was also the king’s ‘moneyer’ at the Stafford mint at the time of the Norman invasion and minted coins between 1065 and 1070[6]. Coins of the period were inscribed “Godwinne on Stæf” – Godwinne of Stafford.
The gaoler of Stafford from 1636, and throughout the Civil War, was Burton Goodwyn[7]. He was born in Nottingham in 1583 and arrived in Stafford in the same year as Jacobi Godwyn (my 7ggf) was born. He remained in office up to his death in 1645.
Jacobi Godwyn 1636 – 1709 (my 7ggf)
The earliest Goodwin that can be traced back to our family is Jacobi Godwyn – Jacobi is the Latin form of James. He was born about 1636 but his parents have not been proved[8]. He married Dorothiae (Dorothy) before 1667. The family lived in the parish of St. Mary, Stafford.
James and Dorothy had eleven children all christened at the parish church with eight surviving to full age:
1667 Joan
1668 Ann
1670 Dorothy. She married Mr Yardley
1674 Elizabeth. She married Matthew Dudley in St. Mary 1703
1676 Jacobi (James). He died in 1687 aged 11
1677 Francisca. She married John Ridley in Wolverhampton 1713
1677 Thomas. He married Marian Parker in St. Mary 1711 and was a Freeman of Stafford
1680 Samuel (my 6ggf). He married Elizabeth
1682 Maria
1684 Johanes (John). He married Rachel
1685 Gabrielle. He married Maria and later Mary Ward and was also a Freeman of Stafford
James was a Cordwainer - a shoemaker or cobbler making fine soft leather shoes. The first ‘shoe factory’ in Stafford didn’t open until 1812 and before this the factories were simply warehouses supplying leather to outworkers who prepared the shoes at home and returned them for sale. James would therefore have collected his leather from a local warehouse and made his shoes at home – this is proved in his will of 1709. Because the shoes were made at home, it was traditional for sons to follow their fathers into the trade.
In 1694 James became Head Burgess of Stafford and was elected councillor of the borough[9]. This position indicates that he was a respected figure in the community and subsequently, by right of birth, all of his sons were admitted Freemen on 2 March 1710.
James died on 20 May 1709 and left a generous will to his wife and family. The will suggests that James was relatively wealthy since he was able to bequeath a sum of “fourscore pounds” (£800) - which at this time would have been a considerable sum of money[10]. He also owned several freeholds for buildings and land, which also went to his wife on the condition that she did not remarry. These freeholds included his home in Eastgate, some land and a meadow in Broomfields and a barn and garden at Crooked Bridge - the latter passed to his son Samuel (my 6ggf) when Dorothy died.
The inventory prepared for probate gives an indication of what the house was like in 1709 - there were five chambers (bedrooms), a houseplace (living room), seprate kitchen and parlour, brew house and cellar. Finally, there was James’s shop and cutting room. The shop contained a considerable number of pairs of shoes and boots for men, women and children – fifty seven in total. This indicates he was still making shoes up to his death (possibly with an apprentice or his sons). He also had two horses and two pigs which he kept in his at Broomfields and Crooked Bridge.
Dorothy died in 1714 and her estate was managed by her eldest surviving son Thomas.
James and Dorothy had eleven children all christened at the parish church with eight surviving to full age:
1667 Joan
1668 Ann
1670 Dorothy. She married Mr Yardley
1674 Elizabeth. She married Matthew Dudley in St. Mary 1703
1676 Jacobi (James). He died in 1687 aged 11
1677 Francisca. She married John Ridley in Wolverhampton 1713
1677 Thomas. He married Marian Parker in St. Mary 1711 and was a Freeman of Stafford
1680 Samuel (my 6ggf). He married Elizabeth
1682 Maria
1684 Johanes (John). He married Rachel
1685 Gabrielle. He married Maria and later Mary Ward and was also a Freeman of Stafford
James was a Cordwainer - a shoemaker or cobbler making fine soft leather shoes. The first ‘shoe factory’ in Stafford didn’t open until 1812 and before this the factories were simply warehouses supplying leather to outworkers who prepared the shoes at home and returned them for sale. James would therefore have collected his leather from a local warehouse and made his shoes at home – this is proved in his will of 1709. Because the shoes were made at home, it was traditional for sons to follow their fathers into the trade.
In 1694 James became Head Burgess of Stafford and was elected councillor of the borough[9]. This position indicates that he was a respected figure in the community and subsequently, by right of birth, all of his sons were admitted Freemen on 2 March 1710.
James died on 20 May 1709 and left a generous will to his wife and family. The will suggests that James was relatively wealthy since he was able to bequeath a sum of “fourscore pounds” (£800) - which at this time would have been a considerable sum of money[10]. He also owned several freeholds for buildings and land, which also went to his wife on the condition that she did not remarry. These freeholds included his home in Eastgate, some land and a meadow in Broomfields and a barn and garden at Crooked Bridge - the latter passed to his son Samuel (my 6ggf) when Dorothy died.
The inventory prepared for probate gives an indication of what the house was like in 1709 - there were five chambers (bedrooms), a houseplace (living room), seprate kitchen and parlour, brew house and cellar. Finally, there was James’s shop and cutting room. The shop contained a considerable number of pairs of shoes and boots for men, women and children – fifty seven in total. This indicates he was still making shoes up to his death (possibly with an apprentice or his sons). He also had two horses and two pigs which he kept in his at Broomfields and Crooked Bridge.
Dorothy died in 1714 and her estate was managed by her eldest surviving son Thomas.
Samuel Godwyn 1680 – after 1744 (my 6ggf)
Samuel was christened at St. Mary’s church on Christmas Eve 1680. He married a girl named Elizabeth in or before 1707[11]. They had six children:
1708 Susanna
1713 James (my 5ggf). He married Elizabeth
1715 Gulielmus (William). He married Elizabeth Harvey
1717 Samuel
1720 Anne
1723 Johanes (John)
1726 Gabriel
Samuel became a Freeman in 1710 by right of birth. After his father died, Samuel took over the lease for the garden and barn at Crooked Bridge in 1715 – the lease identified that Samuel worked as a Shoemaker. In 1744 he was claiming the Poor Burgesses Charity Grant - this was 40 shillings per annum.
1708 Susanna
1713 James (my 5ggf). He married Elizabeth
1715 Gulielmus (William). He married Elizabeth Harvey
1717 Samuel
1720 Anne
1723 Johanes (John)
1726 Gabriel
Samuel became a Freeman in 1710 by right of birth. After his father died, Samuel took over the lease for the garden and barn at Crooked Bridge in 1715 – the lease identified that Samuel worked as a Shoemaker. In 1744 he was claiming the Poor Burgesses Charity Grant - this was 40 shillings per annum.
James Goodwin 1713 - 1775 (my 5ggf)
James was born in 1713 and christened at St. Mary’s church, Stafford. He married Elizabeth and they had three children:
1732 James (my 4ggf). He married Sarah Perry in 1759.
1735 Stephen. He died in 1737 aged 2
1739 Elizabeth
James became a Freeman of Stafford in 1738 and died in 1775.
1732 James (my 4ggf). He married Sarah Perry in 1759.
1735 Stephen. He died in 1737 aged 2
1739 Elizabeth
James became a Freeman of Stafford in 1738 and died in 1775.
James Goodwin 1732 – 1797 (my 4ggf)
James was born in 1732 in St Mary’s, Stafford[13]. James married Sarah Perry in November 1759. Sarah was the daughter of William and Anna Perry also of St Mary’s. James and Sarah had five children only one of which survived to full age– my 3ggf James.
1760 James (my 3ggf). He married Ann Fetherstone in 1791
1763 Mary. She died in 1769 aged 6
1765 Michael. He died in 1766 aged 1
1767 Stephen. He died in 1768 aged 1
1774 Ann. She died in 1776 aged 2
James died in April 1797 aged 66. It is not known when Sarah died.
1760 James (my 3ggf). He married Ann Fetherstone in 1791
1763 Mary. She died in 1769 aged 6
1765 Michael. He died in 1766 aged 1
1767 Stephen. He died in 1768 aged 1
1774 Ann. She died in 1776 aged 2
James died in April 1797 aged 66. It is not known when Sarah died.
James Goodwin 1760 – after 1803 (my 3ggf)
James was born on 12 April 1760 and christened a week later at St Mary’s. James married Ann Fetherstone in 1791; she was from the nearby village of Penkridge, and was the daughter of Gabriel Fetherstone and Mary Hand. James and Ann had four children:
1793 Gabriel
1796 James. He died in 1798 aged 2
1798 Edward. He died as an infant
1801 James. He died as an infant
1803 James (my 2gg)
1793 Gabriel
1796 James. He died in 1798 aged 2
1798 Edward. He died as an infant
1801 James. He died as an infant
1803 James (my 2gg)
James Goodwin 1803 – 1879 (my 2ggf)
James Goodwin and Ann Abberley (c. 1870)
James was born 4 February 1803[14] in St Mary’s.
James married his first wife, Anne Nevitt, in 1835. They had no children from this marriage before Anne died in the same year. A year later, widower James married 26 year old Anne Abberley in December 1836. Anne was a milliner and dressmaker from Broad Eye[15] and also came from a family with long standing links with St Mary’s parish. They had six children:
1838 John James . His father was recorded in John's birth certificate as a porter and the family lived in Lord Stafford Street.
1840 twins Frederick and Anne
1844 James (my 1ggf)
1845 Albert. He married Sarah Bailey
1847 Charles Henry. He died from pleurisy aged 28 and is buried with his parents in Stafford city cemetery
During the 1840’s, the family lived at 4 Mount Street. James worked as a butcher[16] and the house was large enough to accommodate two lodgers. However, by 1851 the family had filled the house and James was unemployed.
In 1861 and 1871 the family was living nearby at 23 Broad Eye. Aged 56, James had a job as a letter Carrier but by 1881 (recorded age 68) he had retired. All his children were in the shoe trade - Frederick was a Leather Cutter, Anne was a Shoe Bender (but later took a position as a Domestic Servant) and James (my ggf) and Albert were Shoemakers. Charles took up a living as a Railway Fireman[17].
James married his first wife, Anne Nevitt, in 1835. They had no children from this marriage before Anne died in the same year. A year later, widower James married 26 year old Anne Abberley in December 1836. Anne was a milliner and dressmaker from Broad Eye[15] and also came from a family with long standing links with St Mary’s parish. They had six children:
1838 John James . His father was recorded in John's birth certificate as a porter and the family lived in Lord Stafford Street.
1840 twins Frederick and Anne
1844 James (my 1ggf)
1845 Albert. He married Sarah Bailey
1847 Charles Henry. He died from pleurisy aged 28 and is buried with his parents in Stafford city cemetery
During the 1840’s, the family lived at 4 Mount Street. James worked as a butcher[16] and the house was large enough to accommodate two lodgers. However, by 1851 the family had filled the house and James was unemployed.
In 1861 and 1871 the family was living nearby at 23 Broad Eye. Aged 56, James had a job as a letter Carrier but by 1881 (recorded age 68) he had retired. All his children were in the shoe trade - Frederick was a Leather Cutter, Anne was a Shoe Bender (but later took a position as a Domestic Servant) and James (my ggf) and Albert were Shoemakers. Charles took up a living as a Railway Fireman[17].
Anne died in 1872 and James died 7 years later in 1879. They are buried together in Stafford Cemetery along with their youngest son Charles. The monumental inscription[19] is as follows.
In memory of ANNE
Wife of James Goddwin Who died April 1st 1872, aged 62 years ---------------------- Her end was peace. Also Charles Goodwin Died July 3rd 1878, aged 28. Also James Goodwin Died March ... 1879, aged 67. |
James Goodwin 1844 – 1919 (my ggf)
James Goodwin (c. 1900)
James was born on 10 January 1844 in Stafford. James married the Gloucestershire-born Mary Hancock in 1873. Mary Ann was a live-in cook for the Blakemore family in Eastgate Street.
James and Ann had nine children:
1873 Florence Agnes. She married James Gould
1875 Frederick. He married Ada Cooper and was a chemist
1877 William Augustus. He was a railway clerk and married Sarah Clarke from Tillington. They settled in Stockport, Cheshire
1880 Edith Alice. She was a dressmaker and married Horace Lloyd
1881 Arthur Henry (my grandfather)
1885 Ernest Charles
1887 Herbert Thomas. He married Ann Massy and was a clothier assistant
1888 Percy. He started out as a postal errand boy
1891 Leonard Stafford. He was named after his parents’ places of birth. He died in 1903 when he was 12
By 1861 James had left home and was working as an apprentice cordwainer to Henry Guest, living at his premises in Peel Terrace[20]. He later moved back in with his parents and in 1871 he was a fully fledged shoemaker.
After his father died, James retained the house at 23 Broad Eye and lived there with his wife and family for about 10 years until he moved into the neighbouring house, No. 22, where he was living in 1891. At this point he was no longer a shoemaker but was working in a shoe factory with a manufacturing line job as a boot riveter and later as a shoe laster[21] in 1901. In 1911, he was the Borough Weighing Clerk.
Between 1899 and 1915 the family lived at 7 Union Buildings on Union Street[22]. These houses still exist but the road (more of an alley) has been renamed Chapel Terrace. Houses here were Victorian red brick, originally 4-bedroomed, having a reasonable sized front garden, which they did not have in Broadeye, a cellar and a small rear courtyard containing a hand pump and outside toilet.
James died in 1919 in Moss Pit and Mary Ann died 8 years later in 1927.
James and Ann had nine children:
1873 Florence Agnes. She married James Gould
1875 Frederick. He married Ada Cooper and was a chemist
1877 William Augustus. He was a railway clerk and married Sarah Clarke from Tillington. They settled in Stockport, Cheshire
1880 Edith Alice. She was a dressmaker and married Horace Lloyd
1881 Arthur Henry (my grandfather)
1885 Ernest Charles
1887 Herbert Thomas. He married Ann Massy and was a clothier assistant
1888 Percy. He started out as a postal errand boy
1891 Leonard Stafford. He was named after his parents’ places of birth. He died in 1903 when he was 12
By 1861 James had left home and was working as an apprentice cordwainer to Henry Guest, living at his premises in Peel Terrace[20]. He later moved back in with his parents and in 1871 he was a fully fledged shoemaker.
After his father died, James retained the house at 23 Broad Eye and lived there with his wife and family for about 10 years until he moved into the neighbouring house, No. 22, where he was living in 1891. At this point he was no longer a shoemaker but was working in a shoe factory with a manufacturing line job as a boot riveter and later as a shoe laster[21] in 1901. In 1911, he was the Borough Weighing Clerk.
Between 1899 and 1915 the family lived at 7 Union Buildings on Union Street[22]. These houses still exist but the road (more of an alley) has been renamed Chapel Terrace. Houses here were Victorian red brick, originally 4-bedroomed, having a reasonable sized front garden, which they did not have in Broadeye, a cellar and a small rear courtyard containing a hand pump and outside toilet.
James died in 1919 in Moss Pit and Mary Ann died 8 years later in 1927.
Arthur Henry Goodwin 1881 – 1974 (my grandfather)
My grandfather was born on 18 October 1881 in the family home at 23 Broad Eye, Stafford. He started school at the age of 6, going to the Broadeye School for Boys, Girls & Infants, which was almost opposite the family home. He then went to the Earl Street school [23] and later moved to the new school in Corporation Street when it opened in 1895.
By the time Arthur was 9 (1891), the family had moved into the house next door at 22 Broadeye [23a].
Aged 20 his first job was as a railway porter - he’d originally wanted to be an engine driver like his brother but had considered the apprenticeship to be too long and didn’t like the idea of being a fireman shovelling coal and tending to the boiler. A family story exists that he lost his position due to an accident during which the engine shed was filled with steam after he had opened a dump valve – it could also have been the catalyst for him deciding to leave England in 1904.
At the same time he was studying art and, in 1902, he gained a second class certificate in model drawing. His drawings, sculptures and prizes were allegedly sold by his mother while he was in Canada. My mother retains one sculpture and a number of his drawings.
In August 1903, Arthur and his remaining brothers became Freemen of Stafford by right of birth from his father James [24].
In 1904, aged 22, Arthur left England with another man named Kent[25] and intended to go to Toronto in Canada to work as labourers. He first travelled to Liverpool where he boarded the RMS Ionian bound for Quebec and Montreal. Leaving on the 23 June, the crossing took one week and he arrived on the 1 July. During that voyage he was a steerage passenger travelling in the cargo hold, possibly enduring poor food, sanitation and sleeping arrangements.
He eventually settled in Owen Sound located on the southern shore of Georgian Bay, Lake Huron – 110 miles northwest of his planned destination. During 1911, he was lodging with the McClintock family in the Derby Township of Owen Sound. The census record indicates that in the previous year he had earned $450 as an ‘odd jobber’ and worked 60 hours a week[25]. In April 1909 he was joined by his younger brother Percy who stayed only for two years and returned to England in the summer of 1911[26] - he allegedly left complaining that it was too cold – unsurprising since in January that year, Canada experienced its second coldest winter on record with temperatures as low as -60 deg.C!
Between 1904 and 1915 he returned home at least once as, in March 1913, he travelled back to Canada from Liverpool to Halifax in Nova Scotia on board the S.S. Grampian.
At the outbreak of war in Europe my great grandmother wrote to her son asking him to return home and fight for his country. As a result, he left Owen Sound and travelled to New York (via Niagra Falls) before leaving on board the RMS Baltic on 12 March 1915. On the ship’s log Arthur is recorded as being a contractor. I understand he was involved in the timber business and there is a family story telling that he left behind land when he travelled to England with the full intention of returning.
Arriving home he signed up for active service in the Royal West Kent Regiment (Private 206333). His army service record has not survived but from what my mother tells me he fought on the Western Front in France.
How Arthur met my grandmother, Alice Cooper, remains a mystery. However, in summer 1918, the 13th Battalion of the Royal West Kent was formed in Cromer and it was here that he could have been posted to serve out the end of his military service. This would provide a convenient explanation as to how he met my grandmother who was otherwise from a Norfolk backwater (Cooper chapter) and had previously been working as a housemaid in Norwich close to the railway station. The couple were married on 25 October 1918 in East Bradenham parish church; Arthur was 37 and Alice was 27.
Shortly after, they went to live in Stafford where my uncle Freddie was born. During a family dispute my grandmother was pushed down some stairs by her mother-in-law and this resulted in her going into labour. They left Stafford and moved to Norfolk where Arthur bought a derelict house on the edge of East Bradenham - 1 Church Street - next door to the church where they were married and are now buried (the house was demolished some years ago and replaced with a modern one).
By the time Arthur was 9 (1891), the family had moved into the house next door at 22 Broadeye [23a].
Aged 20 his first job was as a railway porter - he’d originally wanted to be an engine driver like his brother but had considered the apprenticeship to be too long and didn’t like the idea of being a fireman shovelling coal and tending to the boiler. A family story exists that he lost his position due to an accident during which the engine shed was filled with steam after he had opened a dump valve – it could also have been the catalyst for him deciding to leave England in 1904.
At the same time he was studying art and, in 1902, he gained a second class certificate in model drawing. His drawings, sculptures and prizes were allegedly sold by his mother while he was in Canada. My mother retains one sculpture and a number of his drawings.
In August 1903, Arthur and his remaining brothers became Freemen of Stafford by right of birth from his father James [24].
In 1904, aged 22, Arthur left England with another man named Kent[25] and intended to go to Toronto in Canada to work as labourers. He first travelled to Liverpool where he boarded the RMS Ionian bound for Quebec and Montreal. Leaving on the 23 June, the crossing took one week and he arrived on the 1 July. During that voyage he was a steerage passenger travelling in the cargo hold, possibly enduring poor food, sanitation and sleeping arrangements.
He eventually settled in Owen Sound located on the southern shore of Georgian Bay, Lake Huron – 110 miles northwest of his planned destination. During 1911, he was lodging with the McClintock family in the Derby Township of Owen Sound. The census record indicates that in the previous year he had earned $450 as an ‘odd jobber’ and worked 60 hours a week[25]. In April 1909 he was joined by his younger brother Percy who stayed only for two years and returned to England in the summer of 1911[26] - he allegedly left complaining that it was too cold – unsurprising since in January that year, Canada experienced its second coldest winter on record with temperatures as low as -60 deg.C!
Between 1904 and 1915 he returned home at least once as, in March 1913, he travelled back to Canada from Liverpool to Halifax in Nova Scotia on board the S.S. Grampian.
At the outbreak of war in Europe my great grandmother wrote to her son asking him to return home and fight for his country. As a result, he left Owen Sound and travelled to New York (via Niagra Falls) before leaving on board the RMS Baltic on 12 March 1915. On the ship’s log Arthur is recorded as being a contractor. I understand he was involved in the timber business and there is a family story telling that he left behind land when he travelled to England with the full intention of returning.
Arriving home he signed up for active service in the Royal West Kent Regiment (Private 206333). His army service record has not survived but from what my mother tells me he fought on the Western Front in France.
How Arthur met my grandmother, Alice Cooper, remains a mystery. However, in summer 1918, the 13th Battalion of the Royal West Kent was formed in Cromer and it was here that he could have been posted to serve out the end of his military service. This would provide a convenient explanation as to how he met my grandmother who was otherwise from a Norfolk backwater (Cooper chapter) and had previously been working as a housemaid in Norwich close to the railway station. The couple were married on 25 October 1918 in East Bradenham parish church; Arthur was 37 and Alice was 27.
Shortly after, they went to live in Stafford where my uncle Freddie was born. During a family dispute my grandmother was pushed down some stairs by her mother-in-law and this resulted in her going into labour. They left Stafford and moved to Norfolk where Arthur bought a derelict house on the edge of East Bradenham - 1 Church Street - next door to the church where they were married and are now buried (the house was demolished some years ago and replaced with a modern one).
When my aunt June was a young girl she recalled her father being the village postman for a while and she rode on his cart. When they approached the post office she would get out and walk since he was forbidden to carry passengers. For a while he also a hawker and sold wares door to door from a suitcase.
My mother recalls him shouting at his wife when the old suitcase he carried fell apart and had to be held together with an old belt.
Out the outbreak of WWII Grandad attempted to join the army but was turned down on grounds of age – he was 58. My mother recalls how disappointed he was and to appease this he joined the Home Guard in June 1940.
Grandad died in 1974 aged 92 and is buried in East Bradenham.
My mother recalls him shouting at his wife when the old suitcase he carried fell apart and had to be held together with an old belt.
Out the outbreak of WWII Grandad attempted to join the army but was turned down on grounds of age – he was 58. My mother recalls how disappointed he was and to appease this he joined the Home Guard in June 1940.
Grandad died in 1974 aged 92 and is buried in East Bradenham.
Notes
[1] Goodwin is a derivation of an Anglo Saxon personal name Godwine or Godwin whose use pre-dated the Norman Conquest. Its roots were the Old English god, “good”,and wine, “friend”, and essentially meant “good friend”. Records of the Goodwin name prior to civil registration varied in spelling and included Goodwyn, Godwyn, Gudwin Godwine and Godwin. LDS transcriptions indicate the same individual could be named either Godwin or Goodwin on a number of different occasions, and so before standardised spelling, early use of the family name was entirely interchangeable with all these derivatives. In addition, the words “god” and “good” were pronounced the same - “good”.
[2] The Domesday Book, 1086, folio 248r – “Statfordcire. VIII. Terra C. Roger III … In Stadford. Una vafta mafura. Valec xx. fot. Goduin tenuer. 7 lit hó furé”. Translates to "Staffordshire. VIII. Land of Earl Roger … And in Stafford, One waste land. It is worth 20 shillings. Godwine held it, and he was a free man”.
[3] Ditchfield et al
[4] In “Memorial of Old Staffordshire” (Ditchfield et al, 1909) it is stated that the old pre-Norman castle in Stafford was located at “The Mount”. By coincidence it is interesting to note that the Goodwins lived in the immediate vicinity of the site of the old castle in Mount Street and Broad Eye. Although we are unlikely to be ancestral to the king or his father, the Earl of Wessex, Goodwin (and Godwin)could be a form of nickname pertaining to the remnants of his army and supporters, or inhabitants of land formerly at the site of the castle, or more likely the earl’s tenants.
[5] Principle landowners of Staffordshire had a borough duty to hold property in Stafford.
[6] Martin Carver (2010) The Birth of a Borough: An Archaeological Study of Anglo-Saxon Stafford.
[7] Black Country Society website. The High Sheriff of Staffordshire and the county Gaol. Original source: National Archives: SRO QSR/222 Easter 1636. Goodwyn states in this petition that he has been lately admitted and appointed gaoler by the high sheriff of the county.
[8] Jacobi’s parents may have been Frances Goodwyne and Anne Hall although this link is purely circumstantial; being based only on the fact that there was Matthew Godwin born to Francis and Anne in 1632 and lived in St. Mary around the same time – the presumption is that Matthew could have been the brother of Jacobi and, in turn, his parents could then have been Francis and Anne (they were married in 1615), previously of Rocester near Uttoxeter.
[9] Jack Kemp (1998) The Freemen of Stafford Borough 1100 to 1997.
[10] According to the National Archive convertor £800 would have have considerable buying power in 1709, for example, paying the wages of a craftsman in the building trade for over 24 years or 200 cows! [Source: The National Archives currency converter – http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency/]
[11] Their eldest daughter was christened in May 1708 and was therefore conceived in 1707, when the presumption was that Samuel and Elizabeth would have been married.
[12] As a result of spelling variation, there exists today two family ancestral lines – the Goodwins and the Godwins. For example, I have a 7th cousin named Reginald Godwin who lives in Birmingham.
[13] LDS records only three possible entries dated prior to 1743 for a James Goodwin
[14] According to the Goodwin family bible held by my mother’s cousin the date for James is given as 1804, however LDS records indicates the birth may have been in February 1803.
[15] William White trade directory for 1834
[16] 1851 census records James as a “Butcher out of Business” and the 1844 birth certificate for his son James confirmed he that he was previously a butcher.
[17] Wikipedia: on steam railways, firemen were responsible for cleaning the ash and dust from the boiler prior to lighting the fire, adding water to the engine's boiler, making sure there is a supply of fuel for the engine aboard before starting journeys, starting the fire, raising or banking the fire as appropriate for the amount of power needed along particular parts of the route, and performing other tasks for maintaining the locomotive according to the orders of the driver. Some firemen served these duties as a form of apprenticeship, aspiring to be locomotive engineers.
[18] Death certificate
[19] http://wishful-thinking.org.uk/genuki/STS/Stafford/MIs.html. Webpage with author’s note stating “The stonemason had a problem with ‘GODWIN’. I was able to confirm this with a visit to Eccleshall Road cemetery where the surname is spelled "GODDWIN" - the other occurrences of the surname on the headstone are spelled correctly as "GOODWIN".
[20] 1861 census of St Mary parish, Stafford. James’s surname is mispelled “Godwin”
[21] A shoe laster is a machine that attaches the sole of a shoe to its upper.
[22] Earliest date is 1899 for James’s son William’s freeman admission, then 1901 based on census record and they were last recorded there in December 1915 on Herbert’s next of kin service record.
[23] Confirmed in certificate of examination dated 1894
[23a] Both 22 and 23 Broadeye were demolished in the 1960s and is now a car park for the nearby Sainsbury’s store.
[24] This right of birth to Freeman of Stafford has been passed to me from my Grandad.
[25] The association is inferred from the fact that the men were of a similar age, from Staffordshire and were stood in the embarkation queue together, in both Canada and in England.
[26] Owen Sound census of 1911.
[27] Canadian Passenger List for RMS Tunisian indicates Percy J. Goodwin arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 16 April 1909. His onward destination was recorded as Owen Sound, Ontario. For his return journey, the UK Inward Coming Passenger List for RMS Victorian indicates Percy J. Goodwin travelling 3rd class from Montreal and arriving in Liverpool on 29 July 1911.
[2] The Domesday Book, 1086, folio 248r – “Statfordcire. VIII. Terra C. Roger III … In Stadford. Una vafta mafura. Valec xx. fot. Goduin tenuer. 7 lit hó furé”. Translates to "Staffordshire. VIII. Land of Earl Roger … And in Stafford, One waste land. It is worth 20 shillings. Godwine held it, and he was a free man”.
[3] Ditchfield et al
[4] In “Memorial of Old Staffordshire” (Ditchfield et al, 1909) it is stated that the old pre-Norman castle in Stafford was located at “The Mount”. By coincidence it is interesting to note that the Goodwins lived in the immediate vicinity of the site of the old castle in Mount Street and Broad Eye. Although we are unlikely to be ancestral to the king or his father, the Earl of Wessex, Goodwin (and Godwin)could be a form of nickname pertaining to the remnants of his army and supporters, or inhabitants of land formerly at the site of the castle, or more likely the earl’s tenants.
[5] Principle landowners of Staffordshire had a borough duty to hold property in Stafford.
[6] Martin Carver (2010) The Birth of a Borough: An Archaeological Study of Anglo-Saxon Stafford.
[7] Black Country Society website. The High Sheriff of Staffordshire and the county Gaol. Original source: National Archives: SRO QSR/222 Easter 1636. Goodwyn states in this petition that he has been lately admitted and appointed gaoler by the high sheriff of the county.
[8] Jacobi’s parents may have been Frances Goodwyne and Anne Hall although this link is purely circumstantial; being based only on the fact that there was Matthew Godwin born to Francis and Anne in 1632 and lived in St. Mary around the same time – the presumption is that Matthew could have been the brother of Jacobi and, in turn, his parents could then have been Francis and Anne (they were married in 1615), previously of Rocester near Uttoxeter.
[9] Jack Kemp (1998) The Freemen of Stafford Borough 1100 to 1997.
[10] According to the National Archive convertor £800 would have have considerable buying power in 1709, for example, paying the wages of a craftsman in the building trade for over 24 years or 200 cows! [Source: The National Archives currency converter – http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency/]
[11] Their eldest daughter was christened in May 1708 and was therefore conceived in 1707, when the presumption was that Samuel and Elizabeth would have been married.
[12] As a result of spelling variation, there exists today two family ancestral lines – the Goodwins and the Godwins. For example, I have a 7th cousin named Reginald Godwin who lives in Birmingham.
[13] LDS records only three possible entries dated prior to 1743 for a James Goodwin
[14] According to the Goodwin family bible held by my mother’s cousin the date for James is given as 1804, however LDS records indicates the birth may have been in February 1803.
[15] William White trade directory for 1834
[16] 1851 census records James as a “Butcher out of Business” and the 1844 birth certificate for his son James confirmed he that he was previously a butcher.
[17] Wikipedia: on steam railways, firemen were responsible for cleaning the ash and dust from the boiler prior to lighting the fire, adding water to the engine's boiler, making sure there is a supply of fuel for the engine aboard before starting journeys, starting the fire, raising or banking the fire as appropriate for the amount of power needed along particular parts of the route, and performing other tasks for maintaining the locomotive according to the orders of the driver. Some firemen served these duties as a form of apprenticeship, aspiring to be locomotive engineers.
[18] Death certificate
[19] http://wishful-thinking.org.uk/genuki/STS/Stafford/MIs.html. Webpage with author’s note stating “The stonemason had a problem with ‘GODWIN’. I was able to confirm this with a visit to Eccleshall Road cemetery where the surname is spelled "GODDWIN" - the other occurrences of the surname on the headstone are spelled correctly as "GOODWIN".
[20] 1861 census of St Mary parish, Stafford. James’s surname is mispelled “Godwin”
[21] A shoe laster is a machine that attaches the sole of a shoe to its upper.
[22] Earliest date is 1899 for James’s son William’s freeman admission, then 1901 based on census record and they were last recorded there in December 1915 on Herbert’s next of kin service record.
[23] Confirmed in certificate of examination dated 1894
[23a] Both 22 and 23 Broadeye were demolished in the 1960s and is now a car park for the nearby Sainsbury’s store.
[24] This right of birth to Freeman of Stafford has been passed to me from my Grandad.
[25] The association is inferred from the fact that the men were of a similar age, from Staffordshire and were stood in the embarkation queue together, in both Canada and in England.
[26] Owen Sound census of 1911.
[27] Canadian Passenger List for RMS Tunisian indicates Percy J. Goodwin arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 16 April 1909. His onward destination was recorded as Owen Sound, Ontario. For his return journey, the UK Inward Coming Passenger List for RMS Victorian indicates Percy J. Goodwin travelling 3rd class from Montreal and arriving in Liverpool on 29 July 1911.