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William George GOTHAM
Abt 1818 - 1901 (~ 83 years)
Has 24 ancestors and 188 descendants in this family tree.
Set As Default Person 
-
Name William George GOTHAM Relationship 
with Teresa Ann GOATHAM Born Abt 1818 West Teignmouth, Devon, England 
- Place from 1891 census
1851 census (when with parents) suggests William was born about 1818; age at death, given as 80 and 1891 shows age as 70, suggesting 1820.
Gender Male Residence From 1841 to 1851 Combe Lane, West Teignmouth, Devon, England Occupation 1841 Shipwright Occupation 1851 Carter Occupation From 1853 to 1862 Gardener - from his son Henry and daughter Jessie's baptism entries
Residence 1861 Fore Street, Shaldon, Devon, England - With his wife, but no children - their two sons were with his father and sister in Shaldon.
Emigration (internal) Between 1862 and 1864 Shaldon, Devon, England From - Between the baptism of his daughter Jessie in 1862 and the birth of his son Albert in 1864 William and his family moved to Plymouth. Large numbers, maybe a majority of Devonians left Devon at this time, as work opportunities were limited. All over the country people were moving from the countryside for towns and cities, not simply because of less work being available in the countryside but often because jobs there were worse paid, and possibly in what seemed worse conditions.
Emigration (internal) Between 1862 and 1864 Plymouth, Devon, England To Plymouth - Whilst William and family did leave the Teign Estuary area, they did not do like so many and emigrate abroad, and not being a mariner William was not attracted like several other Gothams to the expanding port of Liverpool. Instead he went to the one Devon city which was growing significantly at this time: to Plymouth. One wonders, though, if they would have made the move had they realised how cramped, squalid and unhealthy living conditions were in Plymouth at this time. William and Eliza were lucky only to lose one of their seven children in infancy.
Occupation From 1881 to 1889 labourer - Shown on his son Frederick's marr cert in 1881 and son Albert's marr cert 1889
Occupation 1893 gardener - shown on his son William's marr cert
Died Mar Q 1901 Plymouth Reg Dist, Devon, England - GRO ref: Gotham, William George, q1 1901 aged 80 Plymouth RD 5b 198
Siblings1 sister Patriarch & Matriarch 
GOTHAM, d. Bef 1613 (5 x Great Grandfather)
Susanna CARSLEY, b. Abt 1722, bur. 20 Jan 1820, St. James’ Church, West Teignmouth, Devon, England (Age ~ 98 years) (Great Grandmother) Notes - Name originally from his son Albert's marr cert, now found Wm & Eliza and family in the 1861-1891 censuses.
Where was Wm before 1861? In 1841 and 1851 there was a George, son of Thomas and Charlotte (a shipwright in 1841 but a carter in 1851). It appears that this was William using his middle name.
Not only is there no sign of George in censuses after 1851 or of William George in 1841 or 1851, but mostly baptisms can be found quite easily for this period but here neither can be found. One missing happens, 2 would be an unusual co-incidence.
But the strongest evidence for this is that his 2 eldest sons were with Thomas, father of 'George' and Eliza, sister of 'George'.
Person ID I300040 All | All in the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study , All subjects of the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study Last Modified 24 Nov 2022
Father Thomas GOTHAM, b. Abt 1787, West Teignmouth, Devon, England , d. 12 Jan 1864, Ringmore, St. Nicholas, Devon, England (Age ~ 77 years) Mother Charlotte PROWSE, b. Abt 1782, West Teignmouth, Devon, England , d. 17 Oct 1856, Ringmore, St. Nicholas, Devon, England (Age ~ 74 years) Banns of marriage 17 Dec 1809 to 31 Dec 1809 St. James’ Church, West Teignmouth, Devon, England - From PR entry (image on FMP)
Shows banns were for the marriage between Thomas Gotham and Charlotte Prows - no other information.
Married 14 Jan 1810 St. James’ Church, West Teignmouth, Devon, England - From PR entry (image on FMP)
"Thomas Gotham of th Mariner
and Charlotte Prowss both of this
spinster, both of ^ this Parish were
Married in this Church by Banns
this fourteenth Day of January in the Year One Thousand Eight Hundred
and and Ten by me Edward Durell, Offg. Minister
This Marriage was The mark ~ of Thomas Gotham
solemnized between Us Charlotte prowss
In the Thomas Prowse
Presence of Mary Nichols B Bulley"
(B Bulley was probably the Parish Clerk as he witnessed many marriages in West Teignmouth around this time)
Family ID F300029 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family Eliza WILLIAMS, b. Abt 1831, d. Dec Q 1910, Plymouth Reg Dist, Devon, England (Age ~ 79 years) Married 16 Feb 1858 St. Nicholas’ Church, Shaldon and Ringmore, Devon, England - From PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 15 Nov 2014)
"William George Gotham, of full age, Bachelor, Gardener, residence at time of marriage St Nicholas [Shaldon], father: Thomas Gotham, Fisherman
[married]
Eliza Williams, of full age, Spinster, Servant, residence at time of marriage St Nicholas [Shaldon], father: Henry Williams, Miller"
GRO ref: Gotham, William George, to Williams, Eliza q1 1858 Newton Abbott RD 5b 216
Surnames used as 2nd (or occasionally 1st) Christian names were by no means always the mother's maiden name, but the majority were probably the maiden name of the mother of paternal grandmother.
I don't know where Pearn came from that William and Eliza gave to a son. Their PR marriage entry (i.e. certificate data) shows that Eliza was a spinster when she married, and William's parents marriage entry also shows Charlotte was a spinster (a Prowse) when they married. Eliza William's mother was Grace PROUT, probably a Prout by birth as a sister of Eliza's was named Grace Prout WILLIAMS.
Although such names were nearly always family names in the broadest sense, they could be from in-laws etc. e.g. a sister's husband (possibly used when he was a Godfather) or a step-father.
I wonder if it's possible that William married Eliza accepting that she was pregnant by another man - their first son, the only one given a surname as a Christian name, was born somewhere between 6 weeks and 4½ months after the marriage.
There is probably some significance in the name Pearn being given with the Christian names 'Henry John'. A Henry John Pearn was baptised in Dawlish, not far from Teignmouth, in 1840. Maybe he was Godfather to Henry John Pearn GOTHAM. His parents were John and Joanna, they appear to be the couple who married in Exeter in 1836, Joanna being a Cox at the time of marriage; the PR entry does not show whether she was a spinster at the time.
Children7 children Last Modified 14 Feb 2017 Family ID F300021 Family Group Page | Family Chart
- Place from 1891 census