Sunday, July 25, 2010

George Faulkner in Manchester

A couple of months ago I asked a researcher in Lancashire to see if she could find out anything about George Faulkner's family in Manchester. She started by finding this entry for George Faulkner in the Lancaster Prison Records:

George Faulkner says he was born in Manchester, 18 years of age, 5’3” high, (?) complexion, gray eyes, short dark brown hair, two scars in his lip & chin, a large scar of his left wrist, 3rd finger right (?), Assizes 23rd March 1822. Death reprieved, transported for Life 11th May 1822 & put on board (?) at Chatham.

She also searched the Calendar of Crown Prisoners Ref. QJC/1, and in the Salford Hundred of Saturday 23rd March 1822, found this entry:

Event of Trial: Death
No.: 15
Name: George Faulkner
Age: 18
Committed by: Rev’d C.W. Ethelston, 22nd December 1821, charged with having assaulted Thomas Halliday on the highway at Salford and with having stolen from him, sixty pence, sixty halfpence and one knife, his property.

So George Faulkner was definitely born in Manchester, rather than just brought to trial there. But if he was 18 in March 1822, he would have been born in 1803 or 1804 rather than 1802, the year that appears on his convict records. Did he put his age back when he was arrested?

A search of the Manchester Parish Register at the Lancaster Records Office found no baptismal entry for a George Faulkner born 1801-1805. The entries may not be complete though, and some of the entries are indecipherable.

On familysearch.org, there's a George Faulkner who was christened at Manchester Cathedral on 7 November 1802. His parents were George and Ann. These may be the George Faulkner and Ann Winterbottom who married on 31 December 1792 at Manchester Cathedral.

The next step is a search of the original Parish Registers at Manchester Central Library.

Lancaster Prison Records Ref. QGL/2 MF1/36
Calendar of Crown Prisoners (Ref. QJC/1, Salford Hundred of Saturday 23rd March 1822

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