[Matthew Carr]

Hello All,

My name is Matthew Carr and I am descended from several Carrs hailing from Hexham and the surrounding villages. Sadly my family’s link to Hexham is rather old as my 6th Great-Grandfather George Carr 1723-1773 was the last to be born in the town. However, my family has often visited the town and pay homage to the gravestone of my ancestor Matthew Carr (1688-1757) and his wife Dorothy in the Abbey grounds which has sadly disappeared. However, I am looking to try and create a comprehensive History for my family and have several queries that I’d help in answering. I understand records aren’t easy to get to at the moment so I am more than happy to wait. Here is all the Hexham information I have:

John Carr of Eardley/ Ardley d. abt. 1702
John Carr of Slaley m. Robinson

Slaley’s children
Matthew Carr b. 1688 m. Dorothy Hislop d. 1757
John Carr of Hexham had 2 daughters
Thomas Carr of Drury Lane had one son
Richard Carr – Customs Officer in Tower Street
Elizabeth m. Loadman

Matthew Carr’s children
George b. 1723 Hexham m. Sarah Bird d. 1773
John – Officer in the Army
Matthew d. Hull
Dorothy m. Charles Bell of Hexham

Obviously I understand that this is not a lot to go on but if any of this rings a bell please let me know. I would come up to Northumberland to see the archives myself but sadly I live in the South-East making it hard to find the time to travel to Northumberland. Thank you for reading this and hope you’re all keeping well in these times.

[Ian Hancock]

The Carrs of Slaley owned the large farm called Slaley Woodfoot from the 1600s to the 1800s.
There are deeds and other papers for the farm at Northumberland Archives (NRO 1888/32, NRO 393) and a plan of the farm from 1838 (ZCL/D/83). The NRO also have the valuation of the farm when it was sold in 1845 (ZHE 38a p5). The Carrs owned at least one house in the village, as well as the farm. There is a 17th century enclosure award for the village common fields and an 18th century enclosure award for the common, which both show the extensive property of the family, both at NRO. At the NRO it is also worth looking in the list of Enrolled Deeds in the Quarter Sessions records, where I think several Carr land transactions are recorded.
There are wills for the Carrs of Slaley at the National Archives and in the Durham Probate Registry, all available on-line, and a 1838 Chancery Court Case about Woodfoot involving the will of John Carr, which is available on-line in “Cases in Chancery”, on Google Books. There is a pedigree of the extended Carr family in the Northumberland County History (also available on-line).
I have an interest in the Carrs simply because Woodfoot had a share of some ancient woodland which is my particular interest.

[Carole Smith]

Hi, I am also descended from the Carr family via the Forsters.

I know that both the families ended up in Carlisle from Hexham, the Forste’s (farmers), worked their the West landing first in the Longtown /Brampton areas, which they quicky populated and the Carr’s move to the Kendal area and then up to Carlisle when it was rapidly expanding.

I do not know this but we are both distantly related to the Carr biscuit family.Both the Carr’s, (millers and bakers), and for me, via Forsters (banking),families who both occupied work peremises in Castle Street Carlisle.

In 1831, John Dodgson Carr establishse his biscuits in what is now the McVittis factory by the Canal, (located for ease of transportation), sadly, the Forster bank went broke in 1834.

Oddly enough, the reason why I went down this rabbit-hole was because my 2x grear grandfather settled in London around 1826 and married in 1830. one of the witnesses wad William Carr. I assumed that they were either friends or more likely, related. I had no idea that I would find any of this.

I hope this helps you, it would be nice to work with someone as serious about this as I am rather than most on Ancestry who seem to dabble.

Carole

[Betty Wynne]

I am a descendant of Cuthbert Carr of The Spitall. He was a Captain, serving in Tangier, Morocco at at elder age. I want to know what the Spitall means.

[Pete Lee]

“Spital” is a contraction of “Hospital”. This is probably the Spital house on the West End Road (B6531) out of Hexham, now the Golf Club. There are some photos of this in our Photo Archive: https://www.hexhamhistorian.org//historic-hexham/photograph-archive/photo-archive-choices/hexham-choices/buildings-choices/spital-gallery/

Some further information:
1811. Now an elegant, handsome house, lately built by James Gibson Kirsopp, Esq. the
present possessor: it stands upon an elevated ground, at a hundred and fifty yards distance
from the Tyne on the south bank, and commands a fine prospect for ten or twelve miles
eastward down the vale, as also a good way up the North and West Tynes, being a little
below the conflux of these branches. The Spittal formerly belonged to Hexham church, and
was called St. Giles’s Hospital, but was dismembered by some means not now known,
about the time of Henry VIII. History of Northumberland, Vol. II, Mackenxzie and Dent, 1811, p.346.

[Peter Richmond]

The Hexham Abbey website has a page showing the burials in the Northern Graveyard: https://www.hexhamabbey.org.uk/heritage/Ledger/NorGra.html and if you click on the circled number ‘15’ you should see catalogue record for the gravestone you mentioned: https://www.hexhamabbey.org.uk/heritage/Calm/HEXAB1267.html; it is still there but neither the Abbey nor the local council has the resources to keep these gravestones free from encroaching turf and grass clippings. (Any volunteer gardeners?)
There are other Carr gravestones at the Abbey, including https://www.hexhamabbey.org.uk/heritage/Calm/HEXAB1056.html (1715–1750) in the north chancel aisle.

[Matthew Carr]

Thank you all for the information you have provided, it has been really interesting and helpful. I did come up to Hexham a few years ago to look for the gravestone but could not find it; clearly, I was not looking in the right place! Interestingly I actually found a section of Matthew’s will in J. C. Hodgson’s A History of Northumberland (1902) Vol VI which calls him a gentleman with lands in Slaley, Hexham and Hexham East Common as well as a farm in Acomb. He also gave money to protestant dissenters in Giligate, so why he was buried in an Anglican church seems to be my new mystery!

[Rob Venus]

Hi Matthew,
I am currently transcribing the Hexham Parish records and came across a Henry Carr, the son of Richard Carr who was buried in the Abbey grounds in 1612.

My records start in 1579 and I can quickly search for any Carrs born , married or died in Hexham from that time.

I know this is a long time since you first posted your question, but if I can help with your research please let me know.

Best Regards,

Rob Venus

[Tom Carr]

Hi Matthew
Again an even later reply to your original question. You may be interested in this book, available freely online at https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/437964/?offset=0#page=1&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=. I believe there is a 5 volume copy in Northumberland Archives but I have not yet summoned the courage to tackle it!

One of the earlier family trees provided mentions a Matthew Carr of Slaley, living in 1627, though married on 16.6.1603 to Isabel Fforest (I think its a double F, but the scan is not clear here). Their children are Richard, Thomas, Jane, Lucy and Ralph, but with no further detail. Richard is of interest to me as I would like to ascertain if this is the same Richard (1631-1688) whom I have in my family tree – the dates are possible.

You might have noticed by now that there are numerous Carrs living in or farming near Hexham at this time, a great number called John: we are not talking about a single discreet family here, but a number of them and it is not clear if any are related or how.

Hope this helps!
Tom

[Tom Carr]

Hi Rob
I have just come across and was very interested to see your reply to Matthew Carr.

You may be able to help me. My 3x Great Grandfather John Carr (1753 – 1829) lived as a child at Dotland Farm, and is described on his daughters wedding certificate as a ‘native of Hexham’. However, there seems to be a gap in the baptism records of Hexham Abbey between 1749 and 1754 both in the typed indexes in the Newcastle Central Library and the microfilmed originals in Northumberland Archives at Woodhorn. All his younger brothers and sisters are there, but there is a gap where he should be, which frustrated both my Great Grandfathers and my Great Uncles researches.

Some years ago, I thought I had found a record of his baptism, in a Roman Catholic church in Hexham, but I have since lost the reference. I don’t know whether your work on the parish records would cover this, but I would like to confirm his heritage if I can.

The Richard I say I was interested in lived over a century earlier was born in 1631 in Whickham, and moved to a farm, Le Lee, in 1647 with his partner (later wife) and their baby in 1647 – he was only 16! Le Lee was owned by a James Carr, who is identified as a glover, though he might have farmed it as well, and had been handed down to him from several generations of Carrs. Le Lee was then held by Richard and several generations of Carrs afterwards before they moved to neighbouring Dotland Park. The links of taking over the farm, and having the same surname convinces me he must have been related – but how I have yet to determine! If he is the same Richard I mentioned in my reply to Matthew Carr, he would have been a cousin of the James Carr holding Le Lee (and his birthdate might be earlier, meaning there is no scandal as I suggest above!) which would just about clinch it.

Any light you can shed on these conundrums would be much appreciated!

Best wishes
Tom Carr

[Juno Quaintrell]

Hello Rob

I’m now living in a former bastle house in Wall which has a marriage stone with the initials TK and BK over the door, along with the date 1642. I am really interested in whether they may have been Kerrs – are you able to connect them with anyone in your records please?

Thank you
Juno

[Suzanne Carr]

Hello All,

Sorry for the long post. I’m related to the Carrs of Dotland. My great-grandfather was John Graham Carr (1852-1922) who was son of John Carr (1794-1866) and Jane Bell (1814?-1887) she was also known as Jane Graham and Jane Carr, although no trace of a marriage between her and John, and no marriage for a Jane Bell to anyone called Graham. John Carr (1794) was the son of Ann Rowland and Thomas Carr.

In 1851, Jane Bell of Slaley was working for the family at Dotland when Ann Carr, nee Rowland, was still alive. The baptisms and birth certificates of Jane and John’s children give the mother as Jane Graham late Bell but no father listed. However, in the 1861 Census it lists the family living at High Lane House, part of Whitley Chapelry, and the children’s names and an annotation are interesting, the household is:
– John Carr, Head, 67, Retired Farmer, Hexham
– John Graham, Son (with a line through “Son” and (N) after it), 9, Scholar, Hexham
– Thomas Graham, Son (with (N) after it), 7, Hexham
– Ann Graham, Daur (with (N) after it), 7, Hexham
– Mary Graham, Daur (with (N) after it), 5, Hexham
– Thomas Carr, Brother, Unmarried, 64, Ag.Lab., Hexham
– Jane Graham, Serv., 47, Slaley, Hexham
I found something which indicated ‘N’ was for Natural born.

John Graham Carr’s siblings:
George Graham or Bell – 1847-1924. I can only find him living as George Bell, but his baptism calls him George Graham. I think I have him in 1851 with his grandmother Mary Bell, living in Dotland.
Ann Graham or Carr – 1854-1923.
Thomas Graham or Carr – 1854-1939 – twin of Ann.
Mary Carr Graham – 1856-1878. Baptised Mary Carr Graham, it seems adding Carr as a middle name is some official recognition of the father.

John, Ann, Thomas, and Mary all went by Graham until 1871 when they started to be called Carr in the records. John is the only one to retain Graham as a middle name.

I have traced my great-grandfather and his siblings, however, I draw a bit of blank with his grandfather Thomas Carr (husband of Ann Rowland), I’m just not sure which branch of the Carr family he belongs to and if his parents were John Carr and Mary Lindsay.

I also have a bit of uncertainty about Jane Bell’s family; I think her parents were James Bell and Mary Dent.

Does anyone recognise this branch of the Carr family and can shed any light? I’d appreciate any information. Thank you!

[Author]

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