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i am trying to find details of my G.Grandpa John Rigby born 1869/1870 in St Helens Lancashire so i can send for birth cert, The only one i could find was on census 1871 age one, with Parents John ( I know his pa was John ) and mother Mary, sorry i dont know much about him....thank you for any help....Joanie

Have you got his marriage certificate? Is that how you know his fathers name and occupation?

Its a very common name :( Do you know if he had a second name?

yes i did get it but unable to find it right now, but his pa was John on it...no second name sorry...Joanie

His pa worked in Glass Works and was a grinder....Joanie

What was your Johns job on the marriage cert?



Take it this is the one you are looking at 1871- would figure as though dad is shown as a labourer, there are a number of men working in glass works around him.

Name: John Rigby
Age: 1
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1870
Relation: Son
Father's Name: John
Mother's Name: Mary
Gender: Male
Where born: St Helens, Lancashire, England
Civil parish: Sutton
Ecclesiastical parish: St Nicholas
Town: St Helens
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Registration district: Prescot
Sub-registration district: St Helens
ED, institution, or vessel: 28
Household schedule number: 87
Household Members:
Name Age
John Rigby 32
Mary Rigby 31
John Rigby 1
Joseph Rigby 6 months

The household in 1871:

John Rigby 32 - labourer
Mary Rigby 31
John Rigby 1
Joseph Rigby 6 months

St Helens, Prescot reg dist


Since there's a 6-mo-old Joseph, i.e. born October-ish 1871, John would have been born sometime from April 1869 to the end of 1869, likely.

*If* that is your John. Have you found the household later and is there a reason to match him with your John? Do you know of any of your John's siblings? Who are the witnesses on the marriage certificate -- any brother or sister?


Note - this is Heather Posi's guy in 1881:

>> William Rigby 54 - clogger
Helen Rigby 45
Julia Rigby 20
Mary E. Rigby 17
John H. Rigby 12
William R.J. Rigby 4

Civil parish: Windle
County/Island: Lancashire

I have no idea mums name just his Pa was John.....He also worked in Glass works as a labourer...Joanie

yes was looking at that one, as my john names his children ..john - mary - joseph albert - jane...so thought that might fit !...Joanie

Joanie, give us what you've got!

Who was his wife?? Kids? When/where did he marry? We need to spot him in later censuses to get a handle on him.


Aha. 1881:

Name: John Rigby
Age: 42
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1839
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Mary
Where born: Sutton, Lancashire, England

>> Occupation: Glass Grinder

Civil parish: Sutton
County/Island: Lancashire

Street Address: 35 Highfield Street

John Rigby 42
Mary Rigby 41
John Rigby 11
Joseph Rigby 10
Mary Rigby 7

Possible marraige:

Marriages Sep 1868
>>>>Brownbill Mary Prescott 8b 860
Mellor Thomas Prescott 8b 860
Owens Elizabeth Prescott 8b 860
>>>>RIGBY John Prescot 8b 860

Brilliant, 1881 and the Rigbys are living two doors away from a Brownbil family :) So we can be pretty sure the above marriage is the correct one. Dad John is a glass grinder now.

Name: John Rigby
Age: 11
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1870
Relation: Son
Father's Name: John
Mother's Name: Mary
Gender: Male
Where born: Sutton, Lancashire, England

Civil parish: Sutton
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England

Street Address: 35 Highfield Street
Education:



View image
Occupation: Scholar

Registration district: Prescot
Sub-registration district: St Helens
ED, institution, or vessel: 30

Name Age
John Rigby 42
Mary Rigby 41
John Rigby 11
Joseph Rigby 10
Mary Rigby 7

View
Original
Record

View original image

Oops, heh, I was editing above to add that (takes me longer because I refuse to include all the useless bumph from the Ancestry records!).

Thank you folks for your kind help Mmmmm i know the names on cert were not rigby...this has given me food for thought, but the name Helen is not within the family, just a thought ...been stuck on this for ages, even been to st helens cemetary he is not there.....Joanie

I think we have mum and dad's marriage there but there are so many John births, I think you may have to choose the likeliest and specify mum and dads name for the cert. It may be easier for this to be done through the office local to the event rather than GRO. If you ring the office they may be a lot more accommodating.

i bought brownbill cert but was unsure it was right one...give me a min whilst i get it out of box...

Joanie, forget the Helen one, see the notes above, I think Mary Brownbill is the mum.

Joanie - read through carefully! The "Helen" was a red herring; Heather Posi was looking for people in later censuses who could be yours.

Yours is indeed the one you thought he was -- parents John Rigby and Mary Brownbill.

So you may have to order a couple of certificates to get the right one, but you'll know when you do.

If you search at FreeBMD for John Rigby born in Prescot registration district 1869-1870, you'll see you have about a half-dozen choices.

Since it's Lancashire, I think people here with full Ancestry UK access may be able to find the birth record there - not sure about that.

Ive got to get to bed now, Im sure everyone will sort you out :)

to be honest folks i seem to lose my way on this one ..
i have bought a cert @ Thomas Rigby married Ellen Brownbill married 1842..with son John Rigby.
then i thought this cert was him...John Rigby married Margaret Bates as they had a son John...

so have bought 4 certs none him.
will go through all this help and see if i can pin him down....once again thank you for ur help.....Joanie

He married july 1894 to Elizabeth Hayes and lived round peasley cross area, she died 1915 then he remarried but have not found his death as yet !....Joanie