Joseph Eades and a meadow in Worcestershire

Originally published 19 Jan 2014

I've always been a bit stuck getting anywhere with the Eades family, but the recent release by Ancestry of Birmingham parish records prompted me to have another look, and this time I've made some progress.

My great-great-grandfather, Joseph Eades, was born c. 1829 in Birmingham. From around 1860 to 1881, he lived in Lee Bank Road, Birmingham. From his marriage certificate, I know his father was also called Joseph and was a gardener.

With this information, I found Joseph with his family on the 1841 census, living on Bell Barn Road which is very close to Lee Bank Road. The members of the household were:

  • Joseph 40y
  • Elizabeth 30y
  • William 20y
  • Ann 15y
  • Joseph 11y
  • Henry 7y
  • Thomas 3y
  • Francis 1y

I then found baptisms at St Martin's church for Ann & John (1827), Joseph (1829), Louisa (1832) & Henry (1833), all children of Joseph & Mary Eades of Bell Barn Row/Road. Joseph's mother Mary was buried in 1835 at St Mary's church, & his father married again, to Elizabeth Pountney, at St Martin's church in 1836.

To find other siblings of Joseph, who weren't living with the family in 1841, I looked at the parish records for marriages where the father was Joseph Eades a gardener/labourer. I found the following probable siblings of Joseph:

  • Sarah (m. William Dixon in 1844)
  • George (m. Elizabeth Green in 1844)
  • Mary (m. William Pointon in 1859)
  • and also the marriage of William, who appears on the 1841 census, to Mary Walker in 1842.

The children of Joseph & Mary Eades born after 1827 all seem to have been born & baptised in Birmingham, but the older ones sometimes have other birthplaces on the census returns. The birthplace for Mary on the 1891 census, and for William on the 1861 and 1881 censuses is stated as Bentley, Worcestershire.

Looking on the IGI I found baptisms at Hanbury, Worcestershire for Mary Eades (1817), William Eades (1819) & George Eades (1820), all children of Joseph & Mary Eades. There are villages called Lower Bentley and Upper Bentley near Hanbury, so I think this is the area Joseph and Mary Eades were living in when their first 3 children were born, before moving to Birmingham around 1825.

The really interesting discovery was that near Lower Bentley is Foster's Green Meadows National Nature Reserve, and the largest field at the reserve is called Eades Meadow! There must be a connection somehow with my Eades family, and I hope to one day find out what that connection is.

Further research needed:

  • Who was Mary, Joseph Eades' first wife, and where were they married?
  • Who was the Richard Eades who was a witness to Joseph Eades' marriage to Elizabeth Pountney?
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  • Last modified: 2023/10/15 13:52