The Ancestry of The Burnett Family
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I have been engaged in genealogical research since I was nineteen, a period of over 30 years, and in that time, I have visited many archive centres and record offices throughout the United Kingdom. I am highly experienced in the reading, handling, and transcribing of archive documents.
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Researched and Prepared by
John Pretty (Family Trees & Ancestry)
http://www.family-tree-ancestry.co.uk
© November 2020
The Burnett Family
You can view a full family tree at the bottom of this page. The illustration can be enlarged with the zoom tool at the base of the image.
Eric Frederick Burnett & Joyce Eileen Murray 1st November 1952
In this study we will look at the ancestry of Paul Burnett, focusing on the Burnett family line.
Paul and Michelle are the children of Eric Frederick Burnett and Joyce Eileen Murray who were married at Heywood in 1952. Eric was one of six children all born in south Manchester.
Paul was born Paul Antony Burnett at Manchester on 30th January 1954.
Paul married Janet Elizabeth Luty at Stockport on 19th April 1980 and has two children:
- Kimberley Anne Burnett, born 24th July 1982 at Stockport.
- Ryan Samuel Burnett, born 22nd August 1985 at Stockport.
Kimberley has a daughter Madison Amelia Burnett, born on 30th January 2004 by Tony Paul Newton. Kimberley’s life partner and stepfather to Madison is Jason Paul Webb.
Paul also has a sister:
Michelle Ann Burnett, born at Manchester 5th January 1961. Michelle was married to Philip Trevor Green on 8th June 1984 at Stockport and has four children.
- Luke Daniel Green, born 18th December 1986
- Leigh Kyla Green, born 3rd April 1989
- Aaron Jason Green, born 15th January 1991
- Jay Aidan Green, born 13th October 1994
Frederick Burnett 1884-1955
Frederick was born in Manchester on 12th August 1884. He met and later married Ethel Lloyd at Chorlton, south Manchester in 1912. Frederick died in 1955 and Ethel 1973.
The children of Frederick and Ethel are:
- Vera Theodora Burnett, born 21st March 1913. Vera married Arthur H Ward at Manchester in 1937 and had two children, Arthur, and Peter. Vera died at Stockport in 1976.
- Roy James Burnett, born 28th July 1914. Roy married Ivy Humphries at Barton upon Irwell in 1938. Roy and Ivy had three children, Norman, Barbara, and David. Roy died at Torbay, Devon in 1999.
- Norman Charles Burnett, born 27th April 1917. Norman married Irene Duckworth at Manchester in 1940. Norman and Irene had no children. Norman died at Manchester in 1982.
- Eric Frederick Burnett, born 7th April 1920. Eric, as we have said, married Joyce Eileen Murray at Heywood in 1952 and had two children, Paul and Michelle. Eric died at Stockport on 8th May 2002.
- Donald Brian Burnett, born 1st January 1925. Donald married Sylvia Robertson at Barton in 1949 and had two children, Gillian, and Keith. Donald died at Stockport in 2014.
- Arthur Albert Lloyd Burnett, born 28th April 1927. Arthur was married to Maura Celine Daly at Manchester in 1952. Arthur and Maura had three children, Christopher, Julie, and Vincent. Arthur died at Stockport in 2014.
Frederick in the 1920s or 1930s left Manchester and settled in Chelsea, where he is found on the 1939 register. He remained in Chelsea and died there in 1955. Frederick’s body was brought back to Manchester to be buried by his widow, Ethel, who died at Manchester in 1973.
Frederick Burnett & Ethel Lloyd
The fact that Frederick left the family home leaving Ethel and the children to fend for themselves caused a great deal of bitterness amongst the siblings – especially Donald. It was suspected that Frederick led a secret life unbeknown to his wife. This was later vehemently denied by Frederick in a letter to Donald which, can be viewed in Eric Burnett’s Autobiography ‘The Rambling’s of My Mind’
1939 Register
James Burnett 1835-1911
James Burnett in Uniform of 106th Regiment Honourable East India Company. He is accompanied by his wife who could be either Jane or Martha.
Frederick was one of the six children of James Burnett. James was for many years a professional soldier serving in the 106th regiment. This from Michelle Burnett:
“In 1858, James joined and served in the 106 Regiment which was the Light Infantry, serving under the Honourable East India Company in Bombay. He would have played an active role in the Indian Mutiny which began 10th May 1857 through to 1st Nov 1858. As we do not know exactly when he joined, his participation in the mutiny was probably less than twelve months. My brother, Paul has a book, passed down through Eric our father, which is the complete history of the Indian Mutiny. Where this book originated, we do not know. It would be nice to believe that James himself owned the book which was then passed down through the generations.
We think James continued to serve in Bombay until he returned to the UK and then went on to serve with the 106 in Ireland until its dissolution in 1881. It appears that he and Martha were married in 1877 in Chester, which could corroborate this. To transport the company to Ireland its probable that they sailed from Liverpool, or perhaps even Anglesey.”
James Burnett was married three times. By his first wife Jane Bath who he married at St Luke’s, Chelsea on 3rd November 1863; he had no known children. The fate of James’ first wife Jane is not known.
James & Jane Marriage Certificate
James married his second wife Martha Woolford at St Mary’s Chester on 12th May 1877. James had five children by his second wife who died at Manchester on 6th October 1889.
James & Martha Marriage Certificate
- Martha Matilda Burnett, born 19th December 1880 at Curragh, Ireland. Martha married George Frederick Jackson at Stockport in 1912 and died at Manchester in 1950.
- William Ernest Burnett born 1882 at south Manchester, died 1884.
- Frederick James Burnett, born 12th August 1884 in south Manchester. Frederick, as we have said, was married in 1912 to Ethel Lloyd.
- Harold Burnett, born 1886 south Manchester, died 1887.
- Lindsey Burnett, born 1888 south Manchester, died 1889.
After the death of his second wife Martha in 1889 James was married for a third time. James’ third wife Emily Lydia Hall he married at south Manchester in 1893. By her James had one child:
- Arthur Hall Burnett (1898-1901).
Emily Burnett Register
James Burnett died at Manchester on 20th September 1911. He was survived for many years by his third wife who died at Ashton under Lyne in 1950, aged 88.
Establishing the parentage of James Burnett was a little tricky, though his weddings to both Jane Bath and Martha Woolford are consistent in stating that his father was William Burnett a gardener.
James does not appear on many census returns mostly because of his involvement with the military which saw him overseas in 1861, 1871 and 1881. Indeed, he has not been identified with certainty on the 1891 census.
If we look at the later census returns, we find the following information: 1891 census, Hydropathic Hotel, Promenade, Blackpool:
James Burnett, 50, married, living on own means, born London.
This would be incorrect as James was widowed at this time, but it could still be him.
1891 Census
1901 census, 20 Edward Street, Moss Side, Manchester:
James Burnett, 61 married, Printers Warehouseman, born Chelsea, London.
1901 Census
and:
1911 census, 349 Claremont Road, Moss Side, Manchester:
James Burnett, 70, married, Retired Joiner, born Chelsea, London.
James died at Manchester later that year, on 20th September 1911 aged 72.
1911 Census
The information from these later census returns is consistent in suggesting a birthdate of circa 1841 and birth in Chelsea. However, there can be found no match to records from that date.
However, when James was first married in 1863, he stated that he was then aged 27, which makes his birthdate approximately 1836. So, he may have been quite a lot older than was believed later in his life.
When he was married for a second time in 1877, he said he was 38. It should be remembered that often individuals living at this time were uncertain about details such as their dates – and sometimes even their places – of birth. While we can be confident that James was from West London, we might have to look a little further afield from Chelsea to find him.
A clue to the identity of other members of his family is provided on the record of his first marriage in 1863. One of the witnesses was a Frances Burnett.
Who might this be?
After some searching, the wedding of William Burnett to Frances Hammond on 30th June 1861 also at St Luke’s Chelsea was found. William provided the same details for his father as James. He stated that his father was William Burnett, a gardener.
William & Frances Marriage Certificate
In the circumstances it seems extremely likely that this is a brother of James. William was in 1861 a 24-year-old painter and gave his address as Keppell Street.
Although William was not found on Keppell Street on the 1861 census, there was a 45-year-old widow named Charlotte “Burnell” (sic) living at 25 Keppell Street. (This could very easily be a mistake with the t’s not crossed.)
William and Frances appear on the 1871 census in Chelsea. On that census William stated that he was 34 and born at Paddington. This gets us closer.
1871 Census
William Burnett Born 1786 (Father of James & William)
There were seven children born to William and Charlotte Burnett between 1829 and 1845 in the West End:
- Margaret Burnett, born 24th July 1829, Wellington Road, St Marylebone (father’s occupation “carpenter”.)
- Elizabeth Burnett, born 18th July 1831, 4 Wellington Road, St Marylebone (father’s occupation “carpenter”.)
- William Burnett, born 7th September 1833 35 Cochrane Terrace, St Marylebone (father’s occupation “gardener”.) This child buried 4th May 1834 aged 8 months, address Harrow Street.
- James Burnet (sic), born 7th August 1835, 14 Harrow Street, St Marylebone (father’s occupation “carpenter”.)
James Burnett Baptism Certificate
- William Burnett, born 7th April 1839. Baptised 4th December 1842 Kensington New Town (father’s occupation “sawyer”.)
- Matilda Burnett, baptised with her brother William on 4th December. She married Frederick Miller February 19th, 1865.
Matilda Burnett & Frederick Miller Marriage Certificate
- Henry Burnett birth registered 1845 Kensington.
So, we have seven children born to this couple. Paddington is located within St Marylebone and also note that on the christening of one of these children (the first William) that the father William Burnett was described as a gardener.
This, I am confident, is the right family. James was a little older than he seems to have later believed and was born at Paddington not Chelsea. His mother in 1861 was resident at Keppell Street, Chelsea, so he may have considered it his home.
Records can be inconsistent in the Victorian period and it is important to be a little flexible regarding later dates and stated ages. They can be inaccurate.
It is notable also that James Burnett was described as a retired carpenter on the 1911 census and that his father, although clearly some sort of gardener later on in life, also had carpentry skills which he could have passed on to his son.
This family were found on the 1851 census at St George’s Mews, Kensington, though again some of the information is inconsistent. In particular, the earlier (deceased) William appears to have been recorded by mistake and the later (surviving) one has been missed off.
The census enumerators who recorded the raw details into books are sometimes confused by the replies people provide.
1851 Census
There is not any doubt that this is the right family, however. The census records that James was then aged 14 and born at Paddington.
On the above 1851 census William Burnett, the father, was being employed as a clerk to a builder. He was then aged 66 and a native of Devon. His much younger wife Charlotte aged 38 was stated to have been born at Sevenoaks in Kent. (The latter’s birthplace is inconsistent with the birthplace stated in 1861 which said Mayfair.)
William Burnett married Charlotte Patterson at St Marylebone on 16th August 1828.
Regarding the birthplace of William’s wife Charlotte, there is a record of a Charlotte Patterson being born at St George Hanover Square (which includes Mayfair) in 1815.
It is very notable that William Burnett was much older than his wife. He was a bachelor when he was married and aged approximately 43. He was also a native of Devon.
It is a little unusual to be married for the first time at this sort of age. It does beg the question as to what William might have been doing prior to his wedding in 1828.
William & Charlotte’s Marriage Certificate
It is often the case that children follow a similar career path to their parents and so it did seem a reasonable possibility that William Burnett might have also been a military man. This would help to explain why he was married relatively late, though of course, soldiers did often marry while in service, especially in times which were relatively peaceful.
On 26th October 1826 private William Burnett of the 32nd Regiment of Foot was discharged from the army, having served for a little over 23 years. His papers indicated that he was born in the parish of Pancrasweek, Devon and that he had enlisted for service on 25th September 1804 aged 17.
William’s Military Service Discharge Paper
His papers also indicated that he had served for two years at Waterloo. I think that we can be confident that this is our man. He was described on discharge as being aged 39 and 5 feet six inches in height. He had brown hair and hazel eyes.
Wikipedia gives a potted account of the activities of William’s regiment while he was a member:
“The regiment was deployed to Denmark in July 1807 and were ordered aboard the captured Danish ships as marines at the Battle of Copenhagen in August 1807 during the Gunboat War.
The regiment landed in Portugal in June 1808, and under General Sir Arthur Wellesley, fought in the Battle of Roliça and the Battle of Vimeiro in August 1808. The regiment fought under General Sir John Moore in the retreat to Corunna, and on returning to England they were part of the Walcheren Campaign in the Netherlands where many were struck down with malaria. After being reinforced the regiment returned to Spain in June 1811 and contributed to the storming parties at the Battle of Salamanca in July 1812.
The regiment pursued the French Army into France and saw action again at the Battle of the Pyrenees in July 1813, the Battle of Nivelle in November 1813, and the Battle of the Nive in December 1813 as well as the Battle of Orthez in February 1814.
During the Napoleonic Wars the regiment had white facings on its uniform and the officer’s lace and buttons were gold. The officer’s jackets were unlaced, with 10 twist buttonholes placed in pairs. The jacket of the other ranks had 10 square loops spaced in pairs.
Uniform of The 32nd Regiment of Foot & William’s Baptism Certificate
The regiment fought at the Battle of Quatre Bras, arriving about 3 pm on 16 June 1815 just in time to help halt the French advance. Two days later at Battle of Waterloo the regiment was stationed opposite the French main attacks, standing their ground before attacking Napoleon’s assaulting troops. The 1st Battalion of the regiment was part of the 8th British Brigade commanded by Major-General James Kempt, which was in turn part of the 5th British Infantry Division under Lieutenant-General Thomas Picton. The regiment was commanded on the field by Lieutenant-Colonel John Hicks and numbered at 503 men at the battle of Waterloo having suffered casualties at Quatre Bras. It was two men of the regiment’s Grenadier company who bore Pictons’s body away after he was fatally shot through the head.”
Consulting the parish registers of Pancrasweek was expected to yield immediate results. But this didn’t happen. Initially it was unclear what might have happened, but the following entry was then discovered:
“William the son of John and Marey Burnard baptised June 29th [1788] aged two years last April when baptised.” (See certificate above)
I already knew that surnames ending in d are sometimes equivalent to surnames ending in t. The letters “d” and “t” are linguistically related.
Most consonants exist in pairs. The letter “t” is simply a “devoiced” “d” – the only difference between them is that the vocal cords vibrate when you pronounce a “d”, and they are still when you pronounce a “t”.
I similarly already knew that the surnames “Everett” and “Everard” were actually the same name, so it occurred to me that perhaps also the surnames “Burnett” and “Burnard” might be the same name.
This surname is fairly numerous in this north-western part of Devon and indeed both “Burnett” and “Burnard” occur and are indeed clearly the same name.
Sometimes within the same family, christenings are recorded with the two alternative spellings. It is hard to know sometimes which to use!
The “Burnard” version of the surname was actually more usual than “Burnett”.
William was baptised late. This is uncommon, though not unheard of. We generally assume that baptisms taken place within days or a handful of weeks of the birth of a child at this time unless stated as in this case.
John Burnard 1751-1803 & Mary Crocker (Parents of William)
John “Burnard” was illiterate and married his wife Mary Crocker at Pancrasweek on 31st January 1783. As well as William who was born in April 1786 there was also a daughter Jane Crocker baptised in 1780 (the identity of her father is not known) and a daughter Catherine “Bornard” who was baptised in 1783.
Mary died in 1801 and her husband John “Burnard” died in 1803. John was born in Hartland, Devon in 1751 as John “Burnet”. He was the eldest of six children. The elder two children were surnamed “Burnet” and the younger six were surnamed “Burnerd”. So even within one family unit there is variation in spelling.
John was the son of William Burnet (or Burnerd) and his wife Sarah Farley who were married in Hartland, Devon on 14th October 1750.
William Burnard born 1726 & Sarah Farley (Parents of John)
William was baptised as William “Burnard” on 13th March 1726 at Hartland. He was the son of Daniel and his wife Alice Coull, who were married at Hartland on 15th February 1724. William had two siblings, Mary and Daniel. They were baptised as “Burnet”.
William married Sarah Farley on 14th October 1750 in Hartland, Devon. They had six children born between 1751 and 1761. The first child born was John Burnet born 1751 and who later married Mary Crocker. John’s siblings were Elizabeth, William, Sarah, Daniel, and Richard.
Daniel Burnerd born 1700 & Alice Coull (Parents of William)
Daniel Burnard or Burnet was baptised at Hartland in 1700. He was one of the children of William “Burnerd” by his second wife Tamsin.
Daniel married Alice Coull on 15th February 1724 in Hartland, Devon. Together they had three children. William, (who later married Sarah Farley), Mary and Daniel between 1726 and 1731.
William Burnerd 1657 – 1724
William “Burnerd” (Profession Cordwainer -A Shoemaker) was born at Hartland on 9th December 1657. He was the only child of Richard “Burnerd” and his second wife Isott Dunne who were married at Hartland on 15th May 1656. Richard died in 1658 and William’s mother remarried in 1662.
(Illustration) A cordwainer is a shoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer’s trade can be contrasted with the cobbler’s trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes.
William married twice. His first marriage was to Jane (surname and date of marriage unknown). They had three children, Richard, Margaret and Peter between 1687 and 1690. Peter married Elizabeth Fargo in 1714.
Jane died in 1690 but it is worth noting that Peter was also born in 1690. It may well be that Jane died in childbirth.
William married again (date unknown) to Tamsin. They had eight children. William, Isott, John, Tamsin, Daniel, (who later married Alice Coull) Richard, Elizabeth, and Thomas between 1692 and 1706. Their mother, Tamsin died in 1728.
Richard Burnerd 1615 – 1658
Richard “Burnerd” was born in 1615 in Hartland, Devon.
He was the son of John “Burnard” and Joan Neale. Richard was married twice.
He was first married to Christian Popham on 15th June 1643 and had two children, Grace and Jane “Burnard”. Christian died in 1649 after which Richard married again to Isott Dunne on 15th May 1656. They had one child, William “Burnerd” born 1657.
John Burnard (Died 1673)
John “Burnard” was clearly born in the late sixteenth century, but it has not proved possible to trace the family further.
He was married twice. By his first wife Joan Neale who he married at Hartland on 14th August 1613. They had four children between 1615 and 1624 the first of whom is Richard Burnard. His siblings were Elizabeth, Joan and Alice.
By his second wife, Mary Terdrewe who he married on 25th November 1639 he had a further four children, all girls between 1640 and 1645. They were named Mary, Jane, Audrey and Joan. John died in 1673, surviving his elder son, Richard by some years.
An interesting fact is that when John married Joan is August 1613, just two months earlier on 29 June 1613, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre went up in flames during a performance of Henry VIII. A theatrical cannon, set off during the performance, misfired, igniting the wooden beams and thatching. … Like all the other theatres in London, the Globe was closed down by the Puritans in 1642.
(Illustration) The Globe Theatre 1613
