Stephen Shenton

  General Notes:

1841 Census for Chedleton, Staffs - living in Wetley Rocks (60,Ag.Lab,b.Staffs) with wife Mary (60,b.Staffs) and children Elizabeth (30,b.Staffs), Stephen (20,Butcher,b.Staffs), Joseph (15,Ag. Lab.,b.Staffs), James (10,b.Staffs), Lucy (7,b.Staffs), Samuel (5,b.Staffs) and another Joseph (!) (2,b.Staffs). [ho107,enum.dist11,pg13,ln10,gsu roll 474629]
I'm guessing that this family is related. Lucy is the right age and the 1861 census for Lucy and Robert Durno shows a Samuel Shenton (aged 28, Lodger,Miller,b. Wetley Rocks), although Lucy's place of birth is Hanley. However, on the 1871 and 1891 census her place of birth is Wetley Rocks. NB. Next door was another Shenton family - William Shenton (45, Wood Ranger,b.Staffs) and family.
Second thoughts on this 1841 Census entry - I suspect that Stephen and Mary are the grandparents of James, Lucy, Samuel and Joseph (aged 2) and that Stephen (aged 20) is married to Elizabeth, whose children they are. Joseph (aged 15) is the younger Stephen's brother. A search on the IGI shows a Stephen (b. 1816) and Joseph (b.1823) born about the right time with parents of Stephen and Mary. Another IGI birth shows another Lucy born in 1819 to Stephen and Mary.
Third thoughts on this, and makes more sense!! - Elizabeth (aged 30) is the mum to James (10), Lucy (7), Samuel (5) and Joseph (2) - father(s) unknown!! [source Jean Jones (pjeanj@btinternet.com]) and Pat Sheldon (sheldon6154@googlemail.com, via Genes Reconnected).

1851 Census for Cheddelton - living (74,Wisket Maker,b. Chedleton) with wife Mary (72,Wisket Maker's Wife,b. Trentham) and grandson James (20,Farm? Lab.,b. Chedleton). [Class: HO107; Piece: 2009; Folio: 247; Page: 22; GSU roll: 87412]. NB. Near by is another Shenton family - William Shenton (51, Wood Ranger,b.Cheddleton) and family.

1861 Census for Cheddleton - living in Wetley Rocks (82,widower,Wisket Maker,b. Cheddleton). [Class: RG9; Piece: 1951; Folio: 41; Page: 19; GSU roll: 542893] NB. Next door is another Shenton family - William Shenton (61, Wood Cutter, b.Cheddleton) and family.

1871 Census for Cheddleton - living in Wetley Rocks (93,widower,Basket Maker Master,b. Cheddleton). [Class: RG10; Piece: 2887; Folio: 43; Page: 16; GSU roll: 836393.] NB. Next door is another Shenton family - Thomas Shenton (35, Ag. Labourer, b.Cheddleton) and wife Agnes (34,Housewife,b.Leek) - this is probably the son of the William living nearby on earlier census's.

Stephen was sometimes described as a "basket maker" and sometimes as a "crate maker". He lived in a cottage attached to the Plough Inn at Wetley Rocks [source: Robert Milner, writer for Wetley Rocks and Cheddleton c/o Jean Jones (pjeanj@btinternet.com)]

Stephen married Mary Lovatt, daughter of Joseph Lovatt and Elizabeth, on 17 Jun 1799 in St Peter's, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs.²¹⁵ (Mary Lovatt was born about 1782 in Staffordshire, christened on 21 Apr 1782 in Trentham, Staffordshire,²¹⁵ died on 11 Apr 1855 and was buried in St John's Wetley Rocks ²¹⁷.)