The Marriage of Thomas Bateman & Ruth Roberts

At last I have received the marriage certificate of Thomas Bateman and Ruth Roberts, and enclose it.

St John’s Church Wolverhampton 24th December 1860

Thomas Bateman age 19 bachelor Forgeman Steelhouse Lane Father John Bateman dec’d Furnace man

Ruth Roberts 18 spinster Steelhouse Lane Father John Roberts miner

Both sign with x. Winesses George Mincher, Mercy Mincher



The witnesses are important as they confirm the 1841 census entry found for Victoria St, Ironville (HO107/192/4/32 p.232:

John Bateman 25 Furnaceman man born in the county

Eliza –do 25 born in county

Mercy age 2 not born in county

(ages for adults over 15 were rounded down to the nearest 5 years)



So far I have not found a birth certificate for Mercy. However I have noted a marriage to George Mincher in June quarter 1860, Wolverhampton district. Mercy was therefore Thomas’s sister, daughter of John Bateman and Eliza nee Turner . I must search again for her birth certificate and/or baptism, as this might lead us to that of Thomas. As the census states she was not born in Derbyshire then we must look further afield.



As Thomas gives his age as 19 in 1860 we can deduce a date of birth c 1841- and as he is not on the 1841 census with his parents and sister Mercy, presumably he was born after June 1841 when the census was taken. This agrees with his age in 1881 census as 39.



The other interesting point is that it confirms that Thomas’s father John was dead by 1860 and that he was a furnace man.