Joyce

My earliest Joyce ancestor, to date, is John but that's all I have on him except that he was married to Sarah (possibly Jepson) and they had a daughter named Sarah (baptised at Astbury 6 Nov. 1816) and a son named Edward. Now here is an insert from the St. Peter's Parish register -

"Baptism, Congleton St. Peters: 27 Apr 1836, Edward son of John and Sarah Joyce, butler, living in Congleton, born 15 Feb 1819. "This Edward Joyce was not baptised in his infancy but as an adult on the 27th of April 1836 by me Wm. Hadfield, curate of Congleton." This entry appears in the baptism register with the 1819 entries, penned at the bottom of the page.

Note: In the baptism register with the 1836 entries it says that Edward was born 14 Feb 1819 and that he was the son of the late John and the late Sarah Joyce, butler to Mrs. Jane Antrobus.

He states in all census that he was born in the Congleton area of Cheshire. I believe the previous generation come from elsewhere as they are pretty thin on the ground.

Sarah (1816) was unmarried in the 1841, 1861 and 1871 census returns. In 1841 she was a female servant in Eaton, Cheshire and in 1861 and 1871 she was working as a female servant at Haigh Hall, Wigan, Lancashire in the household of Alexander Lindsay, Earl of Crawford.

By 1881 both Sarah Elizabeth and Edward were living with their half sister, Ann Jane Wild, who was married to Charles Holt of Manchester who was a manufacturer of Cotton Goods. Three female servants in residence including a cook, waitress and housemaid.

At this stage they were residing in Street Lane, Ashdale, Cheshire but I note that all their older children were born in Manchester. The oldest Holt son was just 4 years Edward's junior.

The next Edward Joyce was born 18th July 1860 in Congleton. Three years earlier in 1857 his sister Sarah Elizabeth (known as Sally) was also born there. There was another child born earlier in the 4th quarter of 1855 - a John Edward Joyce who died in the 1st quarter of 1856.

History of Congleton

Edited by W.B. Stephens

Manchester University Press

pg. 170 - "Since the eighteenth century local people had been buying newspapers printed as far afield as Chester and London. From 1825 short-lived attempts to issue a newspaper for Congleton and Macclesfield together bankrupted several men. Then in 1856 Edward Joyce, the Bridge Street bookseller and printer, began to publish the Congleton Advertiser. This survived until economic depression destroyed much of its local readership in 1861. It then functioned until 1876 as Congleton, Sandbach and Crew Advertiser. In 1858 during the final years of Congleton's silk boom Robert Clarkson of Bridge Street began to issue the Congleton and Macclesfield Mercury. It was this journal which Robert Head set out to rival."

Congleton St. Peter Parish Registers

LDS Film #1,941,871

Baptism, Congleton St. Peters: 9 July 1857, Sarah Elizabeth dau. of Edward and Ellen Joyce, printer, living in Congleton.

Baptism, Congleton St. Peters: 10 Aug 1860, Edward son of Edward and Ellen Joyce, stationer and printer, living in Congleton.

In 1854 he married the widow Ellen Wild, nee Perry, in Congleton.

Ellen was baptised on the 6th of August 1820 at St Peter's, Congleton and was the daughter of John Perry and Ann Walley. (For more on the Perry family click onto the link at the top of the page).

Ellen was first married in 1839, at the church in Astbury, to John Wild and they had a daughter, Ann Jane (June), by that marriage. Also possibly another daughter Ellen was born to them - found Ann 10 and Ellen 8 in 1851 census as students in North Meols, Southport, Bickerstaffe, Lanc. 1851census - Ellen 32 Head, widow, draper, 53 Victoria St., also in residence is her sister Hannah Broadhead (also a widow) 44, saddler, and her son Samuel 23 an asst. draper. There is a servant in the household as well.

John Wild died in Congleton on the 15 March 1849 aged 34 yrs and is buried in Ellen's parents family plot, Gravestone 77, St Peter's church, Congleton.

Edward first married in 1846 to Mary Ann Blackshaw at St. John's, Buglawton, Cheshire (3rd quarter X1X 47). I think she was the daughter of William and Hannah Blackshaw and was baptised at Astbury on the 22nd Sept. 1819.

In 1851 the couple were residing in Little Street (south ward) along with a young 19 year old general servant and an even younger apprentice printer. Mary Anne died aged 26 years in 1852 (2nd Q 8a 216).

It is said that later Edward senior's business got into strife and young Edward's education was paid for by the Masonic Lodge.

By 1881 Edward senior was lodging at 9 Howey Lane, Congleton, aged 62, with a farmers widow, Mary Yarwood and her daughter. He died three years later in 1884.

At the time of the marriage Edward was a Printer and Book Binder. Ann Jane Wild was living with them at the time of the 1861 cencus. By this time they were residing in Bridge Street in the north ward and had two young children, Sarah Elizabeth, aged 3, and Edward aged 8 months.

By the 1871 census Edward is once again widowed with Ellen having died in 1864 at the age of 45 years. She was buried at St Peter's, Congleton on the 20th January.

In 1871 Edward is living with the young 10 yr old Edward at 9 Howey Lane, Congleton and his profession is stated as master printer. There is no sign of his daughter Sarah at this census.