Born: 12 October 1702, Cauldwell
Christened: 6 November 1702, Stapenhill
Married: Mary MORLEY, 6 April 1730, Stapenhill
Mary buried: 14 November 1764
Baptised: 11 October 1778, Melbourne General Baptists
Died: after 1778
The second son of Charles & Elizabeth NORTON, who had married in Stapenhill in 1700, my 5x great-grandfather, Joseph NORTON, was born in the hamlet of Cauldwell on 12 October 1702, and christened in the parish church of St Peter, Stapenhill, on 6 November that year.
Joseph's siblings were an older brother, John, who was born in 1701 and married Dorothy GREENWOOD of Doveridge in 1724. (Their daughter, Jane, was christened in Burton on Trent in 1725, but sadly buried in Doveridge in 1730 and Dorothy died soon after). John's second marriage was to Ann PARKER, of Burton, in 1738. Other siblings were Ann, who was born and christened in December 1704, and presumably died in infancy; Mary, who was born c1707 and married William STATHAM in Hartshorne in 1734; Elizabeth, who was christened in Stapenhill in 1713 and possibly married Samuel TONKINSON; and Charles, who was christened in Stapenhill in 1717.
Little more is known of John and Charles jnr, but like Joseph and all of their siblings except Ann, they were beneficiaries of their father's will, which was written in 1753 and proved at Lichfield in 1756. (The will, through which Joseph and Charles each inherited a house and land - and John, one shilling - named Joseph as their father's executor).
At this stage, very little is known of Joseph's early life, but it is possible that he followed in his father's footsteps by pursuing the trade of cordwainer - a shoemaker who specialised in the use of high-class leather.
Joseph married Mary MORLEY on 6 April 1730, again in St Peter's, Stapenhill. The Bishops' Transcripts for Stapenhill are confusing, and appear to contain an error as, although a christening entry appears on 27 January 1734 / 5 for Joseph NORTON, son of Joseph and Ann, it is likely that the mother's name has been misrecorded. (The burial for John NORTON, an infant, is also recorded barely a month later, on 23 February, suggesting the possibility of twins?) Until the burial of Joseph's wife Mary, at St Peter's, Stapenhill, on 14 November 1764, I have found no record of any further of his family, apart from his son of the same name.
Around the mid-1770s, and against his father's will, Joseph's son, Joseph junior, became involved with the General Baptist church, then recently established in the East Midlands. According to Adam Taylor in his "History of the English General Baptists - Vol. II" (1818), Joseph NORTON, Snr "was a person of some property" who "had imbibed strong prejudices against the Melbourn preachers.. and threatened, if [his son, Joseph,] did not forsake them, to turn him and his infant family out of doors".
But after being persuaded, by his son, to hear the Melbourne preachers, Thomas PERKINS & Francis SMITH, "He was baptized, and joined the church at Melbourn. Several of his neighbours following his example, public worship was established in the village, and a room licensed for that purpose. At first the service was only once a fortnight, on the Thursday evening; but the prospect continuing to improve, preaching was commenced regularly every Lord's-day. Notwithstanding considerable opposition, the cause gained ground, and the hearers increased; till the room which they had hired became too small to accommodate them. A meeting-house, therefore, became necessary: and Mr. Norton, sen. who was now zealous to support the faith which he so lately wished to destroy, generously gave them a piece of land for a meeting-house and burying-ground. The friends exerted themselves liberally on the occasion; and a commodious meeting-house was erected, at an expense of one hundred and eighty pounds, which was opened in 1778."
The baptism register for Melbourne General Baptists shows that "old Joseph NORTON" of Cauldwell was baptised at Melbourne on 11 October 1778, and, although Cauldwell Land Tax records for 1780 onwards have references to a Joseph NORTON, it is impossible to know whether they refer to him or his son. In the meantime, therefore, his baptism is the last discernable record I have found for him. It is reasonable to assume that he would have been buried in the ground which he had given for the chapel and its churchyard, but Cauldwell Baptist records appear not to have survived, and no will in his name appears in the Lichfield Probate Calendar. (Given the possibility that Joseph jnr was his only child, he may have felt no need to write a will).
A final note: Until recently, given the confusion in the Stapenhill registers, it has been difficult to prove which of the three sons of Charles & Elizabeth NORTON was the father of my 4x great-grandfather, Joseph NORTON. However, Adam Taylor's comments in his General Baptist history, combined with the 1778 baptismal entry in Melbourne General Baptist registers, and the lack of reference in Cauldwell or Stapenhill for any other than Joseph and Mary, senior, have satisfied me that "old Joseph" is indeed my ancestor. After fifteen years, it is wonderful, at last, to be able to identify the link back to Charles and Elizabeth!
