Richard Fisher and Betty Lawton married on October 30 1804 at All Saint’s Church in Wigan, Lancashire with Jane Fisher being their first child born in 1805 in Standish. Richard and Betty had other daughters although no sons seem to have been born to the couple. Esther Fisher was Christened on March 29 1807 again in Standish with Mary Fisher being christened January 24 1809 in Standish. Mary’s christening is variously given as January 24 in the IGI and January 29 1809 in the Lancashire OPC so this is a cautionary tale when it comes to assessing the evidence and looking at dates and circumstances. By the time that Mary was born the family lived in nearby Coppull and this indicates a degree of mobility for the parents. Richard Fisher is noted to be a weaver which is unremarkable for this geographical area and may have lead to the need to travel as contracts occurred.
Jane is a little elusive when it comes to her records which do not appear in the Lancs OPC for 1805.
Jane is seen to marry John Finch on July 25 1827 at Saint Wilfrid’s Church in Standish which would be normal for that period when many people adhered to the Established Church of England. Jane’s children followed quickly with Richard (1828), Enage (1830), James (1833), William (1835), Elizabeth (1838) and John (1842).
The couple are there in the 1841 census of Standish at Can Row with Richard, Enage, William, Betty and John.
Regrettably, her husband John seems to have been the subject of a court case shortly after the census in 1846 with John dying ( although aquited) in the same year.
Jane seems to have married quickly after the death of John. This time she married William Marsden on December 21 1846. This may have been a love match but we also anticipate that Jane’s wish to re-marry may have been as the result of a need to feed, house and cloth her children now that John Finch was gone.
The IGI shows Jane’s marriage to William being when she was 31 years old although this may hold either a mistake in the record taking or a miscalculation on Jane’s part when she gave her age. In any event William Marsden seems to have been younger than Jane and we can only speculate that it was entirely in Jane’s interests to have a fit and healthy younger husband who would provide for her existing children. Whereas John Finch has been a stonemason, William Marsden was a wheelwright and with a skilled occupation he seems to have been a reasonable ‘catch’ for this women with children. William does not seem to have brought children to the new relationship.
The most unusual point of this marriage is that it took place at the Church of Saint Lawrence in Chorley (OPC Lancs) although if we have any doubts about that this is the same Jane Finch (nee Fisher) then we can see that the father of the bride is Richard Fisher who is a weaver.
Again, if we have any doubts that we have the correct Jane Fisher then we only have to wait for the census of 1851 which shows that Jane Finch and her new husband William are at Wigan Road in Standish. Although Richard seems to have left the family we find that Jane still has with her Heneage, James, William, Elizabeth and John. If we rely on the census we miss the birth and premature death of Agnes Marsden in (1846-1847) although in the date of Agnes’s birth we may have a reason for the somewhat rapid marriage of Jane to William.
By the census of 1861 we find that there has been rapid changes in the household with most of the children having left the family home with James alone remaining with Jane and William. The last 10 years has doubtless been a busy time with departures and the outcomes for the children is a piece of research in itself. William seems no longer to be wheelwright and seems to be listed in a similar occupation as a joiner and carpenter.
However, by 1871 we have a complete change and we see that relying on snapshots at 10 yearly intervals really does mean that we miss out on all the events of the family. In 1871 James is now the head of the little family living at 32, High Street Standish. James is presumably caring for his mother and stepfather or at least is the major person in terms of income. In the period 1861-1871 James has been married and is now also a widower with children. Esther, Helen and John are all in the family home with William and Jane now listed as ‘Boarders’ with James as the ‘head’ of the family for the purposes of the census.
Regrettably, the census was probably taken just ahead of Jane’s own death in 1871. The whereabouts of Jane’s grave in currently unknown although this may be revealed by research.
By 1881, William Marsden is a boarder at 6 Scholes Lane in Standish with Langtree and a ‘joiner’.
The life of Jane Fisher who became a Finch and later a Marsden is probably little different from the lives of many other women who lived in the period. However, I am pleased to present her to you in this manner because I have seen her name for so many years as a possible ancestor to so many Finch relatives and it is good to see her ‘clothed’ in her context and with her events and circumstances all around her. I hope that people will have a look at Jane Fishers life and add to what can be known or deduced.
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