New Flight Information

Royal Square St Helier,  an extract from the Ouless Album on file BFA

We have some exciting new research results to share today.
For the last few months I have been looking to clarify the information transcribed from the Bartley headstone Plot 180 at Green St Cemetery, Jersey. This work was done for us in the late 1980s by CIFHS volunteers. They did a marvellous job with what was then operating as a postal request service. The headstone was very weathered on the seaward side even then and no photograph was supplied. All the same, some valuable information was collected.
In places the volunteers had to make educated guesses. In particular the entries for Judith Caplain and Ann Flight were obscure. I am happy to say we can now clear up some of the confusion and add to our family story.

Anne Flight is recorded as wife of William Bartley, which she was. They married on 22 April 1797 at St Peter Port, Guernsey. What happened next goes a long way to explaining that confusing headstone. William Bartley died some time between 1801 and 1806. This was war time and it is likely he was involved in some way. His death record has not yet been found.

Widowed Anne remarried in 1806 to Nicolas Le Cappelain. We now know their daughter Judith Nancy Le Cappelain is the lady also mentioned in the transcript. Her name is anglicised to Caplain.
It took some time to find Judith’s marriage. Her husband was not a Bartley, as the transcribers had guessed. Judith married one Robert BAKER, who was from St Austell, Cornwall.
Judith was not found in the 1841 census of the Channel Islands and nor was Robert. We are not certain where she was living before her death in December 1845. She was buried with her mother and step family so it is possible she was herself widowed by this time.

That is not the end of the story concerning Anne Flight though. We had her date of death from the transcription which suggested that she had died in St Helier. That seemed likely but I could find no trace of her in the burial records of any Jersey parish. I had no luck finding her testament or probate in British or Jersey courts. Where was she? In desperation I widened my search to include court reports of all kinds held at Jersey Archives. There I found something astonishing.

 In September 1836 one John Hemmett was prosecuted for the mistreatment of his wife Ann Flight. The documents concerning the prosecution are not publicly available, so I am not able to publish the scan supplied. We can, however, paraphrase from my amateur translation:
On the night of 24 to 25 August 1836 Hemmett returned home late. His wife was asleep in bed but he attacked her ‘with violent force’. During the attack her jaw was broken and other injuries sustained. A neighbour raised the alarm and he was arrested by the constable. It is likely that this incident was a culmination of a repeating pattern, as guilt was admitted on appearance at court on September 3.

The outcome was a separation.  In essence the Court ordered Hemmett to surrender his wife’s possessions in the presence of a constable, to pay a financial compensation and to leave her alone. The financial and legal ramifications of any failure to observe the terms of this non-molestation order were clearly delineated. (Ref JA D/Y/G1/10/274)
Anne died 2 years after this incident. A return to the burial records of St Helier found her entry, the expected 5 days after the death date recorded at the cemetery. Given the circumstances it is no wonder her son Robert saw to it that she was interred at their family plot under his father’s name.

Here is a summary of our information about Anne and Judith:
Anne FLIGHT born 13 Jan 1775 child of Thomas FLIGHT and Anne ROBERT, was baptised at town church St Peter Port Guernsey, Channel Islands on 15 January 1775. (ref. IGI B7133719 50. Film sighted 11/97). She died 17 December 1838 aged 63 and was buried 22 December 1838 at Green St Cemetery St Helier. (Ref Parish Record Index 22 Dec 1838 Ann Hemmett – original not sighted).
At age 22 Anne married William BARTLEY, son of John of St Austell, Cornwall (IGI 7132323). William died before 1806.  There were two sons Robert John (1798) and William James (1801). It is possible there was also a daughter Betsy born about 1804.
Anne married Nicholas LE CAPPELAIN (CAPLAIN) when she was 31, 0n 23 April 1806 at St Peter Port. (IGI index only sighted 2010.) Their daughter Judith Nancy Le Cappelain was born about 1807 at St Peter Port, Guernsey. Judith married Robert BAKER at the town church in St Helier, Jersey. (Parish record index states ‘Capelain’. Robert was from St Austell.
Judith died on 19 December 1845 and was interred in the Bartley plot 180, Green St Cemetery.

Some time before 1836 Anne married John HEMMETT. They separated in September 1836.

Descendants of Thomas Flight - the Family of Elizabeth Moore and William Vinecombe

Here we are continuing our series of posts for FLIGHT family researchers. For this research we are indebted to VINECOMBE and MISKIN and MATTHEWS descendants in Australia and USA. Thank you all for your generosity.

The fourth child born to Stephen MOORE and Elizabeth Flight was named after her mother.
Elizabeth Moore, granddaughter of Thomas Flight, was born in St Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands 11 March 1805.
She married William VINECOMBE on Christmas Day 1827 at St Peter Port. For the first twelve years of their life together William and Elizabeth continued to live on Guernsey. Five of their children were born there:

Elizabeth - born 1828 St Peter Port. She died in the Coromandel Valley, South Australia 4 July 1848 after being thrown from a bullock dray in an accident.

John Thomas - born 12 December 1831 St Peter Port. John died in 1915.

William Richard - born 17 July 1833 St Sampson, Guernsey. He later married Mary Thompson MARTIN, in 1862 at McCallum's Creek, Victoria, Australia. Mary's parents were Andrew Martin and Isabella DABBY. She was born at Talbot, Victoria, Australia in 1841.
William and Mary had a family of ten children, all born in Victoria, Australia.
 Mary died at Talbot in 1883. William died in 1897.

Rosanna- born 21 December 1835, St Peter Port. She died in 1917.

Henry William - born 4 March 1838 St Peter Port.

In February 1840 the family were aboard the SS Orleana under Captain CAMERON. The travelled under the Free Passage Emigrant Scheme promoted by South Australian government. The ship arrived at Port Adelaide on 10 June of that year. Four more children were born in Australia:

Caroline Harriet - born 24 October 1840, Adelaide, Australia. She married George MATTHEWS in 1857 at Kincraig, South Australia. George was born in Sussex, England. Together they raised a family of eleven children in Victoria, Australia. Caroline died in 1903.

George Henry - born 31 July 1843, Adelaide, Australia. He married Sarah MARTIN at Goodwood, South Australia. George died in 1922.

Stephen Moore - born September 1845 Adelaide, Australia. He died in 1913.

Thomas Joseph - born March 1850, Adelaide, Australia. He died as an infant in 1851.

More Descendants of Thomas Flight - the Family of Jean Flight and Judith Robin

Jean FLIGHT, son of Thomas, was born on 28 June 1777 in St Peter Port, Guernsey.
He married Judith ROBIN 25 January 1799 at the Town Church there.

They had the following children:

Judith - born 14 June 1799 St Peter Port. She married Arnold NEEDHAM 29 November 1820 at St Peter Port.
Catherine- born 14 February 1802 St Peter Port, Guernsey
Jean Bartley - born 10 April 1803 St Peter Port
Jean Robin - born 14 October 1805 St Peter Port
Nancy - born 6 October 1808 St Peter Port
Mary Anne - born 24 October 1812 St Peter Port
Jean - born 3 August 1817 St Peter Port
Henry John - born 14 May 1819 St Peter Port.

Judith Robin died about 1830 at St Peter Port.

On 25 August 1831 Jean married for a second time to Sophia LANGLOIS. The couple were married at Sophia's home parish of St Sampson, Guernsey.
She was born 18 Novemebr 1794, a daughter of James Langlois and Rachel LE HURAY.

 Jean and Sophia had the following children:

Thomas - born about 1828
Elizabeth - born about 1833, she died in 1877
John - born about 1834. He died 29 May 1919 at Newark, Essex, New Jersey.

Thomas Flight and Jeanne Letocq

From Fort George Guernsey, Book of Guernsey Views Bartley Family Archive

More data for FLIGHT family researchers concerning Thomas, son of Thomas Flight and Anne ROBERT

Thomas FLIGHT was born 24 June 1772 in St Peter Port, Guernsey. He married Jeanne LETOCQ on 3 May 1794 at the Town Church in St Peter Port. This couple had the following children:

Ann - born 4 February 1798 at St Clement, Cornwall, England. She married William CLARKE in St Peter Port on 27 January 1833. She died 13 November 1858 in Haut Pave, Guernsey ( Death Register Guernsey #2683)

Henry - born 27 April 1800 at St Clement, Cornwall. He married Elizabeth DE LA RUE on 6 September 1823 at St Peter Port. He died 9 March 1867 Guernsey. (Death Register Guernsey #40)

Jane - born about 1802. She married Thomas LE CHEMINANT on 26 November 1838 at St Peter Port.

Mary- born 4 August 1805 at St Clement, Cornwall. She married Thomas GALLIENNE on  20 January 1834 at St Peter Port. She died there in 1862.

Betsey - born 18 October 1807 in St Peter Port

Kitty - born 29 December 1809 in St Peter Port

Sophia - born 22 July 1812 in St Peter Port. She married Samuel WHITFORD 11 July 1839 at St Peter Port. She died after 1841.

Ancestors of Thomas Flight of Fawley, Hampshire, England

All Saints, Fawley, Hampshire. Image with thanks to John Vigar http://www.hampshirechurches.co.uk/

Another posting for FLIGHT family researchers - going backwards this time, looking at the forebears of Thomas Flight born 1735. At this stage we have only raw data on these families. Any contribution which could add colour and depth to their stories would be most welcome.
Hampshire Archives are at http://www3.hants.gov.uk/archives.htm

Thomas FLIGHT, husband of Anne ROBERT was a son of Henry Flight (born 13 Dec 1708) and Jane. Both his parents were from Fawley, in Hampshire, England. At this stage it is uncertain how many of his extended family visited or resided in the Channel Islands.

Henry and Jane were married at Fawley in 1731. We know of six children in their family:
Jennet - born 11 April 1732
Twins Henry and James - born 02 March 1733
Thomas b 26 February 1735
Jeny - born 7 April 1737.

The paternal grandfather of these children was another Henry Flight, who was born about 1680. Their grandmother, Catherine was also from Hampshire, born about 1673. The couple married about 1696. We know of five children in the family:
Catherine - born 16 October 1696
Henry - born about 1699, who died young
Rose - born 14 Dec 1705
Henry - born 13 Dec 1708
Honor - born 26 Dec 1714, later the wife of William WILLS

The paternal grandfather of Thomas Flight  was William Flight. The name of his wife is unknown. We know of four of William's children, all born at Fawley:
Mary - born 16 March 1678
Henry - born about 1680
William - born 24 November 1681, married Alice about 1700 in Hampshire and had a family of six children
John - born 2 January 1687

Moore and Flight families of Guernsey

The Harbour at St Peter Port.
Image from the album of Guernsey Pictures belonging to George Bartley

One of the functions of this Archive is to connect family members across time and space.

Tim, a Newfoundland researcher has expressed interest in the connection between the FLIGHT and MOORE families. In particular he is tracing the link between James Flight of Newfoundland ( b abt 1760) and the Channel Islands.

The bulk of our information on these families has been contributed by VINCOMBE and MISKIN descendants in the USA and Australasia. If anyone is able to add depth to our knowledge of these families please feel free to comment, or to email the archivist directly.

Our MOORE connection begins in Northumberland, England with John Moore born in 1745. His son Stephen (b 1761 St Alex parish Northumberland) married Elizabeth FLIGHT 28 Jan 1797 at St Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands.(source IGI) We have no record of his death. The Elizabeth Moore and William Moore mentioned in the parish records may have been Stephen's siblings.
William Moore married Marie LE RETILLEY 11 March 1800 at St Peter Port (IGI 7215723 99)

We can positively affirm then, Moores had settled at St Peter Port by 1796.
Elisabeth Flight, daughter of Thomas Flight and Anne ROBERT was born 9 June 1767 at St Peter Port. She married Stephen Moore 28 Jan 1797 at the Town Church there. They had four children:

Thomas- born 12 Jan 1798 St Peter Port. He married Elizabeth RENOUF and died 1867.
James- born 19 March 1801 St Peter Port, who died 29 April 1804 St Peter Port.
Elizabeth- born 11 March 1805 St Peter Port. She married William VINECOMBE 25 December 1827 at St Peter Port. This couple emigrated to Australia. Elizabeth died 4 November 1880 at St Arnaud, Victoria, Australia.
Richard- a sea captain, was born 4 September 1807 St Peter Port,  married Sophia HENRY on 28 January 1841 possibly at St John, Stafford, KS,USA. He died there 30 July 1888. Sophia was from St Sampson, Guernsey. Her children were born there. She died at home in St Sampson 16 May 1852.

Scenic view of St Peter Port
Image from the album of Guernsey Pictures belonging to George Bartley

William Bartley and Anne Flight

The Children of William Bartley and Anne Flight of St Peter Port Guernsey.

Robert John Bartley, son of William BARTLEY and Anne FLIGHT was born in St Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands on the 18th of October 1798. He was baptised at the Town Church on the 28th of October. His Godparents were his Father, his Aunt Elizabeth Flight, and Etienne Martin. A little brother William James Bartley arrived in 1801. Shortly afterwards their father died. Their mother Anne remarried to Nicholas CAPELAIN 23 April 1806 in the Town Church at St Peter Port. A step sister Judith Capelain was born the following year.

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Town Church, St Peter Port, Guernsey

Robert John Bartley marries Betsey Benest

Robert trained as a builder. The end of the war with France had meant an end to Guernsey’s privateering opportunities, with a reduction in spending power for those who had no agricultural interest. It is likely that Robert moved to Jersey about 1820.

He married on 1st July 1822, at St Helier, Jersey. His bride was Betsy BENEST, daughter of Amice BENEST and Elizabeth MARETT. She was born at Trinity, Jersey and baptised on the 27th of December 1801.  On both sides of her lineage, Betsy’s family had been in the Islands since at least the fourteenth century. Robert built houses in Union Court with his friend and business partner Robert Laurent GUILLE, who was also from St Peter Port. They traded as Bartley & Guille.[1] The two families lived as neighbours in Union Court for many years. Both partners had sons named Robert of a similar age and these youngsters joined the firm as apprentices at age 14.[2] Edward Bartley would also train with his father for a short time before emigrating. Betsy died in March 1856 and Robert followed her a year later. Both rest in the Bartley plot 180 at the Green Street Cemetery, St Helier.

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[1] Jersey Archives L/A/20/A/1 West of England Insurance Co Fire Insurance Register 1823-1829

[2] 1841 Census St Helier, Jersey District 14 Folio 47 page 21- Film 0464353 Piece H.O.1071461

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St Helier Harbour

The Parents of Robert BARTLEY of St Helier, Jersey

Transcript of parish records Town Church St Peter Port Guernsey:

Town Church Marriage

William Bartley the son of John Bartley of St.Austell in Cornwall and Ann Flight the daughter of Thomas Flight of this parishwere married together on 22 April 1797.

 Town Church Baptisms

Robert son of William Bartley and of Ann Flight his wife was born on 18^th. and baptised on 28^th. October 1798 had for sponsors William Bartley, Stephen Martin and Elizabeth Flight.

William James son of William Bartley and  Ann Flight his wife was born on the 5^th. and baptised on 18^th.May 1801 had for sponsors James Belhache, Mary Allez and William Barrett.

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Guernsey View

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St Peter Port from Fort George

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Guernsey Harbour