Great-Grandparents of George Alfred Johnson
John Coupland
John Coupland was born about 1789 in Lincolnshire. John is only listed in the 1841 census before he died and that census does not give a town where people were born, only if they were born in Lincolnshire or not. Also, the 1841 census rounds down a person over the age of 15 in 5 years increments. So someone aged 63 would be listed as 60 years, and someone aged 69 would be listed as 65. John was listed as 50 years old in the 1841 census, so for many years I thought he was born between 1786 and 1791. It was only when I found his gravestone that I could get the correct year.
However, there are three John Coupland’s born in 1789 and one in 1788 and one in 1790. The closest of these five men was born in Wrawby – about 11.5 kilometres from Horkstow and his parents were John and Mary.
Sarah Jacklin
Sarah Jacklin was the fourth child of seven in John Jacklin and Ann Torr’s family. She was baptised on 5 October, 1783 at Horkstow, Lincolnshire. However, Sarah is also listed as 50 years instead of 58 years in the 1841 census, so you can see how the census can be very misleading in trying to find people.
Horkstow is a small village, about 6 kilometres south-west of Barton. It has many Roman connections: the name Horkstow is thought to be of Roman origin while the names of other nearby villages are Saxon. A large Roman mosaic was uncovered in 1797 by labourers who were making a kitchen garden at the nearby Horkstow Hall and this is now on display at the Hull and East Riding Museum.
Marriage
John and Sarah were married on 18 May, 1813 in St Maurice’s Church of England at Horkstow. As they could not write their name, they both made their mark on the parish register. The witnesses were Elizabeth Coupland, possibly a sister of John, and Sarah’s younger brother Thomas, who could sign his name.
St Maurice’s was built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century and made of stone and bricks. It was dedicated to the Roman martyr St. Maurice. The church’s interior was partially restored in 1868 and the exterior in 1895. The church seats 190 people.
John worked as an agricultural labourer as did many of our ancestors. A description of an agricultural labourer and their cottages and be found here.
John and Sarah had at least four children. The ones I have found were all christened at St Maurice’s,2 at Horkstow. They were Mary, baptised in 1813, Ann in 1815, John in 1817 and Elizabeth in 1819.
Being an agricultural labourer, John possibly had to move around the local area to find work. His four children were born in Horkstow between 1813 and 1819. But he was in Wootton in 1841 with Sarah and youngest daughter Elizabeth. Wootton is about 10 kilometres from Horkstow.
John died on 25 August, 1845 aged 56 years. He was buried in the Wootton Cemetery.
Sarah continued living in Wootton at least until 1851. She was listed as a cottager and was 66 years old. Probably she lived in the cottage and took in work to support herself.
By 1861, Sarah was visiting with her son John and Charlotte and four of their children back in Horkstow. She was 77 years old by then.
Sarah died on 16 November, 1864 in Wootton aged 80 years. She was buried with John in the Wootton cemetery.
Sacred
to the Memory of
JOHN COUPLAND
who departed this life Aug 25th
1845 Aged 56 Years
So man liveth down and riseth not till
the heavens be no more. JOB 14c, 12v.
Also of
SARAH his wife
who died November
14th 1864
Aged 81 Years
This gravestone 3transcription was able to give me the birth year of John Coupland. It can also be noted that Sarah was six years older than John.
Children
Mary and Ann would have been 28 and 26 years respectively in 1841. No doubt they were married but there are many marriages in the 1830’s for a Mary and Ann Coupland so I am not sure which one, if any, are ours.
John had married Charlotte Stephenson and their story is here.
Some trees on the web have Elizabeth marrying a George Parker in 1843 but I do not have enough evidence of this to know if it is our Elizabeth.