Person:Elizabeth Forsey (5)

Elizabeth Forsey was baptised on 9th June 1793 at Winsham in Somerset, daughter of Sarah Forsey, formerly Hawkins, and her husband Francis Forsey, a labourer. Elizabeth appears to have been the eldest of the couple's five children. In 1821, when Elizabeth was 28 years old, her mother Sarah died.

Two years later Elizabeth was married, aged 30, to a labourer named John Scriven. They married at the nearby town of Crewkerne, which is where he was from, and they settled there after their marriage. They had five children there between 1824 and 1835. The 1841 census finds the family living at South Street in Crewkerne, when John was described as a carpenter. In each census from 1851 to 1871 the family was living at Back Lane in Crewkerne. John was described as a gardener in 1851, but a farmer of 40 acres employing two men in 1861. He was still a farmer in 1871, but now of only 20 acres and only employing one man, although they did have a live-in servant in the 1871 census.

Elizabeth died aged 80, and was buried at Crewkerne on 19th March 1874. John survived her by about nineteen years, and went to live in an almshouse on West Street in Crewkerne, where he appears living alone in both the 1881 and 1891 censuses. John died in 1893, aged about 93 years old.

1. ↑ Church of England. Parish Church of Winsham. Winsham Parish registers, 1559-1944. (Taunton: Somerset Heritage Service).

   1793 / Elizabeth Daughter of Franciss and Sarah Forssey the 9th

   This baptism has been linked to the Elizabeth Forsey who married John Scriven on the basis of the various censuses in which the adult Elizabeth consistently claimed to have been born at Winsham, and the fact that John Scriven also witnessed the marriage of Sarah Forsey, who appears to have been the sister of this Elizabeth baptised in 1793. Elizabeth's baptism in 1793 is a little earlier than the ages the adult Elizabeth suggested she was in the censuses, but not radically so. It is also worth noting that the 1793 baptism would make her 42 when her youngest child was born, which is a more typical age to stop having children than her mid to late 30s.

2. ↑ England. 1841 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 940; Book 3; Folio 7; Page 7, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: South Street, Crewkerne, Somerset
   John Scriven, male, 40 [1796-1801], Carpenters J., born in county
   Elizabeth Scriven, female, 40 [1796-1801], born in county
   Mary Ann Scriven, female, 15 [1821-6], born in county
   Hannah Scriven, female, 10 [1830/1], born in county
   Herbert Scriven, male, 10 [1830/1], born in county
   William Scriven, male, 5 [1835/6], born in county

3. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1928; Folio 452; Page 21, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Back Lane, Crewkerne, Somerset
   John Scriven, head, married, male, 50 [1800/1], Gardener, b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   Eliz[abe]th Scriven, wife, married, female, 52 [1798/9], b. Winsham, Somerset
   W[illia]m Scriven son, male, 14 [1836/7], Gardener's Son, b. Crewkerne, Somerset

4. ↑ England. 1861 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG9; Piece 1637; Folio 11; Page 16, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Back Lane, Crewkerne, Somerset
   John Scriven, head, married, male, 60 [1800/1], Farm of 40 Acres Employing 2 Men, b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   Elizabeth Scriven, wife, married, female, 62 [1798/9], b. Winsham, Somerset

5. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 2407; Folio 5; Page 1, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Back Lane, Crewkerne, Somerset
   John Scriven, head, married, male, 70 [1800/1], Farmer Farms 20 Acres employs 1 man, b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   Elisabeth Scriven, wife, married, female, 73 [1797/8], Wife, b. Winsham, Somerset
   Hannah Pitman, servant, widow, female, 59 [1811/12], Domestic servant, b. Crewkerne, Somerset

6.   Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. Elizabeth SCRIVEN, March Quarter 1874, Chard Registration District, Volume 5c, page 359, aged 77 [1796/7]

7. ↑ Burials register, in Church of England. Parish Church of Crewkerne. Crewkerne Parish Registers, 1558-1901. (Taunton: Somerset Heritage Service).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Crewkerne in the County of Somerset in the Year 1874
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   223	Elizabeth Scriven	Rose Lane	March 19th	77 years [1796/7]	J.A. Lawrence, Curate