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Facts and Events
Mary Dearman's origins are unknown. If the age quoted when she died is correct, she was born around 1755.
Her first confirmed sighting is in 1775, when she married James Copps at Letchworth in Hertfordshire. They had one daughter baptised in Letchworth, then moved a couple of miles east to Weston, where they had another six children baptised between 1779 and 1798, although one died young.
Mary's first known grandchild was born in 1801, and she had at least 37 grandchildren born in her lifetime.
James died in 1829, aged about 78. Mary outlived him by nearly four years, and was buried at Weston on 30th June 1833, when she was said to be 78 years old.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Burials register, in Church of England. Weston Parish Registers, 1539-1932. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies).
| BURIALS in the Parish of Weston in the County of Hertford in the Year 1833 | | No. | Name | Abode | When buried | Age | By whom the Ceremony was performed | | 334 | Elizabeth Cops | Weston | June 30 | 78 | W. Wortham, Vicar |
Although the name here is given as Elizabeth rather than Mary, this is considered to be an error. The Weston registers have been searched for the whole period from when Mary and her husband James arrived in the late 1770s until 1850, and there is no sign of Mary's burial under the name Mary. However, all Copps baptisms and marriages in Weston have also been examined back to 1733, 100 years before this 'Elizabeth' burial, and there appears to be no obvious candidate for an Elizabeth whom it could be. The most likely explanation is therefore considered to be that there is a mistake on the register and this is Mary's burial, rather than an unknown Elizabeth turning up of a similar age and Mary disappearing without trace. The chances of Mary having completely left the area are considered very low; her husband had stayed in Weston and all her children had stayed locally too.
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