Person:Thomas Gobby (1)

Thomas Gobby was baptised on 16th February 1786 at Toddington in Bedfordshire, son of Ann Gobby, formerly Poulton, and her husband, Joseph Gobby.

It is possible that this Thomas was the Thomas Gobby who married Ann Dennis at Woburn in 1808, but the evidence is inconclusive.^[6]

Whoever Thomas's first wife was, she appears to have died relatively young. Thomas appears to have married for a second time on 12th November 1821 at Toddington to Isabella Clark. No children have been found from that marriage.

The 1841 census finds Thomas working as an agricultural labourer and living at The Square in Toddington with Isabella. She died later that year, aged 56, and was buried at Toddington on Christmas Eve.

The 1851 census finds Thomas living in Friends Lane, Toddington with an Ann Millard, whose maiden named was Gobby, but the connection between them has not been established.

Thomas died at the Woburn Union Workhouse on 15th September 1856, aged 70. He was buried three days later at his native Toddington.

1. ↑ England. Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. (FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, Findmypast).

   ch. 16 Feb 1786, Toddington, Bedfordshire: Thomas son of Joseph & Anne Gobby

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 5; Book 34 pt 2; Folio 4; Page 3, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Square, Toddington, Bedfordshire
   Thomas Gobby, male, 50 [1786-91], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. in county
   Isabella Gobby, female, 60 [1776-81], b. 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 1755; Folio 300; Page 44, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Friends Lane, Toddington, Bedfordshire
   Thomas Gobby, head, widower, male, 63 [1787/8], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Toddington, Bedfordshire
   Ann Millard, lodger, married, female, 40 [1810/11], Straw platter, b. Toddington, Bedfordshire
   Mary Millard, lodger, unmarried, female, 16 [1834/5], Straw platter, b. Toddington, Bedfordshire
   Selina Millard, lodger, unmarried, female, 6 [1844/5], Straw platter, b. Toddington, Bedfordshire

4. ↑ Death certificate, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   Registration District Woburn Union
   1856 Death in the Sub-district of Woburn in the County of Bedford
   No.	When and where died	Name and surname	Sex	Age	Occupation	Cause of death	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   276	Fifteenth September 1856 Union Workhouse Woburn	Thomas Gobby	Male	70 years	Agricultural Laborer	Disease of the Heart Certified	Will[ia]m H[enr]y Davis Master in attendance Union Workhouse Woburn	Fifteenth September 1856	J. Dexter Registrar

5. ↑ Burials register, in Church of England. Toddington Parish Registers, 1558-1945. (Bedford: Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Toddington in the County of Bedford in the Year 1856
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   105	Thomas Gobby	Woburn	September 18th	70 yrs	William Lawers, Curate

6. ↑ In particular, a Thomas born in 1786 appears living in Toddington in the 1841 and 1851 censuses. Assuming these are the same man, in 1841 he was living with an Isabella, suggesting he was the Thomas Gobby who married Isabella Clark in Toddington in 1821, yet no evidence has been found for Ann Dennis having died. In 1851 he was living with an Ann Millard, whose maiden name was Gobby, but the relationship between them is not clear.