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The "Saul" Ostles
Jonathan Ostle (1700-1740)
Jonathan, the second son of Joseph and Jane Ostle of Newtown, Married Jane Saul.
The Sauls were a relatively well-to-do family and had been among the first local
families to join the Quakers. Braithwaite mentions them in his "Beginnings of
Quakerism". When George Fox visited the area in 1657 he found a large meeting "as
the result of pioneer work by Robert Saul of Silloth and Simon Osmotherley who had
already separated themselves from the national worship before the coming of Friends
and kept meetings in their houses, being men zealous in their way and of those called
Roundheads".
However, Jane's parents, Robert and Ruth Saul, do not seem to have been members of
the Quaker meeting at this time. On may 26th, 1733 a marriage bond was drawn up:-
The wedding took place in the Parish Church at Wigton, a good ten miles (16Km)
away from Newtown on May 28th. Jane was three months pregnant at the time. The
match cannot have been approved by Jonathan's family and shortly after the event he
was disowned by the Friends' meeting for having "married a young woman in the
Church of England". The record of this event in the Monthly Meeting Minute Book
was signed by six of the members, the first signature being that of Jonathan's own
father, Joseph.
However, the births of all four of Jonathan and Jane's children are recorded in the
Quaker records so, at some point, there must have been a reconciliation. Perhaps this
occurred as early as the Christmas following the wedding, when Joseph was born, and
Jonathan did not break the family tradition of always naming the first son after his
grandfather.
Jonathan and Jane seem to have occupied a farm in Newtown for most of their lives;
possibly this property had been previously farmed by the Sauls. Jonathan died when
he was only forty. After his death, Jane must have remarried; the will of her brother,
Robert, made in 1775 refers to her as Jane Holliday.
Joseph, born December 28, 1733
Jonathan, born November 16, 1735
Robert, born November 12, 1739
Many thanks to all the people who are helping me with my research into this
branch of the family, especially Sue Cohen and Fred Mantey for their help with the Barwise
connection, Clive Saul and also John Slaugter, the Saul Coordinator of the Sole Society
Peter Ostle
Jonathan Ostel of Newton parish of Holm Cultram, Yeoman and
Jane Saul of Hartlaw parish of Holm Cultram, above 21 spinster.
Witnessed William Osburn of Cowgate, Yeoman
to take place at Wigton or Holm Cultram
The Family of Jonathan and Jane
Joseph (1733-1808) Joseph was involved in the enclosure of some land on the site of an old Roman Camp
near Beckfoot. Previously this land had been cultivated on the 'rig and ranes' system.
This split the area into forty-three shares, these were divided by narrow green strips
(ranes), between which the land was cultivated by five different farmers who held the
land in common.
In June 1758, Joseph seems to have become involved in a dispute between John Saul and the
four other farmers. Isaac Fletcher, a prominent Quaker lawyer from Underwood, about five miles
south of Cockermouth, was called in. Underwood 'examined sundry evidences and made and signed
arbitration bonds' then, on August 24, he met Nicholas Martindale, the Sauls' lawyer, at The
Globe in Cockermouth to sign an agreement. On September 11, again at Cockermouth, Underwood
'read and delivered the awards to Holm's people. Received in full as by the other side.'
He records sending Joseph a bill for £3.10s.6d.
Married Rachel Wilkinson (1732-1809) on June 18, 1755 at Beckfoot Meeting.
They had nine children, many of whom moved to the Maryport area.
Sketch by David Elford |
Finally, in 1767, the farmers got together and agreed to divide the land in a logical manner. The agreement was signed by Joseph, John Barn, Isaac Todd and his wife Sarah, Thomas Atkinson and John Saul to 'divide the land by the second of February, next following' and, by that time, the present field boundaries were fixed. These 'Articles for the Division of Newtown Castle' were signed on February 14, 1767 and were witnessed by Joseph's second cousin, John Ostle of Newtown, his brother-in-law, Jeremiah Barwise and Daniel Waite.
| This field map, dating from about 1860, seems to show the fields after enclosure. Joseph's share has passed, through his daughter Mary, to his grandson Ostle Mordant. Click here for a larger version |
Sources:
The Family of Joseph and Rachel
Jane, born 1756
Mary, born 1757
Jonathan, born 1760
Thomas, born 1762
Rachel, born 1764
Joseph, born 1766
Robert, born 1769
Wilkinson, born 1772
Ruth, born 1774
Jonathan (1735-
Mary's family is of particular interest. She was the daughter of John Matthewman
and Tamar Glaister of Seaville. The Glaisters were a sea-faring family from Allonby
and had other connections to the Ostles and Beebys. The Matthewman family had
been living around the area since the mid 1600s. William
and Eleanor lived at Bromfield but were buried at Holm Cultram. William died
in 1725, a note on his burial record describes him as 'a householder and a great
money man'. His wife died two years later and also received a special note in the
register as 'a rich widow of Bromfield parish'. John's mother was a Goldsmith, the
only one of that name in three hundred years of the Holm Cultram Register, so
obviously not a local girl. It is tempting to speculate as to whether the family may
have been of Jewish origin. Possibly they acted as bankers to the land-owning
Barwise family who lived at Langrigg Hall near Bromfield. Jonathan's sister, Ruth,
married a member of a junior branch of this family. Perhaps he met Mary when his
sister took him over to visit her new relations at the big house!
By the 1851 census, the Matthewmans have vanished from the area. There are
families of the name living in Canada who may be connected, and several of Jonathan
and Mary's Ostle descendants settled in New Brunswick but there is, as yet, no
evidence that they crossed the Atlantic together. The Ostles did, however, continue to
use Matthewman as a Christian name for almost a century after this marriage
Following the family tradition set by his father, Jonathan was disowned by the Quaker meeting for
marrying in the Church of England. The minute recording this is dated November
10th 1758 and gives Jonathan's home as Maryport. In May, 1765 Jonathan wrote to
the meeting:
The Family of Jonathan and Mary
Ruth, born 1759
John, born 1761
Jane, born 1764
Jonathan, born 1766
Ruth (1737-1820)
The Barwises were gentry. Their history has been recorded by Alec MacDonald:-
Col. Thomas Barwis seems to have inherited Wolsty Castle from his aunt, or
cousin, Anne Barwis, daughter of Thomas Barwis, sometime Mayor of
Carlisle, and wife of William Chambers of Wolsty. He was a Parliamentarian
and served on various committees during the Civil War. He was owed nearly
£3,000 by the Parliament, which was ordered to be paid at the time of the Act
for Abolishing Deans and Chapters in 1649, but he had already died.
Jeremiah came from a minor branch of the family who had lived at Lowsay since
around 1620. Despite Jeremiah's background and relative wealth, the match does not
seem to have been well received by the Ostles and the Friends at Beckfoot. Jeremiah
was Church of England.
On February 19th, only a fortnight after the wedding, the following entry was made in
the Monthly Meeting minutes:-
This entry is followed by a copy of a letter which Ruth had sent to the meeting:
Ruth Barwise.
This engraving, from Hutchinson's 1794 History of Cumberland, shows the
church and abbey ruins at Holm Cultram as they must have been in the time
of Ruth and Jerimiah.
Perhaps Ruth went back to the Quaker meeting sometimes but her children were
baptised at the Parish Church. Relations with her family must have been good as she
and Jeremiah called their first son Ostell Barwise. He continued to farm The Nook
and became a churchwarden at Holm Cultram. He died, at the age of 53, in 1813.
The Barwise family continued to use Ostle as a Christian name for at least four
more generations. Ostell Barwise's brother, Jerimiah, named his third son Ostle in
1808, John Barwise baptised one of his sons Ostle in 1854 and this Ostle's elder
brother, Thomas Simm Barwise named his second son Ostle in 1881. However this boy
died as an infant and failed to make the trip over the Atlantic to his family's
new home in America.
The Family of Jeremiah Barwise and Ruth
Ostell Barwise, born 1761
John Barwise, born 1764
Jane Barwise, born 1767
Jeremiah Barwise, born 1769
Jonathan Barwise, born 1771
Joseph Barwise, born 1771, died 1773
Thomas Barwise, born 1774
Alice Barwise, born 1774
Ruth Barwise, born 1777
Robert (1739-
The Family of Robert and Mary
John, born 1773
Jane, born 1781, died the same year
Thomas (1762-1805)
The Family of Thomas and Francis
Anne, born 1788
Rachel, born 1790
Joseph, born 1792
John, born 1795
Mary, born 1802
Jonathan (1766-1837)
The Family of Jonathan and Jane
Mary, born 1792
Fanny, born 1793
Jane, born 1793
Matthewman, born 1796
Mary, born 1802
. . . Follow our heroes Thomas and Jonathan
'Roman Camp near Beckfoot' by Joseph Robinson, C&WA&AS, v. p.136
'The Diary of Isaac Fletcher of Underwood', C&WA&AS, Extra Series, XXVII
Married William Reeves of Cowlane, later of Kingmoor, Carlisle
Married Richard Mordant, they had a son called Ostle Mordant
Married Mary Wilson in 1785 at Greysouthern
Their grandaughter, Mary Ann Mason, married JOHN HARRIS (1812-1869) who was
appointed resident engineer of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1836.
Married Frances Smith in 1786 at Gilcrux
Married William Bell in 1792 at Beckfoot
Married Peggy Wales in 1793
Married Jane Woodville about 1804
Married Jonathan Ostle, son of Caleb and Deborah in 1811 at Beckfoot
Married Mary Matthewman on June 26, 1758 at Holm Cultram Church.
Dear Friends,
Whereas I was born of parents professing with you and, though not adhering to the
dictates of truth, deviated from those Just Rules established amongst you by marrying
with a priest which occurred your displeasure and brought myself under your notice
so as to deny me which have often, when seriously considered, been a cause of sorrow
and mourning. Therefore for the future hopes of my miss steps may be pardoned and
through the assistance of Divine Providence shall endeavour to keep a conscience
void of offence towards God and Man.
Jonathan Ostle.
Married Jane Robinson in 1791 at Holm Cultram Church
Ruth married Jeremiah Barwise of The Nook by licence on January 29th, 1761 in
Holm Cultram Church.
Jeremiah was the son of John and Jane Barwise of Lowsay.
His father had made the copyhold of The Nook over to Jeremiah.
The history of the Barwis family divides itself naturally into three periods. The
first extends from the beginning of the 13th century to the beginning of the
15th, when the family seat was at Barwise Hall, near Appleby, in Westmorland. With the second, which covers approximately the 16th and 17th
centuries, the name disappears from Westmorland, and a Cumberland branch
dating from about the middle of the first period comes into prominence at
Ilekirk Grange, near Westward. The third covers the 18th and 19th centuries,
when the family seat was at Langrigg Hall, Bromfield, near Aspatria. Besides
the main Barwis line at Ilekirk Grange there were, during the 16th and 17th
centuries, branches of the family spread over the whole of the low-lying
country round Wigton and Aspatria, so that, in Bashforth's words "there is
scarcely a seat in the district which has not been occupied at one time or
another by a Barwis."
Ruth Barwise of Nook has of late married with a man of another profession
with a priest after the way and manner of the Church of England . . . although
she was admonished, she slighted counsel and would not be reclaimed.
Therefore we have no unity with the aforesaid Ruth Barwise.
Signed John Beeby, clerk to Monthly Meeting.
Dear Friends
These lines may let you know that I am sorry I should give occasion to Friends
in my marrying with a priest contrary to the Rules of Friends which has
brought great uneassyness to my mind.
I desire friends would pass by mine offence and grant me freedom again in the
society.
I remain your well-wisher,
Married Ruth Hayton in 1790 at Torpenhow
Robert married Mary Barnes in 1772 at Holm Cultram Church
He was baptised there on the day of his wedding.
Thomas married Frances Smith in 1786 Gilcrux Church
Jonathan married Jane Robinson in 1791 at Holm Cultram Church
as they head west to a new life and a new land . . .
