The Daykin family (by John Daykin)

Prologue

The surname “Daykin” has a continental pedigree before coming to England, as the “De Akeny” families go back to the times of William the Conqueror, when our ancestors – the “De Acquigny” lineage came over from Acquigny near Louviers, Normandy, France along with the invading armies. “Le Seigneur d’Acquigny appears in Tailleur’s Chronicles of Normandy.” Herveius de Acquigny appears in 1058.

The family name of De Akeny has many derivatives in England with a brief history of the pedigree detailed in “The History and Gazateer of County of Derby, Vol. II Post I by S. Glover in 1833, pages 361, 362, 363 & 364:

“....The name of De Akeny, Dakeny, Dakeyne, Dakin, Dakins, Dawkin, are of the same origin, as may be proved by manuscripts in the Heralds College, &c. deeds and manuscripts in the possession of the late Mr. D. Dakeyne, and from other manuscripts he had seen, the name is promiscuously spelt Dakeyn, Dakin, Dakeyns, Dawkyn, Dawkins, Dakeyne, Dakaine, Dakayne, and even differing in the same deed, will, or parish register. Mr. Dakeyne doubted not but Daking was a different spelling of the same name. “The name of De Akeny, or Dakeny followed William the Conqueror into England. A knightly family of Dakeny were settled in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, in the time of Henry III, and Edward I. About the same period Baldwin de Akeny was Lord of Holkham, in the latter county. Several generations of Dakeny, from Edward I. to 1390, were Lords of a sixth part of the barony of Kainho, in the county of Bedford. Several generations of Dakin are recorded in Chauncey’s Hertfordshire. Many respectable families of the name of Dakins were seated at Brandesburton, Cottingham, Linton, Hackness, and other places, county of York. Arthur Dakins, of Linton and Hackness, esq. M.P. for Scarborough, (7 Edward VI.) was second son of Robert Dakins, of Chelmorton, county of Derby, (3 Henry VIII.) who was son of Thomas Dakyn, of the same place. This Arthur, in 1563, had a confirmation of Arms, with the Motto - “Stryke, Dakyns, the devil’s in the hempe :” he died in 1592, and was buried at Hackness, where are his monument and arms. Arthur, his only son, died S.P. and Margaret, his daughter and heir, was thrice married, but died S.P. “Humphry Dakyns, of Chelmorton, eldest brother and devisee, in remainder of the above Arthur, married Catherine, daughter of Hugh Sheldon, of Sheldon, county of Derby, and died in 1600, leaving issue Amy, wife of William Constable, of Sherburne, county of York, esq.; Katherine, wife of Edward Brereton, of Hurdlow, county of Derby, gent. and son Robert Dakyns, of Linton, esq. son and heir, living in 1612, having issue Robert, eldest son, (who had issue George, Arthur, Philip and Margaret) Arthur, second son, and Margaret, wife of Ralph Luton, esq. son and heir of Sir Philip Luton, of Knapton, knt.”

There is a degree of ambiguity surrounding our particular “Daykin” lineage and we must not be confused with our nobler cousins whose pedigrees are well documented and as such easily traced. We must initially concentrate our research on a more proletarian ancestry, although at some point in the distant past we must all share a common ancestry with those families of a more eminent pedigree, even if disinherited at some point. There may possibly be a bloodline as yet undiscovered that ultimately corroborates our heritage, but until such time we must be content with tracing our families through the transcripts from various Ilkeston churches.

The Daykins, pre-1841

I have begun my particular “Daykin” lineage with the family of Samuel (born c. 1784), which is documented in church manuscripts from Ilkeston St. Mary’s and Kirk Hallam All Saints, and as such the information can be assumed to be correct and as far as possible errors are avoided. It is from these sources and various web sites on the social media that the details of subsequent generations has been traced up until the introduction of certification of births, deaths and marriages in 1837 and the UK census’s in 1841.

Prior to the birth of Samuel Daykin, the reliance on church manuscripts is unavoidable and difficult due to the proliferation of similar Christian names, miss-spelt surnames, misinterpretation of facts through illiteracy, illegitimacy, vague ages, and failures to register births in the first instance.

Samuel Daykin(4/1784 – Dec. Q. 1840) was born in Ilkeston Derbyshire in April 1784, the youngest of seven children born to Joseph and Catherine Dakin (nee Meakin). He was baptised on the 16th April 1784 at Ilkeston St. Mary’s Church… “Of Joseph and Catherine”…

I believe that Samuel’s parents are Joseph Dakin (Bapt. 29/3/1741) and Catherine Meakin (Bapt. 1/5/1737), who married at Ilkeston St. Mary’s on 15/5/1763.

The only documentary evidence relating to Samuel’s life apart from his baptism is the church records of his marriage and the subsequent birth of his children. Samuel was married to Sarah Birch on the 5th November 1804 at All Saints Church in Kirk Hallam, according to the church transcripts … “DAYKIN. Samuel of Ilkeston = BIRCH. Sarah of this parish”… The marriage ceremony was performed by Richard Thornteed and witnessed by ? Birch and Robert Evans.

Sarah Birch was one of five known children born to Richard and Elizabeth Birch (nee Beardsley) and was baptised at Ilkeston St. Mary’s Church on the 10th of March 1782 … “BIRCH. Sarah of Richard and Elizabeth”…

Samuel and Sarah Daykin (nee Birch) had three known children — Richard (born 1807), Elizabeth (born 1805) and Julia (born 1809).

All subsequent generations of “Daykin’s”, from Samuel’s son Richard’s family had a male family member who bore the “Birch” surname as a Christian name, usually in conjunction with “Richard”, thus continuing the family connections in the form of a “Richard Birch Daykin” being baptised in each generations and at times in more than one sibling’s family throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Daykins on the 1841 census.

Samuel’s widow (wife?), Sarah Dakin (nee Birch) is listed on the 1841 census for Kirk Hallam, as a 55-year-old Schoolmistress living with her youngest daughter Julia, a 30-year-old Deputy Schoolmistress as lodgers (presumably) in the home of Sarah’s late younger sister Elizabeth’s widower, Benjamin Hollingsworth, a 50-year-old carpenter by trade.

Sarah Dakin (nee Birch) died in September 1844, age 63 and was buried at Kirk Hallam on September 24th 1844 (according to www.oldilkeston.co.uk records)

The children of Samuel and Sarah Daykin (nee Birch).

Richard Daykin.

The life of Richard Daykin is well documented on the following page as he is of my direct Daykin paternal family lineage.

Elizabeth Daykin.

The first daughter born to Samuel and Sarah, Elizabeth was christened at the Wesleyan Chapel, Nottingham … “to Samuel Dakin and Sarah”… on the 4th of March 1805. Apart from this record of Elizabeth’s baptism there is no clear documentary evidence of her life at all.

Julia Daykin.

The second daughter, Julia Dakin was baptised on the 12th September 1809 at Ilkeston …“to Samuel and Sarah Dakin” and is first mentioned in the 1841 Census for Kirk Hallam on the 6th June as a 30 year old deputy schoolmistress, living along with her Schoolmistress mother, Sarah Dakin, aged 55, as a lodger with her uncle Benjamin Hollingworth, a 50-year -old carpenter.

Julia Dakin married William Hancock, the son of William and Mary Hancock who had been baptised on the 5th November 1820 at Risley on the 27th October 1844 at Kirk Hallam.

William and Julia Hancock are believed to have had four children; Sarah (Sally) born in the June quarter of 1846, Mary, born in the June quarter of 1848, Thomas, born in the March quarter of 1853, and John, born in the June quarter of 1855.

In the 1851 Census taken on the 30th March, William Hancock was head of house for 12 Bridge House Kirk Hallam, aged 30, born in Risley Derbyshire, and a timber merchant by profession, but who was also a gamekeeper to Colonel Newdigate while the family lived at Bridge House. William lived with his wife Julia Hancock (nee Daykin) aged 41, now a dressmaker, employing one apprentice, and their two children; Sarah aged 5 and Mary aged 2. Both children were born in Kirk Hallam. There were three other occupants in the house; Julia’s uncle, Benjamin Hollingworth, now aged 66, still a carpenter and joiner, born in Dale Abbey Derbyshire who was lodging along with his son John Anthony, aged 21, a farm labourer, and a house servant named Sarah Thorley, aged 15, born in Cossall Notts.

There is no mention of William and Mary Hancock on the 1861 census (On this census the Hancock family, as Hancok, is at South Street in Ilkeston, close to the saddler Ralph Shaw)

In the 1871 census taken on the 2nd April, for Hallam Village, West Hallam, William Hancock is head of house aged 50, now a farmer; his wife Julia, aged 60 and their children; Sarah, aged 25, a milliner; Thomas, aged 15 and John, aged 15, both farmer’s sons, all born Kirk Hallam except for John, who was born in Little Hallam. The last two members of the household were both servants; 18 year old Fanny Bloor and 22 year old John Parnham.

In the 1881 census on the 3rd April for Common, Stanley, Derbyshire, Julia Hancock, now age 71, is a visitor at the home of youngest daughter Mary, age 30, and her husband, Robert F. Brown, age 27, born West Hallam. Mary had married Robert in the September quarter of 1875 and they now had three children, Frederick W. age 4, Tom, age 3, both born in West Hallam, Alfred, 1 born in Stanley, and a servant, Sarah Fletcher age 15 from Ilkeston.

Julia’s husband, William Hancock appears to have taken over his father’s farm in Risley as he is now listed on the 1881 census as age 60, head of the household, a farmer of 151 acres at Risley Lodge Farm, Risley, along with Ellen Cook, 20, housekeeper, born Newark and four servants; Eliza Soar, 16, from Kimberley, George Foster, 21, from Woodborough, Joseph Blake, 21, from Charlton and John Gubbins, 20, from Northampton.

Julia Hancock died in the June quarter 1884 aged 74 and her widower William re-married Ellen Cooke the following year in the June quarter 1885, a woman less than half his age, who had been born in the March quarter 1861 in Newthorpe, Nottingham. According to the 1891 Census for Stanton by Dale, William Hancock, Head, 70, Grocer, born Risley; Ellen, Wife, 30, born Notts. Newthorpe; William Arthur, Son, 5, born Risley , Florence, Daughter, 1, born Stanton by Dale.

On the 1901 Census for the “Grocers Shop” Stanton by Dale, William Hancock now aged 80 years is a “Grocer’s Shop Keeper, own account at home”; his wife Ellen is just 40 years, with children, William Arthur, 15; Florence, 11, and another son, Francis Vernon, born September quarter 1894′ is aged 6, born Stanton by Dale.

William Hancock died on May 3rd 1906 aged 86, and according to the National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations)… “Hancock William of Stanton by Dale Derbyshire died 3 May 1906 Administration London 15 April to Ellen Bark (wife of Thomas Bark). Effects £175 3s. 5d.”…
It is not known what relation Ellen Bark was to William Hancock.

Sarah Hancock (aka Sally) — Julia and William’s eldest daughter — married farmer Charles Just in the September quarter 1877. Charles had been born in the north of England in the June quarter of 1849 and after their marriage they moved to Risley Park, and eventually, at the end of the century moved to Boya Grange, Dale Abbey. Sarah died in the March quarter of 1910 aged 63 and Charles Just died in the March quarter of 1932 age 82. There is no indication as to where they were buried. (Sarah has been mentioned as a ‘mystery alert’ at the household of James Chadwick)

Now a closer look at son Richard Daykin.

The Daykin family (by John Daykin)

Dave Johnson