Speed Family from
Burton in Wirral, Cheshire
Burton is a small village on the south Wirral peninsula (not to be confused with Burton near Tarporley Cheshire.)
Wirral is a peninsula located between the River Dee and River Mersey in North West England.
In 1974 Wirral was split between the newly formed county of Merseyside in the north and the county of Cheshire to the south, before 1974 all of Wirral was in Cheshire.
Burton is near the River Dee close to North Wales, about 7 miles from the City of Chester and 14 miles from Farndon Cheshire (known to our American cousins as "Farrington Cheshire County") yes the birth place of map man John Speed.
Wirral is rich in Scandinavian place names the legacy of Viking settlement in the tenth century.
This is possibly close to where the first Speed arrived in Britain.
On a visit to Burton some years ago the verger of St. Nicholas Church remembered the Speed family living behind Chancery Cottage, This is were Thomas Speed lived in mid 1800's
James Speed
born 1786
died 1849 in Burton
James lived at "Elm Tree Farm" Burton Wirral Cheshire
James married before 1810
Alice unknown
born 1786
died 1869
James and Alice Speed moved to Burton at about 1809 (see “Burton in Wirral a history”).
A James Speed married Alice Peers on the 12’th of march 1809 at Saint. Oswald church Chester (this may be the same James/Alice)
In 1813 James Speed had a house and a single field in Burton, by 1843 he had a farm of 212 acres, but he was in arrears with his rent and was dead by 1851, his wife Alice was then farming 123 acre Elm Tree Farm
Alice Speed had to sell the farm in 1859 and in the census of 1861 she is shown as a farmers widow aged 75.
James Speed rented Elm Tree Farm from Lord of the manor Richard Congreve
Richard Congreve was possibly a nephew of playwright William Congreve (1670-1729)
William Congreve had an affair with Lady Henrietta Godolphin, (daughter of Sir John Churchill Duke of Marlborough), the result of this affair was a daughter "Mary Osborne"
William Congreve was sometime a visitor to Lady Cobham of Stow, Lady Cobham was later foster mother of Henrietta Jane Speed
This is all good scandal and gossip, but my point is this, was it by pure chance that James Speed moved to Burton, renting a farm from the Congreve family?
The Congreve family were associates of the Churchill and Cobham families, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Speed was father of Henrietta Jane Speed, and he served alongside Lord Cobham under command of John Churchill, was James Speed a relative of Samuel Speed and Henrietta Jane Speed?
Children of James Speed and Alice were
(1) Thomas Speed
baptised 20 January 1810 in Burton Wirral Cheshire
died 1879
married 1844 at Saint Oswald, Chester, Cheshire to -
Ann Davies
born 1809 in Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales
died 1881
(2) Richard Speed
born 1818 Burton Wirral Cheshire
died 1881
(3) James Speed
born 1820 Burton Wirral Cheshire
died1887
married
Jane unknown
(4) William Speed
baptised 24 December 1820 Burton Wirral Cheshire
Children of Thomas Speed and Ann Davies were
(1) Alice Speed
baptised 11 Jan 1847 Burton Wirral Cheshire
died 1852 age 5
(2) Elizabeth Speed
baptised 14 December 1851 Burton Wirral Cheshire
died 1857 age 5
Children of James Speed and Jane were
(1) Elizabeth Speed
born 1840
baptised 7 March 1841 Burton Wirral Cheshire
(2) Jane Speed
baptised 15 February in 1846 Burton Wirral Cheshire
(3) Ann Speed
baptised 11 February 1849 in Burton Wirral Cheshire
died 1856 age 7
(4) James Speed
baptised December 1851 Burton Wirral Cheshire
died 1851 age 0
(5) James Speed
baptised April in 1854 Burton Wirral Cheshire
died 1855 age 11 months
(6) Alice Speed
baptised 25 May 1857 Burton Wirral Cheshire
unknown
Ann Speed
born 1843 Burton
died 1848
Female Speed
born 1856 Burton
died 1856
Notes
The census of 1881 shows
James Speed aged 61 as head of the household.
Richard Speed as his brother aged 63.
Jane Speed wife aged 62.
Jane Speed daughter aged 34.
shown as head of a household is Anne Speed aged 73 this will be the widow of Thomas Speed.
Mrs. Jinny Speed run a horse drawn bus from Burton to Chester market on Saturday's, this must be James Speed’s wife “Jane Speed” as she is show on the 1881 census as a “carrier”.
Grave in Burton church
Alice Ingleby 1843 aged 6.
James Ingleby 1856 aged 4.
Margaret Ingleby 1857 aged 3.
John Ingleby 1865 aged 57.
John Ingleby married Elizabeth Speed, daughter of James and Alice Speed.
(I did not find Elizabeth on parish register).