Bellows Mill, Eaton Bray

I have started to reserach my family history and have traced the Dyers and Hueate (Hewitt?) families from the mid-1600s to the late 1700s in the Eaton Bray area and specifically an association with Bellows Mill. Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks, Mike

Hi Mike,
I have been researching the Dyer Family as well, because my Grand Mother was a Dyer. I have gone back to John Dyer and Elizabeth Hewett, and cannot seem to go any further back. John was from Hertfordshire, maybe Sarrett or Rickmansworth. They were definitely married at Little Gaddesden on the 8th of May 1703. It then becomes a bit sketchy from there, I am in regular contact with Vanessa in Australia and she has filled in a few gaps. Good hunting. Colin.

Hi Ive also traced the Dyer's back to John Dyer and Elizabeth Hewitt. The lease of the Mill was left to John and Elizabeth in Elizabeth's father's Will.

I cant get any further back than John Dyer either. Great that you have got the marrage at Little Gaddesden Colin, thats something I didnt have.

Great extra information. Thanks.

Hi Liz,
The information I have on John Dyer's marriage, is that he was twenty six years of age at the wedding. If that is true, that would put his birth at 1677. He wasn't born in Sarrett, but he certainly came from there to Eaton Bray. If you don't mind me asking, but which side of the Dyers are you connected with. Regards Colin.

My great grandmother was Eliza Dyer and my research has left me stranded in Sarrett but I have lots of information if anyone is interested in the Bellows Mill side of the family

Hi Lynette,

I am always interested in find more information on the Dyers of Bellows Mill.

Most of my information can be found at ancestry.com  (66ness) There is also information on my gr grandmother in the history section on here under Peter and Ethel Pieraccini.  (Ethel May Dyer).

Eliza Ann Dyer 1865 - 1901 was my gr gr grandmother. Parents Richard and Phillis.

Is this the same Eliza your related to?  If yes who was your grandmother or grandfather.. that was of Eliza's children.

Hi Lynette, So Sorry that I haven't been in contact lately, but I have been hung up on other research. You say you have lots of information on the Bellows Mill side of the Family. Would you have information on where John Dyer Senior died. I can't seem to find this info. I think he may have died around 1730's, his Son took on the lease in 1744. But that is all I can find. Kind Regards Colin.    

Colin

There is a page on Bellows Mill on our link to Bedfordshire and Luton Archives on the History page.
No death for John Snr but could have some useful info for you.

Thanks Tom n Harry, would love to hear about the info you have. Kind Regards Colin.

Thanks again for that information, but there is not much that I don't know about the Mill itself. I have read all this information before, it's information about John Dyer senior that seems to be evading me. I can't find his birth or his death or burial, but I do know that he was married at Little Gaddesden on May the 8th 1703.
His daughter Mary was baptised on March the 5th 1703, and thats all I can find on him. Regards Colin.

Colin,

You do realize that 5 March 1703 came after 8 May 1703. That was before the calendar changed the first day of the year from March 25th to January 1st. I always like to show the date as 5 Mar 1703/04.

Hi Charlotte, Good to hear from you once again, as for the dates I used. These were taken from original Parish Records as written, thats why I used them. I believe the Gregorian Calendar  wasn't adopted in the UK until the 1750's. As we should not change wording on official records, that is why I used that dating. Regards Colin.

Looking to contact Colin Bird on information regarding the Dyer family and the Ward family for the Eaton Bray Bedfordshire area. Please contact at above email address or I can be reached via United States post at P.O. Box 207, Troy Texas 76579. thank you for any replies.

"The mystery of John Dyer Senior". I think I have found the elusive John Dyer, born in Gilstone, Hertfordshire in 1679. Its the only link I can even get close to,born to Ralph & Sussanah Dier. He may have been an Apprentice at Sarratt Mill, but may never find out. His death is also a mystery but I think it is the one listed as died in Luton Workhouse in 1724. Regards Colin.

Colin,
I never did respond to your 11 Sep 2012 comment on my posting about double dating. Sorry, but you are not changing anything by using double dating; instead you are clarifying for others the true situation. At least it could make a person check to see why a date is expressed as 1703/4. Otherwise it looks as though the daughter is born before the marriage which is an error.

hi, my great grandmother Eliza Dyer was born in 1892.Her father was Walter,who married Mary Parkins.Walter was born in Edlesboro in 1861.His father was Samuel,who married Eliza Chandler.I think the mystery of the elusive John Dyer might be solved in Marsworth,where there was a Dyer family who were millers too.Maybe john originated from Marsworth but was a journeyman miller ? I've been to the records offices at Herts,Beds and Bucks and have noted down every Dyer i found,and have another mystery person.. Sophia Dyer whose father was john.In 1800 john applied for money to keep his daughter Sophia,who he said was 'about 22 years of age'.John lived in Edlesboro but i can find no baptism record of Sophia,only in Marsworth but her age does not fit...any ideas?

hi Colin,sorry, the earliest burials of a John Dyer in Eaton Bray are july 11th 1605, and 4th Feb 1764.Maybe he was buried in a nearby village ie Edlesboro or Tattenhoe.Unfortunately John is a common name :(  one of the Dyers was fined for not attending church,so maybe the church was unforgiving !!!!!

Hi Lynette, I think your Dyer family is of a different family to mine, I have since found that John Dyer was born in Gilstone Herts in 1679. he married Elizabeth Hewitt on the 8.5.1703 in Little Gaddesden Herts.He took on the lease of Bellows Mill from Elizabeth's Father William on the 03.06.1732. Jonathan, John's Son took on the lease on 14.04.1744. The only death of a John Dyer I can find is that of a JohnDyer dying in Luton Workhouse of around the date of 1724. I hope this clears up some of the confusion. Kind regards Colin.

same family...my john is the one who took over his fathers lease and had 8 children,one of them, Samuel had 18 children from 2 marriages,my line is from his first marriage to Elizabeth Dunscombe.She died in Jan 1796 and Samuel then married Ann Horn in July of the same year.I don't think the john at luton workhouse can be ours as he would have resided at the mill until his death, or at least gone to a much closer workhouse if john did kick his elderly father out of the mill.    
      kind regards, Lynette

mystery solved...according to Hertfordshire archives and local studies,John Dyer married Elizabeth Hewitt at Little Gaddesdon on 18th May 1703.He was from Rickmansworth and she,as we know ,was from Eaton Bray.Hope this is helpful,Regards, Lynette

Hi Lynette,

I'm wondering whether and how we are related. You mention a Samuel Dyer, father of a Walter born in Edlesboro in 1861. My GGG Grandfather Samuel Dyer from Edlesboro (son of William of Bellows Mill), born around 1810, had a son called Samuel who must have been born around 1838 - could this be the same one?
Anne  

hi Anne,sorry for the delay..i don't come on here very often ! yes,it's the same family.your GGG grandad was baptized on 9th july 1809 and married Rebecca Smith on 27th december 1830 in Stoke Hammond .He is my GGGG grandad.Their son Samuel was born 19th january 1838 and baptized on 4th march the same year.He married Elizabeth Chandler on 10th february 1861 and Walter,my GG grandad was baptized on 20th june 1861.He married Mary Parkins on 25th december 1879.Who was your GG grandad ?
         Regards,Lynette

So Samuel and Rebecca's son, Samuel, was your GGG granddad.
Samuel(junior) was the YOUNGER brother of my GG grandfather, William Dyer. William was born in Stoke Hammond in 1831 (Samuel and Rebecca married in Stoke Hammond on 27.12.1930), christened in Eaton Bray on 5 June 1831. He is an elusive character, as he isn't mentioned as one of Samuel and Rebecca's children on the 1841 census. This census only mentions George (aged 8), Samuel (aged 3) and Mary (aged 1). However, the 1841 census also shows a 10-year-old William Dyer living at Bellows Mill with William and Elizabeth (then aged 60). I conclude from this that William must have been serving an apprenticeship with his grandfather at this time. This tallies with the information on the 1851 census, which lists William (now aged 20) as a miller living with (and presumably working for) Joseph Freeman in High Street, Houghton Regis. The Freeman family is recorded as having worked both the mills in Houghton Regis for generations. My GG grandfather William was also briefly the miller at Pickford Mill, Wheathampstead, where my great grandfather Arthur was born in 1866.
Anne      

Hi Ann...i just have to tell you,because i'm so excited...i went on the british newspaper archives and found ALOT of news items about our Dyer family...worth every bit of the £9.99 subscription fee !!! i even found out that my GGG grandad Samuel got caught up in the workings of a mill and suffered such horrific injuries that he died within half an hour.The Dyers seemed to go from one tragedy to another,which made very sad reading !! i found it impossible to print or download the news articles,so i typed them all out...but if you want to save yourself a lot of hassle i don't mind mailing a copy to you or any other Dyer family , just let me know your details,i'll be only too happy to oblige.