A reader’s question prompted me to revisit my problematic Filbee family, whose fondness for the given name Hugh makes researching this line difficult.
The Filbee surname is found in my maternal grandfather’s part of the family tree. Alice Filbee, and generations of Filbees before her, lived and died in Lewknor, Oxfordshire. Alice (1748–1819) was my 5th great grandmother. She married William Quartermaine in Lewknor on Christmas Eve 1768. Their grandson was Thomas Smith, whom I’ve written about here.
In researching this surname over the years, I’ve come across many variations, including: Fylbye, Filby, Filbie, Fillby, Felby, Philby, Philbey. Filbee families were scattered all around Oxfordshire in the 17th-19th centuries, but my particularly confusing branch lived in Lewknor. From the parish register transcripts, it’s clear that, at any given time, there were two or more Filbee men living in the village, but I’m most interested in those named Hugh. There was a plethora of them. Here’s a chronology of Lewknor baptisms, marriages, and burials related to men named Hugh Filbee:
These St. Margaret’s register entries are extracted from the transcripts published by the Oxfordshire Family History Society which are available on CD–ROM through their website.
1674 | Dec 22 | Bap | Filbee Anne d Hugh & Anne | This may be the Hugh Fillby & Anne Burnham, of Tettsworth who married by license in nearby Thame 2 Dec 1673 (then left Thame) |
1676 | Dec 16 | Bap | Filbee Hugh s Hugh & Anne | |
1675 | Dec 4 | Bap | Filbee Francis s Hugh & Anne | |
1682 | Jun 15 | Bap | Filbee Mary d Hugh 7 Anne | |
1686 | Aug 9 | Bap | Filbee Richard s Hugh & Anne | |
1688 | Jul 28 | Bur | FIlbee Ann w Hugh | |
1708 | May 20 | Mar | Filbee Hugh Chapman Ales Adwell | Adwell was nearby. This couple baptized their first child, son Hugh, at Adwell on 15 March 1708/9, and buried him there a week later. |
1712 | Apr 17 | Bap | Filbee Mary d Hugh & Ales | |
1714 | Aug 3 | Bap | Filbee Alice d Hugh & Alice | |
1717 | Apr 13 | Bap | Filbee Elizabeth d Hugh & Alis | |
1719/20 | Jan 15 | Bap | Filbee Jane d Hugh & Ales | |
1719/20 | Mar 12 | Bur | Filbee Alis d Hugh & Alis | |
1722 | Apr 27 | Bap | Filbee Hugh s Hugh & Alice | |
1724 | Feb 25 | Bap | Filbee Alice d Hugh & Alice | |
1729 | Oct 7 | Bap | Filbee Judith d Hugh & Alice | |
1742 | Dec 13 | Bur | Filbee Hugh | |
1744/5 | Mar 14 | Bur | Filbee Alice | |
1748 | Jun 29 | Bap | Filbee Alice d Hugh & Anna–Maria | Hugh Filby and Anna Maria Waklin, both of Lewknor, were married in nearby Bix, Oxon, on 28 Jan 1747/8; 5 mo. before Alice’s bap. |
1749 | Sep 17 | Bap | Filbee Hugh s Hugh & Anna–Maria | |
1751 | Sep 17 | Bap | Filbee Mary d Hugh & Anna–Maria | |
1753 | Jul 15 | Bap | Filbee Judith d Hugh & Anna–Maria | |
1755 | Jun 1 | Bap | Filbee John s Hugh & Anna–Maria | |
1757 | Dec 24 | Bur | Filbee Naria [sic] w Hugh the younger | |
1759 | Feb 25 | Bap | Filbee Ann d Hugh & Eve | |
1761 | Nov 15 | Bap | Filbee Jane baseborn d Hugh, and Eve Waklen | |
1764 | Apr 9 | Bap | Filbee James baseborn s Hugh and Eve Waklen | |
1766 | Jun 29 | Bap | Filbee Richard baseborn s Hugh, and Eve Waklen | |
1767 | Jan 14 | Bur | FIlbee Hugh | Probably Alice’s widow |
1769 | Jan 3 | Bap | Filbee Anna Maria basborn d Hugh and Eve Waklen | |
1769 | Apr 17 | Mar | Filbee Hugh Slaughter Alice botp | Wm Quartermaine Wit |
1771 | Aug 18 | Bap | Filbee Hugh s Hugh & Alice | |
1772 | May 1 | Bur | Filbee Hugh | |
1776 | Jun 16 | Bap | Filbee John and Elizabeth twin ch Hugh & Alice | |
1779 | Jan 17 | Bap | Filbee Thomas s Hugh & Alice | |
1782 | Mar 3 | Bap | Filbee John s Hugh & Alice | |
1819 | Dec 29 | Bur | Waklin Eve 92 | |
1823 | May 31 | Bur | Filbee Hugh 74 | Birth abt 1749 |
This week, I received copies of probate records from the Oxfordshire Records Office, which shed some light on how the Hughs fit together. I’ll be posting about those later in the week. See more here.
(Surname Saturday is a daily blogging prompt hosted by Geneabloggers)
Morning!
I found your website this morning. My name is Quartermaine, Alice Filbee and William Quartermaine were my 4th Great Grandparents. I believe that Anna-Maria Waklin was Alice’s mother (1725-1757), they married in Bix 1747.
William and Alice had 11 children, I think: John 1769-1853; Benjamin 1771-1852; Anna-Maria 1773; William 1775-1857; Stephen 1777- ; Ann 1779-1780; Thomas 1781 – ; Elizabeth 1784 – Richard 1784 – 1835 -; Ann 1787 – ; Abraham 1790 – 1834.
Having seen Hugh’s will, I need to revisit his off-spring. I have Alice, Hugh, Mary, Judith and a John and then some other possible children by a second wife: Ann, Jane, James, Richard and Anna-Maria. No sign of Henry or Elizabeth. I am currently trying to get some order of the Filbee family. As you say, they are quite spread out in Oxfordshire with the name Hugh being especially popular!
Hi Tessa,
Thanks for sharing! I will look through my Filbee notes and let you know how everything I have fits into your family.
My theory is this:
After Anna-Maria died, Hugh and Eve, Anna-Maria’s younger sister, had a long lasting relationship that produced the other children. Ann and Jane are mentioned in the will. Eve’s death is registered in her maiden name and I can find no evidence of a marriage.
Regarding Hugh and Eve’s long standing relationship, with its four “spurious” births, I have the same theory in my notes. However, I don’t think the Hugh Filbee who made a will in 1756 and died around 1767, is the husband of Anna-Maria and lover of her sister Eve, mainly because the dates are wrong, and I don’t think he’s the Hugh born in 1722, of Hugh and wife Alice/Ales, or the father Hugh (wife Alice/Ales) because of the discrepancies between the children’s names in the parish register and the children named in the 1756 will. I’m going to write a post with a chart comparing wills, birth and death records, as I think that will highlight the holes, one being the son Henry. I’m looking forward to learning what you can make of it all
[...] men named Hugh Filbee dating back to the earliest entries. I wrote about the Lewknor register in this post. In 1585, Hugh Filbee and his wife Alice (of course) baptized son William at Adwell. Jump ahead [...]