James’ wife, Isabella, grew up in Lesbury, Northumberland, England. She was born in a place called Spy Law. The 1891 England census shows that three families lived in this area. Spy Law was a group of houses located 1 1/2 miles southwest of Lesbury.
James Frederick Oxborough
Born: 12 NOV 1883 in Bardwell, Suffolk County, England
Father: Stephen Inkerman Oxborough (1855 to 1946)
Mother: Mary Ann Francis (1856 to 1920)
Spouse: Isabella Robinson (1880 to 1929)
Married: 1907 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England
Children:
James William Oxborough (7 MAR 1908 to 2001)
Lily Oxborough (13 DEC 1910 to 12 JAN 1962)
Violet Oxborough (23 JUN 1913 to 1984)
Eleanor Oxborough (1915 to 1932)
Died: 22 NOV 1950 in Burnley, Lancashire County, England
Probate:
Timeline:
1891 Nelson, Lancashire County, England
1897 Death of brother, Leonard
1901 Nelson, Lancashire County, England
1907 Marriage to Isabella
1908 Birth of son, James
1910 Birth of daughter, Lily
1911 Nelson, Lancashire County, England
1913 Birth of daughter, Violet
1915 Birth of daughter, Eleanor
1920 Death of mother, Mary Ann
1929 Death of wife, Isabella
1932 Death of daughter, Eleanor
1939 Nelson, Lancashire County, England
1944 Death of sister, Ethel
1946 Death of father, Stephen
1947 Death of brother, Sidney
1950 Death and Burial
Occupation: cotton weaver (1901 and 1911), public works contractor (1939)
Records:
1891 to 1911 England Census Records
1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1861-1941
Variations of Surname: none
Spouse:
Isabella Robinson:
Isabella was born in 1880 in Lesbury, Northumberland County, England. She died in 1929 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England.
Isabella’s father was Robert Robinson. He was born in 1853 in Rothbury, Northumberland County, England. He died in 1891 in Lesbury, Northumberland County, England.
Isabella’s mother was Margaret Hudson. She was born in 1851 in Warkworth, Northumberland County, England. She died in 1920 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England.
Isabella had four brothers and sisters:
William Hudson Robinson (1882)
Eleanor Robinson (1884)
Ralph Robinson (1886)
Jane Henderson Robinson (1890)
Where was Spy Law near Lesbury?
Isabella grew up in Lesbury, Northumberland County, England. Her birthplace was listed as Spy Law in the England census records for 1881, 1901, and 1911.
A search of the Genuki website showed a map location for Spy Law. To view an old map showing Spy Law, click on the icon on the top right corner of the map. Then select NLS 1″ 1886-1900. You will see that Spy Law was located west of the hamlet of Bilton.
You can view ordinance survey maps of the area on the National Library of Scotland website. Click on “Browse All Ordnance Survey Maps For A Place”. Then type in Bilton in the top left box where it asks for a modern placename.
Spy Law is now an obsolete placename. The 1891 England census showed about three families living in Spy Law.
Here is a current entry that I made on Google Maps from Bilton to the area known as Spy Law. If you look at the old ordinance maps of 1864 and 1896, it appears that the same houses are still standing today.
Daughters:
Lily Oxborough:
Lily was born on 13 DEC 1910 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. She died on 12 JAN 1962 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England.
Lily married Leslie Blythe in 1932 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. Three known children were born to this marriage:
Sheila Blythe (1933)
Dorothy Blythe (1937)
Marian Blythe (1947)
Leslie Blythe was born on 14 APR 1909 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. He died in 1983 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England.
Violet Oxborough:
Violet was born on 23 JUN 1913 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. She died in 1984 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England.
Violet married Roland Spencer in 1941 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. One known child was born to this marriage:
Eileen M Spencer (1946)
Roland Spencer was born on 23 SEP 1921 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. He died in 1985 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England.
Eleanor Oxborough:
Eleanor was born in 1915 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. She died in 1932 in Nelson, Lancashire County, England. Eleanor was 17 years old when she died.
Notes:
The surname, Oxborough, originated in Norfolk County, England. It appears in church registers as early as the mid-16th century. As the world population grew, these Oxborough ancestors moved to other counties in England. By the late 19th century, some had immigrated to Canada and Australia.
Creating Your Family Tree
Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:
Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.
Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.
Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.
When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.
If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.
Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on. There are also family trees that go “forward into time.” Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time. The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline with that famous person.
There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!
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