The Berwick Family in South Africa

Our branch of the Berwick family can be traced back to the village of Holcot, a few miles from Northampton, England.  The original form of the family name was Barwick (pronounced "Barrick"), the change in name occurring over a period from the late 1700s to the mid 1800s.

Barwicks are first found in the Holcot parish records in the very early 1700s, as well as in other villages in the area (especially in nearby Moulton).  It is probable that, in these early years, all the Holcot Barwicks were closely related and it is relatively easy to trace the growth of the family from the baptism records of the parish church.  Initially most of the family appeared to have been farm workers and, judging by the entries in the marriage register (usually in the form "X - the mark of . . . ." ), were for the most part unable to read or write. In those times large families, with a relatively high level of infant and child mortality, seemed to be the order of the day in Holcot. Smallpox in particular exacted a regular and heavy toll on the villagers during the 1700s.

Other family members by marriage (Richardsons and Smiths) came from neighbouring villages, such as Walgrave and Scaldwell, all within a few miles of Holcot.

The growth of the footwear industry in and around Northampton during the second half of the 1800s was reflected in the occupations of members of our family.  By the time of the 1881 census, fully two-thirds of the adult male Berwicks / Barwicks of Holcot are shown as being employed in one way or another in the shoe-making industry.  The latter part of the 19th century also saw a general move by individual members of the family from Holcot to Northampton - at the time of the '81 census a fair proportion of the Berwicks born in Holcot were still living there, while by 1891 virtually all those involved in the footware industry had moved to Northamption.

Our immediate family came to South Africa in about 1920 when Ernest Frederick Berwick, his wife Lilian (née Woodford) and their three children moved from Northampton to Port Elizabeth (in the Eastern Cape) - to work in the footware industry. The family moved to Cape Town around 1930.

Joseph Barwick b ?, †?: x 1796 Elizabeth Manton b 1773, †1851
                                         (Note: Possibly same Joseph as shown below, but with second wife)
     b1 William Barwick b 1798, †1843 x Mary
     b2 Ann Barwick b 1799 x 1822 Joseph Pinney
     b3 Elizabeth Barwick b 1799
     b4 Richard Barwick b 1800, †1877 x Martha †1876
     b5 Esther Barwick b 1804
     b6 Samuel Barwick b 1808, †1863: x Charlotte b ±1809, †1876
            c1 Samuel Berwick b 1836, †1909: x Mary Ann (Marian) Hilson b 1843, †1902
                d1 Frederick Berwick bNhn 1863, †Nhn 1900: x Walgrave 1882 Sarah Ann Richardson bWalgrave abt 1864
                    e1 Ernest Frederick Berwick b Nhn 1882, † Cape Town 1944: x Nhn 1902 Lilian Woodford b Nhn 1880 †C.T. 1949
                        f1 Frederick Woodford Berwick b Nhn 1903, †Nhn 1903
                        f2 Margaret Helen Berwick b Nhn 1907,  †C.T. 1985: x C.T. 1936 Harold Oscar McQueen b C.T. 1911,  †C.T. 1966
                        f3 Beatrice Berwick b Nhn 1912,  †Bulawayo 1998: x C.T. abt 1944 Maurice Davies b 1900,  †Bulawayo abt 1990
                        f4 Francis (Frank) Noel Berwick b Nhn 1914,  †Bulawayo abt 1980: x abt 1940 Joan Morby b C.T.,  †C.T. 1999
                            g1 Peter Berwick b C.T. abt 1941
                    e2 Lewis (Louis) Philip Berwick b Holcot 1884
                    e3 Oliver George Berwick b Nhn 1886, †Nhn 1900
                    e4 Margaret Berwick b Nhn 1889, †Nhn 1894
                    e5 Florence Mary Berwick b Nhn 1891, † Nhn 1892
                d2 Francis Samuel Berwick ±1865
                d3 Edwin Ernest Berwick b 1866, †1867
                d4 Clara Berwick b 1868, †1870
                d5 Oliver Berwick b 1869
                d6 Leonard Berwick b 1871
                d7 Vivian Berwick b 1873
                d8 Oswald Percy Berwick b 1875, †before 1881
                d9 Clarissa Berwick b ±1877, †1878
                d10 Cyril Berwick b 1877
                d11 Ethel Blanche Berwick b 1880
                d12 Cicely May Berwick b 1883
            c2 Sarah Berwick b 1841
    b7 Peter Barwick  b 1812, †1888   x 1832 Hannah Turlland; †1833
                                                             xx 1834 (Walgrave) Ann Worth  b ±1813, †1871

Note:   Although the parish baptism and burial records are complete for the relevant periods, no trace has been found of the birth or death of Joseph Barwick above.   It is possible that he is the same Joseph as shown below, who remarried a much younger second wife (also named Elizabeth) after the death of his first wife. This however would assume that he continued to father children into his early seventies! Unfortunately marriage records for the period are sparse.

Samuel Barwick †1747: x Alice †1752.
       Samuel Barwick b 1728, †1784: x Holcot 1746 Mary Cole
       Ann Barwick b 1732
       Mary Barwick b 1737: x James Camps 1769
       Joseph Barwick b 1739, †1814: x Elizabeth †1788;     (and then remarried another, younger wife?    See above)
              Thomas Barwick b 1783
       John Barwick b 1741: x 1766 Ann Wilkins †1805

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Hilson Family            (All events at Holcot, Northants)

John Hilson b ±1812, †Brixworth 1897: x 1836 Mary Faulkner b ±1817, † 1891.
       Thomas Hilson b 1840
       William Hilson b 1841
       Mary Ann Hilson b ±1844, † Northampton 1918: x Samuel Berwick
       Eliza Hilson b ±1848
       Emma Hilson b ±1850
       Daniel Hilson b ±1858
       Joseph Hilson b ±1860
       John Hilson b 1861

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Manton Family            (All events at Holcot, Northants)

William Manton b ±1685, † before 1742 x Sarah †1742
      b1 Mary Manton b 1709
      b2 Richard Manton b 1710 †1760 x Elizabeth
             c1 William Manton b 1732, †1734
             c2 Sarah Manton b 1735, †1735
             c3 Ann Manton b 1736 x 1774 John Hifford
             c4 Robert Manton b 1740, †1740
             c5 Goodman Manton b 1740, †1740
             c6 Elizabeth Manton b 1742, †1742
             c7 Richard Manton b 1743, †1743
             c8 Elizabeth Manton b 1746, †1747
             c9 Richard Manton b 1746, †1746
             c10 Hannah Manton b 1747 x 1772 William Branson
             c11 William Manton b 1750, †1818 x 1769 (Walgrave) Sarah Hopkins †1800
                   d1 John Manton b 1770
                   d2 Elizabeth Manton b 1773, †1851 x 1796 Joseph Barwick
                         e1 Sarah Manton b 1795 "Base born"
                   d3 Richard Manton b 1774    (only bapt 1795, age 21)
             c12 Elizabeth Manton b 1752, †1752
      b3 William Manton b 1713, †1713
      b4 Judith Manton b 1715, †1715
      b5 Rose Manton b 1716, †1716

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Richardson Family            (All events at Walgrave, Northants, unless otherwise stated)

Richard Richardson b ±1754, † 1838 x 1775 Ann Corby, † bef 1784
                                                                         x 1784 (Turvey, Beds) Hannah Coleman
      b1 Thomas Richardson b 1775
      b3 Hannah Richardson b 1779
      b3 Edward Richardson b ±1781 (bapt 1783), †1849, x Ann b ±1782, †1861.
             c1 Alice Richardson * b 1806, † 1807
             c2 Catherine Richardson * b 1806              * Twins
             c3 Alice Richardson b 1809, † 1810
             c4 Mary Richardson b 1812, † 1814
             c5 Alice Richardson b 1814
                   d1 Sarah Richardson b 1838 (illegit)
                   d2 Hephzebah Maria Richardson b ±1848 (illegit)
             c6 William Richardson b 1816, †1897: x Hannah b ±1819, †1885.
                   d1 George Richardson b 1839, †1885: x Catherine Smith b 1841
                         e1 Elizabeth Richardson b ±1860
                         e2 Sarah Ann Richardson b ±1864 x Frederick Berwick
                         e3 Arthur G Richardson b ±1876
                   d2 John Richardson b 1842
                   d3 Thomas Richardson b 1844, †1844
                   d4 Charles Richardson b 1845, †1845
                   d5 John Richardson b 1845, † after 1881 x Mary Ann York b ±1842, †1894 (Northampton)
                   d6 Betsey Richardson b 1846
                   d7 Charles Richardson b ±1849
                   d8 Reuben Richardson b 1851, †1854
                   d9 Mary Ann Richardson b 1853, †1854
                 d10 Mary Ann Richardson b 1855
                 d11 Hilda Richardson b 1856
                 d12 Levi Richardson b 1859
                 d13 William Richardson b 1862
             c7 Mary Richardson b 1819
             c8 Mary Ann Richardson b 1820
             c9 Charlotte Richardson b 1823
            c10 Elizabeth Richardson b 1826
      b4 Sarah Richardson b 1784
      b5 John Richardson b 1786

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Smith Family            (All events at Walgrave, Northants)

James Smith x Martha ?
        Frances (Fanny) Smith b 1804
        James Smith b ±1806: x Mary ? b ±1810.
             Eliza Smith b ±1832
             Thomas Smith b ±1833
             Francis Smith b 1834
             John James Smith b 1836, x Susan Blundell b ±1837
             Samuel Smith b 1839
             Catherine Smith b 1841: x George Richardson b 1839, †1885
             Mary Ann Smith b 1844

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This page inserted on 20 May 2001, last updated 14 September 2008

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