Monk Tree

THOMAS MONK and SARAH HAWES (9)

 

THOMAS MONK. We have traced our Monks back through a succession of farmers in the Buckinghamshire parish of Stone, SW of Aylesbury. This Thomas Monk seems to be the first of that surname to move into Stone.

 From the date of his marriage, we should expect a baptism date for Thomas around 1690. There are two possibilities, both in the market town of Aylesbury.

Baptisms. Aylesbury.
1689/90 Mar 5  Thomas son of Thomas Monke
1691 Aug 9  Thomas son of Thomas Monke

We do not have the mother’s name for either boy, but the baptism records for Aylesbury suggest that there was only one Thomas Monke raising a family in Aylesbury at this time. We have not found a burial showing the first Thomas dying in infancy, but in the absence of access to the parish registers, that is not conclusive.

The most likely conclusion is that the husband of Sarah Hawes is the second Thomas, born in1691.

An alternative possibility is that he was from one of the Baptist families surnamed Monk who were known to be active in the Aylesbury area at this time. Baptists do not practice infant baptism.

If the former identity is right, then Thomas junior was the middle of three surviving children born in Aylesbury.

The family then moved to the small adjacent parish of Hartwell, where three more children were born. We learn from this baptismal register that their mother’s name was Mary.

Thomas was the oldest son.

We do not have a record of his father’s occupation, but since Thomas became a grazier, we can be almost certain that he too was a farmer’s son. A grazier is one who fattens cattle or sheep for market. Other Monks were dairy farmers. The picture is of an extended family keeping animals, rather than growing crops.

Thomas’s parents were buried in the adjacent parish of Stone, and Thomas raised his own family there, so the family had probably moved to Stone before his marriage.

 

SARAH HAWES. We have been unable to find Sarah’s parentage. She may come from the family of William Howes of Waddesdon, who was having children baptised at this time, but this has not yet been confirmed.

Since the wedding took place in Hartwell, we assume that Sarah was living there then. It is likely that Thomas met her when he too was living in Hartwell.

 Marriage. St Mary the Virgin, Hartwell.
1715 Oct 3  Thomas Monk and Sarah Hawes

 They raised their family in the neighbouring parish of Stone, where nine children were baptised.

Baptisms. St John the Baptist, Stone.
1716/7 Mar 16  Elizabeth
1718 Nov 16  Mary
1720 May 30  Thomas
1722/3 Jan 14  Henry
1723/4 Jan 20  John
1724/5 Feb 24  David  son of Thomas Monk  Grazier
1726 Jul 11  Joseph
1727 Sep 29  Sarah buried 1727/8 Jan 4
1731 Jul 1  Sarah

In most of these baptisms we have no evidence of Thomas’s occupation. David’s is the exception, with the information that Thomas Monk was a grazier. This means that he was raising cattle or sheep for market.

In 1771 there is a lease to Mary Monk, widow of Thomas Monk yeoman of Hartwell.  This probably refers to their son Thomas, who we know was a dairy farmer. Thomas senior would also have been a farmer of yeoman status.

Graziers could be among the wealthiest farmers.

Even though they did not have a dairy farm, they would have kept a few milking cows to provide for the needs of the family and their servants. Sarah would have been in charge of the dairy.

Sarah, wife of Thomas Monk, was buried in Stone on 11 Aug 1750.

This tells us that Thomas was still alive.

The most likely burial for Thomas is also in Stone.

Burial. St John the Baptist, Stone.
1770 May 24  Thomas Monk

If our assumption about his birth is correct, then he was 78.

 

 

 

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