The Searles Family

of Melton, Suffolk

Direct ancestors are shown in the lists in bold
BVRI = 2nd edition of British Vital Records Index (LDS)

Updated - May 2007

Important Notice - From the inscription on the family gravestone at Melton Old Church
The wife of Richard Wood junior was Jane Searles (not as previously recorded, Jane Barth)

It was the inscription on the gravestone at St Andrew's old church in Melton which finally revealed the 'origin' of the Searles name common in the family.

Mystery solved! Some of the details of the Searles family have now been solved but there are only two known generations of the Searles family at present, Richard Searles, his wife Mary and their seven children. Richard and Mary were probably both born ten or more years before 1700. It is also likely that Richard was born in Melton for there are records of the name occurring there in the second half of the 16th century, the spelling then being consistently 'Sarles'. (Did this reflect a local accent?) All seven children are listed as 'Searls' or 'Searles' by the IGI (Batch #C062702) :

1. Richard Searls chr. 12 Apr 1716
2. Henry Searls chr. 2 Dec 1719
3. Mary Searles chr. 22 Dec 1721 m. Dr John Syer
4. Elizabeth Searles chr. 16 Mar 1723 m. Robert Chaplin

5. Jane Searles b.& chr. 5 Sep 1726 m. Richard Wood
6. Catherine Searles chr. 17 Oct 1727
7. Martha Searls chr. 26 Dec 1728

3. Mary married John Syer in Melton on 6 Jan 1740. John Syer, also of Melton, was a 'Doctor in Physic', a friend of Richard Wood's and churchwarden with him in Melton so he is also mentioned on some documents relevant to dealings in church property. He was also one of the witnesses to Richard's will in 1796. He and Mary had 12 children (see below).

4. Elizabeth Searles married Robert Chaplin on 3 May 1744 in Dallinghoo, a village not far from Melton. Nothing more is known of them at present and none of the other children have yet been found elsewhere.

5. Jane Searles was born on 5 Sep 1726. She and Richard Wood (4) were married at Melton by the Rev. Thomas Lambert on 16 Oct 1752. The family bible adds : 'Present were Mrs Ann Lambert, Mr John Syer, (Mrs) Mary Syer his (i.e. Richard's) sister, and Robert Baxter the sexton.

Family of John Syer & Mary Wood

John and Mary (b. 1722) had 12 children :

Mary Syer b. 1742
John Syer b. 1744
Richard Searles Syer b. 1745
Anne Syer b. 1746
Jane Syer 1748 -1748
Jane Syer 1749 - 1749
Catherine Syer b. 1751
Thomas Syer b. 1753
Catherine Syer b. 1754
Amy Syer b. 1755
Jane Syer b. 1758
Elizabeth b. 1760 m. Christopher Jeaffreson in Melton, 2 Mar 1792

John Syer was buried on 20 Aug 1782 at Melton Old Church.

The Jeaffreson Connection

Christopher Jeaffreson1 (1729-1789) senior, was a priest at Butley in 1755 and was buried at Tunstall in 1785. He must be the one who was a witness at the marriages in Melton of Jane Wood and Thomas Whimper on 24 Oct 1776 and of Mary Wood and Joseph Oldham on 14 Jan 1779. Christopher2, junior, was only a young boy at this time.Also present at Jane Wood's wedding was a Miss Isabella Jeaffreson, but she has not yet been identified.

Christopher1 and Mary had five children, all born in Melton :

Harriet chr. 11 Sep 1766

Christopher Jeaffreson2, chr. 15 Sep 1769 in Melton

Mary chr. 6 Oct 1771, m. John Carthew 17 Apr 1797

John chr. 6 Aug 1773

Samuel chr. 22 Oct 1775

Elizabeth Syer was first cousin to Jane and Mary Wood on the (maternal) Searles side. When she married Christopher Jeaffreson2, (no.2 above, b.1769) he was a curate at Tunstall & Iken, Suffolk. He became Vicar of Longborough in Gloucestershire from 1813-1846.

Christopher2 and Elizabeth had two sons, Christopher3 b. 1794 in Tunstall and Samuel J.Jeaffreson b.1830. This third Christopher was also ordained, though after a very brief spell in Gloucester he served mostly in Antigua as a Chaplain to the H.E.I.C. (Honourable East India Company) until he retired in 1839. His son, Herbert, broke the pattern and was a graduate of Oxford whereas all the Christophers were Cambridge graduates.