The Farmer's Wedding | Wedding Wednesday - GeneaBloggers

At the start of this month my blog was added to GeneaBloggers' Blog Roll. You may have noticed the little GeneaBloggers badge on the right hand side there - worn with pride. Intertwining Branches appears there amongst 3000 other blogs dedicated to genealogy and tracing your family tree, and I would strongly encourage people to go over there and support fellow genealogists. GeneaBloggers can be found at http://www.geneabloggers.com/.

One brilliant aspect of GeneaBloggers is the list of blogging prompts they have. I'm not a daily blogger, but some of the prompts have given me ideas about future posts. Today I have chosen Wedding Wednesday. In this instance I know relatively little about the wedding itself, but know a fair amount about the bride and bridegroom. 

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Matthew Barrass married Kate Younger in 1889 at St Alban's church, Earsdon. Matthew was a farmer, resident at Field House, Killingworth. He was a widower. Kate was the daughter of John Younger, also a farmer, who lived at Burradon House, Burradon.

Matthew is a distant relative on my mother's side of the family. He was a grandson of Alexander and Sarah Barrass, my 5x great-grandparents.

Matthew's first wife was named Mary Blagdon. Her father was a shipowner and chandler, a dealer in supplies and equipment. They married in 1868, but had no children. Mary died in 1887, presumably at home at Field House. Matthew married Kate Younger two years later.

The marriage notice published in the Morpeth Herald.
Notice no actual date of marriage is given.

Matthew and Kate went on to have three children; Matthew Edwin, Elsie Kate, and Mary Beatrice. By the time young Mary was born, the Barrass family had moved from Field House, Killingworth to Tritlington Hall near Morpeth. There Matthew died on 18 October 1894. 

The Tynemouth Board of Guardians met fortnightly, and at the next meeting one of Matthew's closest friends gave a touching eulogy:

"The Chairman said he was sorry on that occasion to call attention to the sad loss the Board had sustained in the death of Mr Matthew Barrass, which had taken place since their last meeting. He had the pleasure and privilege of knowing Mr Barrass for over 30 years, and had many opportunities of observing him. He always found him a sincere and most estimable gentleman, a straightforward man of business, and a generous friend, especially to the poor living in his neighbourhood. He had been a member of that Board for about 12 years, and was a most diligent and useful representative. He was also a member of the Assessment Committee, and his sound common sense had been most valuable to its members on many occasions. He represented upon that committee the farming interest, which was often in difficulties, and appeals in connection with agriculture were well understood by Mr Barrass. He moved that the clerk be instructed to forward a letter of condolence and sympathy to Mrs Barrass and family. - The Mayor seconded, and Mr A. Bolton supported the motion which was carried. Mr R. Simmons, of Forest Hall, was elected member of Assessment Committee in the place of the late Mr Barrass."

Kate Younger's family still own the farmhouse at Burradon, and it is known in the locality as Younger's Farm. 

An interesting little anecdote worthy of a mention is that my mother, her siblings and her aunts all picked potatoes in Mr Younger's fields, obviously having absolutely no idea of the connection!