Baptisms at Howden 1542 - 1659
These records are extracted from the four volumes of transcripts of the parish records for Howden, East Riding, published by the Yorkshire Parish Register Series. The four volumes are:
I have also listed Jewitt entries from the Howdenshire Probate Index 1521 - 1857.
Howden is in the East Riding of Yorkshire, though on its southern border - represented by the River Ouse - it is also adjacent to the West Riding parishes of Snaith and Whitgift, hence it is not far from the centre of Jowett territory. Within this short space though (37 miles from Bradford) the dominant form has already changed to Jewitt/Jewett (plus the earlier version Juit and one Duit).
The proximity of Rowley, which is only some 15 miles to the east of Howden, is probably of little significance to the American emigrants other than the parallel with the name variant. Of more interest to some American workers will be the Haseltines of Knedlington in Howden parish. Robert Haseltine was baptised at Howden 2 Jan 1609/10, son of Robert and Joanna (nee Swanne) Haseltine of Knedlington, and emigrated to America at about the same time as Joseph and Maximilian. The latter was father-in-law to two of Robert's daughters - Mary (who married David Haseltine at Bradford MA 26 Nov 1668) and Elizabeth (who married Robert Haseltine at Bradford MA 21 Jul 1680).
Howden parish occupies some twenty square miles of flat, alluvial land and is part of the Baronial Liberty of the Bishops of Durham. It includes the townships of Asselby, Balkholme, Barmby, Belby, Cotness, Howden, Kilpin, Knedlington, Laxton, Linton with Newland, Metham, Saltmarshe, Skelton, Thorpe and Yokefleet. There were chapels at Barmby and Laxton.
The Jewitts concentrated in the hamlets of Saltmarsh, Laxton and Balkholme and form two distinct families groups in the early records with the descendants of Thomas of Saltmarsh (who had two wives - Margaret, married 1568 and Alice Wright, married 1574) and Edward of Laxton (married Agnes 1591). Thomas is probably the son of John of Saltmarsh, buried 1586, Edward probably the son of Thomas of Laxton buried 1588.
The descendants af Thomas follow through at least two of his sons: John of Saltmarsh (married Marie Vassey in 1609 a month after the death of his first wife Grace) and Robert of Saltmarsh (married Dorothy 1616 and Margaret Cherie 1617). The descendants of Edward lived in Balkholme.
Later families are also distinctly discernable, though defining them precisely is hampered by the dearth of baptism records between 1660 and 1701 as well as the plethora of Johns and Thomases in later generations!
The records are put into historical context with an entry for February 1666 which reads:
"Received this 25th February 1666 of Mr Richard Booth by ye order of Mr Robert Wighton ye sum of £7 16 9 being collected in ye parish of Howden for ye relief of ye poor of London that suffrd in ye late lamentable fire. I say recieved by order of ye lord mayor £7 16 9 p: me Jno Wynch" (YPRS/32, p 383)
Directly above this entry is another entry of interest to Jowett researchers which is a reference to monies collected:
"I say received by mee Fardinando Juit, Collectur, October 7th 1666"
The same volume also contains a Surrender (in Latin, dated 1705) of land in Saltmarsh for the education of six poor boys (p 385) with several Jewitt references.
Copyright S D Jowitt