Early records at Rothwell (pre 1690)
This collection of Jowett records from the registers of Holy Trinity, Rothwell and
its daughter church of St John the Evangelist, Oulton and Woodlesford, has been compiled
from a number of sources:
The Rothwell record contain 67 Jowett entries in all for the period up to 1837, comprising 25 baptisms, 17 marriages and 13 burials (plus births and witnesses) covering the periods 1573 - 1636 and 1788 - 1830, forming two distinct groups. The intervening period contains no Jowett entries.
The earliest reference to Jowett in the Rothwell records is the marriage of George Juett and Christabel Fox on April 5th 1573, followed on August 15th 1586 by the marriage of Georgius Dobson and Maria Jawett. Roger Juit married Margaret Lawson 24 Nov 1579 and had at least two children - Thomas (bapt. 20 Dec 1600) and Gulielmus (buried 2 April 1598 - was this the William Juyt bapt. 5 May 1582?). Roger was buried 9 August 1600, Margaret was buried 1 Jun 1618. Other early baptisms, probably children of either Roger or George include Cotton Juit (bapt 23 Jun 1580) and Gilbert Juit (bapt 20 Apr 1584).
After this the Jowitt records virtually disappear, with only three C17 entries.
The next appearance in the records is in 1788; hence it is unlikely that any of the early references are direct ancestors to these Jowitts of 19th century Rothwell and Oulton. However, we know that Jonas and Elizabeth Jowett (my great x 4 grandparents) moved to Oulton (from Woodkirk) before the township was given its own church in 1838 and that at this time there were other Jowitts in Rothwell, notably James and Sarah who had seven children between 1790 and 1801 and lived at Royd's Green, Oulton. As later generations of my own Jowitt line also lived at Royd's Green it is possible that James and Sarah were related to Jonas and Elizabeth and were at least part of the reason why the family moved to Oulton. However, no definite link has yet been found between James and Jonas.
The Oulton records contain 101 Jowett entries in all for the period covered, almost exclusively relating to the descendants of Jonas and Betty who arrived in the township ~1800. These records comprise 54 baptisms, 10 marriages and 28 burials; variants include 50 Jowitt, 49 Jowett, 1 Jewitt, 1 Jawitt.
The children of James and Sarah of Royds Green were (dates refer to baptism and burial):
James and his family then disappeared from the Rothwell records and most of the entries after relate to the family of Jonas and Elizabeth whose descendants prospered well in Oulton. Their story is taken up in the story of my own ancestors.
Rothwell churchyard is now largely overgrown with many gravestones lost or inaccesable. Though there must be Jowitt graves there from both lines, none have been found.
Oulton church, on the other hand, has a well kept graveyard which is well stocked with Jowetts. One of the early incumbants was Rev. Richard Hugh Hamilton (above) who was vicar of Oulton 1847 - 1889 and features in the photograph collection of my great grandmother Mary Hindley who served at Oulton Hall during the 1880s and married Benjamin Jowitt, a local gardener.
Hamilton was born in Thomastown in Ireland ~1820. Below he is shown, probably outside
Oulton Vicarage, with his wife Kathleen (born ~1829, Kilkenny) and daughters Elizabeth,
Mary and Isabel, all born during his time at Oulton.
Finally we see the family in a group photograph. The figure on the far left is my great grandfather Benjamin Jowitt. Who the remaining characters are I do not know. Can any one else help?
Copyright S D Jowitt