Ruth Gawthorpe commented (Aug 9th 2014)…
Your site has been a great help in tracing more info about Marinah Ebbern nee Burgin Richardson. She married Francis Ebbern in 1835. He was a Coal Merchant from Coventry, whose family delivered coal by barge to the textiles industries all over the country. I think he must have stopped off one evening, gone to the pub and bumped into Marinah and fallen in lover – because her family ran the Boatswain according to your records. Where was the Boatswain pub? I would love to be able to place it.
Sadly Francis died in April 1856 and I think that his daughter Annie Rebekah was born on 6th July, 1856 – so they didn’t get to meet. That must have been a torrid time for Marinah. Francis Ebberns name lived on in our family though. I have a photo of Annie Rebecca somewhere and will try to find it for you. My Dad, Francis Ebbern Robinson, was her grandson and said she was formidable!
Dave replied (Aug 9th 2014)…
I am pleased to see that the site has been of some use to you … and thanks for the ‘Ebbern’ information. I have included it into the site at the Poplar Inn
The Boatswain appears in early nineteenth century trade directories occupied by William Burgin (1829) who died in 1830, then by his widow Elizabeth Burgin (-Richardson) in 1835, and then by their son James in 1841. I believe that around this time its name was changed to the Jolly Boatman (see Bagshaw’s Directory of 1846).
The address of the Inn appears in various sources as ‘The Potteries’ or ‘Canal Side’. It is shown on the 1881 Ordnance Survey map of Ilkeston on the west side of the Erewash Canal, a short distance to the south of Barker’s Bridge, where Awsworth Road crosses the canal.
If you look on Google Maps it was approximately at the east end of what is now Boatsman Close.
Ruth Gawthorpe replied (Aug 30th 2014)…
Thanks for that Dave. Really helpful. Francis is buried in West Hallam church and his daughter, Elizabeth is next to him. West Hallam is where he farmed once he had sold his share in the canal transport business to his brother Tom. (I am not sure which farm.) I guess that it was this money that funded Francis buying property in Ilkeston (including the Poplar Inn), some of the property remained in the family until the 1960′s when my Grandad, Samuel Sydney died and my father and uncle sold it as it was in poor repair!
Ruth wrote (Sep 27th 2015) …
My strand of the Robinson family are scattered far and wide now across the world, from Windsor to New York and from Brighton to the Bahamas….and they love to hear about their ancestors in Ilkeston.
Dave replied (Sep 28th 2015) …
In all I have found 8 children for William and Jane though very little detail for some of them.
For the most part the Robinsons stayed locally in Nottm and Derby until the1960’s when University called. Now we don’t seem to be able to stop. The Robinsons have gone global! But we always were a commercial bunch at heart with our pubs and farms and needles.
My Sister, Faith (the Windsor arm) and I have always been fascinated by the story that Dad (Francis E Robinson – named after Francis Ebbern) told us about his Aunt Lily, who he said was a model. She sounded spirited and certainly led the Robinsons strategy of Going Global as I recall she lived in Eastbourne in the fifties. If you have any info on that line in the family it would be lovely to share that too.
What an interesting role you take in helping people to understand the mysteries of their past. We can learn so much from history.
