Martha Wakefield (1712-1793) and George Cadman (1713/14-1772)

On 7 Nov 1736 George married Martha Wakefield in Cheswardine, Shropshire, England. Cheswardine is a rural village and civil parish in north east Shropshire, England. The village lies close to the border with Staffordshire, between Manchester and Birmingham, but off the main highway.

It is difficult to know exactly who George was: there are a number of George Cadman’s born between 1705 and 1718. Given that George lived most of his life in Adderley, it is possible that he was the son of Johannes and Jan(a)e (nee Pase) Cadman who was baptised ‘Georgius’ on 17 January 1713/4. Johannes and Jane had married in Adderley on 9 June 1703 and Johannes Cadman was buried on 2 May 1740: around the time that Martha and George went to Adderley.

Martha Wakefield is almost certainly the daughter of Sarah (nee Beale) and Richard who was baptised on 24 February 1712 in Wrenbury, Cheshire, England. Wrenbury is 30 km north of Cheswardine. Martha didn’t get to know her father as he died when she was four months old.

Martha and George had at least nine children. The eldest, George, was baptised at Cheswardine, at the Church where Martha and George married.  Eight other children were baptised in St Peters, Adderley, Shropshire. The children were:

• George, baptised on 23 April 1738 at Cheswardine
• Richard, baptised on 13 March 1741
• Stephen, baptised on 16 March 1744
• Hannah, baptised 13 February 1746
• Thomas, baptised on 30 May 1748
• James, baptised on 10 January 1751
• Sarah, baptised on 24 June 1753
• William, baptised on 12 February 1757
• Elizabeth, baptised on 27 April 1760; buried on 24 August 1760.

Adderley is at the midway point between Wrenbury and Cheswardine. It is another small Shropshire town! It was known as Eldredelei in the Domesday Book. The township lies on the Ducker brook, a tributary of the Weaver river. The Parish Church of St Peters was completely rebuilt in 1801. One feature of the earlier church that survived is the north transept, which contains an extremely attractive 17th century carved screen.

John was the first known grandchild of Martha and George. He was baptised at Adderley on 5 July 1764. It may not have been a particularly pleasing event, as Hannah, his mother, was 18 and unmarried. Sadly John was buried on 29 September 1767.  Hannah married George Boucher, on 4 January 1768 by licence. Over time most of Martha and George’s children moved away from Adderley.

George Cadman was buried on 17 May 1772 in Adderley, aged about 59, and Martha was buried on 16 January 1793, aged 80.

Relationship to SNR = Great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents.