This is a webpage based on the origins of my family in London.

I have not had time to research London registers for my family, perhaps the most important area for me. This is where my family came from and I am sure there is information to be uncovered. Perhaps somebody reading this may be able to help me out. There must be      some Skarratt's out there in London. The lady who researched the Kington Skarratt families, Jean Oldham reckoned that all the Skarratt families in London were related. Sadly Jean died before I got interested in family history, there were so many things I would have liked to ask her.

My mother, Lily, was born in London in 1908. Her parents were William Skarratt and Emily Skarratt. (nee Sitch).

As I said in the main page, the search for my Grandfather is what started my family research, it seems to have snowballed on the way into an information centre for the Skarratt family name and other soundex names.

I now know my GF died in 1914 at sea, while serving in the Royal Marine Light Infantry on the Cressy. His name is inscribed on the Naval Memorial monument in Chatham.

My mother told me a story once when I was young, which I wish I had paid more attention too. Apparently my GGF went to the USA to find work and took some of his family, including my GF. It seems he turned into a gambler in a big way in Chicago and won and lost considerable sums including a house in a London square. Because of this unstable life my GF joined the merchant navy and eventually the RMLI. When my GF was killed two of his brothers -who were very smartly dressed-came over from the US and offered my Grandmother financial help with her family. She refused but apparently they were in some way working as Naval architects or similar occupation in Chicago. I have tried to trace the family there, but with no success.

I am not too convinced by this story following my limited research into the family history. My GF was born in the Endell St workhouse in 1881. His family with his father and mother had to spend several visits into the workhouse with the rest of the family.

Registration Details on William's birth certificate:

William Skarratt Born 16 May 1881 to John Skarratt and Jane (nee Palmer). His father was actually Alfred Skarratt not John?

Recently I had contact from Canada from a lady who was descended from my GF sibling, so the USA story could have some  depth to it!

MY FAMILY

My Family listing in IGI

I could not find my family in the 1881 Census (2/3 April), but by a stroke of luck I found it but not spelt as I expected.

Living at 7 Melville Place, Census Place: Clerkenwell.

Research into Skarratt etc. families 

     I have been trying to find connections between the families in London.  There seems to be a main settling of families in the East  of London, St Pancras, Stepney  and Finsbury. I have traced one family from London to Hereford and then to Australia with info provided.  One problem is that the name Skarratt is often recorded as in the above family as Scarratt or Scarrott. These variations are endless and only by studying families their Churches and areas is it possible to achieve some links.

     One example of the proliferation of names is even displayed in one family group:

          Richard Skarratt b.c. 1734 . m Elizabeth      children.:      Hannah  Skarret
                                                                                             Richard  Skarratt
                                                                                             Mary      Scarriot
                                                                                             James     Skarrad
                                                                                             John        Skarratt
          We have four variations listed for the same family! No doubt the people involved new their name, but nobody
          seemed to understand them when they had to use it. There are of course many reasons that can be put forward
          for the variation, but this is only to illustrate the variations.

          My own GGF appears in the 1881 census as Skairatt ! No wonder I had trouble finding him.

     The LDS gives family groups and the streets they lived in, sometimes other families as neighbours.

Although it seemed very obvious at the time it was mentione to me that all the families were related, tracing them was another thing to try me. I have traced numerous families but it is connecting them together through the years that is the problem. If anybody has any info that we can collaborate on perhaps we can get someway to solving the connections.

After some more research it seems I have connected up some of the Skarratt families in London. By concentrating on Robert Thomas Skarratt (1784-1860) I have traced his family back several generations and found a connection to Carleton Skarratt (1754-1808)clockmaker he went to Kington, Hereford. Also to John Skarratt (1761-1829) who started the family business in Worcester. Also John Skarratt (1760-?) who also went to Worcester with his brother Charles Carleton Skarratt (1761-1838)

From Robert Thomas my line descends through Alfred William Thomas Skarratt (1824-1875), Alfred Widegose Skarratt (1852-?), Alfred William Skarratt (1881-1914), to my mother.

CHURCHES

The following are notes on some of the churches that have connections with Skarratt families.

For many generations of Skarratts this church in the City of London has been their focal point

St Giles Cripplegate Church
 

The first reference is the building of  what may have been only a shrine  in 1090 by Alfune who was a friend of Rahere (See St  Bartholomew the Great). The first reference to the church is a grant by Ælmund to the canons of St Paul's Cathedral of his church of St Giles, built outside the walls, in the  time of Henry I (1100-35).
    The dedication is to a saint, born in  Athens of royal parentage. Around  666 AD during a hunt, a hind took refuge from dogs in the cave where the saint was residing in solitude.
The saint prayed and prevented the dogs from gaining access. The hind survived and provided the saint with sustenance, St Giles is the saint of maternity. The hind is a symbol of the saint and one is depicted over the door.

'S Giles of Cripplegate' was mentioned during the 13th century. The origin of Cripplegate is hotly debated; Harben considers that the most probable origin was from the Anglo-Saxon 'crepel', a burrow or 'crypele', a den and denoted the long underground narrow or covered way leading to the gate. Another view id that more cripple gathered at this particular gate than any of the other gates of the city.

The first known church was built during the 14th century on ground outside the gate close to where the Walbrook ran under the London Wall. It was damaged by fire in 1545 and the London Chronicle has the following report: "The xil day of September, Satterday, in the mornyng, above five og the klocke, was Saynt Jyles's Churche burned, belles and alle, wtout Crepellgate."

The church was rebuilt and Strype wrote that the church was "very fair and spacious." It survived the Great Fire and Joh Milton was buried in the churchyard in 1674. Between 1682 and 1684 the top of the tower was raised, and cased in brick by John Bridges.
The parish of St Giles was a populous parish, and the Commissioners for the Fifty New Churches Act [1711] proposed to build three churches within the parish. Ultimately only one new church was built - St Luke's, Old Street.. In 1791 the roof was raised and two additional bays added to the celerestory, in 1885 the south side was refaced and castellated. Restoration work was carried out in 1897 following a fire. In 1903 the north side was refaced and matching castellations erected. A bomb hit the building in August 1940 but it remained usable until a fire destroyed the church in the November. The church was fully restored by Godfrey Allen as the church of the Barbican development, it was reopened in 1960.

Shakespeare attended the church in 1607 for the baptism of his nephew. In the last week of August 1665 there was 600 deaths due to the plague and records show over 8,000 people died in the parish. According to Stow "There was also a bosse of clear water in the wall of the churchyard, made at the charge of Richard Whittington, sometimes mayor, and was like to that of Billingsgate. Of late the same was turned into an evil pump, and so is clean decayed." This water source may have contributed to the high death rate in the parish during the plague.

The records for the church are located in the Guildhall Library and there is a partial index to baptisms and marriages in the IGI. Baptism: 1561 to 1961; Marriages: 1561 to 1953; Burial 1561 to 1535