I've mentioned Martha Fair before, how she was married as a minor to John Tweddle and then later 'took up' with Bryan Stratford but I haven't been able to make much progress with her family. I knew her parents were William Fair and Ann Jackson and it seems that they must have died before the 1841 census so I have only the parish records to go on. I did order a death certificate for a William Fair who died in 1840 but when this arrived it was a William Fair who died aged 82 so too old to be the one I was looking for; his occupation is noted as 'gardiner' which rings a lot of bells now.
I hadn't paid much attention to Martha's first marriage since it isn't in my direct line but, having seen the parish record in Durham, I see how foolish that was! The marriage certificate from the parish church at Bishopwearmouth (now a part of Sunderland) lists Martha as 'minor, spinster, of Crow Tree Lane; father, William Fair, butcher. One of the witnesses is Robert Fair. The marriage took place in 1840 so I looked for Robert in the 1841 census and found: Robert Fair, 27, gardiner at Church Lane, Holmeside Cottages. An entry in Pigot's Directory in 1834 under Gardeners and Seedsmen has Fair, Robert of Crow Tree Lane, Bishopwearmouth. I think they are one and the same and that Robert is an uncle to Martha.
Further research suggests that Robert's father is Colling (sometimes Colin) Fair who in turn is the son of Robert Fair and Jane Colling. I've yet to confirm that Colling is also the father of my William but I think that is going to have to wait till my next visit to Durham Record Office.
The remaining question is who is the William Fair who died in 1840? Is he another relative?
