So who was Hugh Rowell and the Oakham Poachers? Well Hugh was my Great Great Great Grandfather on my Mum’s side of the family and you will be able to see all the records relating to his life including time spent in prison for being one of the Oakham Poachers!

Hugh was baptised on December 28th 1800 in the village of South Witham, Lincolnshire. His Father(my x4 Great Grandfather) was Richard Rowell and his Mother(my x4 Great Grandmother) was Sarah Rawlinson.

On the 16th November 1825, Hugh married Mary Perkins in Easton, Northamptonshire. Marrying Mary became significant 8 years later. See The Oakham Poachers story below.

Hugh can be seen listed in the 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1871 census. In all censuses, Hugh’s occupation is listed as a Shepherd.

He passed away in 1875 and both his civil death record and death listing in a local newspaper can be seen.

Click on one of the buttons below to see where Hugh’s name has been recorded on official documents. His name has been highlighted to make it easier to find.

Unfortunately physical evidence of Hugh and Mary’s marriage is not available. This maybe down to the documents being badly damaged and/or illegible.

If you want me to trace your family tree, all official documents will displayed this way. Get in touch with me for further details.

The Oakham Poachers is a true story from 1833 of 3 brothers John, Robert & George Perkins who were convicted of shooting a gamekeeper whilst out poaching with their brother-in-law, yes you’ve guessed it Hugh Rowell.

The Perkins brothers were sentenced to death for shooting the gamekeeper and Hugh got 6 months in prison for killing a deer. John was eventually hanged whilst Robert & George had the sentences commuted to transportation to Australia. Robert never made it to Australia as he died on the ship in Gravesend. George did get to Australia and actually married in 1836 but passed away in 1854. On the right you can see the prison register with the Perkins brothers highlighted in red and Hugh highlighted in yellow.

The story of the Oakham Poachers was made into an English folk song of which several versions can be found on YouTube.

FAQs

Please click on the button below to see some Frequently Asked Questions on my Family Tree Research Service