The Bancroft Surname Interest

The Bancroft interest in my family line is intriguing if frustrating. The known facts are that William Teal was the son of Nancy Teal. His birth certificate states that he was born on 9th January, 1869 at "Craggside, Sutton", which is also the residence of Nancy. There is no father named on the Certificate so William was certainly illegitimate.

On the 1881 census, William is listed on the entry for "Cragg Side, Sutton" with James and Elizabeth Teal, aged 73 and 71. James Teal was Nancys' father. On the same 1881 census Nancy is listed as living at nearby Farnhill Ings Top, Cowling with Isaac Bancroft (husband) and daughter Martha, age 8.

Isaac Bancroft and Nancy Teals' marriage certificate confirms that they were married in 1872, 3 years after Williams' birth. This date also means that Martha could have been either a Teal or a Bancroft.

On the 1891 census, Isaac and Nancy are listed as living at Farling Top, Cowling with William ("son, 22"), Martha ("daughter, 18") and Elizabeth ("daughter, 4"). Elizabeth then was almost certainly a Bancroft.

Isaac died in 1900, Nancy in 1914. They are buried in Holy Trinity Church, Cowling.

I have no information about Martha Bancroft.

Elizabeth Bancroft (Teal?) could be the "Aunt Lizzie" of my fathers' recollections of his childhood visits to Farling Top, Cowling. Other than this I know nothing of her.

Williams' descendants are known in full (see the Teal Family Line) and I'm currently researching his Teal ancestory. However, discovering who his natural father was is proving difficult - was he a Bancroft? Certainly it has always been handed down in my family that "we should have been called Bancroft, not Teal."