I estimate they married before 1820 and had eight children between 1820 and 1840. All children were christened in Caddington although the family may well have lived some of this time in Flamstead and Markyate in Hertfordshire

Any help in finding the marriage record and the names of their respective parents would be much appreciated

You have two issues:
- finding their marriage, which in all probability will not give you fathers' names
- finding their baptisms from which you will learn their parents' names

1. The IGI shows 10 children baptised, all in Caddington, the first in May 1819, so the marriage was probably 1818/19.
Abraham Punter married Elizabeth Cowper at Flamstead Herts on 31 Dec 1818 (per BVRI). You need to check the microfilm at your nearest Family History Centre of the LDS, or at Hertford, to get any extra detail on the entry, such as witnesses who may provide a clue as to Elizabeth's background in particular (see below)

2. In 1851 Abraham aged 61 gave his birthplace as Caddington, and Elizabeth 53 gave hers as Stopsley (in 1861 Elizabeth widow gave her age as 65 born Ramridge End, which is in Stopsley)

The IGI at www.familysearch.org has a baptism of an Abraham Punter in Caddington in 1791 which looks like yours. Parents William and Sarah. At that time Stopsley was a hamlet of Luton but I can't see a baptism in Luton at the right time of an Elizabeth Coo(w)per - I assume you got her name from the birth certificate of one of her younger children.

The children who appear in 1841 and 1851 all have their birthplace as Herts or Markyate/Flamstead. It doesn't look as though they ever lived in Caddington, despite baptising all ten children there.

David

Flamstead Parish records show marriage of Abraham Punter and Elizabeth Cowper on 31 Dec 1818, both of Flamstead parish. Witnesses: William Stonill, Charlotte Adams

There is also an earlier marriage for Abraham Punter in Flamstead, 14 Oct 1812, to Martha Cain. Wtn: William Cain, Elizabeth Burgoin

Transcripts of Bedfordshire parish records are available at Hertford CRO. Caddington records show following christenings:
Abraham, son of William and Sarah Punter, 27 Mar 1791
Sarah, daughter of William and Sarah Punter, 19 Oct 1788
Susan, daughter of William and Sarah Punter, 10 July 1785
Daniel, son of William and Sarah Punter, 30 March 1782
Charlotte, daughter of William and Sarah Punter, 15 Aug 1779
William, son of William and Sarah Punter, 30 Jun 1776

William Punter married Sarah Smith, 14 Oct 1771, Caddington

William, son of William and Rebecca Punter, chr. 23 July 1749, Caddington.

William Punter married Rebecca Geary, 17 Dec 1747, both of Caddington.

(There are various other marriages/christenings for different Punter families in Caddington)
Hope this helps.
Christine

Christine many thanks for your info - all helps to try to move the logjam although having Sarah Smith as the mother does not move that branch very far! Unless the marriage register had the bride's father's name, I cannot see how I can move forward bearing in mind IGI has about 100 Sarah Smiths in a 10 year window (she is likely to have come from one of two counties just adds to the complexity!)

If you can think of any angle to move forward, I'd very much appreciate it!

Rick

Sorry Rick, no fathers' names on marriage registers at that time.

If we could find when Sarah Punter (nee Smith) died it might give her age ... I won't be able to go to Hertford CRO until next Thursday (office is open until 7 on Thursdays). Maybe someone will come up with the answer before then, but I'll be happy to have a look for you.

Christine

Morning Rick

The transcribed parish records for Caddington at Hertford CRO stop at 1812 - no sign of burial for Sarah Punter.

No christening for Sarah Smith at Caddington between 1745-1756.

Sorry - perhaps someone visiting Bedford CRO will be able to help.

Christine

I see you are deep in the Punter history so this recent branch may not be of interest. As well as the 7 Flamstead Punter's on the 1871 census I believe there was one younger member upholding the tradition of the William first name (b.1874?)who finished up in the mining area north of Nottingham. [He had given his birthplace as Margate Herts in the 1901 census with step parents names on other documents so I had never traced his real roots before this ... Margate = Markyate of course. Since Margate Kent was close to the Kent coalfield we had assumed a move based on the opening up of the richer Notts coal seams]. So, this William Punter had a son by Lucy (nee ?) in 1911 also called William who married Mary Emma Subden ... my parents. I now have a son William Punter as yet unmarried.
Warmest regards from the northern branch (though now in Bucks not far from Markyate by chance!!) ... David

David good to hear from you. We may have a link a generation or two back. My research suggests that Abraham and Elizabeth had a son George ch in Caddington in 1825. He married Sarah Payne on 11th May 1844 and they had at least 8 children the eldest of which was christened William and was born in the Dec qtr 1844 (a tad tight for a May wedding!)The youngest child I believe was Ann b 23 Oct 1859 in Luton - my great great grandmother. The whole family was involved in the hat industry (no surprise I guess)

No sign as yet of any miners though anywhere in any of my Punters

Any chance of a link?

Rick

It seems that the itinerant William's Mother [my great grandmother)was also called Ann but born 1844. She was also a hatmaker and had her 4 children in Markyate [Annie ('69), Joseph ('67), Frederick ('69) and the itinerant William ('74)] but as yet I have not traced the father. Since it seems Markyate, Caddington and Flamstead were all overrun by Punter's and hatmakers (not a coal miner in sight as you say) including another William and another Frederick about the same time, I'm just trying to get my head straight. I am assuming Ann Punter was her married name and the father died before the 1880 census ... she was born just up the road in Kensworth ... 4 bastard children sounds unlikely!!

The one real surprise is the number of old testament names which appear in the local Punter ancestry ... as well as Abraham several times; a Sarah, Ruth, Hannah, Daniel, Amos, Joseph, Levi ... maybe it's just the power of the church at the time.

I'll ping again if I find myself a great grandfather as a possible link ...

For now regards ... David

Hello,
I don't know if this helps but I have an Ann Punter, born in Caddington in about 1798 in my family tree. She married a William Stonnell (often mispelt) in November 1817.
Could William Stonnell have been the witness at the wedding you mentioned?
If so, was Ann Punter the sister or cousin of your Punter ancestor?
Hope this makes sense.
Katherine