Meads
A potted history
Medmenham
The Meads enter my ancestry with the marriage of my paternal grandparents Wilfred Silver & Winifred May Meads. Since there are no famous (or infamous) individuals in this particular line, I have stopped (for the time being) seeking this branch of my lineage with George Meads born c.1785. Despite my best efforts, I've not been able to track down any living relatives.
From the late 1700's to sometime between 1871-1881, my line of Meads' were 'ag. labs.' in Buckinghamshire - indeed, there were three consecutive generations of Meads (George [1813], his son, William [1842] and his son Walter [1873] - my gt. grandfather) being born and living in, Medmenham. Then my 2x gt. grandfather William Meads became a gamekeeper, as did his son, my great grandfather Walter Meads. Then came my grandmother so the story continues down a different line. Medmenham is a hamlet about 3 miles south west of Marlow in Buckinghamshire. Today, it's only assets (other than the beauty of the place) are a very nice church and a pub. The church (St. Peter & St. Paul) is twelfth century while the Dog & Badger is 14th century. Well kept real ale and gourmet food at a reasonable price. I've enjoyed several pints and meals there.
Starting with my 4x gt. grandfather George Meads born c. 1785 in Hambledon, Oxfordshire (not yet fully researched) but had moved to Medmenham by 1841. He married Ester Gray. They had 13 children, of whom at least four didn't survive their first year (two of them were twin boys - one lived for 4 days and the other 12 days). George & Ester's fourth child was George Meads.
My 3x gt. grandfather, George Meads was born c.1813 in Medmenham, Buckinghamshire. This George married Emma Baldwin. Their fourth child (of six children) was William Meads.
William Meads, my 2x gt. grandfather, was born 09 Sep 1842 in Medmenham. This is the chap who broke from the ag. lab. tradition and became a gamekeeper. William also married a Baldwin (haven't, as yet, established if any conncetion with her mother-in-law Baldwins - Fanny Baldwin. William & Fanny's fourth child was Walter Meads.
Walter Meads born 17 Apr 1873 in Medmenham. Walter was one of twelve children and like his father, was also a gamekeeper. Walter married Louisa Tagg (a most difficult family to trace). They had two children but only my paternal grandmother, Winfred May survived (courtsey of the new question posed in the 1911 census).
Winfred May born 14 Dec 1897 in Bray. Winfred married Wilfred Silver - my paternal grandparents. They only had one child, my father, James Wilfred Silver.
ENTYMOLOGY:
Meads
This interesting surname recorded as Mead, Meade, Medd, and the patronymic Meads, has two distinct origins. The first and most likely, being an English topographical name from residence, in or by a meadow. The derivation is from the old English pre 7th Century word "moed", the later medieval "mede", meaning a meadow. The second possibility is that the name originated as a metonymic occupational name for a brewer or seller of "Mead" - a fermented beverage made from honey and water, often with spices added, which was a popular drink of the Middle Ages.
©Genes Reunited
