Mary Baldry was the eldest child of Michael and Mary Baldrey. She was born in Hedenham, near Bungay on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. About 10km away is the village of Denton, where the Baldrys had relatives, part of the numerous Baldrey/Boldray/Baldry clan. John and Elizabeth Baldry were married in 1760 when Mary was eighteen, and I think she might have gone to stay with them.
They did not prove to be very effective chaperones. The next record we have of Mary is in Denton, where she is taking her son Richard Savage to be baptised. On this page of the church register about 10 % of the children, including Mary’s boy, were “baseborn”. Mary was the only mum canny enough to give her son his father’s surname!
If she was trying to shame Richard Savage into marriage, she succeeded: four months later she married him at the same church. I am mightily impressed that all parties at the wedding, including witnesses John and Elizabeth Baldry, could sign their name. Richard and Mary acted as witnesses a few days later at the wedding of Henry Burgess and Mary Miller. I like to think of Mary signing her new married name for the first time…
Sadly, Mary lived only eight years after her marriage and died at the age of thirty-two, having borne three more children: Mary (1769), John (1771) and Margaret (1773).
Mother of Richard Savage III, daughter of Michael and Mary Baldry
Baptised on 8 March 1742 at Hedenham, Norfolk
Married Richard Savage II on 7 October 1766
Buried 14 April 1774