Gigney Family - information collected.

I am married to JILL GIGNEY, whose family moved from Wickford to Pinner area of London.  I  have seen the photo of Gigney’s van before, and wonder if anyone can add any other details about it, ie make, model and registration plate, just in case it is in preservation anywhere.

I have also seen pictures of some adverts for the stores and hope there maybe other similar items that can be scanned to aid my family research.

A Jane Charge is understood to have been a photographer, with a connection to the family, and we have a postcard marked copyright Gigney Stores.  Are any others known to exist? 

Naomi GIGNEY ran a pub in Writtle, which we have visited but do any photos exist of it, or some others run by other members of the family over the years, details  of which I don’t have to hand?

Finally are there any GIGNEYS still in Wickford?  My wife would be delighted to hear.                      

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  • Well folks I’m back on again, and still researching the GIGNEYs, still chasing snipetts of information re. the family.
    I have seen distant photos of the shop, but never one of the frontage, etc.
    In the book is a copy of an advert of the shop, on a railway timetable, but are there other adverts relating to the GIGNEYS? Are there any photos of the family or individuals?

    PLEASE NOTE change of email john@774.org.uk

    By john wells (09/11/2020)
  • It’s been a while since I was last researching the history of the Gigneys, formerly of Wickford, though with reference to Billericay, Braintree and Writtle. The term Harness and Saddlemaker is often used, but does anyone know of any original saddles etc. made by Gigneys? I have touched on the Company’s van, featured elsewhere, but still seek any other pictures of it, to ascertain the registration mark of it. Could any records exist locally, maybe of its service or purchase history? Any pictures of Wickford Hall, or the buildings that were auctioned in the 1930s?

    By john wells (21/01/2018)
  • My Mother was Marie Gigney, born in London in 1919. Father was Harold Edmund Gigney born 1889 in Pancras, London. I live in Australia and am very interested in the Gigney Family History. 

    By susan mckenzie (06/08/2015)
  • There was another Zorababel, born 1858 and he was the son of my great grandfather. He is on the 1861 census.

    There were also two Lucretias. My mum born 1906 and her dad, David Gigney, had a sister of the same name born 1852, but died when she was about 5 years of age.

    By Patricia Willingham (27/04/2015)
  • I have been updating my GIGNEY file on Ancestry and have come up with an interesting  find. There appears to be 2 Zorabable Gigneys, one probably a son.  There is an approximate year of birth as 1815, but the date about 1858 also appears, possibly with a slight change to spelling of Christian name.

    By JOHN WELLS (22/10/2014)
  • I  am having great difficulty in finding information about LUCRETIA,  and would be grateful for any help.

    By JOHN WELLS (20/10/2014)
  • The note about Zorababel is particularly interesting, not least as I presume it gives the correct spelling of his unusual Christian name, there are so many corruptions on Ancestry.  This makes it very hard to add correct data to my wife’s family history file on Ancestry, and I would be extremely appreciative of any notes you can supply re. Zorababel, his children and dates of birth, death, etc. Once that information is on the file, then the site automatically looks for other family matches, so that level should be fine in the first instance. Do you have any photos of Zorababel, the pub ones would be of extreme interest.

    By John Wells (16/10/2014)
  • The Gigneys over several family members were shopkeepers, saddlers, harness makers and publicans in Wickford and surrounding towns.  James GIGNEY, BORN 1853, apparently donated the land Wickford Village Hall stands on.  I PRESUME it is still on the original site. Records show that James went bankrupt in 1920, the  sale including 2 batches of 4 terrace  houses, listed on the sale catalogue as 7-10 and 11-14 Victoria Terrace, Elm Road, Wickford. Maybe your house is one of them. I can only surmise that Elm Road is, or was near Swan Lane, as 1-4 Victoria Terrace has a Swan Lane address. 5-6 aren’t mentioned in the sale. I can only guess that these were built FOR the GIGNEYS rather than physically by them.

    I reckon the fact that he donated the land for the Hall, was a shopkeeper, etc., isn’t it time for a Gigney Lane in the village?

    By John Wells (16/10/2014)
  • The house where I live in Elm Road was built by the Gigney family, and I am very interested to find out more about the Gigney family and when my house was built.

    By Jane Hay (27/07/2014)
  • I was very interested to read John Well’s post. My maternal grandfather was born in Australia in 1865. His first cousin was Robert True, who was born in Market Deeping, Lincolnshire, also in 1865. Robert ended up in Wickford and had a drapers and mercer’s shop in High Street, Wickford (the site is now Sansoms shop next door to Sketchleys). Robert married a widow, Susannah Stebbing, nee Gigney, in 1888. Susannah was born at Wickford in 1850, the daughter of James Henry Gigney and Susannah Gigney. John mentioned “Gigney’s Van”. I have seen this photo too, and the van was owned by James Gigney, who was a brother to Susannah. Robert’s sister, Mary Ann True, born 1859 at Market Deeping, was a housekeeper to Henry Gigney of Rayleigh Essex in the 1901 census. Henry was the uncle of Susannah Gigney/Stebbing/True.

    By Marcia Mc (16/07/2013)
  • Patricia/ Paula ladies thank you for your replies, my apologies for delay in replying but I get phases of family history. The Wheatsheaf was still standing and open a few years back. Jill and I had a drink in it whilst visiting the area.  I have a photo of her outside, I would be very keen to see the photos of the other pubs in the family as I believe most don’t exist now.

    By JOHN WELLS (08/07/2013)
  • If you look on our front page you will see a report of “A message from Wickford Rhode Island USA”. They very kindly sent us the original Wickford Parish Magazines from 1897 and Mr.Gigney was mentioned quite often throughout the magazine. I am presuming it is James Gigney as in the 1891/1901 census they are living in the High street (right next door to one of my own ancestors George Emeney). The archive group are just reading through the magazines but I have put two pages on the Wickford Archives under the “Queens Diamond Jubilee 1897” which tells of Wickford celebrating Queen Victoria’s 60 years reign, very appropriate at this time, and Mr.Gigney is mentioned a few times. Hopefully in the future we will be able to put all the magazines on the Archives.

    By Paula Sloane (11/05/2012)
  • If you Google Wheatsheaf Pub Writtle there are pictures of the pub and of the house attached to it.

    By Paula Sloane (11/05/2012)
  • Hi, my name is Pat, my mum was Lucretia Gigney, the daughter of David Gigney who was born in the house attached to The Wheatsheaf pub in Writtle. His dad was Zorababel Gigney who was a blacksmith/harness maker, saddler. His sister was Naomi. Zorababel also ran a few of the other pubs in the village. There isn’t a photo of the Wheatsheaf, but I do have photos of the other pubs in the village, taken in 19th century, which Zorababel ran and maybe Naomi was also involved. You mention the surname Charge. There was a William Gigney who married a Jane Emma Charge on 17th September 1843. I would think the Gigney’s are related one way or another. William, I would believe, being an uncle of mine a few times removed. Hope this helps.

    By Patricia Willingham (04/05/2012)

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