Robert Ambrose - Yeoman Will 1720

[Ambrose_family]

It took some time, but I managed to trace my family line back to Robert Ambrose. His will is available on line thanks to the National Library of Wales https://viewer.library.wales/717753#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&z=0.0259%2C0.8726%2C0.8643%2C0.6556

I believe he moved to Bangor from Ireland in 1715, though I have no primary source information on this. The will also mentions a brother William Ambrose and his son John Ambrose. There are additional names which I have difficulty in reading and I have tried to search on the names that I can see, however, the 1700s church records list numerous people who those names, so they are difficult, if not impossible track. Robert Ambrose's profession was "yeoman", so in this context, I take it to mean an independant farmer/freeholder.

Hi son John, was a bootmaker and therein lies the puzzle (the earliest epitath at Bangor Cathedral is of John Ambrose (1777), though I have not seen what it says). It seems strange to me that someone from Ireland would move to Bangor given that there is no other Ambrose family in the area (apart from a Ambrose-Prichard family who are further down the coast and have completely different first names). If he had land, where was it and how is it that he had it? His son wasn't a farmer, so what happened to the land? Perhaps it was rented. I have read in the Bangor Archives in a family archive, that Ambrose Street was named after John - so my one thought was perhaps the land his father, Robert farmed was in this area. This is the 1700s, so there would have been few houses. Any guidance of where i can go to find out anything about this would be greatfully recieved, though it is a bit of a long shot.

[David Price]

The cathedral churchyard was levelled in the 1940s, but before that was done, the grave inscriptions were recorded.  This was deposited at the University Archives (Bangor MS 7345/7346). Most of the headstones were buried quite deeply.  Unfortunately,  no  graves of the Ambrose family have survived, but I know of two inscriptions:

1. Here lieth the Body of Ino [JOHN] AMBROSE of Bangor, Perukemaker  [Wig-maker/ hairdresser] who died Feb 24th, 1771 Aged 64 Also CATHERINE his wife who died May the 1st 1771 Aged 59.

2. In Memory of WILLIAM AMBROSE who died on the 3rd day of March 1833
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord,  Rev xiv 13v.

At Bethlehem Chapel in the village of Talybont near Bangor, is the following grave;
In Memory of JOHN AMBROSE of Fair View, Bangor/ who departed this life on the 13th  of March 1840 aged 63 years/ Also ELIZABETH   relict of the above/ who died full of faith and good works/ Feby 13th 1855 aged 80.  [followed by a Welsh verse].

Listed in the Universal British Directory, 1793-98 is THOMAS AMBROSE, Bangor, Glazier.

[Ambrose_family]

Thanks for all the info  :)