Taskers before 1600

Records before 1600 are patchy, with the main early sources being the Poll Tax lists of 1377, 1379 and 1381 transcribed by Carolyn Fenwick, and available from most Libraries:
   Part 1, Bedfordshire-Leicestershire http://www.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-726186-8
   Part 2, Lincolnshire-Westmorland http://www.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-726228-7
   Part 3, Wiltshire-Yorkshire http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780197263365

In addition, the following Taskers are some of the most ancient recorded on the IGI, from the early 1500's onwards . Surprisingly, many of the same counties remained hot-spots for Taskers right up to about 1900. Listed below are those counties with Taskers before 1550. Click on the underlined County Names for further links: they're arranged from north to south, approximately! And at the bottom of this page is an animated map showing where the Taskers really were in 1550 and 1600...

Lancashire

  • John Tasker, born about 1532 at Walton, who married Alice Fish on 7 March 1657 (showing you can't Trust IGI dates all the time!)
  • Richard Tasker, born about 1535 at Brindle, who married Ann Tugood on 20 Jan 1559, and had a daughter Margaret, christened on 8 Dec 1560.
  • Jane Tasker, born about 1539 at Ormskirk and married Hugh Latham on 17 Nov 1560. She died on 4 July 1581.
  • John Tasker, son of Lawrence, christened on 8 August 1540, at Whalley who married Margaret Farrer on 11 July 1557. Their son Robert Tasker was christened on 3 October 1558, also at Whalley.

Yorkshire

  • Isabell Tasker born in 1542 at Bingley.
  • Dorothy Tasker, born about 1549 in Rothwell who married John Smith there on 16 January 1571.

Lincolnshire

  • William Tasker ('Tascar') christened on 6 January 1543 at Brocklesby (father Thomas Tasker).
  • Thomas Tasker, born about 1550 of Wispington.
  • Elizabeth Tasker, who married Humphrey Twidill on 24 Nov 1560, at Alford.

Northamptonshire

  • John Tasker, born about 1523, of Maxey, who married Margaret on16 Oct 1548 and had a son William born about 1549.

Warwickshire

  • William Tasker, born about 1557 in Halford and married about 1588.

Oxfordshire

Gloucestershire

  • Jno. Tasker, married to Margerie Honington in 1544 at Buckland.

Herefordfordshire

  • Richard Tasker christened on 15 September 1556 at Bromyard, son of John & Elenor Tasker

Surrey

  • Roger Tasker, born about 1526, of London, Surrey (or he might have been Robert) who married Jane Pope.
  • Thomas Tasker, christened on 1 Nov 1559 at St Andrew Hubbard with St Mary at Hill, London, whose father was also called Thomas.

Devon

  • Thomas Tasker, born about 10 September 1539 at Stoke In Teignhead, (father Thomas) was part of a larger clan, with probable uncle William Tasker, who married in 1541, having a son Edward about (!) 17 July 1538. There's lots more Devon Taskers here!

IGI Pedigrees

The IGI also has several Tasker pedigrees, where someone has worked out all their family history and sent it to the IGI people.  Amongst the more notable of these are:

  • John Tasker,  born about 1589 in Abdon, Shropshire, who married Joane Millichopp on 19 Sep 1614 and gave rise to a whole host of Abdon Taskers;
  • Thomas Tasker, born about 1600 in Barcombe, Sussex, who married 3 times (to Elizabeth Huggett, Frances Miller and then Anne Moore) giving rise to later generations throughout Sussex (especially in Ringmer and Lewes);
  • William Tasker, born about 1611 in Steynton, Pembrokeshire, Wales, who married Mrs William Tasker about 1636, giving rise to Pembroke and South Wales Taskers;
  • Magdalen Tasker, born about 1634 in Donegal, Ireland, who married Robert Bruce Polk in 1661 and died in 1726 at Whitehall, Somerset County, Maryland USA. Find out more here.
  • John Tasker, born about 1688 in Lincolnshire, who married Mary Teasdale with lots of offspring throughout the county.

For a non-animated map of 1600, click here.