First of all apologies if this is a bit long! Although I haven’t included everything I know I have tried to put as much as possible!

My great great great grandmother was Elizabeth Saul who was baptised at All Saints Gainsborough on 2 February 1797. She was the daughter of Capt. Richard Saul who was a master mariner and his wife Ann Steele. She married Henry Kelvey and moved to Sheffield.

Having worked her father’s age out from the 1841 census it seems he was born between 19 September 1765 and 7 June 1766, NOT in Lincolnshire. I have searched on the IGI website and can only find a Richard Saul who was born in 1766 at Fishlake in Yorkshire but I can’t be sure if it is my Richard.

Richard lived in Gainsborough from at least 1787 when he married his first wife Sarah Wilson at All Saints Gainsborough. He regularly sailed from Gainsborough and Hull to London or Newcastle. He died in 1845 at Morton in Gainsborough at the age of 79. He had at least 8 children who were baptised at All Saints Gainsborough but, apart from my ancestor Elizabeth, it seems most of them did not survive.

Has anyone come across a Saul family which Richard may have been a part of? There were some other Saul’s in the same area such as Jonathan, a farmer, John, a gentlemen, but I don’t know whether they were related or not.

Also I came across another Captain Saul who was based in Yarmouth. He captained the galley The Dolphin and fought off privateers on 14 June 1742 on his way back from Lisbon. His name was Francis, he had a son called Francis, who was his first mate, and a son called Samuel. I would love Richard to be related to him but have no evidence that he is! Any information which relates to Richard of Gainsborough would be much appreciated.