Ancestors of Winster :The family of George Samuel Lowe 1854-1898

From the early pages of this book where I was struggling to find enough information to fill a double page, Im now at the point where a double page really can only just barely scratch the surface of the stories regarding the people involved.
I will likely add some "story" type pages into this book to cover certain aspects more fully, although by the end of this generation the ties to Winster are almost at an end. - it seems a pity to end the book without adding the generations to come though so I will continue for one more generation - doing a page for my Great Grandparents John Lowe and Susan Wheatcroft.

I need to backtrack and do a page on Lydia Hawley who was George Samuel Lowe's mother. She was born in Winster and it appears her family had lived there for generations. I havent done much research on the family to date, so I hope I can get at least one page on the Hawleys done before I need to get this book published.

George Samuel Lowe came from a very small family, unusual in the mid 19th century. He was the second son of George Lowe of Ashover and Lydia Hawley of Winster.  The family lived in Wensley, which is only just over a mile from Wisther. Like many others in the area, George was  Lead Miner.
George married Mary Jane Boam, daughter of Thomas Boam of Winster ion 21st March 1875. Thomas and George Lowe sr were both Lead Miners, so this is likely how the George and Mary Jane met. From the 1871 census it seems that George Samuel  did not follow in his fathers footsteps. As a 16 year old he is listed as an Agricultural Labourer. George and Mary Jane married at St John the Baptist church in Winster in March 1875, and it appears at some point the family did live in Winster as first daughter Lydia Eliza was born there and baptised there just two months after her parents marriage . I have been unable to find baptism records for Elizabeth and Mary Ellen, who born in the same year could have been twins. George Thomas and William seem to have been born in the Wensley area, but by 1881, the family had moved to Cheshire, and George Samuel had joined the Railway. The 1881 census has them living at Smithy Green, Bredbury Cheshire. George Samuel is a Railway Guard. This is where the next few children are born, but by the time Samuel Edwin is born in 1887, the family are back in Derbyshire. and in the 1891 census they are living in Little Rowsley, a village which had a large population of Railway workers.
The family made the move to Derby city before 1895 as Herbert is born there. 29 Drage Street would remain the family home for many years.
Sadly George Samuel died young, aged just 54 in 1898 and Mary Jane was left to bring up her family alone, though by this time her eldest daughters were adults. By 1901 Henry, Elizabeth, John and Samuel Edwin were all working helping to support the family. Eldest daughter Lydia and her husband lived just 3 minutes walk away in Chester Green Road , and Mary Ellen also lived 3 minutes walk away in Mansfield Road. Mary Jane had already lost several children in their childhood- and tragedy would strike the family though during World War 1. 3 sons would serve their country- Henry, John and Herbert. Unfortunately neither Herbert nor Henry would return, Herbert being killed at Gallipoli on August 21st 1915 and Henry being killed on the first day of battle at the Somme in 1916.
It is  understood  that John was present when Herbert died  and narrowly escaped death himself. Mary Jane, mother of 12 children, of whom 6 pre deceased her, still had at least  23 grandchildren by the time of her death in 1919. All lived in close proximity to the family home at Drage Street

Ancestors of Winster : The family of Thomas Boam 1829-1898

Heres another page for the Winster Book

Thomas Boam was the second son of  Thomas Boam . Like his father before him he was a Lead Miner. Lead mining had declined significantly by the mid 19th century, however in the area around Wnster there were still productive mines, including that of Mill Close which didnt close until 1939.
Our first record of Thomas comes in the 1841 census where he is living with his widowed father of the same name and his siblings Martha and John.  Thomas’ mother Ellen had died in childbirth when he was just 6 years old. The family lived next door to Ellen’s brother Thomas Fryer, and his wife and family. Its probable the Fryers gave Thomas’s father assistance in rasing his children, as unusually, he did not remarry until well after his children were grown.
Thomas married Mary Wilson, on Feb 12 1849 at St John the Baptist church in Winster, however for reasons unknown at he time of the 1851 census she was living with her parents outside of Winster and Thomas is living alone, though still in Woolleys Yard, the street he had been born in, and the street his father still lived in.
Why both Thomas’ first 2 children are born in 1852 and 1844 in the Manchester area of Lancashire  is a mystery, however other members of the Boam family had lived in Lancashire at one time or another . All the remaining children though, were born in Winster, and the family are residents of Woolleys Yard for decades afterward , according to census records, right next door to his father Thomas who by 1861 had remarried the younger sister of Thomas’s own wife Mary making a very confusing family connectionwhere Thomas was not only son, but brother-in-law to his father!!
Thomas only had 2 sons,George, and Benjamin,but tragically Benjamin was to die young, in an accident at Mill Close Mine.
A George Boam (possibly Benjamins brother), was the first to venture in to recover the bodies.
Records show Thomas is still living in Woolleys yard in 1871, 1881 and 1891.
His wife Mary died in 1884. Of his 8 children  6 lived to adulthood, and as mentioned youngest son Benjamin died aged 23. Of the two youngest daughters, Lucy died within a month of birth and is baptised just a week before her death, and Harriet died aged 2 years.
Elizabeth is still living in 1871 at the time of the census , and in 1881 appears to be working as a servant for the Bates family in the Edinburgh Hotel in Salford, Lancashire. She married Richard Tatlock but died without issue.
His surviving 4 children though provided him with at least 37 grandchildren. In 1891 Thomas has grandson George Heathcote, 9 year old son of Eliza Boam staying with him in Woolleys Yard.
Thomas died in 1898, 14 years after the death of his wife Mary. He is buried in St John the Baptist churchyard with Mary, and their youngest daugther Harriet  and grandson Lewis Edwin Boam, who was a son of George, and who died during World War 1. He was killed while a Prisoner of War in Poland. Their Gravestone is in the churchyard beside his son Benjamin.
The transcription of the gravestone reads:

In Affectionate Remembrance of Mary,Wife of Thomas Boam of Winster,who died April 11th 1884.Also of Harriett, daughter of the above who died April 3rd 1872.Also of Thomas Boam..... died April 28 1898 .Also of L/Cpl Edwin Boam, interred at M?glowitz Oct 18 1918, Aged 27.

Ancestors of Winster: The Family of Thomas Boam 1803-1874

2 pages in 2 days. Im on a roll!
This is the promised page on Thomas Boam my 4x Great Grandfather whose 2nd marriage meant his son's sister in law was also his step-mother!!- Yes I know that is complicated!!
Thanks to Dawn Scotting for her research on this branch of my family because I dont think I would ever worked it out myself!!
Not to mention its hard to distinguish when your 5x, 4x and 3x great grandfathers are all named Thomas Boam!!

Thomas Boam was the second son of  Thomas Boam and Martha Walker. He was baptised at St John the Baptist at Winster on 18th September 1803 and lived his whole life in Winster. He was a Lead Miner by trade.
Thomas married Ellen Fryer at St John the Baptist on 26th January 1826 and she would bear him 4 children, but died on the same day the youngest child James was born so I have surmised, that she died giving birth to James. She died on September 7th 1835, and was buried on September 10th. Baby James was baptised on September 8th and then there is no further record of him so perhaps he was buried with his mother. No burial record for him can be found. Thomas was left to brng up his 3 children, aged 8, 5 and 3 . In the 1841 census he is living in Woolleys Yard, and appears to be living next door to his brother in law Thomas Fryer, Ellen's older brother, so perhaps the Fryer family helped look after the children while Thomas was at work. Of course by the time of the 1851 census the children were much older. Living with Thomas are youngest son John aged 19 and daughter Matha, now married, and her husband Daniel and their 2 daughters Ellen and  Esther. Thomas was a grandfather by 1849 when he was only 46.  on 12 Feb 1849 son Thomas marries Mary Wilson, daughter of William Wilson at St John the Baptist in Winster.  Confusingly in the 1851 census, Mary is living with her parents in St Werburgh in Derby, and Thomas jr is living alone in a house near his father in Woolleys Yard.
The connection to the Wilson family though is to take on a much more powerful meaning, as the next mention of Thomas Boam senior is his 2nd marriage.   Thomas marries Sarah Wilson the youngest daughter of William Wilson - yes the same man who is the father in law of son Thomas.!  Sarah is 38 years younger than Thomas, in fact she his 9 years younger than Thomas’s youngest child! This makes Sarah Wilson both the sister in law of Thomas Jr, but also the Step mother!!
Thomas Sr. must have had plenty of life left in him because Sarah provided him with another 7 children between 1858 and 1874, including Sarah’s first child Mary who was baptised with the surname Wilson but who Thomas claimed was his daughter in each subsequent census.
The two Thomas Boam families lived next door to each other in Wooleys yard until the death of Thomas Sr. in 1874 Sadly Thomas would never live to see the birth of his youngest son Alfred Albert who was born in October 1874, 5 months after the death of his father.

My Winster Ancestry - The Family of William Wilson 1801-?

I finished another page for my book about the branch of my family who came from Winster, Derbyshire.
This page is about William Wilson, born 1801 - my 4x G Grandfather.
He is a bit of a frustration because I lose him and his wife, after the 1851 census. I cant pinpoint either his nor Marys death.
I suspect they died before 1861 as their two youngest living children are both back living in Winster, despite the family having moved into Derby for the 1851 census.

William Wilson was my 4x Great Grandfather, and eldest son of Joseph Wilson and Grace Ashton. Born in Winster, he was baptised at St John the Baptist church there on 21st September 1801.
Once again little is known of his early life until 1822 when his name is mentioned in the High Peaks Quarterly Sessions. He is accused of “Riot and Assault” but the chargers are later dropped.
Perhaps this was enough for William to leave Winster, as he is next seen in Prestbury Cheshire where he marries Mary Short on the 28th November 1824. However by the next year with the birth of his eldest daughter Jane, he is back in Winster.
Several of the children are born in Oldham Lancashire . When his son William was born in 1836, the family residence is noted as Fenleach and William’s occupation is listed as a Joiner
In the 1841 census this move to Lancashire is confirmed by the birthplace of son William being listed as not from Derbyshire.  The family residence in 1841 is Market Street, which is now  Main Street, and he is the last house on the schedule before West Street which is likely now West Bank.
It is entirely possible the house on the facing page which is on the corner of Main Street  and West Bank is the one lived in by William Wilson and his family.

Like his father Joseph, William is a Carpenter. By 1851, he has moved the family away from Winster yet again and is living at 12 Macklin Street St Werbaugh and his occupation is noted as Master Carpenter.  His son George is following in his footsteps 

William and Mary had 9 children, but several of them died in infancy or childhood. Eldest daughter Jane died aged 14, Then in 1835, they lost 2 children, Joseph aged 3 and Ann aged just one . Youngest child Henry died in the same year he was born, 1848. 

I have been unable to find either William or Mary in the 1861 census and can not confirm a death date for either . Youngest living son Thomas has moved back to Winster in 1861 and is living with his elder sister Mary and her husband Thomas Boam in WInster, which might indicate both William and Mary have died before 1861.

The Family of Joseph Wilson 1776-1859

I finally got time to complete another page for my Ancestors of Winster book.
Its nice to now be recent enough to finally have some census records to work with. Luckily for me Joseph and Grace, my 5x Great grandparents, lived into their 80s and appear in both the 1841 and 1851 census returns.
We also finally have a Wilson living in Winster.

Joseph Wilson was probably born at the very beginning of 1776 as he was baptised on February 4th of that year at Longnor. He was born at Dunbrook where his parents David and Jane Wilson lived . Joseph was the third of 11 children born to the couple. At some point probably in early adulthood he moved to Winster, in Derbyshire, perhaps to be apprenticed as a carpenter /joiner which is a trade he was still practicing into his 60s.
He married Grace Ashton at St John the Baptist Church, Winster, Derbyshire, on 8 Jun 1801. Grace was the daughter of William Ashton and Margaret Hodgkinson. Grace had been born in Winster.
The first real record I have of Joseph, apart from his marriage and the births of his children is his record in the 1841 census.  Joseph was listed as age 65 and his occupation that of Joiner. He is living in Bankside which could possibly later known as East Bank , in fact at the end of the lane later known as East Bank there is a block of terraced houses is now known as “The Flat”  It is thought this part of the road used to be known as Wilson’s Row so it is likely Joseph and family lived here .
Still living with Joseph and Grace in 1841 is son George aged 36 and Edward aged 28. Both following the same trade as their father.  Additionally a 6 year old child named Grace is living with them. Grace was the daughter of their eldest daughter Jane, who had died not long after the birth of her daughter.

By 1851 Joseph has become a Wheelwright - perhaps the work was less labour intensive, By this time he is in his mid 70s. Unlike many from their generation, all but the last of Joseph and Grace’s children lived to adulthood and married and had children, infact by 1851 it appears they had at least 31 grandchildren including Grace who was still living with her grandparents at the time of the 1851 census.  Eldest son William had 9 children, most of whom lived elsewhere in Derbyshire. Jane unfortunately died after the birth of her only daughter Grace, as mentioned before. George had 6 children  who lived in Lancashire. Joseph stayed in Winster and had 9 children . Mary moved to Lancashire like her elder brother, and had 3 children before her death in 1874 but was helping raise the children of her husband John Taylor as well . Edward stayed in Winster and he and his wife also had 3 children . Joseph  lived a long life, making it to 83 when he died in 1859, and was buried at St John the Baptist churchyard in Winster on October 1st of that year . His wife Grace had died a year earlier It was noted in 1851 on the census that she was blind but it is unknown how long she had been this way.

The Family of John Fryer 1777- 1841

In a continuation of my book about my ancestors who hailed from Winster in Derbyshire, here is my page about my 5x great grandfather John Fryer who was a shoemaker like his father before him.
Interestingly he moved away from Winster, but his daughter Ellen Fryer married back into the village!

This one was a bit hard to complete as I knew so little about him. Thankfully we are now moving toward the time of better records and John lived just long enough to be part of the 1841 census, and he did appear in the 1835 Pigots Directory for Derbyshire.

John Fryer was the eldest son of Henry Fryer and Ann Twigg. He was baptised at St Johns in Winster on March 14th 1777. Like his father took up Shoe making as an occupation.
This is proven by the 1841 census where he, aged 64 (his age in the census is rounded down) is still working in the industry.
According to the 1835 Pigots Directory of Swanwick John and his son Joseph were both working as Shoemakers in the Village of Swanwick Derbyshire.
Though born in Winster, at some point before 1798 when he married Ellen Vickers, he moved to Edensor, Derbyshire which is about 9 miles from Winster..
His eldest child Joseph was born there, but later the family moved elsewhere in Derbyshire as subsequent children are born in Pentrich, and then Alfreton which close to Swanwick where the family were living in 1841.]
I have only confirmed the birth of 6 children to John and Ellen. I believe the Ann Fryer aged 20 living with the family in 1841 is the illegitimate daughter of Mary Fryer.
The two younger Joseph Fryers I assume are also grandchildren.
John Fryer would have been an artisan making new shoes as this was the definition of a cordwainer.

In the mid-1800s shoemaking was still very much a cottage industry. Shoemakers worked individually, collecting raw material from a manufacturer and then returning the finished product in return for payment. The work was carried out by hand, usually in a workshop in the shoemakers’ own home. Other family members, including wives and children, were often engaged in assisting the shoemaker. As the sewing machine was not invented until 5 years after John Fryer died, all the shoes he made would have been hand stitched.


John died on the 3rd September 1841 and was buried 2 days later at Alfreton Derbyshire. His wife Ellen died just 15 months later, and also is buried at Alfreton.

Though John himself left Winster, his daughter Ellen was to return when she married Thomas Boam, continuing the family history in the village which had for so many generations been home to her ancestors.

The Family of Henry Fryer 1757- 1807

I had time today to finish another page for my Ancestors from Winster book. This one is about Henry Fryer my 6x Great Grandfather (son of the subject of yesterdays page) and his wife Ann Twigg.

Henry Fryer was the third child of Thomas Fryer and Jane Woolley.  Father Thomas was a master baker, but it appears Henry took up a different trade, as Settlement Examination records in 1778 mention Henry had been an apprentice to Thomas Prime of Birchover for 7 years as a Cordwainer from the age of 12.
A Cordwainer was a boot or shoemaker who made new shoes from leather.  I suspect we have the correct Henry in these records, as one of Henry's sons - his namesake Henry, born 1790 is listed as a Shoemaker in the 1871 census.
If Henry learned his trade in Birchover,which is likely where he met his wife Ann who was born there in 1752, he did return to Winster, as he married Ann Twigg on 10th December 1776 at St Johns church in Winster, and all of his 12 children were born in Winster. In addition, both Henry and his wife Ann are both buried in Winster.

Henry and his wife Ann had a total of 11 children, however they also suffered some incredible sadness. 1794/5 was such a year for them, with the death of 3 children- second son Joseph, and third son Thomas and youngest child Thomas Twigg Fryer (most likely named after his recently deceased older brother) who died as an infant in 1794 and then 3 year old Mary died a few months later in February 1795. What the children died of is unknown, however in other areas of England Typhoid was rampant, and 1794 was noted as being an extremely cold winter, in fact the coldest since records had begun in the mid 1600s.
In addition , 11 years earlier it appears Henry and Ann lost a baby daughter Ann who was born in February and was buried on Boxing day of that same year.

Henry died aged 50 in 1807. He is buried in St John the Baptist  churchyard Winster. His wife Ann lived another 25 years, dying on 28th May 1832. She was also  buried on 31st May at St John the Baptist in Winster.

The Family of Thomas Fryer 1729-1779

I had some time to complete another page for my book which will feature my ancestors who lived in Winster, Derbyshire.
This page focuses on Thomas Fryer , my 7x Great Grandfather. I am quite interested in the fact that he was a Master Baker. I would like to learn a bit more about him and find out where he lived in Winster. I hope when I visit there later this year I can find out some more.

Thomas Fryer was born in Thornton Leicester, according to Settlement examination records dated 1758. In these records Thomas states he is the son of John Fryer and had  arrived in Matlock some 20 years earlier and then subsequently moved to Elton which is where John Fryer had died in 1737.  The Settlement examinations also stated Thomas, at the time 28 or 29 years old, had married Jane Woolley 9 years earlier. This tallies perfectly with a marriage record from All Saints Church Youlgreave  on 20th June 1749.
Also mentioned in the settlement examinations was that Thomas and Jane had 3 children, John, Ann and Henry.
In 1746 Thomas had been bound as an apprentice to Anthony Cooper who was a Baker.
By 1753 Thomas was himself a Master Baker and had indentured apprentices himself, and was still employing apprentices as late as 1777.
Not a lot is known about Thomas Fryer except the information in the Settlement Examination . The district that a person had legal settlement was important, as in the case of need, entitlement to help from the parish went to those who had legal settlement in that district. You could obtain legal settlement if you were born in the district and by several other methods including by being ‘bound an apprentice by indenture’ to a parishioner, no prior notice being needed.
Clearly due to the fact Thomas had both been an indentured apprentice, and then also later become a Master Baker with his own apprentices meant that he and his family would be taken care of by the parish should the need exist.
Records show that Thomas  died in 1779 and was buried on July 7th of that year . Jane died 5 years later in 1794 and was buried on April 28th 1784.
Eldest son John was buried in 1768 aged 18, but there appear no records for marriage or death for Ann, Thomas or James . They may have moved away from the district. Son Henry though, stayed in Winster and married Ann Twigg .

The family of Thomas Boam 1768-1822

This page for my Families of Winster book  was probably the hardest to make so far because I know so little about Thomas Boam , my 5x G Grandfather - he is the last generation before civil registration and censuses teach us so much more about our ancestors.
He probably was a Lead miner, like his sons and grandsons but I can find nothing to confirm that. He may have lived in Woolleys Yard as his descendants did, but again, nothing I have found confirms this - so the page below is simply what I know of him and his family and Winster, where he lived his whole life.

Thomas Boam was born in 1768, and baptised on 23rd October 1768 at St Johns the Baptist Church in Winster, the son of James Boam and Ann Allen.  He was the 4th child and second son of the couple. Little is known of his early life, however a large proportion of the population of Winster was employed in the nearby Lead Mines. Certainly Thomas’ sons James and Thomas and those of several generations following him, were Lead Miners.
On 29th June 1790 Thomas married Martha Walker, who was the daughter of Adam Walker and Sarah Ohme, also of Winster.
Very soon after their marriage their first son James was born, and was baptised on 28th December 1790 .
Thomas and Martha went on to have at least 6 children including one who died as an infant in 1808.
Both Thomas and Martha died in the same year 1822 . Martha died first on the 4th  June and was buried in St John the Baptist churchyard 2 days later on 6th June of that year.
Just a few months later in October, Thomas also died and is buried in the same churchyard as his

Winster changed considerably during the term of Thomas’ life. Mining had brought immense prosperity. Between 1720 and 1770, Winster's population had grown to more than 2,000 and over 20 inns had sprung up. Most of the houses, now standing in Winster, date from those times. But the huge amounts of ore extracted eventually rebounded on profitability. By the late 18 century, the London Lead Company found their Derbyshire operations too costly and sold their Peak District concessions in 1778.

By the end of the 18th century, most of the mines had closed, with only two continuing to operate into the 19th century. Population returns dramatically reflect the industrial decline. In 1789 the population had declined to little more than 1000 and by 1801 there were only 750 people in the village

The Family of James Boam 1740 - 1799 6x Great Grandfather

This page will replace the previous Boam pages I had done as the first Boam page in my series as I unfortunately discovered an error in my previous research and the James I thought was this James was not !- That James had died as a child but his death record had previously gone un noticed.

My James - it appears was an illegitimate son of Sarah Boam from Darley Dale and we arent positive who her father is, though it could be Hugh Boam - I believe these people are all descendants of Henry Boam or his siblings from my earlier post but more research will have to be done to prove it

This is the journalling from the layout above.

It is thought James Boam is the illegitmate son of Sarah Boam of Darley Dale. Sarah was probably the daughter of Hugh Boam from the same village, however records are not clear enough to be sure.
James was baptised on 9th March 1740 at St Helens Church in Darley Dale. Where he spent his childhood is unknown but he married Ann Allen in St John the Baptist Church, Winster on 14th May 1764.
James and Anns first 3 children were born in Winster, James and Samuel in 1764 and Thomas in 1768, however Samuel sadly died in the same year Thomas was born.
What James occupation was is unknown but it is clear that the family came upon hard times because in 1769 there is a Removal order for James, his wife Ann and their children James and Thomas. The removal order dated 18-01-1769 for "James BOAM  -  wife Ann and children James abt 4 and Thomas abt a  a year". to be removed from the parish of Winster, back to Darley Dale, where James had been born.
The removal order would have been based on the  poor law Act of Settlement and Removal. The Settlement Act allowed for the removal from a parish, back to their place of settlement, of newcomers whom local justices deemed "likely to be chargeable" to the parish poor rates.  Each person had a Parish of Settlement. This was the parish that a person was entitled to live in , and the Parish would often take responsibility for the poor in their own parish, however they did not want responsibility for those who were from elsewhere.
Clearly James and his family needed financial aid and could not provide for themselves at this point in time.
 It is unknown if the Removal Order was enforced, but in any case by 1771 James and Ann and their family were back in Winster, as all the remaining children were born there.
It is likely James gained employment in the Lead mines in the area. Winster was a village with man lead miners in its population. Mining brought immense prosperity to the town . Between 1720 and 1770, Winster's population had more than doubled to 2000  and over 20 inns had sprung up.
James was buried on Christmas Even 1799and is buried at St John the Baptist churchyard in Winster along with his wife Ann who  died just over 3 years later in February 1803.

The family of David Wilson 1747-1795 - updated- and the family of Simon Wilson

Its been a busy week genealogically speaking for me.
This was prompted by my last weeks layout on David Wilson and the discovery of a whole new branch of the family which necessitated me redoing last weeks layout

David Wilson was my 6x Great Grandfather. He was baptised at Longnor Staffordshire on 22nd November 1747, and married Jane Sleigh at Alstonefield . Very early in their marriage they lived at Under Longnor Edge, probably in the same house or close to Davids father who also lived at this location, however before long they moved to Dunbrook, where most of their children were born, and remained there for the rest of David’s life as his burial record attests. After Davids death, Jane remarried to William Slack but they dont appear to have remained in the district.
It is unknown what occupation David held, however we do know from his marriage record that he could at least write as se has signed his name. The marriage of David and Jane Sleigh was witnessed by Peter Wilson who was Davids brother .
We do not know for sure what occupation David held but it is likely he was either a farmer, or a miner, or even a stone mason, as his son Simon was and his grandsons Edward and Isaac.  based on the location of his cottage at Dunbrook, and the occupations of his children some of whom became lead miners.  Davids son Joseph, my 5x Great Grandfather, was the first in my direct line to move to Winster in Derbyshire.

The cottage that the Wilsons probably lived in along with its detached 2 story barn, at Dunbrook is still standing and though it has had significant modernisation, it still retains the character it likely had when it was lived in by my 6x Great Grandparents David and Jane had a total of 9 children. The eldest, Elizabeth, baptised as Betty was born while the family still lived at Under Longnor Edge however all the rest were born at Dunbrook .Later it seems youngest son Simon, with the help of his son Issac, built another house just across the road - a more modern 2 story stone cottage which he left in his will to his son Edward.  One of the conditions of the will was that if Isaac wished to build a similar house Edward should pay half towards it. Apparently Isaac took his father up on that offer, because now 2 stone houses are on the same property. Isaac stayed at Dunbrook until 1866 when he emigrated with his family to New Zealand.





I will probably do a separate layout which covers the following information about Simon - but before I forget all Ive learned this week I will post it here



While there is no record of his birth, it is presumed that Simon Wilson - who is living at Dunbrook in the 1841 and 1851 census is the son of David Wilson.
Unfortunately we are not likely to ever prove this conclusively as the records from the church at Longnor where Davids children were all baptised are missing several years covering the period where Simon was born, however the fact he is living at Dunbrook, and his children all take names strongly linked with Davids family ( including one named David) would indicate that our assumption would be correct.

What we discovered is that there is more than one house at Dunbrook - we originally thought just the old cottage now known as Poole Cottage was where David lived.

However we also discovered a cottage called Dunbrook Cottage- this apparently is a 19th century dwelling so probably not Davids,- it is far more likely he lived in the cottage above, which dates from the 1700s  The house below - called Dunbrook cottage was most likely built by Davids son Simon who was a stone mason

On the same section as Dunbrook Cottage, just behind it hidden in the trees is another very similar house called Dunbrook House

 

From Simon's will we know that he left his house to his son Edward, and that his son Isaac had helped him build the house . One condition of this was that Edward should pay for the building of another house for his brother Isaac if Isaac wished.

One of the two houses is obviously the first house that Simon and Isaac built, and the other is the one Isaac built after his father died . 

We know Edward was for some time living at Dunbrook as there seems to have been an disagreement between Simons daughter Elizabeth and Edwards wife Jemima 

 

However Edward is not living at Dunbrook in any of the census records- In 1861, 1871 and 1881  he is living at Sheen ,about 3 miles away. 

Here is a transcription of Simon Wilsons will

This is the last will and Testament of me Simon Willson of Dunbrook in the township of Longnor in the parish of Alstonfield in the County of Stafford. First I direct that all my just debts funeral and testamentary expenses be paid by my executors hereinafter named out of my personal estate. I give and bequeath subject to the privisoes hereinafter made until my son Edward Willson his heirs and assigns for ever All that my freehold Dwellinghouse in which I now reside situate at Dunbrook aforesaid together with one morety or have part and sall be set off and divided by my executors of my Cow house, Coal house Garden adn Croft with all rights roads and appurtenances thereunto belonging I give and bequeath unto my son Isaac Willson his heirs and assigns for ever all that other morety or half part of my said cow house coal house garden and croft as shall be set off or divided by my executors with all rights roads and appurtenances thereunto belonging provided always my will and mind is that if in case my son Isaac shall within Twelve calendar months make up his mind and elect to erect therafter upon the premises hereby bequeathed to to him a Dwellinghouse I do hereby charge my Dwelling house which is bequeathed to my son Edward with half the cost of the materials and workmanship of the masonry plastering flagging tiling or staking for a similar dwellinghouse as to value as that now in my occupation. This charge I consider equivalent to Issacs share for help in the erection of my dwellinghouse but in the event of my son Isaac Willson electing to receive the sum of Forty Pounds at the end of Twelve Calendar months next after my decease in lieu of the half or morety of my cow house coal house garden and croft and for the share of building materials and workmanship as a ove provided and charged I wish my son Edward or his heirs and assigns to accede to the terms and pay that sum to my son Isaac in lieu of his morety and Building Materials as above bequeathed to him with charge for workmanship and the erection of a Dwellinghouse and the release of my said son Isaac his heirs and assigns shall be a good discharge to his brother or his heirs or assigns for the same after which being executed my son Edward or his heirs and assigns will take the whole of my real property. Provided further in the event of either of my daughters Elizabeth or Sarah being left Widows and needing a dwelling house my wish and desire is and I do hereby will and bequeath that one or both of them my said daughters as the case may happen may have free use and tenure during her life or lives respectively of my parlour and my bedroom over my parlour with ingress and egress to and from the said rooms without any payments of rent whatever or it may be optional with all parties concerned for my son Edward his heirs and assigns to allow rent to one or both of my said daughters equivalent to the value of the above named rooms for her or them to reside elsewhere in case of needing a Dwelling house in widowhood only and as to the rest and residue of my property whether in Money Book Debts Stock Implements or other effects whatsoever, except tools which I wish my two sons to take equally between them, I hereby give and bequeath the same to be equally divided between my two daughters Elizabeth and Sarah as soon as convenient after my decease.  I dp hereby nominate constitute and appoint my two friends Joseph Millward and Joseph Grindey both of Tunstead in the township of Longnor aforesaid Executors of this my last will and testament and direct that they shall be the arbitrators in the division of my cow house coal house garden and croft as herein before declared I do hereby revoke and make void all former and other wills by me at any time heretofore made and declare this alone to be my last will and testament contained on two sides of this sheet of paper in witness whereof I have to this my last Will and Testament set my hand this third day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and Sixty. 

Isaac marries Ann Chedwick   in Alstonfield before heading to Lancashire to an area which is now part of Downtown Manchester, for reasons yet to be known, however likely to be work related as the people around him are all in the brick, stone  or masonery business. 

After his fathers death in 1860 he is back in Dunbrook with his 6 children, but by the end of 1865 he had made the decision to emigrate to New Zealand and the family with wife and 5 children  packed up and left the small village his family had lived in for over 100 years and aboard the Mermaid they arrived in Canterbury on 1st January 1866. 

Isaac and Ann had 2 more children in New Zealand before Isaac died in Christchurch aged only 59 in 1879.

Simons daughter Elizabeth had already emigrated to New Zealand in March 1860. Later she married a second cousin - David Wilson Hamilton, who had also chosen to emigrate to New Zealand sometime before. David Wilson Hamilton, owned a house, “the Grange”, and was proprietor of a coach service, the precursor of the tramway system, which ran from Sharlands Corner via Stanmore, Shirley and the New Brighton roads to the New Brighton Hotel in Seaview Road where he was “mine host”.

My thanks to Dawn Scotting and Hugh Stark for their assistance in this research which will no doubt be ongoing!