Bloxwich Cemetery, located on Field Road, was opened in 1875.
Until 1875, burials had taken place in the churchyard of All Saints – the parish church of Bloxwich (built 1793). By the 1870s, the churchyard had become extremely crowded and another burial site was needed.
Bloxwich Cemetery as shown on map c1901
The cemetery expanded over the years – from 6 acres to about 13 acres today (2023).
Map of Bloxwich Cemetery c2021
There were originally two mortuary chapels – one designated for Church of England and one for Nonconformists – but the Nonconformist chapel was demolished sometime before 2009. There was talk of demolishing the remaining building but as of 2023, the disused chapel is still standing.
Side view of disused chapel at Bloxwich Cemetery
Family Connections
1986 – Carnation Richards (died 27 Jan 1986) – buried [HH section]
1987 – Charles Richards (died 29 Apr 1987) – buried [HH section]
1900 – Eli Fletcher (infant) – buried 10 Aug 1900 [E section 2 grave 55]
1909 – Elizabeth Fletcher (died 3 May 1909) – buried 8 May 1909 [C section 2 grave 251]
Other Connections
1875 – The first burials were those of William Boncer (age 28) and Henry Edward Hough (aged 2 days) on 7 June 1875.
(Mary Ann Pritchard (aged 3) was buried 8 June)
In the 1841 census, William Wreford was recorded at ‘Withley Goodman‘, near Tiverton, with his second wife Ann, and their four children. He was recorded simply as ‘Farmer’.
William Wreford in the 1841 census
I’d already found the location of the farm, but now, using the 1841 tithe maps and apportionments on the Devon County Council website, I’ve been able to establish the exact land that William farmed!
Tithes were a kind of tax where one tenth of all agricultural produce was paid annually to support the local church and clergy. The Tithe Commutation Act was passed in 1836 to convert this to monetary payments. A tithe survey was carried out in each parish to value the land, discover what tithes were payable and calculate each landowner’s liability.
In the survey conducted in 1841, William was recorded as the occupier of Withleigh Goodman in the Priors district of the parish of Tiverton. At this time, the farm consisted of 21 plots, which came to a total of 54 acres, 3 roods, and 12 perches. This works out to 221, 879 square metres (about 22 hectares).
Plots occupied by William Wreford in 1841 (shown on a c1905 map)
William did not own the land he farmed. In 1841, the landowner of Withleigh Goodman was Richard Morrish ‘as Trustee for George Brook Maunder’.
These tithe records have triggered a new set of questions.
What was the Maunder link?
Who was George Brook Maunder? And why did he need a trustee?
Who was Robert Morrish?
What was the Maunder link?
Maunder was the previous surname of William’s wife, Ann. It was also the surname of two other inhabitants of the house, Ann Maunder (20, female servant) and George Maunder (15, apprentice).
I’d long thought of Maunder as being Ann’s maiden name but it’s possible that Maunder was a married name, and the young Maunders are actually Ann’s children. William and Ann’s marital status was not noted on their marriage record, but I know William was widowed so Ann could have been too. 1841 census ages are ‘iffy’, but other records show Ann was actually about 45 years old – old enough to be the mother of children aged 20 and 15.
Who was George Brook Maunder?
The only records for George Brook Maunder that I could find, suggest he was baptised in 1825 at Puddington (about 5 miles from Withleigh). He was the son of a George and Ann, who resided at Coombe.
Baptism of George Brook Maunder at Puddington on 2 Jan 1825
This couple also had a daughter named Ann, baptised in 1820.
Baptism of Ann Maunder at Puddington on 6 Nov 1820
This ties in with the ages of the George and Ann Maunder at Withleigh Goodman in 1841.
Why would George Brook Maunder need a trustee?
George Maunder, a yeoman of Coombe, died in 1826. It appears that he bequeathed the land to his eldest (and only living) son, George Brook Maunder. A trustee would have been appointed since his son was not of age. The will should be consulted to prove this theory.
Although not proven, it’s looking a lot like William’s wife, Ann, was the widow of George Maunder. This would mean that the Maunders recorded on the 1841 census were her children from this previous marriage, and her son George was the legal owner of the property that William Wreford was farming.
Christ Church on Ingram Road, Blakenall Heath was opened for service on 3 December 1870. It cost about £3000 to build and able to seat more than 500 people.
An article in the Staffordshire Advertiser (10 Dec 1870, p7), stated that the church was to be consecrated early the following year. Consecration did not actually happen until 21 May 1872. The Birmingham Post (22 May 1872, p7), reported that the building was consecrated “After considerable delay, arising from the interposition of various obstacles”. Total cost of the work was given as £3500.
Staffordshire Advertiser, 10 December 1870, p7, c7West side of Christ Church from rear (2023)North side of Christ Church from front (2023)
Companion post for the Geneageek’s Gems podcast episode: A Walsallian Story
(The relationship of George Ebbans and Sarah Ann Crossley was also previously discussed in the post: ‘George the Absconder‘.)
In the 1921 census, Sarah Ann Crossley was recorded in the home of her parents on 35 Farringdon Street, Walsall. Her husband was not with her and I was unable to find him elsewhere, despite George being released from military service in 1919.
Crossley family on 1921 census: 35 Farringdon Street.
I knew the couple had stayed together because they had two children who went on to have families of their own: a son, George, born in 1922, as well as a daughter, born in 1925.
1922 birth certificate of George Ebbans
George junior’s birth certificate stated that he was born at 74 Upper Green Lane, so I began to search the newspapers for that address, and struck gold! Through these newspaper reports, I was able to piece together the ‘tumultuous’ relationship of George and Sarah Ann.
George Ebbans and Sarah Ann Crossley married in Walsall on 14 June 1917, while George was home on leave from serving in the First World War. Their first child, Renee Victoria Ebbans was born 18 July 1919, and all appeared well with the couple. The following day was Peace Day, and George apparently celebrated a bit too hard, came home drunk, and abused his wife, who was still recovering from giving birth the day before. He also made the vile accusation, that little Renee was actually the child of Sarah Ann’s father. The 1920 Walsall Observer article recounts several episodes of George’s abusive behaviour, including an attack on his sister-in-law at George’s mother’s house (this would have been 140 Bridgeman Street). George blamed his lack of financial support for his wife and daughter, on his inability to work regularly due to ill-health.
Walsall Observer, 21 Feb 1920, p8, c3
The cycle of abuse, separation, and reunion continued for another five years, with Sarah Ann often taking refuge with her parents at 35 Farringdon Street. During this time, little Renee died (1921), and two sons were born, George (1922) and Sidney (1924) (Sidney died shortly after or at birth). The 1925 Walsall Observer article reported that George would be gaoled (and often) if his refusal to support his wife and child continued.
Walsall Observer, 8 Aug 1925, p5, c2
Sarah Ann had been pregnant at the time of the previous article, and their last child was born in the final quarter of 1925. By February 1926, George had still not given any money to Sarah Ann and was committed to gaol for two months.
Walsall Observer & South Staffordshire Chronicle, 6 Feb 1926, p4, c5
The last ‘sighting’ of George was in the 1930 Birmingham Daily Gazette, when he was sentenced to another three months in prison for owing a whopping £174 in maintenance arrears.
Birmingham Daily Gazette, 25 November 1930, p3
The 1920 article gave George’s address as 38 Farringdon Street but he was not there in the 1921 census. Fortunately, I was finally able to locate him by browsing the other Farringdon Street pages/returns. It turns out that in 1921, he was lodging with the Greatrex family at 32 Farringdon Street.
George Ebbans on the 1921 census: 32 Farringdon Street
Where George went, and what he did AFTER 1930 is still a mystery. Any information regarding this would be very welcome (rumours or fact). (Contact Me)
The first step was to do a ‘blanket search’ for Mary born c1828. There was another Mary Wilcox of a similar age recorded in the 1841 census, however this one was recorded with her parents, so I was able to rule out any record for this daughter of William and Jane Wilcox.
I found a baptism record for Mary of the correct age – born 22 October 1828 (baptised 1832), daughter of snaffle maker John Wilcox and his wife, Mary. This means she was 12 at the time of the 1841 census which matched up neatly with the Mary Wilcox recorded with the Thomasons. But another clue lay in where she was baptised – the ‘Independent’ Bridge Street Chapel, Walsall. This was the same place Hannah Craddock and her brother Samuel had been baptised about two decades before. Samuel Craddock was also a snaffle maker, indicating a possible family trade.
1832 Baptism of Mary Wilcox – Bridge Street Chapel, Walsall
But where was the Craddock link?
I searched for the marriage of John and Mary and… BINGO! There was a marriage on 1 November 1824 at West Bromwich of John Wilcox and Mary Craddock. (Unfortunately there was no image.)
I was unable to find a baptism record for Harriet Wilcox, but did find her with parents John and Mary in the 1841 census. This supports my theory that the Harriet Wilcox, also with the Wheeley family on the 1851 census, was the sister of Mary Wilcox.
Wilcox family on 1841 census – Blue Lane, Walsall
So, there we are – minor mystery solved:
Mary Wilcox was the niece of Hannah Wheeley (nee Craddock); daughter of Hannah’s sister Mary Wilcox (nee Craddock).
We will probably never know if Lydia Thomason (nee Walton) was introduced to Samuel Craddock by Mary or vice versa – but we at least know that connection was there.
However, another minor mystery has emerged…
Mary’s sister, Harriet Wilcox, went on to marry miner James Pearson in 1855 – was he related to Mary’s fellow servant, Sarah Pearson, in the 1841 census? I think I’ll leave that one for ‘another day’.
