Category: ENGLAND

Alfred Wreford

Just outside the entrance to St Mary’s church in Morchard Bishop, Devon, is a solitary grave.

The grave stone is so worn, only the name ‘Alfred Wreford’ can be made out.

Fortunately, there was a list of burials inside the church which quickly gave me Alfred’s death date and the fact he was only 8 years old when he died.

Of course, I wanted to know more. I was unable to find any mention of Alfred’s death in the newspaper, which indicates he was likely to have died from some kind of illness rather than a tragic accident. To know for sure, I’d have to order his death certificate. But if I ordered every certificate that took my fancy, I wouldn’t have enough money to eat, so that will have to remain a mystery for now.

But I’ve still been able to find some details about Alfred’s life.

Alfred was baptised at Morchard Bishop on 25 May 1863, the son of agricultural labourer Matthew Wreford and his wife, Mary Drew.  This was the second marriage for both his parents, and although Alfred would be the only child his parents would have together, he had 7 older half-siblings combined. At the time of his baptism, the family were residing on The Street in Morchard Bishop. 

In the 1871 census, Alfred can be found with his parents and 14-year-old half sister, living at ‘Sidbury’ (or Sidborough) which is part of the village of Oldborough (just south of Morchard Bishop).

I was able to find photographs of the house but it looks a lot grander today than it would have done in the 1870s. (Historic England states it was formerly a small farmhouse and adjoining cottage.)

Alfred would die only a few months after the census was taken, and be buried next to the church building, where I would discover him 153 years later.

But since I have a theory that I am related to every Wreford buried in Morchard Bishop, I wanted to find out how this boy was related to me.

Turns out, Alfred was my fourth cousin, once removed, and two sets of his 3rd great grandparents were also my 7th great grandparents:

Set one – William Wreford (1717-1763) and Thomasin Manley (1719 – 1794)
Set two – Matthew Wreford (1712-1752) and Sarah James (1717 – 1763)

William and Matthew were brothers – the children of Matthew Wreford (1682 – 1763) and Elizabeth Manley (1684 – 1757) – and two of Matthew’s children grew up to marry two of William’s children.

Common Ancestors with Alfred Wreford

Nice to have ‘met’ you, cousin Alfred.

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Stonewall Johnson

Bloxwich Cemetery

photograph of disused chapel on sunny day
Disused chapel at Bloxwich Cemetery

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.

image of old map featuring Bloxwich Cemetery
Bloxwich Cemetery as shown on map c1901

The cemetery expanded over the years – from 6 acres to about 13 acres today (2023).

photograph of Bloxwich Cemetery map sign displayed at site
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)

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Good Tithings

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’.

part of the 1841 census page showing the Wreford family at 'Withley Good Man'
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.

Next Steps:

  • obtain a copy of George Maunder’s 1826 will

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Wreford Versus...

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Christ Church, Blakenall Heath

front of stone church behind low brick wall and trees bare of leaves
Christ Church in April 2023

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, c7
West side of Christ Church from rear (2023)
North side of Christ Church from front (2023)

Family Connections

1946 – marriage of Harry Richards and Rose Lamb

 

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Mary Wilcox – A Minor Mystery Solved

(continued from previous post: Who was Mary Wilcox?)

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.

Baptism entry
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.

family entry from 1841 census
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’.

Related posts:

Neighbouring Families

Alfred Wreford

George the Absconder