Great x3 Grandfather William Nott

My Great x3 Grandfather William (18?? - 1899) was an agricultural labourer and father of nine.

William Nott was born somewhere between 1815 - 1828 in Chittlehampton, Devon, to James Nott, a labourer. The broad date range for his birth year results from the differing ages he gave on censuses.

On 27th July 1849, William, an agricultural labourer, married Grace Cobley (about 21), a wool weaver, in Huntsham. At the time of their marriage, both parties resided in Huntsham. Whilst Grace was able to sign her name of their marriage certificate, William left only his mark, implying he could not write.

William and Grace had nine children (four sons and five daughters):

• William  1850 -
• John  1853 -
• Frederick  1854 -
• Mary Emma  1856 -
• Eliza Lydia  1857 -
• Bessie Staddon  1859 -
• Walter  1861 -
• Jessie Rose  1864 -
• Agnes  1868 -

Around 1851, William, Grace and their eldest child, William, named after his father, moved about fourteen miles south-west from Huntsham to Cruwys Morchard.

1851 Census:

In the early 1850's, William and his family lived in Morchard Bishop, before moving to Bampford, where daughters Mary, Eliza and Bessie were baptised in 1856, 1857 and 1859. The family moved back to Morchard Bishop around 1860. By 1861, they were living at Oldborough, less than a mile south of Morchard Bishop.

1861 Census:

Sometime in the 1860's, the family moved again from Oldborough to Southcott Cottage, also in Morchard Bishop.

1871 Census:

In 1875, a shirt of William's was stolen. William's wife Grace proved the case. A William Crossman was apprehended and the stolen property found upon him; thus was William's shirt thankfully recovered.

From the Western Times on 15th October 1875:

In the 1881 Census, whilst Grace remained at Southcott Cottage with their daughter Jessie and infant granddaughter Edith Edworthy, William resided at West Aish, also in Morchard Bishop, where he worked as a farm labourer.

1881 Census:

In Apr/May/Jun 1890, William's wife Grace passed away, aged about sixty-two, in the district of Crediton.

The 1891 Census shows elderly widower William alone at Southcott Cottage.

1891 Census:

Interestingly, another Great x3 Grandfather of mine, George Anley Sandford, and his family can be found only a page earlier on the 1891 Census, meaning William and George lived very close to each other and likely knew each other! It's all the more interesting for I am descended from William by my father, and I am descended from George by my mother. These two old agricultural labourers, chatting together in the 1890's, they couldn't have dreamt a great great grandchild of each would marry each other one hundred years later, and that they would share two great x3 grandchildren.

Sometime in his later years, William moved from Morchard Bishop to Winkleigh, about nine miles west. There he passed away in early 1899. He was between 71 and 84 years old. He was buried on the 18th March 1899 in Winkleigh.