Tuesday 23 June 2020

Great x3 Half Uncle William Willis

My Great x3 Half Uncle William (1864 - 1922) was a blacksmith, labourer, private and gunner in the Royal Artillery, railway plate-layer (for L&SWR), and an older half brother of my Great Great Grandfather Mark Sandford (1872 - 1945).



William was born in January or February 1864 in Colyton, Devon, the illegitimate son of Sarah Ann Willis (later Sandford) (about 23), a lacemaker.

William was baptised on Valentine's Day 1864 in Colyton.

William was one of two illegitimate children born to Sarah Ann, before her marriage:

  • William Willis  1864 - 1922  (58)
  • Mary Willis  1868 - 1937  (69)

Young William and Mary lived with their maternal grandparents, Sarah Ann's parents, James, a blacksmith, and Mary Willis, a lacemaker. The couple also took in their daughter Mary Ann's illegitimate son William John James Willis.

1871 Census:


On 7th May 1871, William's mother Sarah Ann (30), a lacemaker and single mother of two, married George Anley Sandford (27), a farm labourer, in Colyton. Before they married, George had lodged with Sarah Ann, her parents and family.

William had five younger half siblings - the legitimate children of his mother Sarah Ann and George Sandford - :

  • Mark Sandford  1872 - 1945  (73)
  • Jane Mary Sandford  1873 - after 1911 (at least 38)
  • Alice Sandford  1877 - 1943  (65)
  • Susan Sandford  1882 - after 1939  (at least 57)
  • Henry 'Harry' Sandford  1884 - 1917  (32 or 33)

1881 Census:


As a teenager, William worked as an assistant to his maternal grandfather James, who was a blacksmith. By 1885, a twenty-one year old William gives his occupation as a blacksmith.

Having previously belonged to the Devonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, on 10th February 1885, William enlisted at Exeter as a private and gunner in the Royal Artillery. For some reason he gives his age as eighteen, when he was actually just turned twenty-one. He would serve for twelve years.

From 10th February 1885 to 10th November 1886, William served at 'Home', for one and half years. During this first year in the Royal Artillery, he suffered a bout of measles. He was in hospital for twenty days, from 19th April to 8th May 1886. From 11th November 1886 to 8th December 1893, he served in Gibraltar, for six years. And finally from 9th December 1893 to 9th February 1897, at again served at 'Home', for four years.

His Army Record gives us a physical description of William as a young man: he was just short of 5'8'', 10 stones, had a fair complexion, light brown hair and blue eyes. His character is described as 'exemplary'. His habits and conduct are 'regular, very good, temperate'.

Whilst William was in the army, his guardians/grandparents passed away. In 1886, when William was twenty-two, his maternal grandfather James passed away, aged about seventy-six, in the parish of Axminster. Two years later, in 1888, when William was twenty-four, his maternal grandmother Mary passed away, aged about seventy-five, in the parish of Axminster.

On 3rd September 1894, William (30), a gunner and labourer, married Emily Hepper (25), in Heanton Punchardon, Devon. William and Emily didn't have any children.

In Jul/Aug/Sep 1897, when William was thirty-three, his mother Sarah Ann passed away, aged fifty-seven, in the district of South Molton.

After leaving the army, William went on to work as a plate-layer for the London & South Western Railway,

1901 Census:


1911 Census:


By 1922, William and Emily were living at 2 Railway Cottages at Chawleigh.

On Thursday 8th June 1922, William passed away, aged fifty-eight, at work. He complained of feeling 'done up' to a colleague, Robert Sampson, before sitting down. Just after Robert saw William's head fall backwards; he went over to him, but William passed away almost immediately. The locum tenens found 'a marked degeneration of the heart muscle, caused by extensive disease of the arteries supplying the heart' and 'a certain amount of inflammation of the stomach of fairly long standing'. William's death was attributed to 'a syncope [loss of consciousness caused by drop in blood pressure] following heart disease and indigestion'.

From the Western Times of 9th June 1922:


Three years later, in Apr/May/Jun 1925, his wife Emily passed away, aged fifty-six, in the district of Crediton.

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