William(2) NEWMAN, 1740 - 1774
Ann NEWMAN, nee JENKINS, 1742 - 1810
Married 13th June 1761, Castle Combe, Wilts.
William(2) was the son of William(1), and Elizabeth Newman,
nee Elver. He was born in 1740, which would make him 20 when
George III, nicknamed Farmer George because of his interest in
agriculture, became king of England. William(2) was the third
and last of their children having been preceded by Elizabeth and
Anne, born in 1724. Elizabeth married John Cambridge and they had
two children William and Jane. Her husband died young leaving
her with the two children. Anne married Thomas Baker (sometimes
spelt Beaker) and they had two children, Elizabeth and Anne
(keeping the names in the family). Thomas Baker died and Anne
married again this time to John Coleman. The will of Anne's
mother, Elizabeth Newman, amply provides for the two children
after the death of their father. Anne and John Coleman had one
daughter, Sarah, who was later to marry her cousin, Elver Newman.
During the short life of William (2) - he died when he was only
34 - Castle Combe was beginning to change from being a woollen
manufacturing area and reverting to agriculture. The Bybrook was
drying up and the mills on it had to move to other areas.
William does not seem to have much to do with the cloth
manufacture but probably kept sheep whose wool would have been
used in making the cloth. At the time of his marriage, William
was described as a yeoman in the parish records. This was the
name given to a small farmer who farmed his own land. He was
later to be described as an innkeeper or innholder of The George
Inn. At some stage the use of The George Inn was changed to be a
curriers workshop - a place where leather was dressed and
coloured to be turned into leather goods. I think that this was
later than in the time of William (2).
William (2) married Ann Jenkins on 13th June 1761 in the Castle
Combe church by licence. Why by licence and not by banns I do
not know. The marriage was witnessed by Thomas Jenkins (her
brother) and William Newman (his father).
Some of the happenings during William's life were:- 1755 - A
Great Earthquake killed tens of thousands and destroyed Lisbon,
Portugal. 1756 - The start of the Seven Years War caused by
rivalry between Austria and Prussia and between France and
Britain in the colonies. 1762 - Britain declared war on Spain.
1763 - Peace of Paris ends the Seven Years War leaving Britain as
the major colonial power. Handel, Bach and Mozart were composing
music for most of the life of William.
William (2) and Ann had six children. John who was baptised
publicly on 19th October 1763 (indicating that he was probably a
weakly baby and had been baptised at birth by the midwife or
doctor in case he died); Mary, baptised on 16th May 1764 and
buried on 16th April 1778; William, baptised on 26th June 1765
and buried 15th October 1769; Elver, baptised on 9th December
1768; another William, baptised on 2nd October 1769 and
Elizabeth, baptised on 3rd April 1772. Only two of these
children survived their parents, one being Elver and the other,
Elizabeth.
William (2) inherited from his grandmother, Elizabeth Newman,
not only The George Inn but a house called The Davenants with all
its land both arable and pasture, and more land called
Woodbury Hill. Jeremiah Jenkins, Ann's father, owned The
Salutation Inn which was a little out of Castle Combe at a
place called The Gib (short for Gibraltar). This also became
a Newman possession although originally Jeremiah left it to his
eldest son, another Jeremiah, who died in June 1762. Ann's
Mother, Mary, had been granted a 99 year lease on it.
William (2) died in 1774, aged only 34 and was buried in
Castle Combe churchyard on 4th December. On his tomb stone
there is the word "Gent" after his name which denotes a high
position in his local society. In the parish records he is given
the title of `Mr' William Newman which at that time was used
sparingly and is also a sign of the respect in which he was
held.
SACRED
to the Memory of
WLLIAM NEWMAN, Gent.
Who died Nov. 30 1774
Also
of ANN his wife
who died July 15th 1810
Aged 68 years
Ann NEWMAN, nee JENKINS
The wife of William(2), Ann Jenkins, was the daughter of
Jeremiah Jenkins and his wife Mary, nee Webb. Jeremiah Jenkins
and Mary Webb were married at Alterten, a village about 4 or 5
miles from Castle Combe on 18th July 1737. Jeremiah and Mary are
our ancestors - my five times great-grandparents. See
The Elver and Jenkins Family Tree,
Jeremiah was the innkeeper of The Salutation Inn at Gib, near
Upper Castle Combe. Mary Webb was Jeremiah's second wife.
Jeremiah erected a memorial to Rebecca, his first wife, who had died in
November1726, in St Andrew's Church, Castle Combe in the form of
a large plaque on the wall. Jeremiah had six children
altogether. With his wife Rebecca there were Jeremiah, Thomas,
Charles, Jane, Sophia and Ann. There are three Ann Jenkins,
daughters of Jeremiah in the parish register. The first two, who
were daughters of Rebecca died, but it seems that Jeremiah was
determined to have a daughter with the name of Ann as Mary and
Jeremiah named their daughter Ann also. Ann's name is sometimes
spelled with an `e' and sometimes without. This Ann certainly
survived and became our ancestor.
Jeremiah died and was buried on 3rd April 1748. Ann seems to
have been Mary's only child. Jeremiah must have had very
definite ideas on what he wished to happen to his property after
he died and made a will in which he made these ideas very clear.
In many ways it is a good idea of how not to make a will for it
is impossible to know in advance what conditions will prevail
after one has died and things did not turn out as he anticipated.
Here is the major part of it.
The Will of Jeremiah JENKINS
"I give and bequeath unto Mary my loving wife my house, gardens,
outhouses, stables with all grounds and lands thereto belonging
or any ways apportaining in which I now live lying and being in
the parish of Castle Combe called by the name of Gibraltar and
known by the sign of the Salvation during the term of her natural
life in case she remains a widow unmarried after my decease,
otherwise not. Also I give her the use of all my household goods
and implements of household of all sorts, both within and
without, during the term of her natural life in case she remains
a widow unmarried after my decease, otherwise not. I give her
all her wearing apparel of all sorts & her gold rings (I feel
that some explanation is needed here. At this time in history,
and for the next 200 years, everything a woman had belonged to
her husband - including her clothes) with all thereunto belonging
at my decease to do therewith at her own will and pleasure never
the less I do bind and engage her to carry away none of the above
mentioned household goods from the premises aforesaid during the
term of her natural life but only to make use thereof ..and also
I do further bind and engage her to pay the sum of five pounds
yearly and every year of lawful British money during the term of
her natural life out of the aforesaid estate, goods and stock at
Gibraltar aforesaid unto four of my children being twenty five
shilling apiece, that is to say to my two sons, Charles Jenkins
and Thomas Jenkins and to my two daughters, Jane Jenkins and
Sophia Jenkins, the first payment to be made on that day twelve
months after my decease & so to continue every year on that day
during the term of her life unless she forfeits her right in the
aforesaid estate by marriage as above said.
I give unto Anne Jenkins, my youngest daughter my house at Lower
Castle Combe in which Nathaniel Fry liveth with all the gardens
and appurtenances thereunto belonging or anyways apportaining
during the term of her life at my decease.
I give unto Jeremiah Jenkins my eldest son after the decease of
Mary my wife or her marriage (according which shall happen after
my decease) my house gardens and everything howto belonging or
any ways apportaining together with my household goods and
implements of household both within and without at aforesaid
called by the name of Gibraltar & known by the Sign of the
Salutation all which I give to him during the whole remainder of
the goods to come and unimpaired, binding him to pay the same
moneys as Mary my wife did pay every year on the day as Mary my
wife did pay the same during the term of their natural lives.
..... Also I give to him my messuage being two tenements &
privileges of Sheep Cuffs with the gardens and everything thereto
belonging or anyways appertaining the gardens and everything
thereto belonging or anyways appertaining lying and being in
Upper Combe wherein Edward Watts and Daniel Angle now liveth with
all which I give him during the remainder of the lease, binding
and engaging him to pay to his two sisters Jane and Sophia during
the term of their natural lives the yearly sum of fifteen
shilling apiece to be paid to each of them during their lives
every year ..
I give to Charles and Thomas Jenkins my two younger sons after
the decease of my daughter Anne Jenkins my house at Lower Castle
Combe ...
All of the rest of my goods, money, bills, cattle, corn and
everything which it has pleased almighty God to bless me with
(except what is given and bequeathed) I give to Jeremiah Jenkins,
my eldest son, making him the sole executor of this my will.
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So, there was everything tied up nicely and Jeremiah could die in
piece after putting his mark (as under) to the will for, in spite
of all his apparent wealth, he could not write.
The mark of Jememiah Jenkins.
As a matter of interest one of the signatories to this will was a
Nicholas Broknbrow (sic) who was the first husband of Elizabeth
Elver. All of these Castle Combe families seem to be closely
connected.
Mary did not marry again so she did not forfeit her inheritance,
but to leave property to people for their life times is a
mistake. Jeremiah's eldest son died before either his step
mother, Mary or his half sister, Anne, so he never inherited the
Salutation Inn - it stayed with Mary who passed it on to her
daughter, Anne, and then on to Anne's son, Elver. I do not know
what happened to Jeremiah's other children but Elver ended up,
not only with the Salutation, but with two houses and property in
Upper Combe and also various properties in Lower Combe which seem
likely to have originally have been properties in Jeremiah's
will.
As can be seen by the dates on the tomb, Ann lived for some 36
years after the death of her husband, William and although she is
buried with William she married again. Her new husband was
William Beard and it took me a long time to find a record of her
death as in the parish register she is listed as Ann Beard not
Ann Newman. It was only the fact that Elver Newman named one of
his children William Beard that helped me to realise that Ann had
married again. The name of William Beard was carried on to
another generation so it would seem that he was liked and
respected by Anne's children.
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