Home   Back

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.

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.

Home   Back