William Collier Blanket maker

Discussion in 'Oxfordshire' started by peter cameron, Nov 5, 2013.

  1. peter cameron

    peter cameron Member

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    Thanks Huncamunca, I would guess that the petition does not survive in that case. A shame: there does not appear to be anything in the Grocers' Company archive and nothing in the Oxfordshire Heritage Search comes up. It would have been a most interesting document. The Grocers have a later petition of 1768, as you will know, complaining against Mr Day, who failed to attend his work as a master at the school for months on end. The signatories include Jno. Collier and John Shuffrey.
    I am familiar with the problem of notes kept on different bits of paper, smart phones, lap tops, etc. etc. ....
     
  2. D Collier

    D Collier Member

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    Hello Peter. I have been having a look through my notes and your entry of 10th January. From what I can see Robert who died in October 1723 did have a brother William. This William, a Blanketter, had a son Richard who was baptised in February 1702. When Robert’s daughter Jane died a Spinster in 1778, she mentions her cousin Richard. This can only be William’s son. Richard died at Witney in April 1785.
     
  3. peter cameron

    peter cameron Member

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    Thank you for that Derek.
    I have a series of Witney baptisms from (a) 04/11/1692 for William, the son of Will.; (b) 22/12/1694 for Ann, daughter of William; (c) 30/11/1697 for Susanna, the daughter of Willm.; and, as you point out, (d) 07/02/1702 for Richard, son of 'Willm., Blanketter.' There is a burial for Susanna, daughter of Willm. on 04/12/1697 but there are also two other burials of a Susanna/Susannah at later dates. I don't know whether all of the above children were born to the same William Collier - but it seems probable. There was also a William Collier who was hall-keeper to the Company of Blanket Weavers and he may have died circa 1723 because there was no further mention of him as hall-keeper after that date.
    It is also correct that Jane Collier, spinster daughter of Robert Collier [died 1723] left a small bequest to her cousin Richard. However, I don't think it is certain that she meant that Richard was her first cousin - the term seems to have been used to cover close and more distant cousins at this period.
    There is also a reference to a cousin 'William Collier' in the will of John Shayler, ironmonger, husband of Ann Collier [the sister of Jane above]. And in the 1740 will of John Collier, brother of Jane and Ann, there is a mention of William Collier, 'my loving kinsman'.
    What is still not clear to me, at any rate, is whether the William Collier, father of the Richard born in 1702, was the brother of Robert Collier who died in 1723 or his cousin. If Robert Collier, clothier, was the son of a William Collier, clothier who died in 1667, and if that Robert Collier was the same one mentioned in the lease of 1688 as the only son and heir of that William Collier, then he clearly didn't have any brothers. In that case the William, Blanketter, who was father of Richard born in 1702 would probably have been the son of Robert Collier, the clothier who died in 1686 and who had taken his step-mother to court. You will note that a 'William Collyer', son of Robert, was baptised in Witney on 17/02/1667.
    I think that it is difficult to be certain about the family relationships at this date given the gaps in parish registers and the lack of other evidence.
    The will of Jane Rogers, the sister in law of Robert Collier [died 1723], is also interesting. It mentions various Collier nephews including Walter [the surgeon?].
     
  4. D Collier

    D Collier Member

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    Hi Peter.
    You might be right, but Ann the wife of Robert and mother of Jane and Ann, said in her Will of 1755 that Ann was married to Samuel Spicer, not John Shayler. Do you know she was definitely married to John Shayler? I see there is a Marriage Bond in 1725 for a Ann and John, but is it the same Ann? Jane Rogers (nee Prior) who you say mentioned Walter the surgeon in her Will is interesting as he was descended from Thomas who died in 1686. Which nephews did she mention?
     
  5. peter cameron

    peter cameron Member

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    Hi Derek,
    I have the following for Ann Collier:
    Married (i) [Oxfordshire Archdeacon’s Marriage Bonds] 1725, John Shayler, ironmonger, of Witney, who died 1735 [see Will PCC Prob 11]: (1) [son James Shayler?], (2) daughter Elizabeth Shayler [who married John Shuffrey and they had a son, Willam Shuffrey, 'son of Elizabeth and John Shuffrey', apprenticed to Edward Smith, upholder in London]; (3) Sarah [?married Timothy Symonds, who perhaps died 1770 a widower, admin of his estate granted to Thomas, his brother(Oxford Archdeaconry Administation Bonds)] [these last two mentioned in will of their uncle, John Collier, 1740]

    Ann Collier married (ii) [Oxfordshire Archdeacons Marriage Bonds 1736 Samuel Spier, [sometimes Spyer], widower to Ann Shailer, widow, both of Witney]. See also the Will, Oxfordshire, of Samuel Spire, proved 1776. No children of this marriage.
    The other Collier nephews mentioned by Jane Rogers are the sons of Robert Collier, died 1723, and - apart from Walter - another called 'Kearney' [?] but the writing is not clear. (Jane's will is another Oxfordshire will and is not Prob 11.)
     
  6. D Collier

    D Collier Member

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    Hi Peter
    I see that Mrs Pryor of Ducklington married Mr William Rogers of Witney on the 11th. January 1722. I wonder if she was Jane the daughter of Timothy Collier who was baptised at Witney 3 May 1674. I can't see a marriage for her to a Pryor but it must be there somewhere.
     
  7. peter cameron

    peter cameron Member

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    The Oxfordshire Archdeaconry Marriage Bonds have: 1722 Rogers, Wm of Witney widr, and Prior, Jane of Ducklington. So far as I know there is no statement that she was a widow on the bond: although she may have been.
     
  8. Huncamunca

    Huncamunca The Knowledgeable One

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    This may be an example of the use of 'Mrs' as a courtesy title, rather than as signifying a married woman or widow.

    I think Jane was the sister of the Ann Prior who married Robert Collier. I don't have her will to hand: is she the one who says she wants to be buried near her grandfather in Ducklington?
     
  9. D Collier

    D Collier Member

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    Interesting to see that William Morris, Lord Nuffield was related to the Prior's of Ducklington. I wonder what relationship his Ann was to Ann wife of Robert Collier.
     
  10. D Collier

    D Collier Member

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    No that is Jane Collier who died in 1778.
     
  11. Huncamunca

    Huncamunca The Knowledgeable One

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    Oh, thanks Derek. That shows how dangerous it is to rely on memory. I had better wait until my notes turn up. :)
     
  12. peter cameron

    peter cameron Member

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    My thinking was that Jane Prior/Pryor was married at a mature age and hence the use of 'Mrs'. I am sure she was the sister of Ann, Robert's wife. Matthew Prior was evidently a figure of some standing: the 'Burford Records' (online) has a reference to the Commissioners meeting at the house of Daniel Slaymaker in Witney to look into the state of local charities esp. the Thomas Collyer charity referred to earlier in this forum. One of the commissioners was Matthew Pryor. Another was the blanket weaver/clothier Thomas Abell - who, as it happens was the friend and exor. of Henry Freeman, pewterer of London who had been born in Dean nearChipping Norton and who was the master of Thomas Collier, the son of the Robert Collier clothier (died 1686 probably). There were, of course, Freemans in Witney as well.
     
  13. peter cameron

    peter cameron Member

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    Just to give a quick summary of the will of Jane Rogers [some of the names might prove interesting]:
    Will of Jane Rogers. Dated 10/10/1743.
    Niece Elizabeth Piercy owes her £50 on bond: which amount is now left in her hands, together with the interest thereon during her life. Also leaves Elizabeth the interest on a further £10 during her life. After the death of Elizabeth the interest on £20, (part of the above £60), to be left to Elizabeth’s daughter, Anne; the interest on another £20, (part of the £60), to be left to Elizabeth’s daughter Sara, the interest on the remaining £20, (part of the £60), to be divided between Elizabeth’s two sons, White and Robert.
    To niece Anne, wife of Samuel Spier, £30.
    To another niece, Mary Collier, £30.
    To niece, Martha, the wife of John Winning, £30.
    To niece, Sara, the wife of [blank] Gregory £30.
    To niece, Elizabeth, the wife of [blank] Smith, £30.
    To nephews William, Walter, John and Kearey [?], and Robert Collier £20 apeice [sic].
    To nephews John Pryor and William Collier £10 apeice.
    To God-daughter [blank] Pickett and niece Mary Tasker £5 apeice.
    To cousins Anne and Jane, daughters of Wm. Collier £5 apeice.
    To my cousin John, son of my nephew John Collier, deceased, £10 when attains 21years.
    To my Sister Collier and Sister Cripps £5 apeice for mourning.
    To my nephew John Pryor and his wife and daughter and to Mrs. Clarke (Mrs. Pryors mother), to Mr and Mrs. Pickett and to my four nieces, the daughters of my Sister Pryor and to my niece Elizabeth Tasker one guinea each to buy rings.
    Rest and residue to my niece Jane Collier, who is made executrix.
    Witnesses Thos. Leake and Francis Lilly.

    Codicil 12/08/1744 in which Jane Rogers declares that she is not sure that all the monies due to her in debts can be got in and so that her executrix is not the loser thereby she abates the legacies in proportion to the amount that cannot be recovered.
    Witnesses to codicil Thos. Morres, Thos. Leake.
     
  14. D Collier

    D Collier Member

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    Thank you Peter for the Will of Jane Rogers. Although it looks as if she was the sister of Anne Collier, it seems strange she left so much to the Collier family and not the Pryor's. Sister Cripps is also interesting for my line of the Collier's
     
  15. D Collier

    D Collier Member

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    Hi Peter

    Names on Jane Rogers Will.
    I have had a look to see what I could come up with. Besides the children of Robert and Anne Collier, I have the following.

    1st nephew William* (? Collier) may have been the William Collier* who died in May 1755.
    2nd nephew Walter (? Collier) may have married Martha Hooper in 1763, but can’t be a surgeon as both the surgeon Walter’s had died before this date.
    3rd nephew John (? Collier) nothing as yet but must be son of Robert and Anne.
    4th nephew Kearey, nothing, but could this be Kersey.
    5th nephew Robert Collier must be the Robert who married Ann Tyrell. £20 each.

    Nephews John Pryor and William Collier* £10 each.
    1736 John Pryor of Burford married Elizabeth Clarke, spinster of Shipton under Wychwood.
    Not sure about William* Collier was at the moment, but it looks as if he only had the two daughters Anne and Jane at Witney.

    Niece Mary Tasker, (nee Lord). Mary married James Tasker of Witney in 1734.

    Cousin John Collier must be the John who was later the owner of a tenement on the north side of Corn Street. He married Mary Jones and had the son Robert who married Mary Brooks and worked at Crawley Mill. His son was Horatio Collier.

    To sisters Collier and Cripps, these must be Anne Collier widow of Robert, and Elizabeth Prior of Ducklington who married Samuel Cripps of Appleton, Berkshire in 1715. The Appleton entry is also of interest as its next to Cumnor where Jane Collier had land when she died in 1778. Caesar Collier was removed from there in 1736, and John Collier was Tithingman for Stroud, a part of Cumnor in 1754.

    Not sure who the Pickets were, or the daughters of her sister Pryor. I can’t understand why she names a sister Pryor if she was a Pryor herself, unless she was a sister-in-law. Elizabeth Tasker was a daughter of Mary and James.
     
  16. peter cameron

    peter cameron Member

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    Thanks Derek,
    You will have noticed, by the way, that John Collier, the son of John Collier, the nephew, is described in the will as a 'cousin'.

    Also, don't forget that Robert Collier had a son, William Collier, who was apprenticed to the Shipwrights' Company in London but was, by trade, a tallow chandler in Southwark/Bermondsey. I assumed that he had died before his father but the Company records show him alive in 1726. I don't know if he married and had children.

    I am sure that the Robert Collier, 5th nephew, was the son of Robert and Anne and was in London at this time. The Robert Collier who married Ann Tyrell (actually Terrill) was the brazier/pewterer son of Thomas and thus, I believe, the grandson of the Robert Collier, clothier, who took his stepmother to court (see above).

    It is not that unusual for someone to refer to their sister/brother in law in that way- so 'my sister Pryor' is quite normal.
     
  17. D Collier

    D Collier Member

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    I forgot to say that Samuel Cripps' brother Michael was Mayor of Oxford in 1704.
     
  18. peter cameron

    peter cameron Member

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    Derek - I suppose you are familiar with the will of Jane Roger's father, Matthew Pryor? It was written in 1716. He left his wife, Elizabeth, an annuity of £30 to be paid out of the rent from his farm and lands called Bury Barns in Burford, in the occupation of John Kempster. His wife was also left the use and contents of his house in Ducklington. In the will Matthew refers to his son, John Pryor, deceased; his daughter Mary, now the wife of Edward Kerrie [she got £150]; his daughter Jane Pryor [i.e later Rogers] who gets £450 over and above the £50 left her by her brother, John. His son in law Robert Collyer and his wife Anne £200; his grand-daughter
     
  19. peter cameron

    peter cameron Member

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    [sorry, don't know what happened there] Jane Collyer £50; Matthew mentions his three sisters: Anne Peisley, Margaret Orpwood, Joane Cheyney. He also lists his five daughters Anne Collyer, Elizabeth Cripps, Mary Kerry, Jane Pryor, Sarah Walters. He mentions a nephew William Cheyney. A codicil was added to the will, also in 1716, concerning the money left to Robert Collyer and his wife [ Anne]. Mrs. Pryor, by the way, seems to have been buried in Ducklington in 1730.
     
  20. D Collier

    D Collier Member

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    No Peter I didn't know that
     

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