Person:William May (77)

Origins

William May was born on 2nd February 1811 at Templeton in Devon, son of Mary May, formerly Cockram and her husband Robert May, a farmer. He appears to have been the eighth of the couple's ten children. William's parents had married in the neighbouring parish of Cruwys Morchard, but had been living in Templeton since at least 1798. William's younger two sisters were both baptised at Templeton and William's parents were still living in Templeton at the time of the 1841 census (at Partridge Farm) therefore it seems likely that William spent his whole childhood living at Templeton.

Adulthood

William was married on 26th October 1829 at Cullompton to Susannah Greenslade, who was a few years older than him and from Shobrooke, about ten miles south of Templeton. After their marriage they initially moved to Shobrooke, where their eldest son, Robert, was born and baptised. They then moved about ten miles east of Shobrooke to Bradninch, where they lived at a place called Downhead Farm. They had another three children born whilst living at Bradninch; Ann in 1832, William in 1835 and Elizabeth in 1838. Some time between 1838 and 1841 they moved to Knowle in the neighbouring parish of Cullompton, where they had a daughter named Emma in about 1841. William worked as a husbandman and dairyman. They appear to have regularly moved around the villages of mid Devon, and generally lived in isolated farms and hamlets rather than in the villages or towns. By 1851 they were living at Higher Ford in the parish of Halberton.

Back in Templeton, William's father Robert was buried in 1842. His mother then went to live with William's sister Sarah at Loxbeare, and died in 1857.

In 1859 William's eldest son Robert was married in Plymouth, and William's first known grandchild was born the following year. William's daughter Ann and son William also married and started having children in the early 1860s. In 1868 William's daughter Emma married her cousin William Bowden, who was William's sister Sarah's son.

By 1871 William and Susannah were living at the Mill in the hamlet of Little Silver in the parish of Cadeleigh. On this occasion William was described as a farmer of 25 acres. William's daughter Elizabeth married in 1872 at Silverton.

In 1879 Susannah died. William went to live with his youngest surviving daughter Elizabeth and her family, who lived at Trent on the Somerset / Dorset border (it was then in Somerset but has subsequently been transferred to Dorset). William appears living with them in the 1881 census, when he was described as an annuitant. In 1883 William's daughter Elizabeth died, aged 44. Five years later his daughter Ann died, aged 55. William went to live with his son William.

William's sons Robert and William at this time both lived on the same street in Plymouth; Robert lived at 1 John Street and worked as a sawyer, and William junior ran a beer shop and grocery at 10 John Street. William died at 10 John Street on 15th February 1890 aged about 79. He had lived to see all 26 of his grandchildren, although four of them had died in his lifetime, and had also lived to see several great grandchildren, some of whom also lived in John Street with him at the end of his life.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Church of England. Templeton Parish Registers. (Exeter: Devon Heritage Centre).

   1811 / William Son of Robert & Mary May born Feb[ruary] the 2nd & baptized May the 13th

   This baptism has been linked to the adult William on the basis of the age and birthplace he consistently quoted in the censuses, plus the fact that William named his eldest son Robert, presumably after his father. Moreover, no evidence has been found that the William baptised in Templeton in 1811 died young or married anyone else.

2. ↑ England. 1841 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 225; Book 6; Folio 7; Page 9, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Knowle, Cullompton, Devon
   William May, male, 25 [1811-16], Ag lab, b. in county
   Susan May, female, 35 [1801-06], b. in county
   Ann May, female, 7 [1833/4], b. in county
   William May, male, 5 [1835/6], b. in county
   Elizabeth May, female, 3 [1837/8], b. in county

3. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1888; Folio 545; Page 9, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Higher Ford, Halberton, Devon
   William May, head, married, male, 40 [1810/1], Dairyman, b. Templeton, Devon
   Susanna May, wife, married, female, 50 [1800/1], b. Shobrook, Devon
   Elizabeth May, daughter, female, 14 [1836/7], Scholar, b. Bradninch, Devon
   Amy May, daughter, female, 9 [1841/2], Scholar, b. Cullompton, Devon

4. ↑ England. 1861 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG9; Piece 1480; Folio 85; Page 17, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: East Barton, Tiverton, Devon
   William May, head, married, male, 50 [1810/1], Dairyman, b. Templeton, Devon
   Susanah May, wife, married, female, 61 [1799/1800], b. Showbrook, Devon
   Emma May, daughter, unmarried, female, 20 [1840/1], b. Cullompton, Devon
   Elizabeth May, visitor, unmarried, female, 23 [1837/8], Dress maker, b. Bradninch, Devon

5. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 2166; Folio 58; Page 13, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Mill, Little Silver, Cadeleigh, Devon
   William May, head, married, male, 61 [1809/10], Farmer of 25 acres employing 1 man occasionally, b. Templeton, Devon
   Susan May, wife, married, female, 76 [1894/5], b. Shobrooke, Devon
   Mary Ridler, servant, widow, female, 50 [1820/1], General servant, b. Templeton, Devon

6. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 2118; Folio 41; Page 11, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Trent Road, Trent, Somerset
   William Coombes, head, married, male, 35 [1845/6], Gardener, b. Stokebann, Devon
   Elizabeth Coombes, wife, married, female, 40 [1840/1], b. Badninch, Devon
   Mabel Coombes, daughter, unmarried, female, 7 [1873/4], Scholar, b. Taunton, Somerset
   Alice M. Coombes, daughter, unmarried, female, 6 [1874/5], Scholar, b. Trent, Somerset
   Elizabeth Coombes, daughter, unmarried, female, 4 [1876/7], Scholar, b. Trent, Somerset
   William M. Coombes, son, unmarried, male, 1 [1879/80], b. Trent, Somerset
   William May, wife's father, widower, 70 [1810/1], Annuitant, b. Templeton, Devon

7. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   REGISTRATION DISTRICT PLYMOUTH
   1890 DEATH in the Sub-district of Charles in the County of Plymouth
   No.	When and where died	Name and surname	Sex	Age	Occupation	Cause of death	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   35	Fifteenth February 1890 10 John Street USD	William May	Male	79 years [1810/1]	A Farmer	Bronchitis 7 days Certified by EB Thomson MD	X The mark of William May Son In attendance 10 John Street Plymouth	Seventeenth February 1890	RG Bird Registrar