Person:Henry Tompkins (1)

Henry Richard Tompkins was baptised on April 22, 1781 at Puncknowle, Dorset, England, the 5th of 8 children to Nicholas Tompkins and his wife Joan Wallbridge. On May 18, 1818 at Puncknowle witnessed by Bernard Cox and William Thorner he married Elizabeth, the daughter of Joseph & Jane Cox.

Despite the couples age a son, Nicholas, was born on February 20, 1819 and baptised at Puncknowle on March 14. Henry was an Agricultural Labourer and in 1841 we find the family living at Stockers House, Puncknowle. On July 13, 1845 only son Nicholas dies unmarried at the age of 26. Henry & Elizabeth continue to live at Stockers House where they can be found in the 1851 census. Wife Elizabeth dies on September 8, 1861.

Henry Richard Tompkins died at the age of 84 on January 8, 1864 at Puncknowle where he was buried on January 12. Unusually for an Agricultural Labourer, Henry left a will which was proved on February 6, 1864 and valued at £450, quite an extraordinary large sum for a labourer.

In his will Henry Richard Tompkins appoints his brother-in-law Thomas Thorner and William Cox, son of his brother-in-law John Cox as executors. The will is split 9 ways between neice Sarah Hayes, brother-in-law Thomas Thorner, sister-in-law Christian Cooper, brother-in-law John Cox. Then 5/9 between the children living of his deceased brothers, Christopher, Richard and James Tomkins and the children of late brother-in-law William Thorner, or if dead shared between children of such deceased child and the children of his late nephew Elias Thorner and his (Elias), natural son Nicholas Tomkins on their severally and respectively attaining the age of twenty one years.