Person:William Penny (3)

Watchers
William Penny
b.Abt 1821 Wincanton, Somerset, England
d.18 Jan 1862 West Coker, Somerset, England
Parents and Siblings
(edit)
m. Abt 1820
  1. William PennyAbt 1821 - 1862
  2. Henry PennyAbt 1828 -
  3. Jane PennyAbt 1832 -
Spouse and Children
(edit)
  • H.  William PennyAbt 1821 - 1862
  • W.  Ann WilkesAbt 1820 - 1854
m. 27 Jan 1844
  1. Mary Jane Penny1851 -
  2. Susan Penny1853 - 1936
Add another spouse & children
Facts and Events
Name William Penny
Gender Male
Birth[4] Abt 1821 Wincanton, Somerset, England
Christening[3] 25 Dec 1822 Wincanton, Somerset, England
Marriage 27 Jan 1844 Little Birch, Herefordshire, Englandto Ann Wilkes
Death[6] 18 Jan 1862 West Coker, Somerset, England
Burial[1] West Coker, Somerset, EnglandChurch of England

From the memoir of great-grandson Don Taylor:S1

Susan's father was William Penny who was a police constable in West Coker and was killed during a brawl involving some toughs known as "navies". These navies were Irish laborers brought over to hand dig canals in England. He is buried in the Church of England churchyard in West Coker under a monument erected by the townspeople describing how he died in the line of duty. Susan's mother died soon after her father was killed.

William's family life seems a bit difficult to trace given the records we find of him:

  • born abt 1821 (from 1841/51/61 UK Census reported age, which is consistent) in Wincanton
  • in 1841, age 20, he's a boarder in Maperton (abt 5 miles east of Wincanton)
  • married 1844 to Ann Wilks, in Little Birch, Hereford (about 95 miles north of Wincanton)
  • in 1851, age 30, he is a lodger in Cromhall, Gloucester (abt 55 miles north of Wincanton), in a home, along with a younger brother(?) John. His brother Henry is also in Cromhall boarding at a different home. This is the same year his first(?) daughter Mary Jane is born, but no sign of his wife or daughter in the 1851 census.
  • in 1861, age 40, he is a boarder in West Coker (abt 20 miles SW of Wincanton). Brother Henry is in Bedminster (outside Bristol), 45 miles north, with a wife and four daughters. William's two daughters are living with their grandmother and aunt Jane and family in Wincanton. Has Ann passed away?
  • in 1862, age 41, he is killed trying to quell a riot.
References
  1. ↑ Taylor, Donald M. Taylor, Donald M. Just Me.
  2.   Gloucestershire, England. Church of England Baptisms 1813-1913. (Ancestry.com (database online))
    21 Dec 1852.

    Susan, daughter of William & Ann, mason, of Cromhall.

  3. ↑ Somerset, England. Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914. (Ancestry.com)
    25 Dec 1822.

    William, son of James & Elizabeth, labourer, of Wincanton

  4. ↑ We know his approx birth from 1841/51/61 census records for a William Penny who was born in Wincanton. We also find a Henry Penny from Wincanton in the same censuses at about the right age for William's brother. We also find William's daughters living with their grandmother Elizabeth Penny, and their aunt Jane March and family, in the 1861 census, in Wincanton, with both Elizabeth and Jane shown as being born in Wincanton. Though there are other Pennys in Somersetshire, strong circumstantial evidence ties these together.
  5.   We discover his parents names in two places. His father, James Penny, is found on the parish registry for William's 1844 marriage. His mother, Elizabeth, we discover (though not her maiden name) on the 1861 census when William's children are living with her.
  6. ↑ Found this death date in notes, but can't find any source for it. Perhaps from a monument inscription?
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