This week I received a document from Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service, discovered when I was searching the National Archives catalogue. It refers to Edward Willis, Ari’s 7x great-grandfather, and is titled:
Epiphany 1766: Removal Order Edward Willis & wife Mary from Grafton Flyford to Upton Snodbury [sic].
It comes from the Worcestershire Quarter Sessions. The Epiphany quarter was January, and this document is dated 9 December 1765.
What the document is telling us is that a complaint had been made to the county’s justices of the peace that Edward Willis and his wife Mary had lately come and “intruded into the Parish of Grafton Flyford aforesaid, endeavouring there to settle as Inhabitants thereof, contrary to Law, … and are likely to become chargeable thereunto.” The church wardens and Overseers of the Poor of Grafton Flyford are commanded “forthwith to remove and convey the said Edward Willis and Mary his Wife … unto the Parish of Upton Snodsbury” (where they were last legally settled), to be delivered over to the church wardens and Overseers of the Poor in that parish who “are hereby required to receive and provide for them as the Law directs”.
(Source: Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service. Ref: 1/1/422/33)
This was extremely helpful because I then knew to look for the couple in Upton Snodsbury, which is six miles east of Worcester, on the road to Inkberrow. As a result of this, I found Edward’s burial, on 5 Aug 1824 at the church of St Kenelm. This in turn provided his birth date of 1745, and there is a possible baptism in 1744 with parents Edward and Hannah, who might therefore be Ari’s 8x great-grandparents!
I am very grateful to the Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service for their extremely speedy and helpful service!
Ari, this shows how you are related to Edward:
