In 1706 a William Williscraft married Jane Cowan at St Peters Church of Ireland, Drogheda in Louth County, Ireland. The evidence suggests that that he is the forefather of the Williscraft families who immigrated to Ontario, Canada in 1828. Drogheda is on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km (35 miles) north of Dublin.
The parish records show William and Jane as having seven children christened at the same church between 1704 and 1726. Including George who was christened in 1714. There is also a record of the burial of a Robert Williscraft in 1733. I think that Jane died soon after the birth of their youngest daughter Susanna in 1726 and William married for a second time. From this second relationship there was a son William born in 1747. The surname was also spelt Williscroft and Wolvercroft in the parish records.
After the Battle of the Boyne many of the soldiers remained in Ireland and Drogehda was a Protestant stronghold. We know that William was a weaver and he most likely died in 1760.
My thanks to Marjorie Buckham who was able to confirm the events I had from the early registers at Drogheda on her recent trip to Ireland.
By a long process of elimination I now think that William is most likely the son of Roger and Mary Woolliscroft christened in Alton, Staffordshire in 1676. This is primarily because this is the only William I have found so far in my research unaccounted for. Neither have I been able to find a possible burial record for him in Staffordshire. Members of the family in Staffordshire were weaver’s (websters) in addition to working on the land and others were tailors. Occupations followed by the Williscraft’s in Ireland.
William would have been about 14 when he went to Ireland to fight at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. It is documented that recruits were mustered in the Staffordshire area by Lord Padget for Charles but he changed sides later on! However, so far in my research I have not found a reference to William.
The story of the members of this branch being at the Battle of the Boyne has been passed down through the generations to present day. More