Thomas Wooliscroft was a tailor living in the City of London when he died in 1783. In his will he left his estate to his wife Ann if she survived him. If not then the estate was to pass to his brother John, of Mappleton near Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Following Ann's death his possessions were to pass to his brother John and his heirs. Thomas was living in London in 1726.
Thomas married Ann Higgs on the 19 December 1771 at Saint Andrew By The Wardrobe, London. Both Thomas and Ann had been married previously. Thomas signed the register and Ann made her mark. Thomas has possibly married twice before his marriage to Ann firstly to Sarah Leggatt in 1758 and secondly to Frances Bagnall in 1769. There are two burial records one for Frances Williscroft in 1770 and I think this is Thomas' second wife. There is a burial record for a Sarah Wolliscroft in 1779 but her age is given as 19 and I think she is possibly the daughter of Jane Martha Theebridge and John Woolliscroft. She was living in Northampton Street, Clerkenwell at the time of her death.
In 1761 Thomas was living in St Botolph Without Aldgate, London and eligible to vote, he was paying 4s rent. Thomas had a son Thomas by his wife Sarah who was baptised on the 17 March 1762 at St. Botolph without Aldgate, London. At the time the family were living in East Smithfield.
In 1778, two days after Thomas received the Freedom of the City of London, Thomas was apprenticed to his father who was a member of the Company of Needleworker's (Guild). Thomas Wolliscroft applied to purchase his Freedom of the City of London on the 16 January 1776 which was granted on the 20 January 1778. The document states that Thomas was the son of John Woliscroft of Stafford, a farmer. The same document it states that Thomas had made a previous application on the 21 January 1726 which had been rejected. If this accurate Thomas' must have served his apprenticeship by 1726. An apprenticeship usually lasted 7 years so I estimate Thomas was born about 1708.
Thomas wrote his will on 28 January 1783 at the time he was living in St Alphage Parish, near Sion College, London Wall. His son Thomas had died a few days earlier and was buried on the 17 January at St Alphage, London Wall, London. Thomas died soon after writing his will and was buried on the 26 February at St Alphage, London Wall, London. Probate was granted to his wife and his friend Thomas Taylor, carpenter, of Warwick Lane in the Parish of St Faith's, London on the 27 March 1783 at the PCC, London.
I had thought Ann may have moved to Doncaster, Yorkshire after Thomas' death but I now know that this is incorrect.
On the various documents referring to Thomas’ his surname was spelt Woliscroft, Wolliscroft , Williscroft, Wooliscroft, Woolliscraft and Woolliscroft