St Thomas' Church, Dudley
William Williscroft and Sarah Lloyd were living in Crockets Building, Dudley won the 1841 census with their Joseph b.1832, Eliza b.1835, Emma b.1837 and George aged 5 months. George was the only member of the family who was born in Worcestershire. William was a brick maker at the time as were his wife Sarah and their son Joseph. William and Sarah had married at St Thomas'. Dudley in 1829. By 1851 the family had moved to Low Town, Oldbury. William was now a labourer although both Sarah and their son Joseph were still brick makers. Two other children had also arrived Mark in 1846 and Charlotte in 1850. William states he was born in Staffordshire and the other's all give Dudley, Worcestershire as their place of birth. In 1861 the couple were still living in Oldbury at Rounds Green with their younger children George, Mark and Charlotte. William was a labourer at the brick yard and the two boys George and Mark were coal miners. William gives his place of birth as 'Kinnersley', Staffordshire. Ten years later the couple were living in Telford Lane, Warley Wigorn with their sons George and Mark. Their daughter Emma and her husband Levi Allen were living next door.
Sarah died in 1871 and William died in 1873. After their parents death both George and Mark moved to the Normanton area of Yorkshire. Most likely being enticed by better pay and conditions in the mines. George married Catherine Casey in 1872 and Mark married Emma Harvey in 1874.
Their son Joseph married Emma Lewis in 1854 at Oldbury. After Joseph's death Emma married Shadrack Lycett and they moved to Leigh in Lancashire and the surname was spelt Willinscroft. Eliza married twice firstly to John Saunders in 1854. After John's death 1866 she married James Birchall the following year in Wigan, Lancashire. Charlotte, William & Sarah's youngest child married Thomas Hancock in Birmingham, Warwickshire in 1870.
William gives Kinnersley, Staffordshire as his place of birth but I have been unable to find where this is. However, there is a Kinnersley in Shropshire, a Kingsley in Staffordshire and a Kinnersley in Herefordshire. So far in my research I have not found a baptism for William amongst the Staffordshire records or for Kinnersley in Shropshire.
William's ancestry remains a mystery to me. I think it very likely he is related to John Williscroft who was a hatter living in Dudley at the same time. John had two brothers William and Richard and I think it possible that William is the son of either Richard or William. I have not found any other information on William or Richard, nor their mother Elizabeth Hayward after she remarried in 1795.
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