Peter Hunnisett

Thomas & Elizabeth Adams of Coate, Chiseldon

Thomas Adams, son of Mark and Hester, was baptised at the church of St Peter & St Paul in Marlborough, Wiltshire, on 9 February 1800.

Thomas first married Hannah Woodham in Ramsbury on 9 November 1819 and they are believed to have had the following children:

However Hannah died in 1828 as the following burials were recorded in Chiseldon; Thomas Adams aged 18 weeks on 19 April 1828 and Hannah Adams aged 30 on 4 December 1828.

Elizabeth Gosling, daughter of John and Mary, was born on 23 October 1808 and baptised in Chiseldon, Wiltshire, on 11 December.

Thomas married Elizabeth in Chiseldon on 30 May 1829; witnesses were James Adams and Sarah Davies. They are known to have had the following children:

The first 4 christenings state that Thomas was a labourer. The last 2 state that he was a publican living in Coate. However, on Ann’s marriage certificate in 1849 Thomas’ occupation was given as Machine Maker. I suspect he was a blacksmith and carried out both careers simultaneously. This appears to have been the case for his son Thomas too, who seems to have taken over as publican when his father moved on and became a miller.

In 1841 Thomas, a machine maker, and Elizabeth were living at Badbury Wick with Mary and Mark, children by Thomas’ first wife, and Ann, Ellen, Ruth, Thomas and Jane. It is assumed that their son, John, had died young.

In 1851 Thomas was again shown in the census as a machine maker living at Coate with Elizabeth and 7 of their children; Ruth, Thomas Jane, John, Alfred, Elizabeth and Louisa.

In 1861 Thomas was in Wanborough and was shown as a miller. With him were Elizabeth and their youngest 3 children plus a grandson John Norris. His son Thomas appears to have taken over as machine maker and publican in Coate.

By 1871 Thomas was a cow keeper, still in Wanborough, with Elizabeth, children Louisa and William and grandson John Adams.

Thomas Adams’ death was registered in Highworth in the 4^th quarter of 1879.

In 1881 Elizabeth, a widow described as a gentlewoman, was living at Lower Town, Wanborough, Wilts, with her 25-year-old nephew, Albert Gosling. She continued to live with Albert Gosling and his family until she died, aged 99, in 1907.

Of Thomas' children:

• Mark became a carpenter and married Sarah Yarrington in 1845. Their known children were:

  Ann

  1847

  Chisledon

  William Robert

  1849

  Chisledon

  Mary Jane

  1851

  Lambeth

  Emily

  1853

  Chisledon

  Mark

  1855

  Chisledon

  Ellen

  1857

  Chisledon

  John

  1859

  Chisledon

  In 1851 Mark was working in Lambeth, London, and Mary was born there. However, he returned to Badbury, Chiseldon, and in 1861 he was recorded as a carpenter on the railway. He was still in Badbury in 1871 although by this time Sarah had died and he had remarried to Jane Cove in 1863. Mark and Jane had one daughter, Lucy, in 1867 but at the 1881 census she was described as an imbecile and she died later that year.

  Mark died in 1886.

• Ann married a policeman, Matthias Duck, in Swindon in 1849 and lived for a while in Wootton Bassett.

• Thomas, a machine maker like his father, married Ann Sellwood in 1856 and they lived in Badbury, or maybe Coate, with their children:

  Charlotte Annie

  1857

  Chisledon

  Ellen

  1859

  Chisledon

  Elizabeth

  1861

  Chisledon

  Walter Sellwood

  1865

  Chisledon

  Agnes Hannah

  1867

  Chisledon

  He appears to have also taken over as publican in Coate when his father moved on in the 1850’s.

• John became a miller and married Mary Miflin in 1859. They appear to have had at least two children:

  Edwin John

  ca.1860

  Wanborough

  William Alfred J

  ca.1868

  Kensington

  John married Susannah Jane Crew in 1877 and they had a further 8 children:

  Ellen Frances

  1878

  Wanborough

  Louise

  ca.1879

  Wanborough

  John

  ca.1881

  Clapham

  Elizabeth

  ca.1884

  Clapham

  Charles

  ca.1887

  Stockwell

  Susanna

  1888

  Stockwell

  Margaret

  1890

  Stockwell

  Henry

  1892

  Stockwell

• Alfred was a miller lodging with Edward Cook in Lambourn, Berkshire, in 1861.
• Elizabeth married John Kent in 1869 and they were in Hinton Parva in 1871.

• Louisa married Edwin Holyoak in 1872 and their children were:

  William Henry Thomas

  1873

  Lechlade

  Dorcas Louise

  1874

  Eton

  Edward Albert

  1876

  Eton

  Jonas John Bert

  1879

  Eton

  Thomas

  1882

  Battersea

  Florence Blanche

  1886

  Twickenham

  Edwin was a dairyman and dealer, but by 1901 they had moved to Brinkworth, where Edwin was the publican of the Wagon & Horses. Louisa died in 1934.

• William married Elizabeth Carpenter in 1873, farmed at Moore Leaze, Liddington Wick, and they had the following children:

  Amy Louisa

  1875

  Purton

  Ellen Annie

  1877

  Purton

  William James

  1878

       died 1879

  Lucy Ethel

  1879

       died 1880

  Walter Ernest

  1881

  Liddington

  Florence Kate

  1883

       died young?

  William Jonathan

  1884

  Liddington

  Percy Carpenter

  1886

       died 1887

  Percy James

  1888

  Liddington

  May Elizabeth

  1891

  Liddington

  By 1901 he had moved to Manor farm, West Kington.