Peter Hunnisett

Benjamin & Ann Manners of Blackland, Calne

Benjamin Manners, the son of Joseph and Sarah, was baptised in Blackland in February 1761.

Anne Glead, daughter of Robert and Martha, was baptised in Calne on 8^th July 1759.

Benjamin Manners married Anne Gleed in Calne on 8^th April 1782.

Benjamin and Anne had the following children, all of whom were baptised in Calne and, apart from the un-named daughter, were mentioned in Benjamin’s will of 1835:

Ann Manners died at the age of 39 on 16^th August 1799 and was buried on 20^th August 1799 in Blackland churchyard where her headstone still stands.

In
memory of
ANN wife of BENJAMIN MANNERS
who died August 16^th 1799
aged 39 years

Benjamin Manners married Elizabeth Butcher in Calne on 22^nd March 1802. Their children, some mentioned in Benjamin’s will, are believed to have been:

Benjamin made a will in 1835 and died early in 1837. It is clear from his will that Benjamin was a farmer.

In 1841 Elizabeth was staying with her son John in Quemerford. She died in 1849.

Of Benjamin’s children:

• Joseph married Elizabeth Reeves in Calne on 13 May 1815 and they had the following children baptised:

  Julia

  1 Jun 1817

  Heddington

  Louisa

  1 Jun 1817

  Heddington

  James

  2 May 1819

  Heddington

  Benjamin

  ca. 1821

  George

  23 Feb 1823

  Heddington

  William

  27 Mar 1825

  Heddington

  Susannah

  12 Aug 1827

  Heddington

  In 1837 his father bequeathed Joseph a cottage in Blackland, occupied by Henry Wheeler. Joseph was a farm worker living in Heddington in 1841 with his wife and 4 youngest children. Also with them was his married daughter Julia Lee with her own daughter. By 1851 Joseph was shown to have an 8 acre farm in Heddington which he was farming with his son George. Joseph died in 1854.

• James was a carpenter, married Sarah Pearce in Heddington on 19^th July 1810, and they are known to have had these children:

  Henry

  24 Feb 1811

  Heddington

  Joseph

  6 Oct 1816

  Heddington

  Jane

  6 Oct 1816

  Heddington

  Anne

  2 May 1819

  Heddington

  Harriet

  23 Dec 1821

  Heddington

  Charles

  26 Dec 1824

  Heddington

  James

  13 Apr 1827

  Heddington - bur. 19 Aug

  Sarah

  14 Dec 1828

  Heddington

  Eliza

  4 Mar 1832

  Heddington

  James

  ca.1835

  William

  ca.1839

  James and Sarah lived in Sandy Lane, Whetham, near Calne. By 1871 Sarah had died (1866) and James was living with his married daughter Sarah Weston. James died in 1872.

• Elizabeth married Cain Duck in 1811 and lived in Blackland, Calne. When her father died in 1837 she was bequeathed the cottage adjoining that bequeathed to her brother Joseph.

• Hannah married James Duck in Heddington on 26^th May 1814 and Joseph Manners was one of the witnesses. James and Hannah lived in Bromham where they had 9 children baptised:

  William

  5 Jan 1815

  Joseph

  29 Dec 1816

  must have died young

  James

  17 May 1818

  born 29 April 1818

  Joseph

  21 Jan 1821

  Jane

  21 Dec 1823

  Mary Ann

  16 Jul 1826

  Isaac

  22 Feb 1829

  Henry

  9 Apr 1832

  Elijah

  19 Feb 1837

  James Duck died in 1838 and in later census records all his sons were shown as blacksmiths so it is assumed that was James Duck’s trade. In 1861 even Hannah was recorded as a smith! Hannah died in 1866 at the age of 72.

• Benjamin was referred to as a wheeler in his father’s will of 1835 although in all the census records he was shown as a carpenter living in Heddington. He married Hannah Hughes in Heddington on 17^th July 1821 and they are believed to have had the following children baptised in Heddington:

  Charles

  25 Nov 1821

  Caroline

  29 Dec 1822

  Henry

  29 Feb 1824

  Alfred

  2 Oct 1825

  Mary Ann

  4 Mar 1824

  Elizabeth

  29 Mar 1829

  Dan

  9 Jan 1831

  Eliza

  7 Apr 1833

  James

  1 Feb 1835

  Sarah

  25 Dec 1836

  Jesse

  30 Dec 1838

  Julia

  3 Oct 1841

  Benjamin died in 1874, aged 77.

• John may have married Hannah Ford in Calne on 21^st December 1834 although she appears to have died young and no children are known. John lived in a cottage in Quemerford, eventually bequeathed to him in 1837 by his father along with an adjoining cottage occupied by William New. In 1841 he had his mother living with him in Quemerford. He married Esther Powell in 1845 and they had a son:

  George John Powell

  1848

  Calne

  In 1851 John was a railway carrier living in Calne with Esther and George, but Esther must have died as in 1857 John married Eliza Townsend and in 1861 they were living in Greenham, Berkshire, with John’s son George. They had a further son:

  Mark

  1861

  Greenham

  In 1871 John was living at Greenham with Eliza and Mark. John died in 1877, aged 74.

• Harriet married Jacob White in Calne on 8^th December 1823 and was mentioned as his widow in her father’s will of 1835 but nothing more is known about her.

• Ann married Charles Romain in Calne on 18^th June 1823 and they are known to have had at least 2 children:

  Charles

  16 May 1824

  Southbroom

  Mary Ann

  30 Jul 1830

  Devizes

  However, Ann must have died before 1835 as she was not mentioned in her father’s will and in February 1836 Charles Romain remarried in Devizes.

• David was said to be a shoemaker when mentioned in his father’s will of 1835, and on 19^th September 1837 he married Sarah Bailey in Kingston St Michael. They are known to have had the following children, although several died young:

  Henry

  1838

  Blackland

  Frances (Fanny)

  1839

  Blackland

  Sarah

  1842

   died 1845

  Emma

  1843

   died 1848

  David

  1844

  Calne

  Sydenham

  1849

   died 1849

  Emma Jane

  1854

  By 1851 he was a shopkeeper selling groceries in Quemerford Common. The family have not been traced after 1851.

• Sarah was a dressmaker according to her father’s will of 1835 but nothing more is known about her.

• Mary married Henry Shepherd in Chippenham on 10^th May 1841 and they are known to have had 5 children:

  Ann Caroline

  1841

  Chippenham

  Wiliam

  1844

  Corsham

  John Henry 

  1847

  Bridgwater, Somerset

  Robert

  1850

  Bath, Somerset

  George D

  1854

  Cirencester, Gloucester

• Jacob was recorded as a publican living in Quemerford in 1851 but has not been traced after that.

• Leah married George Watts in  Calne on 28^th January 1840 and they had one son:

  Jesse

  Dec/Jan 1840/41

  Calne

  In 1841 they were in Quemerford and by 1851 the had moved to Bishops Cannings. In 1871 they were near Blakeney in Gloucestershire. Leah’s death was probably registered in Cardiff in 1882.