Two Base born sons of Thomas Grant

[Roy G]

Curiosity drives me to find out a little more about 2 base born children fathered by local farmer Thomas Grant who was born in Winterbourne Stoke in 1797.

Child one was on Bastardy Orders  [no ref.]  18.06.1833 & 09.07.1833
Listed as a male child born in Maddington on 31 Dec 1828 to Mary Anna Grant of Maddington.   
Mary Anna Grant looks to have been born 1799 and died in Maddington in 1868.  (see wills ref p31/1/11/188)  The 1841 & 1851 Maddington censuses show a male child Thomas of the right age with her.  Any info on his baptism or his adult life appreciated.

A little more on Mary Anna would not go amiss either.  Was she a Chitterne Grant and therefore a cousin of Thomas' or was she out of Market Lavington (IGI 1801) and therefore a more distant relative.

Child two was on Bastardy Orders  [no ref.]  06.05.1834 & 29.07.1834
Listed as a male child of Anne Yates of Woodford, born 25 June last (1833-1834 ?)
I now know he was baptised George Grant in Woodford during August 1834 (IGI) but if Ann married, he may have subsequently taken her husband's surname.

I also know what happened to their father Thomas senior. 
In 1837 he returned to his brother Jacob's home in Winterbourne Stoke in a drunken rage and in the morning he was found dead from a blow to the head.  The court were undecided whether he was kicked by his horse, fell and hit his head in the stable, or his "peaceable" brother Jacob (a former soldier with the Scotts Greys) hit him.  They eventually decided that if the latter, the family were fearful for their lives anyway, so any action taken to protect themselves would have been justified.

But if anyone can add what eventually happened to Thomas' two illegitimate children I would be most grateful.
Regards Roy G

[brionne]

1841,Mary Anna Grant 40,born in county.
Thomas Grant 13,
Susan Williams 15,both born Wilts.
Shrewton.Wilts.

1851 is more interesting....looking at the image.
Mary A Grant, head,unmarried,50.born Easterton, Wilts.
Proprietress of houses.
Son Thomas Grant,23,Journeyman Carpenter b Maddington.[which is Shrewton]Wilts.
HO 107,  1845,  Page 14. Maddington.

Easterton,is a village near Devizes,Wilts.You may already have found out where Mary Anna came from,best I can do.Brionne.

[Roy G]

Thanks for that.  'Proprietress of Houses' is an interesting turn of phrase.  I wonder if it could mean what I think it means, or whether she just oversaw the running of houses and collected rents for someone? 

A colleague has since found the line of the other son (George) for me.  He was apparently dumped on his grandparents with the Yeates surname and is mother turns up under a mistranscription of the surname of her new husband Thomas Asher.  She is on the 1841 census as Ann Fisher.  So to some extent I feel I have got the problem sorted.

Thanks for your indulgence.    Roy G