Dear Anna
Please accept my apologies for not getting back to you sooner but I’ve been working away from home.
Thank you for pointing me in the direction of John Timbrell’s will, which demonstrates that he was definitely from Winchcombe, so I can now continue with the article I was drafting about him. In fact, in recent weeks I chanced upon a reference to one of his direct descendants (a solicitor, I believe, possibly named Elliot – I don’t have the details to hand unfortunately) in a late 19th century Winchcombe title deed, which demonstrates that the family links between London and Winchcombe continued for several decades after JTs death in 1844.
Having recently seen your other Rootschat postings about JT it struck me that your research into his activities as a London attorney would fit well with what I have found out about the Timbrell family in Winchcombe - in effect JT came from a humble rural background, his father being an illiterate papermaker and his brothers rural tradesmen, whilst JT and several of his descendants were professional men (attorneys, an architect, jeweller, etc). In my article this rags-to-riches story begins by drawing attention to a close personal link between JT and an item in Winchcombe museum, but the research you have carried out would help to paint a fuller picture of JTs life in London.
Feel free to send me a personal message if this would be of interest to you - I would, of course, be happy to give you a suitably worded credit.
Finally, although from your other Rootschat postings you’ve clearly done some research on other members of the Timbrell family in Winchcombe (including the Hughes, Shotton, Cunningham and Simmonds families, etc), as a Winchcombe researcher of long-standing I might be able to assist in filling in any gaps you may have encountered, either from research that I have already done or from documents I would be happy to peruse for you in Gloucestershire Archives, where I am a frequent visitor.
ROB WHITE
Gloucester Street History Group (Winchcombe)