Green families farming in the Bolnhurst area. Were they related?

[johnP-bedford]

It'd be good if you got from the National Archives the will of William Green, farmer of Bolnhurst dated Dec 1818 to see if it lists his wife as Mary & children John & Ann (now Hartop). Are you going to get it?

I wonder if he's the non-conformist who registered along with others the meeting house of Joseph Edrop in Bolnhurst in Dec 1818 ? (maybe not as he may be dead !) but it couldn't be the other William Green who died 1827 age 26 as he would not be an adult; so do we have another WG ?

The 1803 Muster List has a William Green at Bolnhust with 1 waggon, 3 horses & a driver and is also listed as a farmer class 1 (men between 17 & 30, unmarried) volunteer.

As an aside the only Greens mentioned in the Bolnhust PR up to 1812 was Ann Green who married John Hartop in Sept 1807 & an Alice Green, widow who married Thomas Kilpin, widower in Feb 1801....... so where did they come from?   

[johnP-bedford]

William Loxley is a surprise. In the 1841 census he is a farmer at Rookery Farm, Clapham, Beds. Perhaps his wife Mary is Ann's younger sister? Interestingly, there are several Loxleys in Colmworth.

Good hunch? or unless you've spotted this on the IGI; member contribution though so needs verifying; marriage on 3 Oct 1817 at Ravensden William Loxley of Colmworth to Mary Marriott. I found William & Mary on 1851 census living on Bromham Road Bedford, William born 1794 Colmworth & Mary Ann born 1794 Bolnhurst. 

[perthman]

Hello johnP-bedford.

You are way ahead of me. I did get a copy of the will and had a battle reading it.

Taking out the legal jargon the gist is this:

I William Green of Bolnhurst in the County of Bedford farmer ... devise unto my wife Anna Green
... all that my Messuage cottage and tenement situate and being at Keysoe in the county of Bedford now in the occupation of Simon George(?)
... Also I give ... unto my wife ... one annuity ... of forty pounds ...to be paid by four equal quarterly payments
... and in case my said wife shall die in the life time of our Daughter Mary Bowker(?) who now lives with me then I give
... unto the said Mary Bowker ... one annuity ... of ten pounds ... to the day of the decease of the said Mary Bowker
and I do charge... all my real estate ...with the payments of the several annuities ...
I give ... unto my daughter Anna Hartop wife of John Hartop of Keysoe aforesaid farmer the sum of one hundred pounds
...and I give ... unto my three sons William Green John Green and Samuel Green all the ... remainder of any real and personal estate
... and I ...appoint my said three sons William Green John Green and Samuel Green Executors of this my will
... In witness whereof I have hereunto set hand and seal this tenth day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirteen
Signed ...in the presence of us...as witnesses Theed Peane(?)  R H Gibbon  Ino Upton
Proved at London 9th Oct(?) 1818 ...by the oaths of William Green John Green @ Samuel Green the Sons ... to whom Admon was granted .

I have spent a lot of time unsuccessfully looking for these Anna, Mary, William, Samuel and John. They don't seem to show up in what Keysoe records I can access.
I wonder if William senior "retired" to Keysoe after farming successfully elsewhere?
And I have another hunch that William senior was married twice, to a Mary, then an Anna.
I sort of like: William Green marriage: 10 July 1788 at Saint Mary, Bedford, Bedford, England; spouse Mary Read.

Interesting that he mentions "my real estate". Does this mean he is entitled to vote and so should show up in poll books?

Regarding Kilpin, "The building at Crowhill Farm dates to the end of the fifteenth century ... Richard Kilpin was there until his death in 1805 [and] he was followed by his son, William Kilpin, for nearly twenty years, until 1822. John Green, the tenant in 1823, was followed by his wife Ann Green [David H Kennett, "Bolnhurst, A Thousand Years Of Landscape",South Midlands Archaeology #19 1989 p12]"

[perthman]

> As an aside the only Greens mentioned in the Bolnhust PR up to 1812 was Ann Green who
> married John Hartop in Sept 1807 & an Alice Green, widow who married
> Thomas Kilpin, widower in Feb 1801....... so where did they come from?

The Ann Green who married John Hartop must be the one in the will. Where did this whole Green family come from?

I can find only one Alice Green:
* 1799 John Green, spouse Alice Hide (or Hike) marriage in Parish: Ampthill
* 08 Mar 1801 baptism (not birth) of Jn Green at St. Andrew Church, Ampthill, Bedfordshire, father Jn, mother Alice.

If this lady also married Thomas Kilpin in Bolnhurst in Feb 1801 she was leading a pretty busy life. But not impossible. I can't find a suitable John Green burial.

[johnP-bedford]

So we have William Green who wrote his will July 1813 & names 'my' daughter Anna who married John Hartop in Sept 1807; 'my' son John who marries Ann Marriott in May 1818; 'my' son William who marries Elizabeth Harris in Apr 1824; 'my' son Samuel who marries Sophia Lant of Gt Staughton in 1825. He then names 'our' daughter Mary Bowker (perhaps Bowyer?) 'who now lives with me' .... Is she a widow? Have you found a marriage of a Mary Green to a Mr Bowker? Or is she a spinster, perhaps daughter of William's second wife Anna? if indeed he was first married to Mary!

[rosie99]

I can find only one Alice Green:
* 1799 John Green, spouse Alice Hide (or Hike) marriage in Parish: Ampthill

Is this a possibility for Alice Green 
John Green
Alice Sells
Marriage 4 December 1793
Saint Paul,Bedford
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N2LD-77M

[perthman]

Good hunch? or unless you've spotted this on the IGI; member contribution though so needs verifying; marriage on 3 Oct 1817 at Ravensden William Loxley of Colmworth to Mary Marriott. I found William & Mary on 1851 census living on Bromham Road Bedford, William born 1794 Colmworth & Mary Ann born 1794 Bolnhurst.

Just a hunch. The marriage looks valid, although the record I found only states the year:

1817 William Loxley and Mary Marritt married at Ravensden, Bedford, England, father not recorded, mother not recorded
 [https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NXMM-P88]

Also
27 May 1792 William Loxley christened at Colmworth, Bedford, England, father John Loxley, mother Mary   [https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JSRF-95J]
6 jun 1841 William Loxley census Age: 45-49, resident in Clapham Parish, Bedfordshire
 [https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MQRS-RP9]

He seems to have wandered away from Beds after 1851, viz

1861 census
William Loxley; Age 66 living in Fenny Stratford, Buckinghamshire
Married to Elizabeth Loxley (45) with Eliza Amesbury (27) also resident.
Born in Colmworth, Bedfordshire, England
[Registration District: Newport Pagnell; Sub-registration District: Fenny Stratford; Piece: 872; Folio: 104; Page Number: 10]

1871 census
William Loxley; Age 79 lodging in Little Bookham, Surrey with George Bond (35) and Harriet Bond (34)  Born in Colmworth, Bedfordshire, England
[ Registration District: Epsom Sub-registration District: Leatherhead; Piece: 801 Folio: 88 Page Number: 17]

1881 census
William Loxley; Age 89 Widow, lodging in Effingham Village Oresham Cottage, Effingham, Surrey
Where born: Colmworth, Bedfordshire, England; Occupation: Retired Farmer
[ Registration District: Dorking, Sub-registration District: Dorking, Piece: 796 Folio: 120 Page Number: 14]

7 Apr 1883 William Loxley buried Little Bookham, All Saints, Surrey, Burial Age: 93.
[ Archive Provided Parish: Little Bookham, All Saints, Parish as it Appears: Little Bookham, Reference Number: 7503/2/1]

I got rather fixated on William for a while there!

[perthman]

Thank you for your responses, rosie99 and johnP-bedford.

I apologize if I am slow to reply for the next few days. Our local power company is turning off the power each day this week from 7am to 5pm for "equipment upgrade".
David

[rosie99]

That's not very considerate of the power company 

I am watching this thread as I have a remote interest in Thomas Green bn c1851 who married Louisa Fensom in 1870

Rosie