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« on: Wednesday 18 November 20 15:01 GMT (UK) »
Can I join the conversation about John Hopwood (b 1798 Prees) and Thomas Hopwood (b1793 Shropshire)?
I have both in my tree as the sons of Joseph Hopwood (1752-1823) of Weston Under Redcastle and Mary Broughall (1770 – 1849).
Thomas (1793-1852)
Samuel (1974-1869)
Martha (1795-1872)
John (1798 – 1835)
Joseph (1799-1821)
Jane (1803-1859).
My interest is Jane Hopwood, who marries Thomas Draycott in 1828. They were both from Prees Shropshire and Thomas was a butcher. But in the 1841 census the Draycott family, along with Jane’s widowed mother Mary Hopwood, and Jane’s sister Martha Hopwood, are in Standish Wigan. Thomas is shown as the inn keeper of the Black Bull Inn. So my lockdown project has been to find out why Thomas Draycott moved from Shropshire to Standish. We know the family were at Standish on 16 April 1837 when his son John Draycott was baptised at Standish.
I had no joy with Thomas Draycott, so I looked at the Black Bull In itself. The inn keeper at the Black Bull before Thomas Draycott was John Hopwood. He died in 1835 aged 37 years in Standish. I have a copy of John Hopwood's will papers and they list “Mary Hopwood, the mother, Thomas Hopwood, Samuel Hopwood. Martha Hopwood, Jane Draycott late Jane Hopwood Spinster, the brothers and sisters of John Hopwood late of Standish in the County aforesaid, publican deceased”. So I am not sure that the John Hopwood in the 1851 census is the son of Joseph Hopwood and Mary Broughall.
On Thomas Hopwood and Martha Hopwood, Thomas Moulsdale lodged with them in Prescot (see the 1841 and 1851 census with Thomas Hopwood). Thomas Moulsdale died in 1851 and left bequests to both Thomas and Martha. Thomas Moulsdale’s will is on Ancestry.
Martha Hopwood died 1872 and also left a will, which is on FindMyPast in which she left bequests to a number of family members.
Hope this helps.