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To assist researchers who fell into the trap of attributing the following to the WESTALL family at Kingsclere Dell, Hampshire, these references are significant:

2Q 1896   Henry WESTELL    =  Ellen ILSLEY   Newbury 2C 495

1901 Census  - Siddown Warren Cottages, Highclere   RG13 1118 folio 79 page 9
Infant   WESTALL   Dau   under 1 month   1901   -      Highclere, Hampshire

WESTELL, Winifred Mary       Mother's Maiden Name: ILSLEY
GRO Reference: 1901 J Quarter in KINGSCLERE Volume 02C Page 243

In the 1939 Register the parents: Ellen [recorded Nellie WESTELL] is with her daughter Nellie NYE at Crookham;  Henry [recorded WESTALL] is alone at Wokingham, both shown as married. His likely death registration followed: Jun 1942 recorded Henry WESTALL 77 Wokingham 2c 671.

Their 1911 Census entries proved the most elusive but are found at Bath Road, Beenham, Berkshire, by pursuing the origins of Pte Henry James WESTELL, Service No 18962, 1st Bn Royal Berkshire Regt, died 15 Nov 1916, commemorated at Thiepval Memorial.  Sadly, he's not been claimed by anybody on the CWGC website.

This topic is also posted to the Hampshire Forum.

Ian
Now that I've had time to delve into the huge volume of my accumulated GILL paperwork, I found in 1995 I extracted all the IGI baptisms for Exeter St Sidwell 1809-1820 and Exeter St Peter Cathedral 1822-1833 attributed to John GILL/Isabella, and employed a local researcher to extract PR details.

I subsequently found the marriage by banns 1835 of James GILL/Elizabeth SNELL solemnized in the Parish of Precinct of the Close at Exeter City and, if you check the 1851 Census ref: HO 107 1538 folio 318 page 41 at Shoreditch, you will discover widowed James GILL 40, Labourer in the Docks, born Exeter, his children Isabella 16, Ann Maria 9 and John 4, and, significantly, his unmarried sister Ann 23 born Exeter Cathedral Close.

My maternal Grandfather, who died when my Mother was 3, lied about his age at marriage to a younger bride, adopted a first Christian name with which he was neither registered nor baptized and kept up the pretence until his untimely death in 1908.  You may recall all the anomalies with which James DAVIDSON plagued our research similarly, so you should understand why I take 'our' James GILL's claims in the 1841 Census with 'a pinch of salt'.   

dee-jay   
 

OK, thanks. You agree two baps (Eliza and Thomas Page) to James GILL and Elizabeth in St Sidwells then?

I too am keeping an open mind; do you have any clues for me as to why you 'discounted the John/Isabella suggestion many moons ago' ?

Responses:
(1) Yes:  Early in my personal research I paid an Exeter researcher to extract Eliza's PR baptism and I asked the Exeter Registrar to complete blanks in my extracts to show illegible parts on Thomas Page GILL's GRO birth cert.
(2)  The naming pattern of John/Isabella's issue was not replicated in those of James/Elizabeth. If James' mother was Isabella I would have expected her to be commemorated but if Lydia I could understand if they chose not to!  Thomas Page GILL commemorated Elizabeth's father, named on her second marriage certificate to Joseph EVERY, and her son from the 2nd marriage was named James John, which I believe commemorated her two infant mortalities in her first marriage. 

Dee-jay, that “date of birth” for Thomas was probably a mistranscription for “date of baptism”.

I have been corresponding with Ian, and he has found a possible alternate baptism for James Gill, son of John and Isabella, at St Sidwell, Exeter, in Oct 1810! Have you seen it and ruled it out?

I emailed you a couple of days ago about our DNA project, but the email bounced. Could you try emailing me, please?

jeanffrench

Responses:
(1) I had already reached that conclusion.
(2) I discounted the John/Isabella suggestion many moons ago, after finding all the links with Yarcombe and Defiance coaching activities plus the Uncle James CRABB of Northleigh mentioned in the 1818 Settlement Examination taken at Yarcombe of young James GILL, and Churchstanton employment with Robert OSBORNE until he went out of business.  More recently I found a likely baptism - 20 Apr 1834 at Axminster - son of James GILL, Post Boy, & Elizabeth for the James GILL aged 7 months buried 14 Sep 1834 at Colyton - Elizabeth's birthplace.  The only missing link is a Settlement Examination for Elizabeth GILL after James' untimely death in 1844.
According to Hanson a common route for progression from saddle to coach bench was stable boy/horse-keeper/post boy/coachman.
(3) I'll PM my current email address.

dee-jay 

P.S. I joined Devon FHS this year for the purpose of seeing all their parish register images.  .

Apologies, as I haven't contributed for some time.  Over many years I have amassed a huge file of KEETCH and variants with a lead-in:

ASHILL
The boundaries of the Parish of Ashill are:
on the South by Ilminster & Broadway
   S.E.   Ilton
   E.   Whitelackington a detached part
   N.E.   Beer Crocombe
   N.   Stewley in Isle Abbots
   N.W.   A detached part of Barrington
   W.   Broadway

Ashill Baptisms
[NB A note in the Baptisms Register – appearing to be a late insertion -  records ‘The Tax begun Oct 1st 1783’.  However, there are no notations of ‘P’ or ‘Poor’ against entries until 1788 and this very unpopular tax was repealed in 1794, resulting in clusters of ‘late’ baptisms for children born during that period.  The Stamp Duties Act 1783 had imposed a 3d tax on all entries of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials in Parish Registers and only the Poor were exempt from payment.]

Ashill Marriage by Banns by Thomas Alford [Vicar]
[no indication of marital status for either in Marriages Register or Banns book]
06 Apr 1803  Thomas KEETCH (x Mark) & Sarah BOARD (sgd) both of the same parish
Witnesses:  Sarah DALE (x Mark) & Elizabeth DALE (x Mark)

Issue:
√1804   Aaron, Son of Thomas KEETCH & Sarah his Wife was bapt April 4th
√1807   KETCH  Henry Son of Thomas & Sarah April 12
√1809   KETCH  Hannah Dr. of Thomas & Sarah Jul 2
√1812   KETCH, Rebecca, Dr. of Thomas & Sarah Jul 12

√ No 27   26 Mar 1815   Eliza      dau of Thomas & Sarah KETCH Ashill Labourer
√ No 70   10 May 1818   Thomas   son of Thomas & Sarah KETCH Ashill Labourer
√ No 371   26 Jul 1840    Ellen  (Adult     dau of Thomas & Sarah KEITCH Ashill Labourer
√ No 372   26 Jul 1840   Isaac (Baptisms  son of Thomas & Sarah KEITCH Ashill Labourer

I hope those details are of some use.  The ticks indicate a double check for accuracy between my transcriptions from poor early microfiche copies of the PRs and/or the images of Ashill Parish Registers to 1812 now available on-line at Ancestry.

1841 Household at Hastings, Ashill  [HO 107/929/1 Enumeration Schedule 4 page 3]
Thomas Kitch   65      Ag lab   [1851 aged 70 + Henry 45, Ellen 30 & Isaac 26]
Sarah Kitch   65            [1851 aged 69 born Taunton: 1861 aged 82 born Hatch]
Aaron Kitch   35   [FindMyPast transcript Frank]     Aaron bur 29 Sep 1843 aged 39
Henry Kitch   30   
Thomas Kitch   20   
Sarah Kitch   19   [v. faint Christian name & age - all others 'rounded down' to nearest 5]
(6)

The Ancestry image is slightly clearer than FindMyPast.

I have loads more KEETCH & variant records to share but I'll have a serious crack for Sarah BOARD over the weekend.