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Hi John

Probably a Yorkshire nowt, picked up from the black sheep side of the family 

David

Sorry Jim, but the continuation of Dale End is now the Inner Ring Road! Go under the subway at the end under the ring road and you emerge onto Aston University Campus. Coleshill Street ran parallel to what is now Jennens Row, the  B1114 leading on to the A47. I worked there for many years and saw the remains of the houses in the street demolished, and probably walked the entire length of the A47 between Birmingham and Norwich in the days when I used to hitch-hike home. There is a tiny stretch still left, I think, where the filter lane off the ring road heading south took you onto the staff car parks.

As for the Sumpner building, it was, I think a brass foundry, but it housed one of the engineering faculties when I was working next door.

Did you know that there is a Rabone Lane in Smethwick, and that there used to be a Rabone Hall, as well? I think it might have stood atsomewhere near the Junction of Cornwall Road and Rabone Lane.

First, can I say thanks to everyone who has replied. It’s really useful to get second opinions: even if they just confirm your own thoughts it shows that you’re probably on the right track.

I don’t think that we have a murderer in the family - sorry Kate. Clause analysis was never my strong point at school, but my reading of the quote is that “robbed and murdered” and “by his son John” are both adverbial clauses relating to Richard being found, and therefore John did the finding and not the murdering. My source had the quote in italics, so I assume he copied it verbatim from his source. Unfortunately, he’s (a) away on holiday and (b) lives in New Zealand, so I can’t confirm where he got his information from just yet. I have ordered Richard’s death certificate from the GRO, but that won’t arrive until the early part of April. If the details I have at the moment are accurate, then the certificate probably won’t be able to add anything more. If you can check your book, Kate, I'd appreciate it.

As far as newspaper reports go, the newspaper archives at the British Library in London suggested Warwick, Leamington Spa and Coventry papers, but are there local papers closer to where he lived that might be a better bet? I suspect that the likelihood of them carrying a report might depend on his status, on the basis that the higher up the social scale the more likely to get your death in the papers. However, I’m not sure exactly where Richard, as a miller, and his family, sit in that scale. Ill check your link, Jim, to see if that can provide any more help. I've already contacted Atherstone library and they have no local papers going back that far.

I live in Stourbridge, so I am quite close to Warwick, Worcester and Birmingham records centres. I hope to visit Worcester over Easter to check up on another branch of my tree, so I can also check any local Worcestershire papers at the same time. I too had identified that the chances of finding any information from police records seem remote, and hunting through lists of convicted criminals would only yield results if a culprit was found, tried and convicted. I assume that if found guilty the culprit would have been hanged, so lists of those executed might be a starting point, if any such lists are available in the public domain – does anyone know?

I must admit I’m quite surprised to find my Stonyer ancestors so close to home – Belbroughton, Compton, Tettenhall, Smestow – as most of my living relatives are from Yorkshire. Trips to a few local churchyards are in the offing to see if I can find any graves. If my experience around Cradley is anything to go by, though, there won’t be much to find. I felt quite distressed by the state of St Peter’s in Cradley, although I understand that there might be some money forthcoming soon to clean it up. In my opinion, the rate at which any available space is being used for housing these days means we should make every effort to prserve and maintain these precious green spaces in our urban communities, and not just out of respect for the dead. However, country churches seem to keep their graves in a better state of repair, so I might be lucky.

Regards

David

Hello Denyse

I have quite a few Hamptons, Parkes, Gills, Hancocks/Hancox, and Graingers:

Family Group Record for Ann Gill
Wife: Ann Gill
Birth 1800 Dudley, Worcestershire
Death aft 1861
Husband: James Hampton
Birth 1791
Marr. 5 Jun 1814 St Thomas: Ann Gill
Father: James Hampton Mother: Mary Heathcock
1. Betsey Hampton
Birth 30 Dec 1815
2. Elijah Hampton
Birth 1817
3. James Hampton
Birth 30 Dec 1819
4. Thomas Hampton
Birth 6 Jan 1822
5. Esther Hampton
Birth 1824 Rowley Regis or Netherton
Marr. 13 Aug 1883 Bromsgrove Parish Church: James Attwood
Death Mar 1885
6. Mary Hampton
Birth 1828 Dudley, Worcestershire
Marr. 9 Feb 1851 St Thomas, Dudley, Worcestershire: Abraham Sidaway
Death aft 1881
7. Ann Hampton
Birth 1831 Dudley, Worcestershire
Death aft 1851
8. Sylvia Hampton
Birth 1834 Dudley, Worcestershire
Death aft 1851
9. John Hampton
Birth 11 Oct 1835 Dudley, Worcestershire
Death aft 1861
10. Joseph Gill Hampton
Birth 1839 Kingswinford
Death aft 1861
11. Elizabeth Hampton
Birth 1845 Rowley Regis, Staffordshire
Death aft 1851

GRO for death: Dd 6c 18 age 58
Marriage notes for Esther Hampton & James Attwood:
13.8.1883 Bromsgrove Parish Church
James Attwood 50 B waggoner Dodford Joseph (dec) labourer
Esther Hampton 49 S nailer '' James (dec) collier
banns witness James & Mary Male
only James Attwood signed

Family Group Record for William Hancocks
Husband: William Hancocks/Hancox
Birth 1722
Death 1777
Wife: Hannah Grainger
Birth 1721
Marr. William Hancocks
Death 1790
1. Sylvia Hancocks
Birth 1749
Marr. 7 Jun 1767 St Thomas, Dudley: James Hampton
Death 1818

Family Group Record for James Hampton
Husband: James Hampton
Birth 1745
Death 1818
Father: James Hampton Mother: Ann Parkes
Wife: Sylvia Hancocks
Birth 1749
Marr. 7 Jun 1767 St Thomas, Dudley: James Hampton
Death 1818
Father: William Hancocks Mother: Hannah Grainger
1. James Hampton
Birth 1770
Marr. 19 Dec 1790 Pedmore: Mary Heathcock
Death 1818
Burial 6 Oct 1818 St Thomas
2. Herbert Hampton
Birth 1772
3. Ann Hampton
Birth 1773
4. Sylvia Hampton
Birth 1775
Death 1776
Burial 31 Jul 1776
5. Sylvia Hampton
Birth 1777
6. Esther Hampton
Birth 16 May 1779 St Thomas, Dudley, Worcester, England
Marr. 12 Dec 1796 St Thomas, Dudley, Worcester, England: William Round
7. Phillis Hampton
Birth 1780
8. Daniel Hampton
Birth 1785
9. Mary Hampton
Birth 1785
Birth 1787
10. Jabez Hampton
Birth 1833

Sources for James Hampton:
Name:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, International Genealogical Index (R). (Copyright (c) 1980, 2002, data as of February 23, 2006), NAME Family History Library, ADDR 35 N West Temple Street, CONT Salt Lake City, Utah 84150
USA.

Sources for Esther Hampton:
Name:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, International Genealogical Index (R). (Copyright (c) 1980, 2002, data as of February 23, 2006), Film #: 456350, NAME Family History Library, ADDR 35 N West Temple Street, CONT Salt Lake City,
Utah 84150 USA.

Family Group Record for Mary Heathcock
Wife: Mary Heathcock
Husband: James Hampton
Birth 1770
Marr. 19 Dec 1790 Pedmore Mary Heathcock
Death 1818
Burial 6 Oct 1818 St Thomas
Father: James Hampton Mother: Sylvia Hancocks
1. James Hampton
Birth 1791
Marr. 5 Jun 1814 St Thomas Ann Gill
2. Susannah Hampton
Birth 1793
3. Joseph Hampton
Birth 1795
4. Herbert Hampton
Birth 1797
5. Sylvia Hampton
Birth 1799 Dudley, Worcestershire
Death aft 1871
6. David Hampton
Birth 1801
7. Elijah Hampton
Birth 1803 Dudley, Worcestershire
8. Enoch Hampton
Birth 1804
9. Mary Hampton
Birth 1806
10. Joseph Hampton
Birth 1808
11. Benjamin Hampton
Birth 1809
12. Tamar Hampton
Birth 1815 Dudley, Worcestershire
13. Eli Hampton
Birth 1818

There's more ...


David