Dorchester, Oxfordshire - John Roby, miller, 1750s

[jonwicken]

Hi rootschat,

I wonder if anyone could please help me with tracing any more information about my assumed ancestor John Robey (c1730-1784) who at the time of his marriage in 1754 resided in Dorchester, County Oxford. He was a miller at the time of his marriage so must have been apprenticed in about 1743 to 1747.

His marriage allegation records the following:

19 Mar., 1754. John Roby of Dorchester, co. Oxford, miller, bachelor, 24, and Lfetitia Ryal of Hampton, co. Middlesex, spinster, 24 ; at Chapel of Petersham. Joseph Davis of Petersham, linen draper, 2nd s. Both sign.

I don't know how long he was in Dorchester, Oxfordshire, before he married or who he was apprenticed to. His parents are unknown. However it is known that in 1756 he was in Ardington, Berkshire and by 1764 he was in Lewisham, Kent. He was buried in Lewisham on 25 June 1784. His widow Letitia was buried in 1802 aged 72. The Robey family lived in Southend in Lewisham.

John and Letitia Robey had three known children for certain as their baptisms are known:

1. Letitia Robey (1756-1810).  Baptised 25 April 1756 in Ardington, Berkshire. She married Henry New in Lewisham in 1790 and was buried in Lewisham in 1810.

2. Stephen Roby (1764-1784). Baptised 25 December 1764 in Lewisham, Kent and buried there 26 May 1784.

3. Richard Robey (1767-1779). Baptised 29 November 1767 in Lewisham, Kent and buried there 11 November 1779.

If anyone is able to help with his life in Dorchester I would be most grateful.

Thank you,
Jon

[jonwicken]

Due to the gaps between the baptisms of 1756 and 1764 it seems there must have been more children . I believe 3 more are possibly the following:

4. John Robey (c1755/61-after 1788) who married Elizabeth at some point before 1782 (perhaps the 1781 Lambeth marriage is theirs). I can't find his baptism to prove he was their son but he lived in Southend, Lewisham, which is where his assumed mother Letitia is shown to have lived from her burial. He had four known children baptised in Lewisham between 1782 and 1788. He also appears to have been the father of Caleb Robey born c1792 in Southend, Lewisham and whose marriage certificate names his father as John Robey, a mustard manufacturer.

5. Thomas Robey (before 1775-after 1813). He married Eleanor Walton in 1798 in Marylebone and had four known children baptised in St George Hanover Square from 1799 to 1804. By 1813 he was residing in Kensington. His eldest son John Walton Robey (1798-1858) named his eldest daughter Letitia in 1821 which implies Thomas might be a son of John and Letitia Robey.

6. Robert Robey (before 1769-aft 1804). He married Ruth Barton in  London in 1790 and then moved to Suffolk where he had 5 children baptised. He is perhaps another son of John and Letitia as his daughter Ruth Robey married in Lewisham in 1820.

If anyone has any ideas or a fresh pair of eyes can help find any more children of John and Letitia I would love to hear from you.

Thanks again,
Jon
 

[CarolA3]

Hello Jon,

I was born and raised in Oxfordshire, and I've been to Dorchester (or Dorchester-on-Thames) in that county.

However there's also a bigger Dorchester in the county of Dorset, and it's not unknown for people to confuse the two.  If you're sure that your possible ancestor lived in Oxfordshire, would you mind editing your post to remove any mention of Dorset please?  Otherwise people might start looking in the wrong places.

I'll have a quick look at some records for you now (until the insomnia lets go of me!).

Carol

[jonwicken]

Hello Jon,

I was born and raised in Oxfordshire, and I've been to Dorchester (or Dorchester-on-Thames) in that county.

However there's also a bigger Dorchester in the county of Dorset, and it's not unknown for people to confuse the two.  If you're sure that your possible ancestor lived in Oxfordshire, would you mind editing your post to remove any mention of Dorset please?  Otherwise people might start looking in the wrong places.

I'll have a quick look at some records for you now (until the insomnia lets go of me!).

Carol

Thanks very much, Carol. I did indeed mean Dorchester in Oxford, nor Dorset! Just had a moment when typing. Sorry and thanks for pointing it out. I have corrected it now!

[CarolA3]

Thanks for that!

Unfortunately my efforts were in vain.  There's no mention of any ROBY (or similar spellings) in Dorchester's parish registers in the relevant time frame; in fact the name hardly features at all, and not a John to be found.

I checked both Ancestry and the Oxfordshire Family History Society transcripts which I have on CD.  Sorry, must get some sleep now.

Carol

[jonwicken]

Thanks so very much for looking, Carol. I really appreciate it! He might only have been there a short time so will have to keep searching.

Thank you,
Jon

[jonwicken]

5. Thomas Robey (before 1775-after 1813). He married Eleanor Walton in 1798 in Marylebone and had four known children baptised in St George Hanover Square from 1799 to 1804. By 1813 he was residing in Kensington. His eldest son John Walton Robey (1798-1858) named his eldest daughter Letitia in 1821 which implies Thomas might be a son of John and Letitia Robey.

Thanks to another researcher, Thomas Robey's will has emerged showing he died in Harrogate in 1831 and his age at burial shows he was born c1769-1770.

Thomas Robey was then of Brompton, Middlesex, and as Robert Robey (c1783/4-1840), the son of John Robey (c1755/61-after 1788), is known to have been a butler in Brompton, Middlesex (apparently between 1814 and 1817 - see this thread https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=819697.0), it adds another hint at a link between Thomas Robey and the Southend, Lewisham Robey family.

All for now,
Jon