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Family of John GROSSMITH (G2) and Mary
G3 William GROSSMITH
Born in 1734 in Alton, Hants. William was baptized in Alton, Hants on 27 December 1734.
William died in Bletchingley Surrey on 25 March 1802, at the age of 68.
On 19 February 1756 when William was 22, he first married Mary PASSINGHAM.
Mary died sometime before 1759.
They had the following children:
John - Born in 1757
Mary - Born in 1758
On 25 December 1759 when William was 25, he second married Sarah EARL, in Guildford, Surrey.
Sarah was born about 1729. Sarah died in Bletchingley Surrey on 13 February 1814, at the age of 85.
They had the following children:
Sarah (18 December 1763 Croydon - 26 April 1764 Bletchingley, aged 1) John (1 December 1766 Bletchingley -) On 15 May 1788 when John was 23, he married Henrietta EVEREST, in Westerham, Surrey G4 Thomas (1765 Bletchingley –1841 Bletchingley) Henry (27 March 1768 Bletchingley - 23 October 1768 Bletchingley aged six months James (10 December 1769 Bletchingley Surrey -) On 25 June 1792 when James was 23, he married Elizabeth WINTON, in Bletchingley Surrey George (12 February 1775 Bletchingley -)
Although William was born in Alton, Hampshire he married in Guildford in 1759.
He was living in Croydon in 1763 when Sarah was born.
Then the family moved to Bletchingley in 1764 (where Sarah died aged 1) for the birth of the five sons. Both William and Sarah died in Bletchingley.
William made a will dated 4 August 1798, in which he describes himself as a 'Felmonger and Breechermaker' He bequeathed to his wife Sarah all his 'household goods and chattels and contents of household, and all stock in trade, cutters and utensils.'
It is interesting to note that William Grossmith signature and the spelling of his name throughout the Will is "Grofsmith".
Bletchingley
Bletchingley, now a picturesque village with a wealth of 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th century houses, including no less than 69 listed buildings, was once a busy market town which retained two members of parliament when Manchester had none.
Originally a Saxon settlement, the village acquired a castle and a church shortly after the Norman conquest and was laid out as a 'new town' by Richard de Clare in the late 12th century. The castle was sacked by the defeated troops of Henry III after the battle of Lewes in 1264, and was never rebuilt.
After a period of prosperity in the 16-17th, century, Bletchingley gracefully declined in importance, still retaining its 12th century town plan. It became infamous as a 'rotten borough' and lost its status following the 1832 Reform Act.
Lord Palmerston - later Prime Minister - was its last Member of Parliament.
The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, mainly 15th century, retains its original Norman tower of 1086, and contains a magnificent monument to a late 17th century Lord of the Manor, Sir Robert Clayton and his wife.
Three conservation areas lie within the parish. The village centre itself is a conservation area. A second is Pendell, with three distinguished houses:
the grandest at Pendell Court, a Grade 1 Listed Jacobean House of 1624;Pendell House of 1636, reputedly designed by Indigo Jones, and
the early 18th century Old Manor House.
The third conservation area of Brewer Street contains the timber-framed Grade 1 15th century house of Brewer Street Farm; a Georgian rectory; and the gatehouse of Bletchingley Palace, now known as Place Farm, acquired by Henry VIII and given to Anne of Cleaves as her home following their divorce.
My Family Tree is a 60 minute documentary that I have made with my digital camcorder and edited into a video production.
This documentary is the story of four families. It is the story of my father's parents, Brigden and Chapman, and my mother's parents, Crowhurst and Plowman.
The video can be purchased for £5 plus £2 postage and packaging. To order a copy click here