Hello Wivenhoe,
My Coatsworth ancestors are from Maidstone and the surrounding villages in Kent. There are Coatsworths in the north of England but we have no known connection to them.
The furthest I can go back for certain is William Coatsworth, born 1791 in Mereworth, who married Mary Cook in 1819. They ran a pub in Maidstone, the Duke of Brunswick, as did their son Alfred and his wife Isabella, the parents of my grandmother Harriet, who was born there in 1886.
The William born 1791 is probably the son of Thomas Coatsworth, born 1768 in Teston and his wife Sarah Tupper whom he married in 1790. Further back than that is speculation but this is what I have so far.
William Coatesworth and his wife Sarah, who must have been born in the 1690s, had a son William, baptised in 1715 in Marden.
His son William married Elizabeth Bunyard in 1759 in Teston.
They had seven children,
1. William, who married Jane Groombridge in 1782 in Nettlestead, and whose daughters Elizabeth and Nancy were baptised in 1783, in Nettlestead. (Twins perhaps, or sisters baptised together?) William was a gardener, and was appointed Borsholder (Parish Constable) at Nettlehead in 1783 according to records of West Kent Quarter Sessions.
2. Elizabeth, baptised 1760, in Wateringbury
3. Sarah baptised 1762, in Wateringbury
4. Mary baptised 1764, in Teston, who had an illegitimate son William baptised 1784, in Teston
5. Nancy baptised 1766, in Teston (Nancy is often a version of Ann, and there is a record of Ann marrying Joseph Waghorn in 1788 in Nettlestead).
6. Thomas baptised 1768, in Teston, who married Sarah Tupper in 1790, in Nettlestead, and whose son William was born in 1791 in Mereworth, married Mary Cook, and is my great great grandfather. Thomas was in Maidstone Union Workhouse in the 1841 Census, age given as 70, actual age 73.
7. Margaret, baptised in 1775 in Nettlestead.
As you can see, convict William doesn't fit into this, because his age is given as 30 in "Convicts Unbound", making his date of birth as around 1772.
I was hoping he had family in Tasmania who might know more about him, but no luck so far.
Of course he may be nothing to do with my lot, but I think all the Coatsworths in Kent were from the one family.
Thanks for your interest.
Molly
