Richard Grey and Family of Waterperry Oxfordshire (c1801-1877)

[Chopsuey]

Can anyone assist with any of the Grey (also shown Gray) family who lived in Waterperry Oxfordshire early 1800s.  Father Richard was born 1801-1806 the son of Richard Grey and Mary Wakelin and was a gardener (perhaps Waterperry House).  His first wife was Elizabeth who was the mother of Emma, Ann (later Angelina), George, Frederick, Jane, Elizabeth.  Emma also had an illegitimate daughter Elizabeth (1841) who ended up in the workhouse in Headington 1851 census.  Emma herself was in the workhouse in Oxford 1851 census.  Unable to find the surname of Elizabeth the 1st wife of Richard, may have been Elizabeth Welsted (Welstood).  She died 1838 and Richard married the widow Elizabeth Wheeler who was a neighbour of his parents 1842.  She was much older than him and died 1853.  1854 he married Rebecca Parker who was the widow of Thomas Reeves. George enlisted in army, Frederick well documented Oxfordshire, Ann married George Beazley and moved to Australia.  Emma and daughter Elizabeth, Jane and Elizabeth have been difficult to follow.  Any information on them or mother Elizabeth would help with a most frustrating family.  Many thanks, Sue   

[MickRD]

Hi

I found the following in the OFHS bmb databases:

26th August 1821 - marriage at Iffley of Richard GREY of Cuddeston and Eliz WELLSTOOD
(No other marriage in the database of a Richard GREY/GRAY to an Elizabeth in the time period, so this seems the right one unless Elizabeth was flexible with her first name)

They appear to have had the following children:
Elizabeth bapt & bur 1824 at Oxford St Ebbe
William bapt 1824 at Oxford St Ebbe
Angelina bapt 1825 at Oxford St Ebbe
James bapt 1827 at Oxford St Ebbe
Edwin bapt 1828 at Oxford St Ebbe
Richard bapt 1829 at Iffley
Frederick bapt 1834 at Waterperry
Elizabeth bapt 1835 at Waterperry
Jane bapt 1837 at Waterperry

Regards

Mick - an OFHS advisor at the Oxfordshire History Centre for the day

[Chopsuey]

Thank you so much Mick, that information will certainly help.  This family has been so hard to track down and the recording as Grey/Gray and their own habit of changing their first names has added to the difficulty.  There are some children I was unaware of, but my one last query would be whether there is also a George Grey birth registered to Richard and Elizabeth around 1832. He is shown on 1841 census living with Richard and other children aged 11, but I think he was 9.  He joined the 48th regiment and 1851 census records him in Manchester at The Citadel as George Gray born Oxford.   George died in India as George William Grey.  His marriage record records his father as Richard Grey.

[MickRD]

The only baptisms in the 1830s of a George Gray/Grey that I can find in the baptisms database are:
1832 May 19th son of Ralph and Jane labourer at Oxford St Thomas, and
1838 Jan 28th son of Richard and Ann labourer also at Oxford St Thomas

Both of them are with their families in Oxford in the 1841 census.

The 1841 census for Paradise Street, St Thomas’, Oxford, has:
Richard Gray   40   Born in OXF
Ann Gray   35   Born in OXF
Richard Gray   10   Born in OXF
Ann Gray     8   Born in OXF
John Gray     6   Born in OXF
William Gray     4   Born in OXF
Martha Gray     3   Born in OXF
Joyce Gray     4m   Born in OXF

You say the soldier George Grey was supposedly born in Oxford (as distinct from Oxfordshire). Do you think this Paradise Street family might be his rather than the Waterperry one? The baptism in 1838 is presumably a “late” one?

I looked for the Paradise Street family in the 1851 census in OXF to see if George was there (which would of course discount him as the soldier). No sign of the family in OXF and I'm afraid I don't have access at home to Ancestry or FindMyPast to search for them in other counties.

NB I'm using the Chapman County Code OXF, meaning the whole of Oxfordshire, not just the city.

Mick

[Chopsuey]

Thanks for checking Mick, it may be that he was never christened as he is definitely the son of Richard Grey who was a gardener in Waterperry.  He is shown on the 1841 census living with Richard Grey and his younger siblings in Waterperry.  Mother Elizabeth (now confirmed Wellstood) died in 1838. Richard married an elderly neighbour of his own parents, Elizabeth Wheeler, in 1842 and this seems to be when the family went off the rails.    The first daughter also does not appear to have been christened Emma (c1821) and 1841 census shows her living with Richard with her illegitimate daughter Elizabeth (born 1841) on 1841 census and presumably assisting him with her younger siblings who includes her sister Elizabeth who was baptised 1835.  Emma ends up in the Oxford workhouse 1851 census and what appears to be her daughter Elizabeth in the Headington workhouse aged 9 years.  George married in Plymouth (where 28th regiment stationed at the time) in 1849 and his marriage certificate lists his father as Richard Grey a Gardener, which he definitely was.  The 1851 census records George born 1832 Oxford, Oxfordshire still with the 28th regiment stationed at The Citadel, Salford, Manchester.  It is likely that he was either baptised at St Ebbes Oxford, Iffley or Waterperry, but perhaps not at all. Thanks for your help, will continue to battle on with unraveling this very difficult family.
Sue