William Knobbs

[heywood]

Death of Mary Knobbs 31 yrs in December quarter 1850.

[Girl Guide]

Was William a shoemaker?  If so he is on his own in the 1851 census living at Couching Street, Watlington, Henley, Oxfordshire

Marital status is blank.

He is a master shoemaker employing six men and two women.

If the death of Mary Knobbs that Heywood has found is William's wife, then William should have had widower as his marital status on the census record. 

There is no-one else listed with him at all, so presumably his son is with the Richard & Rachel Shaw that Heywood also found.

This is the death that Heywood found from the GRO website:-

KNOBBS, WILLIAM    Age   31     
GRO Reference: 1852  M Quarter in HENLEY IN THE COUNTIES OF OXFORD BERKS AND BUCKING  Volume 03A  Page 307

That gives him a birth year of 1821.

[lollipoplady]

Thanks  Girlguide ,This is my problem. go one census on to 1861 and his name has changed to William Smith ( who's birth  is actually what I'm after ).There is a christening for William Charles Smith 30 June 1850 in watlington .In 1861 he is an Orphan.... There is a birth for William Charles Knobbs and absolutly nothing  else for him, so are they one and the same ?
    On William Charles Smith 's Marriage Certificate his father is William a Shoemaker.

[heywood]

It looks to be the same person.
Who are the parents in the christening record?

You could try the death certificates for William and Mary.

I have them now - Mary and William - shoemaker.

[heywood]

The burials of William and Mary are under the name of Smith.
It could be that William Knobbs was known as Smith as an alias.

There is a snippet of news from the August 1843 Oxford Journal where there is mention of a William Knobbs.
You would need a subscription to a site which has newspaper access.

[heywood]

The 9th October 1843 marriage of William Smith and Mary Banting in Oxford shows his occupation as Cordwainer - which is a shoemaker 

His father is Richard Smith, a Tailor.

[lollipoplady]

 
   That looks really interesting but I'm lost .If they are the parents of William Smith why bother with the Knobbs thing.....
       There's a female Knobbs Death 1844....There's a Mary Elizabeth Knobbs Born 1848 and there's a death for a Mary Knobbs 1850 and William Knobbs 1852 all registered in Henley.....And then the Knobbs disappear .......

[heywood]

I can't see the 1844 death but Mary Elizabeth Knobbs mmn is Ben.. According to GRO.

Mary Elisabeth Smith was baptised 2nd April 1848 at St Peter le Bailey. parents are William and Mary - Cordwainer abode St Ebbes Street.

[Girl Guide]

The newspaper reference is quite literally a little snippet.  It says:-

Watlington Aug 10 - William Knobbs was fined 10s and costs, for assaulting Louis Loden, which he immediately paid.

That is all it is.