I am carrying out a comprehensive survey of Nuneaton & North Warwickshire families (comprising those north of the Coventry city borders to Tamworth on the Staffordshire boundary, east to the Watling Street and West to the parishes of Little/Great Packington.)

Please enquire if I can help in your local researches hereabouts.

Also am building a large database on local history in the Nuneaton area.(based on 30 years of research in many archives)

All enquiries welcome.

Peter Lee
Chairman
Nuneaton & North Warwickshire Family History Society
Chairman
Nuneaton (Civic) Society

I am looking for information on the childhood family of Ann Richards born about 1819 in Nuneaton, daughter of Thomas Richards who was a Miller. I'd be grateful for any pointers you can give me.

Hi Val,

This has set me a poser! Richards is an extremely rare name in Nuneaton. They do not appear as far as I can tell in the 1841,51 census, nor is there a Richards buried in St. Nicholas Parish Church Records for the period 1813-1851. There are some Rickards during this period (An Attleborough family of some antiquity - Attleborough a hamlet of Nuneaton). There were Richards in the Constable Survey 1544 and the Hearth Tax 1662-1674. In the 20th century I recall there was an Ernie Richards, fruiterer, in Church Street. He was there in the 1920's because an elderly gentleman, now departed I used to talk to me regaled me of his memories driving Ernie Richards' horse and cart!

I have looked in my 1792 and 1828 trade directories but no Richards - millers.

I assume you have found these in the IGI, do you have any other details that might yield a clue. It could be, of course, that Thomas Richards, the miller worked for Thomas Hincks the town miller at this time and his trade was that of a miller in his employ rather than his own account.

Please let me have a few clues and I'll see if I can unravel this one.

Peter

Val,

I've just looked at the Nuneaton Monumental Inscriptions web-site and see there is an MI for Thomas Richards held on fiche. One of our members, Alva King, transcribed it so she might have the details. Alva's e.mail address is: alva.king@ntlworld.com. Mention my name.

Peter

Hi Peter
I have Ann's marriage Cert (12 Aug 1843 to Thomas Spilsbury in Binton) which confirms her father's name and occupation. She was resident in Binton at that time. I have also found the Spilsbury family on the 1851 census, which gives her birthplace as Nuneaton.
A search on the IGI turns up a christening in Nuneaton on 7 Feb 1820 for Ann daughter of Thomas & Sarah Richards but I have not confirmed that this is her yet.
This is all I have on the Richards so far.

Thanks for your help
Val

Dear Mr Lee,
My husband is an ancestor of a Joseph Warren sent out to Australia in 1829 on the Layton 11 for the crime of shoot to kill. We believe he came from the Bedworth area and would love to find out about his birth, marriage and parents etc.If you could help us in anyway we will be very greatful.
Thankyou , Shirley.

Hi Shirley,

Yes I know about this, Joseph Warren was one of four Collycroft (a hamletry of Bedworth) men, the other seven being from Nuneaton and Chilvers Coton (adjacent parishes)who were caught poaching on the Merevale estate near Atherstone on 20th December 1828. Your ancestor Joseph was one of four who had guns intent on shooting pheasants - they killed seven birds - were disturbed by keepers, shot at them to scare them off. The rest you know. The gang were shopped by Joseph Cross of Chilvers Coton and were tried at Warwick Crown Court Saturday April 11th 1829 before Sir James Burrough. Found guilty and transported.

Do you know the rest of the details?

Peter

Dear Peter,
Yes I know of those details and a bit of his life out here in Australia but I don't know any details of his life before that and I was wondering if you had any knowledge of his previous life. Thanks for getting back to me so promptly. It is very interesting finding out all these details but also very frustrating. Thanks again,
Shirley

Hi Shirley

Yes it is a well known local case and currently have three contacts who are descended from these unfortunate poachers, White, Squelch and yourself. The newspaper reports are quite graphic. I assume you have looked through the IGI. I'll see what I can dig up on the Warren family. There are still some descendents of local Warrens around. You might like to contact Eileen Wright in Alberta, Canada, at toeneye@telusplanet.net. Eileen I know is interested in her ancestors on the Warren side. These just might be related.

If he lived in Collycoft which was an independent minded community squeezed between the towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth, he was probably either a collier or silk ribbon weaver.

Even today the road that separates the districts of Collycroft and Bedworth, Marston Lane, is known to old hands as "The Border" after some Civil War animosity that dates back 360 years.

Peter

Hi Peter
Alva hasn't been able to add any details to the entry as transcribed. However I was just browsing the A2A database at the PRO website and have discovered an entry which relates to a warrant of arrest for 4 ladies for using threatening behaviour to Sarah wife of Thomas Richards, Redditch, miller and baker. Dated 27 May 1823
As Redditch isn't a million miles away from Nuneaton & Binton I suspect he could be the one I'm looking for. Is this too far South to be in your research area?

Val