I am hoping to get some help with my search for my ancestor. I can confirm a William Dilly b 1797 in Wilstead, Bedfordshire was the son of William Dilly and Ann Hartley. Second marriage for William. My research has found that the William (married to Ann) was possibly born in St Neots, county of Huntingdonshire, possibly around 1760. (His first son Richard from first marriage was born about 1793, mother unknown) Taking a guess on ages I have come up with a time span around 1760.
Would anybody be able to help me with information on the first marriage for William Dilly that produced 2 children Richard around 1763 and Mary around 1795 and any details on his birth and parents.
Possibly a lot to ask, but I thought why not?
Hopefully someone can help me.

More questions than answers!

William Dilley’s marriage to Ann in 1795 – who were the witnesses, and was William of this parish? If not, what was his parish of residence? I assume he was described as widower.

There’s no marriage of a William Dilley in Hunts prior to 1795, and only one in Beds, in 1788 at Northill, and he was of the parish of Astwick

What’s the evidence that Richard and Mary were children of a first marriage of William? What happened to these two? Indeed, what happened to William and Ann, as I can’t find any trace of them after 1806? No burials in Wilstead.

If William wasn’t described as of the parish of St Neots when he married, what’s the evidence that he was from St Neots? There were plenty of Dilleys in Wilstead going way back, including Williams and Richards. In fact the second Dilley marriage in Hunts was in 1767. The first was in 1729. So it doesn’t seem that William would have been from Hunts.

David

My objective is to find the details of my ancestor William Dilly who was bap 1 Oct 1797, son of William Dilly and Ane Hartley. I have had this confirmed by the Bedforshire Archives. William and Ann had 2 other children Thomas bap Sep 1802 and Ann bap Mar 1806, died 1806. When he married Ann on 20 July 1795 the register shows he was a widower. The witnesses where Thomas Liles and Robert Toll. The mystery starts with a removal order in Oct 1806 from Wilshamstead to St Neots for a William Dilly his wife Ann, and children Richard aged about 10yrs, Mary aged about 8 years and Thomas aged about 4 yrs. My ancestor William b1797 is not mentioned even though he would of been about 9 yrs. Did they actually return to St Neots. Richard and Mary would be from his first marriage.
I have found no evidence that William father of William b1797 was born in Wilstead. There is no evidence of a burial for either William or Ann Hartley in Wilstead either. Why was he returned to St Neots, Huntingdonshire. I am presuming his ties there would be via birth. But I do seem to be having trouble finding a marriage of William snr in Huntingdonshire. So any help with finding out details about William Dilly, husband of Ann Hartley and father to William b 1797 would be appreciated.
Lea-Anne

William and Mary married on 20 July 1795 at Wilstead. The removal order of Oct 1806 gives Richard’s age as 10, Mary’s as 8, and Thomas’s as 4. So all could be children of William and Mary, with room for your William as well. It’s odd though that the last three children should have been baptised, but not the first two. Might an error have crept into the Removal Order paperwork and Mary was actually William?

In 1851 in St Neots Workhouse in Eaton Socon was Richard Dilley pauper widower 64 Journeyman bricklayer b Welsh Hampstead, Beds (obviously Wilshamstead). There’s a burial in St Neots of Richard Dilly age c64 on 4 Oct 1858. So his birth year is very inconclusive.

Being removed to St Neots doesn’t mean that was where William was born. He was removed to his parish of legal settlement, which might mean parish of birth if he hadn’t gained settlement somewhere else in the meantime by working there for a year. So he could have been born in Wilstead, moved to St Neots where he worked for a full year, then returned to Wilstead. If he became a burden on Wilstead, eg sickness prevented him from working so he claimed poor relief, the Overseers could have had him examined to establish if he was their financial responsibility, and if he’d worked for a full year in St Neots and hadn’t re-established settlement in Wilstead, then St Neots would be his parish of settlement, and he would have been removed there. It doesn’t seem as though a copy of the Settlement Examination survived, otherwise BLARS would have provided you with a copy.

As I said in my previous message, there is no marriage in Hunts of a William Dilley pre 1795 (per Hunts Marriage Index), and nothing obvious in Beds, so I’m completely stuck for his first marriage. As his age is complete guesswork, not having a burial or anything to indicate if he was a 25 or 55 year old widower on marriage in 1795, I’d be loth to rule out any William baptised from about 1740 onwards in either Beds or Hunts.

Unfortunately St Neots baptisms aren’t on the IGI or BVRI, but a transcript is available from Hunts FHS – but other contributors on this board have a copy I believe. Hopefully one of them will read this and check for you.

If you look at the thread 4 below this one Linda is researching Dilleys, which from previous threads I know are from St Neots.

David

Thanks for your help David.
Upon checking my research I did find that when William Dilley (widower) married Ann Hartley 20 July 1795 it did say "of this parish" Can you find any family in Bedfordshire that could be the family mentioned in the removal orders 1806 (meaning that it could be a completely different family altogether)Father William Dilley,wife Ann, Son Richard abt 10, daughter Mary abt 8 and Thomas abt 4. I have searched but with no luck. I suppose the bit that brings me to keep thinking it is my ancestors is that Thomas age 4 is the correct age for the Thomas I have born to William and Ann in 1802. And then there is the mystery as to why William b1797 wasn't mentioned and where are the baptisms for Richard and Mary.
Any help would be appreciated.
Lea-Anne