Thomas Davis

  General Notes:

Father's name was Thomas Davis
Mother's name was Anne
In 1851 census was listed as being born in 1806, in 1861 census was listed as being born in 1807, In 1871 census was listed as being born in 1805 at South Wales Flintshire, Wales Head census at Wolverhampton Staffordshird. Flintshire, an older county was a long way from Walsall, Staffordshire so I'm still not sure where he was born in actuality
Buried at Methodist Cemetery, Wollongong by R.C. Oakley

  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: Occasional Miner. miner in 1852

• fact. Father's name was Thomas Davis.
Mother's name was Anne ?
In 1851 census was listed as being born in 1806, in 1861 census was listed as being born in 1807, In 1871 census was listed as being born in 1805 at South Wales Flintshire, Wales Head census at Wolverhampton Stoffordshire
Buried at Methodist Cemetery, Wollongong by R.C. Oakley

• Alt. Birth. In 1861 census listed as being born in 1807. In 1851 census listed as being born in 1806. In 1871 census listed as being born in 1805 at South Wales, Flintshire, Wales Head

• Emigration. emigrated to Australia in 1830/31/35 If he was 25 when he emigrated as suggested in correspondence to John from Brooks, Foster and Davies Ltd

• source. for Wolverhampton is Frances Tribe

• question. Noel states:
Thomas was illiterate
This date and the original birthplace as Bilston seems in doubt; the original entry in the Mormon index was for a christening on that day in Bilston, to Thomas and Anne, but this child is listed as dying 3 years later. Furthermore, all census records state that our Thomas was born in Wolverhampton, not Bilston. The original search was done by professional genealogists in ~ 1980, and the Bilston birth was just on the balance of probability using known birth years. There are dozens of Thomas Davies/Davis

• connection. Kim Tilsted's links to me are as follows:

Kim Tilsted notes:

My interest is that my children's ancestors include the Baskerfields However, on 14th May 1797, there is a christening for "Hannah illegitimate daughter of Catharine Baskerfield".

Hannah Baskerville (originally Kingham)'s links to me through Larkinson line are:

Hannah Baskerville (1796) married John Prudden (1793)
His father was James Prudden (1762) & he also had Mary Prudden (1799) who married Samuel Peck (1795)
His father was James Peck (1767)
His father was William Peck (1732) & he also had John Peck (c1748) who married (1) Mary Devonshire (1753) links to me through to Larkinson Line
Her father was Robert Devonshire (1732) & he also had William Devonshire (1765)
He had Ann Devonshire (1818) who married William Rook (1817)
His father was William Rooke (1787) & he also had James Rook (1821)
He had Mary Ann Rook (1843) who married James Huckle (1842)
His father was Henry Huckle (1811)
His father was James Huckle (1781)
His father was Henry Huckle (1761) & he also had Anne Maria Huckle (1787) who married George Larkins (1789)
They had George Larkinson @ Malster (1817)
He had Frederick Larkinson (1865)
He had Winthrop Larkinson (1889)
He had Dulcie Larkins (1926) who married Colin Davies (1925)
They had me - Robyn Bray (nee Davies) (1950)

Hannah Baskerville (originally Kingham)'s links to me through Davies line are:

Hannah Baskerville (1796) married John Prudden (1793)
His father was James Prudden (1762) & he also had Mary Prudden (1799) who married Samuel Peck (1795)
His father was James Peck (1767)
His father was William Peck (1732) & he also had John Peck (c1748) who married Mary Devonshire (1753)
Her father was Robert Devonshire (1732) & he also had William Devonshire (1765)
He had Ann Devonshire (1818) who married William Rook (1817)
His father was William Rooke (1787) & he also had James Rook (1821)
He had Mary Ann Rook (1843) who married James Huckle (1842)
His father was * (2) Henry Huckle (1811)- to me through Davies line:
He had James Huckle (1842)
He had Eliza Huckle (1862) who married Walter Presland (1861)
They had Arthur Presland (1884) who married Annie Reeves (1890)
Her father was William Reeves (1866)
His father was Ephraim Reeves (1843) & he also had Elizabeth Reeves (1859) who married John Kilcommons (1859)
They had James Kilcommons (1887) who married May Davis (1895)
Her father was Thomas Davis (1868)
His father was George Davis (1846)
His father was Thomas Davis (c1805) & he also had Joseph Davies (1852)
He had G. A. Davies (1894)
He had Colin Davies (1925)
He had me Robyn Bray (nee Davies) (1950)

• Resided. Resided at 45 Chapel St, Goldthorn Hill, Wolverhampton
& at 13 Goldthorn HIll Wolverhampton in 1851
& 100 Chapel St Wolverhampton in 1861
was at Norton Canes for 1871 census
Norton Canes:
Norton Canes is situated in a slightly elevated position south-east of Cannock and just north of Watling Street. Little Wyrley adjoins it to the south-east. From the mid 19th century Norton Canes was largely a colliery village but it has a much older history.

The first element of the name 'Norton Canes' possibly means North Town because of its location in the north side of Watling Street. The second element is more difficult to explain. It may derive from the fact that its southern boundary in mediaeval times was the Gains Brook. There are later references to 'Gaynes' or 'Gains' in the area and this in itself may come from the name of a local landowner. Another view is that is a corruption of 'Cannock'. In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was called Nortone and was then part of the lands of the Bishop of Lichfield.

In 1380, 37 people were assessed for the payment of the poll tax in Norton Canes (then called Norton iuxta Cannock or Norton next to Cannock) and in Wyrley. Among the farmers, servants, labourers and their wives is also recorded a cooper. By 1666 when the Hearth Tax was assessed, 27 households were recorded in Norton and 23 in Wyrley. A further 11 households were not assessed for the tax. The largest house in Norton Canes belonged to the minister and the largest in Little Wyrley to the Fowke family. This would have been Little Wyrley Hall. By 1851, 755 persons were recorded in Norton Canes and Little Wyrley

Little Wyrley Hall has a timber-framed core which is early Tudor in date. The house was later encased in brick and was added to in 1660 and in 1691. There was later work in 1820 on some features such as windows and gables. The house has many fine architectural features. Its architectural history was featured in two consecutive articles in "Country Life" in February 1952 which are available for consultation in the William Salt Library, Stafford.

The parish church at Norton Canes is dedicated to St James the Great. The mediaeval church building appears to have been rebuilt in the late 17th century. This was replaced in 1832. There is a drawing of the 1832 church in the William Salt Library. An extensive restoration and extension of the church was begun during the 1870s but this was subsequently destroyed in a fire very soon after completion. The walls were re-used when the church was quickly rebuilt in 1888 in stone with a red tiled roof. The cost of rebuilding was £2,478. The bells survived the fire. Five of these were presented by Miss Hussey in 1887 and a sixth was added by Mrs MacPherson of Wyrley Grove in 1906.

In addition there were also Primitive Methodist chapels and a Wesleyan Methodist chapel in the village.

From the mid 19th century there was considerable development of coal mining on the Cannock Chase coalfield. For Norton Canes this meant the rapid development of communications in the vicinity as both canal and railway engineers struggled to keep up with the need to shift very large coal output from the coalfield. In 1840 the Anglesey Branch of the Wyrley and Essington Canal was built while in 1858 the Norton branch of the South Staffordshire Railway was constructed to carry ' mineral products' from the coalfield to the South Staffordshire towns and to Birmingham. The Cannock Extension Canal was also built in the late 1850s. Further railway development saw the building of the Norton branch of the LNWR in 1879 and increased production at Conduit No 3 Colliery after 1894 was to lead to the construction of a loop to Norton Canes in 1895.

Thomas married Ellen Nock, daughter of Henry Nock and Elizabeth Dixon, on 29 Apr 1833 in Sedgley, Staffordshire England. (Ellen Nock was born on 26 Nov 1809 in Wellington, Shropshire England, christened on 6 Dec 1829 in Oldbury by Halesowen Presbyterian, Worcester, Staffordshire England, died after 1891 and was buried on 8 Sep 1904 in Whitwood Mere, near Castleford, West Yorkshire England.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• fact. winesses to the marriage were Benjamin Morris and Elizabeth Dainty