In June 1841, William Robins, carpenter, was in the household of Thomas Leach, innkeeper.

Childhood

William was born at Blackdown, Broadwindsor, in about 1801.[1] He was the second child of William Robins, a carpenter, and his wife, Mary, who married at Broadwindsor in 1797. After living at Broadwindsor for a few years, they moved to East Chinnock and later to Odcombe.

William’s mother, Mary, died at Odcombe in March 1826, aged 57. His father died in Odcombe in December 1846, aged 86.

First marriage

On 15 February 1831, William married Lucy Burt at Odcombe. They had ten children. Four of them were baptised at Odcombe together on 25 May 1835.

In June 1841, when William was at Hardington, his wife and their five children were at Toller Whelme. It is likely William was staying at Hardington on the night of the census (Sunday, 6 June) because he was travelling between Odcombe and Toller Whelme.

Lucy died in May 1850, aged 42.

Second marriage

In 1858, William married Tabitha Andrews, the widow of a farm labourer named John Andrews, who died in 1845. Tabitha had given birth to a daughter, Letitia, in 1855. Letitia later took the name Robins and gave “William Robins” as her father’s name when she married. The 1861 census also shows her as William’s daughter.

In 1861, William, Tabitha and six children lived at 11 Dunlane Head, Odcombe. Tabitha died in February 1865, aged 54.

Third marriage

In the last quarter of 1868, William married Elizabeth Shearstone, a widow of Thorne Coffin, whose husband, John, had died in June of that year.

In April 1871, William and Elizabeth lived at Chilthorne Domer.

Death

William died at Chilthorne Domer in December 1878, aged 77. Elizabeth died there in January 1879, aged 70.

References

[1] The 1871 census gives his place of birth as Blackdown, Dorset. Blackdown is in Broadwindsor parish. This place is more plausible than Odcombe recorded on the census returns of 1851 and 1861.