Rowney Family Tree

William is believed to have been born around 1766 in the village of Oaksey, near the border of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire in England. His origins are not confirmed. He is assumed to be the son of Luke and Catherine POULTON because he is known to have been married in the nearby village of Crudwell in Wiltshire, and Luke and catherine are known to have had a son named William of the appropriate age. There are a number of POULTON families around this immediate area in northern Wiltshire and they appear to be closely related, suggesting a relatively recent arrival in the area, however some caution should be exercised in linking them all too readily, because there are other established POULTON families in nearby areas.

William and Sarah are not confirmed as the ancestors of our POULTON family. They are the only known POULTON couple to have married in the relevant timeframe within the parishes of Crudwell and Eastcourt in Wiltshire, England, where our family is thought to have originated. This supposition is based solely on the naming of Escourt as his place of birth by our ancestor Thomas Edward POULTON on his marriage registration in 1840. He would have been William and Sarah's grandson.

William and Sarah's children are all speculatively associated with them based primarily on the proximity of dates and places of birth provided in census data. The connection between supposed brothers Charles and William is also supported by the fact that William's son Abraham seems to have lived in the same household as Charles' widowed daughter-in-law Mary Ann POULTON for many years. There are also some name similarities between families which are sufficiently notable as to suggest a possible link.

Nothing more is known of William and Sarah at this time. A check of the old parish registers from Crudwell and Eastcourt and neighbouring parishes would probably add a great deal to our knowledge of their family. It would also be worth checking for possible connections with the POULTON families from around Dursley in Gloucestershire.

NOTE: There are definite associations between the POULTON families at Crudwell, Escourt (Eastcourt/Estcourt), Corston, Garsdon, St Paul's Malmesbury, Minety, Somerford, Eisey (Lotton) and Cricklade in Wiltshire, which can be seen from the information at hand but the exact relationships still need to be confirmed. Corston and Garsdon are small villages around 2-3 miles from the town of Malmesbury in Wiltshire to the south and east respectively. Crudwell, Escourt, and Minety are to the east of Malmesbury, a mile or two beyond Garsden. Cricklade, Eisey and Somerford are just a few miles even further afield to the east and south-east. It is tempting to see all these POULTON families as deriving from three known men; a William POULTON of Crudwell, a Charles POULTON of Cricklade, and a Thomas POULTON of Somerford, who all seem to have been late 18th century contemporaries, however there are other contemporaries from the area who have been identified, and some mixing of their families may also have occurred. The border of Gloucestershire is also just to the west of Malmesbury so families to the west of the town would be outside Wiltshire and have not yet been investigated in detail. It is very likely however that there are connections with the numerous POULTON families who we know lived nearby in Gloucestershire.

NOTE: An Alfred POULTON is believed to have been born in Wiltshire around 1805 who married a girl named Maryanne (b.1808) and they emigrated to Brockville Ontario, in Canada, and had two sons, Richard and Alfred.

NOTE: In the 1841 census, there was a Thomas POULTON (aged 74) and his wife Patience (aged 64) living in the village of Somerford in the parish of Little Somerford, in Wiltshire. Thomas was an agricultural labourer. They had a young child George SMITH (aged 5) staying with them. All in the household were born in Wiltshire. Thomas would have been born around 1767 and would therefore have been a contemporary of our elder William POULTON. Living next-door to Thomas and Patience was the family of agricultural labourer Robert POULTON (aged 30+) and his wife Maria (aged 25+). They had two children; Hannah (aged 5) and Thomas (aged 1). All were born in Wiltshire. Robert was quite possibly the son of Thomas and Patience. See below for more on this family.

NOTE: In the 1841 census, a William POULTON (aged 40+) and his wife Mary (aged 40+) were living at Corston in the parish of Malmesbury St Paul in Wiltshire. William was an agricultural albourer. They had four children; Thomas (aged 14), Joseph (aged 11), Charles (aged 8), and William (aged 2). In the 1861 census, there was a William POULTON (aged 61) and his wife Mary (aged 51) living in Corston Street, in the parish of St Paul's Malmesbury, in Wiltshire. William was an agricultural labourer and Mary was a school mistress. There were two other unmarried members of their household; Mary Ann TANNER (aged 21) who was a domestic servant, and Joseph TANNER (aged 17) who was a blacksmith. Mary and the TANNERs were all born in Corston, while William was born in Somerford Parva in Wiltshire. In the 1871 census, William (aged 72) and Mary (aged 61) were living in Corston. A widow Sarah KING (aged 50) and her two children were boarding at their home.William's place of birth was given as Somerford Magna In the 1881 census, William (aged 83) and Mary (aged 67) were living in Malmesbury St Paul. They had a boarder named Frederick KING (aged 7). William's place of birth was given as Somerford Parva. There was also a Robert POULTON (aged 72) with a family at Little Somerford (born Somerford Parva) in the 1881 census. These two men, William and Robert POULTON, are probably the sons of Thomas and Patience POULTON mentioned above. The existence of this POULTON family in the Malmesbury district complicates our family research because we cannot confidently make assumptions about who exactly belongs to who.

NOTE: There was a Joseph POULTON (aged 31) living with his wife Elizabeth (aged 30) and family in the parish of St Paul's Malmesbury, in Wiltshire, in the 1861 census. Joseph and all of their children claimed to have been born in Corston. There were a number of other POULTON families in the parish of St Paul's Malmesbury. In the 1871 census, Joseph (aged 41) and Elizabeth (aged 40) were living in Cottage Laines Lane in the parish of Crudwell. Their family at that time were; James (aged 16) ag lab, born Garsdon (should it be Corston?? - Joseph's birthplace was also given as Garsdon here); Sarah Jane (aged 11) scholar, Garsdon; Jasper (aged 10) ploughboy, Garsdon; Joseph (aged 8) scholar, Milburne; Elizabeth M. (aged 3), Foss Malmesbury; and Lily B. (aged 1 month), Crudwell. Joseph appears to be the son of the William and Mary POULTON of Corston mentioned above. (See WorldConnect for more on Joseph's family.)

NOTE: In the 1841 census, and elderly woman named Frances POULTON (aged 65+) was recorded living a couple of doors away from William's son Charles, in Escourt. She was described as a pauper. Frances was living with the family of an agricultural albourer named William BEARD (aged 40+) and his wife Mary (aged 45+). They had four children; Lucy (aged 15), John (aged 14), William (aged 11), and Priscilla (aged 8). A labourer named Robert GRUBB (aged 20+) was also recorded in their household. Frances POULTON was born around 1776 in Wiltshire and would have been a contemporary of our elder William POULTON - she may well have been related, perhaps an unmarried sister or a widowed sister-in-law.

NOTE: In the 1871 census there was a Mark POULTON (aged 53) and his wife Ann (aged 43) living in Church Green in Crudwell. Mark was born in Escourt. He was a carter and Ann was an agricultural labourer. Mark's connection with the family has not yet been determined. Ann was born in Haxbury Upton in Gloucestershire.

NOTE: In the 1871 census, a William POULTON (aged 51) and his wife Harriet (aged 50) were living in Corston. William was a labourer. They had children; Henry (aged 26), Elizabeth (aged 24), Mark (aged 13), Grace (aged 11), and James (aged 9). All were recorded as born in Corston. William's relationship with the family has not yet been established.

NOTE: There was a Thomas POULTON (Born c.1833 in Wiltshire) who sailed alone to South Australia aboard the "Marion" in 1851. The ship was wrecked but he survived. It is not known whether he may have been related to our family.