Shilton
See the Shilton Census Returns
See the Shilton Family Tree
See the Parish Record transcripts from Madingley, Cambridgeshire showing the Ansell family
The Shilton family research has so far reached a sticky end in Berkshire. The man at the top of the family tree is probably Thomas Shilton. There is a tentative link at the moment between him and William Shilton, who is definitely our ancestor and most probably his son. I have also researched a few generations of the Shiltons of Bradfield, Berkshire (which is just about 25 miles Southeast of Shellingford). I have the will of Thomas Shilton dated 1775 and his son William dated 1815. Neither of these help with our Thomas or William but a connection may emerge at some point.
However, there may be a more logical location for the origin of Thomas; he was married in 1799 so I have been looking for a man born at least by 1779. I have recently found a Thomas baptised at Bishopstone St. Mary, near Swindon in November, 1769, the son of John Shilton and Susannah Paish 1. Bishopstone is in Wiltshire, and just 10 miles Southwest of Shellingford, so there is a distinct possibility that these could be the parents of Thomas (he did have a daughter named Susannah!). John and Susannah were married in Bishopstone in August 1769 and Thomas would have eight siblings. I have added this onto the family tree but this needs to be confirmed. If this is Thomas’ family, then there are numerous branches of Shiltons either side of the Wiltshire/Berkshire border including Bishopstone, Shrivenham, and nearby Stanton Fitwarren and Ashton Keynes.
Thomas Shilton was a publican and married Elizabeth Whiteman on 13th October, 1799 1. Although I cannot find a baptism record that link William to Thomas at present, there are a few clues which lead me to believe that William was Thomas’ first born: In the 1851 census 2 when William is said to have been born in Shellingford, near Faringdon, he was also a publican at the time of the 1841 census, 2 and it seems likely that he followed Thomas’ footsteps. This does need to be confirmed. Assuming this to be the case, Thomas and Elizabeth had the following children:
William Shilton b 1800? Shellingford
m ?? [no marriage found as yet] to Sarah Ansell
d 27.6.1872 Faringdon
Susannah Shilton bp 1.5.1803 Shellingford
m 2.11.1837 Wantage to Thomas Hester
bur 30.6.1869 Faringdon All Saints
Ann Shilton bp 20.7.1806 Shellingford
Thomas was buried on 25th January 1837. His widow Elizabeth is living in Great Faringdon in 1841 with Jane Whaine. Elizabeth died on 8th February, 1846 at Faringdon (a Sarah Little was present at her death) and was buried at Shellingford on 20th June 1846.
The marriage entry of Susannah states that she is the daughter of Thomas Shilton, publican, and one witness was Sarah Shilton. This was very likely to be William’s “wife”? She married Thomas Hester, son of Thomas Hester and Mary Cross on 2nd November, 1837 at Wantage. He had previously been married to Elizabeth Copeland and had one child with her. Thomas and Susannah had 3 children: Ann, William and George all born in Faringdon.
Susannah appeared to have died by the time of the 1871 Census and she was found to be buried on 30th June, 1869 At Faringdon All Saints. Thomas Hester was a Debtor at the county jail in 1871, a widower aged 66.2 Thomas died in 1882 and was buried on 6th December at Faringdon All Saints.
Ann Shilton, born in 1806 at Shellingford is elusive. There is no record of her marrying or a death but only one possibility on the 1841 census and that is of a school mistress living at St. Giles, Reading with a William Shilton born abt 1765 2. Being the 1841 census, there is no clue to their relationship. If she is not a different Ann with her father, then she could well be ‘our’ Ann with an uncle perhaps? If this is her, however, she is also a school mistress on the 1851 census, unmarried, aged 50 and born in Reading!
William Shilton appears on the 1841 census with his ‘wife’ Sarah Ansell (daughter of Thomas Ansell and Susannah Clark) and sons John, George and daughter Mary at Windmill Lane, Great Faringdon where he was a Beerhouse Keeper. 2
[Windmill Road had disappeared by 1851 and appeared to be then Coxwell Road. However, in 1871, there are entries for Windmill Cottages and next door is a Beer house called the “Red House”. This is where William must have been in 1841 – information kindly given to me by Hugh Kearse 2003.]
Later census returns lead me to Madingley, Cambridgeshire, where William appears as the father of John and William baptised there in 1827 and 1830. 3 According to the baptism register both John and William were born while they were living at Chilton nr Hungerford, Berkshire (Chilton Foliat). Perhaps he and Sarah were both in service during this time and could have married nearby somewhere but that still eludes me! William is also said to be born in London on his census entries- I am not sure why Sarah would have been in London.
Their children were:
John Shilton (Carpenter) b 1827 Chilton Foliat
bp 30.9.1827 Madingley, Cambs
m1 24.12.1854 St. James, Holloway to Elizabeth Willows
m2 Dec Q 1885 St Geo. Han Sq. to Mary Willows
d Sept Q 1900 Islington (aged 73)
William Shilton (Music Professer) b 7.3.1830 London/Chilton Foliat
bp 21.11.1830 Madingley, Cambs
m 2.1.1856 Chawton to Ann Knight (post mistress)
d 6.8.1873, bur 10.8.1873 Chawton
Thomas Shilton bp 13.10.1833 Dry Drayton, Cambs
bur 20.8.1836 Madingley, Cambs
George Shilton (butler) born 13.12.1838, bp 20.1.1839 Faringdon, Berks
m 18.8.1874 Pimlico to Mary Jane Footner (b Christchurch)
d 15.4.1914 Tottenham
Mary Ann Shilton bp 20.6.1841 Faringdon, Berks
Thomas Shilton (Carpenter 1871C) b 1845, bp 18.5.1845 Farringdon, Hants
Ellen Shilton b 1847, bp 27.6.1847 Alton, Hants
m 1873 Kensington to Matthew Jospeh Lym
In 1851 William and Sarah lived in Chawton, near Alton in Hampshire. William was a butler to Edward Knight and his family at Chawton House, Chawton, Hants. 2 Edward Knight was the nephew of Jane Austen and had inherited Chawton House from his father and her brother Edward Austen Knight.
Sarah and the children were living separately in Chawton Street, Sarah being a farmer of 10 acres. She was stated as being born in Madingley, Cambridgeshire, which may explain the place of baptism of her first two sons.
Chawton House, Hampshire
Neither are in Chawton by the time of the 1861 census. Sarah appears to have died on 28th March, 1857, aged 52 at Church Street, Basingstoke, the wife of William Shilton, shopkeeper 4 . She was buried on 2nd April, at St.Michaels. Basingstoke 1. I had no idea of them being in Basingstoke but it is only 14 miles from Chawton and highly likely that they moved there once William left Chawton House. Church Street was one of the four main retail streets in Basingstoke from 1700 to 1855 9. In 1861 William was now back in Faringdon, a Beerhouse keeper in Southampton Street, a widower, with his two young daughters. It is not known which beerhouse this was, none survive now in Southampton Street. Also at this time, their son Thomas appears to be a Captain’s Steward on board the “Persian”, a Royal Navy Vessel, Off Cape of Good Hope.2
In 1871 William was lodging at the Angel Inn, Market Place, Faringdon, a widower. 2 The Angel is now the Portwell Angel, and was once part of the Crown Hotel. Until 1920s the northern end was the Angel pub and used by coachmen and stable lads whilst their masters lodged at the Crown 8. William died there on 27th June, 1872 of Heart disease, aged 72. 4 No family members were in attendance. He was buried at All Saints Church, Faringdon on 1st July, 1872 9.
John Shilton was born in Chilton, Berks but baptised on 30th September, 1827 at Madingley, Cambs. 3 He was the son of William Shilton and Sarah of Chilton, Berks. At the time of the 1851 census when his father and siblings were living at Chawton, Hants, John was a carpenter & joiner lodging at 3 Dorset Street, Islington with Thomas Philips and his wife Mary. John married to Elizabeth Willows, daughter of James Willows and Mary Pettit on 24th December,1854 at St James, Holloway. They had two sons;
John James Shilton b 1856 Islington
bp 25.5.1856 Madingley
Thomas Shilton b 1858 Islington
bp 14.3.1858 Madingley
In 1861 they were living in Alma Road, Islington. At the time of the 1871 census he was at 5 Vorley Road Islington. His brother Thomas Shilton born in 1845, a Carpenter was living with him. 2 There is no sign of brother Thomas after this date. In 1881 they was still living at 5 Vorley Road, London (RG11/0246/88/3). John and Thomas were both clerks. By 1891 John was now married to Mary Willows (sister of Elizabeth), whom he married in 1885. Elizabeth had died the previous year. 2 John appears to have died in 1900 in Islington. 5
[The following information has been obtained by help given to me by Jane Hurst who in turn had inherited a great deal of data on the people of Chawton village, including the Shiltons – Thank you Jane
William Shilton (junior) was born in London on 7th March 1830 2 although the parish register sates that his parents were living at Chilton [Foliat] at the time of his baptism) but baptised at Madingley on 21st November, 1830. In 1841, when his parents and siblings were in Faringdon, he was living with his grandmother Susan Ancell in Madingley. In 1851 he was a school master living with his mother in Chawton Street, Chawton. 2 On 2nd January,1856 he married Ann Knight, daughter of Richard Knight and Elizabeth of Pond Cottages, Chawton.
William and Ann had nine children:
William Charles Shilton b 1856 Alton, private bp 8.5.1856 Chawton m 1879 Poole, Dorset to Emily Elizabeth Skinner
bur 13.1.1892 Alton
Arthur Thomas Shilton b Alton bp 6.12.1857 Chawton
Ada Annie Shilton (school mistress) bp 2.10.1859 Chawton
m1 1881 Alton to Harry Gates, (divorced 1901) m2 1902 to Alfred Warner d 1906
George Knight Shilton bp 6.10.1861 Chawton m 7.9.1855 Kensal Green to Sarah Bowler
Elizabeth Ellen Shilton (housemaid) bp 3.1.1864 Chawton Edwin John Shilton bp 2.7.1865 Chawton m 1890 Winchester to Emma Hannah Hurst
Alfred James Shilton bp 10.6.1867 Chawton Lilian Maud Shilton bp 11.2.1871 Chawton d 23.11.1871, bur 27.11.1871 Chawton Annie Elsie Shilton bp 6.7.1873 Chawton
m 18.4.1897 Alton to Escott Tate Long
William appears as a Music Professor in 1859 in Alton, according to a trade directory. He was also choir master and the enumerator for the 1871 census. William was buried at Chawton on August 10th 1873 aged 43. After William’s death in 1873, Ann became post mistress at Chawton Post office and then married Sergeant William Andrews in 1885. I do have additional information about Sergeant Andrews if anyone is interested. Ann dies in 1915 and was buried on 27th January at Chawton.
George Shilton was born on 13th December, 1838 at Windmill Street, Great Faringdon, Berkshire. 4 George married Mary Jane Footner (daughter of Richard Footner and Winifred Brewer), a domestic servant on 18th August, 1874 at Pimlico.4 At the time, he was a butler at Little Chester Street, London. In 1871, Mary had been a ladies maid to a merchant, Charles Parr in St George, Hanover Square, London, in the same household as George’s sister Ellen Shilton, who was a housemaid 2. I wonder if that is how they met?
They had two children:
Alice Eleanor Shilton (my great gran) b 1.6.1875 Westminster
m 16.7.1898 Tottenham to George Nicholas Kille
d 17.3.1923 Tottenham
George William Shilton (Grocer) b 18.4.1880 Pimlico
m 1900 to Emma Eliza Gibbens
By 1881 George, Jane and Alice were living at 2 Palace Street, Westminster 2 where George was working for the Lady of the House, Rachel Allen. By 1891 George was working as a servant at Alderhurst, Egham in Surrey.2 He was now widowed. Mary Jane had died on 16th June, 1888. She was buried on 20t June, 1888 at Westminster cemetery Earl’s Court. By the time of the 1901 George was working as a Domestic Butler in Kensington. 2 He died on 15th April, 1914 4 and is buried at Tottenham cemetery.
Alice Eleanor Shilton was born on 1st June, 1875 at Westminster. 4 In 1891 she and her brother, George were living at Evelyn Place, Tottenham with her aunt and uncle Ellen and Jospeh Lym and their family.
She was living at 162 Church Road, Tottenham when she married George Nicholas Kille on 16th July, 1898 at Tottenham. 4 This was where they were living when her first daughter Grace Winifred Kille was born in 1899.
Her brother George William Shilton was born in 1880 in Pimlico. He was a Grocer and ran a sweet shop in Church Road, Tottenham. He married Emma Eliza Gibbens in St. James, Edmonton on 24th September, 1900 and in 1901 they lived at 16 Gloucester Road, Edmonton. 2 They had two sons:
For a long time, it was assumed that this photograph was of George Shilton and his wife Mary Jane. However, once we saw the photographs of Bert Lym’s wedding, which took place in 1901 (and therefore long after Mary Jane had died), we realised that it was actually George and his youngest sister Ellen Shilt
on now Ellen Lym. Ellen married Matthew Joseph Lym in 1873 at Kensington. She had previously been in service in London; at the time of the 1871 census with Mary Footner, George’s future wife 2 . Ellen and Matthew had four sons:
Joseph George Lym b 5.4.1874, bp 7.6.1874 Methodist Chapel, Kensington
d 1876
William Walter Lym b 1875 Hammersmith d 1900 Edmonton
Herbert Shilton Lym bp 15.12.1880 Edmonton
m 15.4.1906 All Hallows, Tottenham to Florence Victoria Hardy
d 1961
George Mason Lym b 1886 Tottenham
1 parish records ancestry.co.uk
2 census returns from ancestry
5 freebmd
7 Basingstoke Retail – Shops and Markets 1700 -2014
8 History Walk around Faringdon
9 Berkshire Burial Index via Findmypast