Ancestors of Mandy Willard

Nicholas WEST (1704-1786)

and Sarah ROBERTS (1708-1758)

Nicholas West and Sarah Roberts were my 6x Great Grandparents.  (Click here to see their place in my pedigree chart.)  They married by banns on 10 April 1729 at the parish church of St. Peter's in Cowfold, Sussex.  He was then of Shermanbury, Sussex.

Nicholas West was baptised on 26 April 1704 in Shermanbury, Sussex.  He was the son of Nicholas West (1665-1728) and Hannah Denman (c1675-?).  He was buried on 5 March 1786 in Cowfold.  He made a will.  (I will eventually order and transcribe this document.)  In 1743 he was a tenant of Walhurst in Cowfold.  On 17 July 1765, Nicholas loaned £80 to Joseph Tyrell of Marles Mill in Lower Beeding, Sussex.  On 5 November 1787 his death was recorded in the Beeding Manorial records which stated that he died in possession of Freethland in Cowfold (40 acres).  Freethland then passed to his grandson, John West son of Nicholas's late son William West.

Sarah Roberts was baptised on 28 May 1708 in Cowfold, Sussex.  She was the daughter of John Roberts (c1678-1739) and Sarah Bennet (c1685-1720).  She was buried on 16 October 1758 in Cowfold.

Nicholas West and Sarah Roberts had 5 known children:

1. John West was baptised on 4 June 1730 in Shermanbury and buried there on 20 September 1730.

2. William West, my 5x Great Grandfather, was baptised on 1 October 1731 in Shermanbury.  He married Mary Richardson in 1760.  (They have their own page.)

3. John West was baptised on 15 July 1739 in Shermanbury.

4. Sarah West was baptised on 1 March 1744/5 in Cowfold.  She may have inherited Goodyers and Woodland  in Cowfold from her Great Uncle Thomas Roberts, by his will of 1765.  In that document he described Sarah Hale wife of Richard Hale of St. Saviour's in Southwark, as his niece.

5. Mary West was baptised on 30 August 1747 in Cowfold.  She died before 1796. 

   Mary married Thomas Renvill by banns on 12 August 1773 in Cowfold.  Thomas was then of Wivelsfield and Mary of Cowfold.  He signed his name and Mary made her X mark.  The witnesses to the marriage were J. Caffin and John West, who both signed their names.

   Thomas was born about 1742 and was the son of Thomas Renvill (1708-1785) and Jane Exeter (?-1780).  He died aged 73 years and was buried on 7 November 1815 in Bolney, Sussex.  He made a will which was dated 25 April 1815.  One of the witnesses to his will was Edward Dowlen.  His grandfather Thomas Renville (?-1732) and Uncle John Renvill (?-1749) were wheelwrights and also traded in drapery and grocery items in Wivelsfield.  Thomas married for a second time on 5 May 1796 in Bolney, to Mary Vine who was a widow of Lindfield, Sussex.  She may have died before Thomas, as she was not mentioned in his will of 1815.

   Thomas and his first wife Mary had 4 known children:

   1. Mary Renvill married William Green on 31 December 1793 in Bolney.  He was then of Cuckfield and she of Bolney.  She died before her father.

      William and Mary had the following children:

      1. Mary Green was mentioned in her grandfather, Thomas Renvill's will of 1815.

      2. William Green was born on 3 February 1795 and baptised on on 10 May 1795 in Slaugham.  He was mentioned in his grandfather's will.

      3. Thomas Green was baptised on 21 May 1797 in Slaugham.  He was mentioned in his grandfather's will.

      4. John Green was baptised on 14 June 1801 in Slaugham.  He was mentioned in his grandfather's will.

      5. Stephen Green was mentioned in his grandfather's will.

      6. Richard Green was mentioned in his grandfather's will.

   2. Thomas Renvill married Jane Stone on 2 June 1800 at St. Anne's in Lewes, Sussex.  They were both then of the parish of St. Anne's.  Thomas was not mentioned in his father's will of 1815.

   3. William Renvill was born about 1778.  He died aged 75 years and was buried on 16 April 1853 in Bolney.  He was an executor of his father's 1815 will and that of the 1821 will of his good friend, Charles Dowlen (1754-1822) and also of his Uncle Robert Renvill's will made in 1827.  On 22 April 1822 William was a witness to the marriage of Stephen Pierce and Charlotte Starley, in Bolney.  He acted as a witness again on 22 May 1833 in Bolney, to the marriage of Henry Marchant and Jane Harmes.

      William married twice.  As a widower he married Catherine Stevens by banns on 13 September 1834 in Bolney.  She was then a spinster and they were both of Bolney.  The witnesses were P. Storkie and Thomas Attree.  Catherine was in Pilton, Somerset.  When the 1851 census was recorded the couple were living at Malt House in Bolney and William was a farmer of 75 acres and employing 2.  Catherine's age was recorded as 50 years in the 1851 census, but she may have died aged 88 and have been buried on 25 ? 1867 in Bolney, making her birth in about 1779.

   4. Jane Renvill married Moses Wells on 5 October 1799 at St. Anne's in Lewes.  They were both then of the parish of St. Anne's.  Moses was an executor of his father-in-law's 1815 will, at which time Moses was living in Slaugham, Sussex.  They had at least 1 child:

      1. Louisa Wells was born between 1800 and 1801 in Slaugham.

         Louisa married William Ansell by banns on 18 May 1818 in Brighton.  He was then a bachelor and she a spinster and they were both of Brighton.  William was a miller.  The couple had 7 sons and 7 daughters and at least 63 grandchildren.  On 3 October 1837 in Cowfold, William was a witness to the marriage of Richard Terrell and Christiana Dowlen.  Richard was also a miller.  William and Louisa's son, Peter Ansell, was staying with Charles Dowlen (brother of Christiana) when the 1861 census was recorded.

ROBERTS          WEST