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[Woolcomber to Haircomber
This page: [Tree] [about John Windeatt] [Children] [Sources]
TREE: You may need to scroll to the right to see all the children. Names which are in blue and underlined link to more information about that person. This can also be found further down the page but if there is a blue arrow beside the name then the information is on another page.
John & Margaret| John H[?ollet] WINDEATT Hairdresser & Wigmaker bpt 15.06.1823 (Buckfastleigh) d 16.12.1900 (Plymouth) m ?date? Mary MACEY of Buckfastleigh b.1823/4 |____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | Elizabeth John WINDEATT Mary Jane Robert WINDEATT William James WINDEATT James Samuel WINDEATT
John H[?ollet] WINDEATT (1823-1900)
His details have been pieced together from a number of clues:
Birth
- A register entry in the Buckfastleigh parish register records the christening of a John H[?ollet] WINDEATT on 15.06.1823. This date matches the age on his death certificate. HOLLET was his grandmother's maiden name so this is probably his middle name but we haven't seen the actual register transcription so it may be mistaken.
1841 Census (taken 6th June 1841)
Here's John in the 1841 census living in Buckfastleigh Upper Town with his father and his sisters, Jane and Dorothy (although it could be his grandfather and aunt). The address is just given as 'Buckfast' (along with hundreds of others).
| Name | Age | Occupation | Born in County? |
| John WINDEATT | 65 | Ag. Lab. | Y |
| John WINDEATT | 18 | Woolcomber | Y |
| Jane WINDEATTT | 35 | Warper | Y |
| Dorothy WINDEATT | 20 | Warper | Y |
1851 Census (taken 30th March 1851)
Here he is again in the 1851 census still working as a Woolcomber. He
is recorded as aged 27 and living in Church Cottages, Buckfastleigh with wife Mary and children Elizabeth, John and Mary J.
All their birthplaces are recorded as Staverton. Buckfastleigh, Staverton and Dean Prior are all within a few miles of each
other - see the Staverton tree map .
| Head: WINDEATT, John | |||||||
| Name | Relationship | Mar | Age | Sex | Occupation | Birthplace | Possible DOB |
| John WINDEATT | Head | M | 27 | M | Wool Comber | Staverton-Dev | 1823 |
| Mary WINDEATT | Wife | M | 28 | F | --- | Staverton-Dev | 1822 |
| John WINDEATT | Son | - | 4 | M | --- | Staverton-Dev | 1846 |
| Mary J. WINDEATT | Daur | - | 2 | F | --- | Staverton-Dev | 1848 |
| Elizabeth WINDEATT | Daur | - | 6 | F | --- | Staverton-Dev | 1844 |
1861 Census
coming . . .
- His occupation was still given as a Woolcomber in 1857 when his son, William James, was born in Plymouth. His previous children were born in Staverton so he must have moved to Plymouth sometime between the birth of Robert in 1851 and William James in 1857. In 1861, when his son, James Samuel, was born, he is recorded as a Hairdresser (Master).
- In the 1841 Census, John a woolcomber (age 18) was living in Buckfastleigh with a John
(ag lab) aged 65.
We think young John was the son of the older John and born at the end of a long line of children.
This older John appears in the 1851 census now aged 76 and an agricultural
labourer (pauper). He was living with his son William (who was married to
Mary Ann FRENCH and the family emigrated to Canada shortly
afterwards). See
census transcription
1881 Census
Here they are living in Fore St., Callington, Cornwall.
| Name | Relation | Marital Status | Gender | Age | Birthplace | Occupation |
| John WINDEATT | Head | M | Male | 57 | Buckfastleigh, Devon, England | Hair Dresser etc |
| Mary WINDEATT | Wife | M | Female | 57 | Buckfastleigh, Devon, England | |
| Mary Jane WINDEATT | Dau | U | Female | 34 | Buckfastleigh, Devon, England | |
| Jas. Saml. WINDEATT | Son | U | Male | 22 | Plymouth, Devon, England | Photographer |
1891 Census
Here's John - now a widower and still living with his daughter Mary Jane (also widowed) in Cornwall. But she can't have been 36! Assuming she was born in 1848, she would have been 42 or 43. This tallies a little better with the age given in 1881. Both John and his daughter's birthplaces are given as Plymouth but, as so often in the census, it is probably that the fine detail of the birthplace has been lost the further away the census place is from the birthplace.
Address: 47 Fore Street, St Germans, Cornwall,
| Surname | First name(s) | Rel | Status | Sex | Age | Occupation | Where Born |
| WINDEATT | John | Head | W | M | 65 | Hairdresser(Notem) | Devon - Plymouth |
| BRADFORD | Mary J | Dau | W | F | 36 | Devon - Plymouth | |
| BRADFORD | Margaret | Grndau | S | F | 9 | Cornwall - Saltash | |
| BRADFORD | Robert J | Grnson | S | M | 6 | Cornwall - Saltash |
Children
1. John WINDEATT (1846-1924)
Recorded as an apprentice to Thomas Williams (Plymouth) Hair Cutter, Hairdresser and wig maker commencing 1862 age 15. He also appears as a hairdresser in the 1871 Census. He married Blanche Elizabeth MARTIN on 28.05.1882 and went on to have at least nine children.
2. Robert WINDEATT (1851-?1875)
Robert also appears as a hairdresser in the 1871 census but we know very little more about him. A Robert died in Plymouth in 1875 but aged 22 so the dates don't match.
3. William James WINDEATT (1857-1938)
William James married Frances Sarah LAVERS on 08.01.1879 in Plymouth and went on to have at least eleven children, nine of whom survived him. On their birth certificates his occupation is recorded as 'compositor' until 1896 and then 'printer compositor journeyman'. From 1890, they lived at 2 Gilwell Cottages, East Plymouth. He went to Canada with his younger brother James Samuel, probably in 1881 or 2, but only stayed for a year or so. His obituary, below, does not tell us whether his wife went with him but his eldest son, Bob (born in 1880) was living there in 1938.
Obituary, Western Morning News, 16th August, 1938
Death occurred yesterday, after a long illness of Mr. J. W. Windeatt at 68 Durham Avenue, Plymouth where he lived with a married daughter, Mrs. E. Marshall. Eleven years ago, after 53 years' service on the printing staff of the Western Morning News co. Ltd. and (before amalgamation) on the "Western Daily Mercury" staff, Mr. Windeatt retired on a pension, and was also one of the recipients of gold watches presented by the proprietors of "The Western Morning News" for long and faithful service.Mr. Windeatt, who was a superannuated member of the Typographical Association, just lived to celebrate his 81st birthday on Sunday.
Entering the printing trade with the "Wester Daily Mercury" as a boy, Mr. Windeatt some years later, went to Canada with a brother, who remained abroad. Mr. Windeatt returned after about a year and re-entered the employment of the proprietors of the "Western Daily Mercury".
Mr. Windeatt was a widower. He leaves three sons (the eldest of whom is in Canada) and six daughters all married. His grandchildren number 18 including six grandsons in Canada and seven great-grandchildren.
James Samuel WINDEATT (1861-?)
James was the photographer who emigrated to the United States [More
]
Sources
- Buckfastleigh Parish Register - information supplied by a correspondent.
- 1841 Census - information supplied by a correspondent.
- 1851 Census CD-Rom for Devon
- Birth Certificates: William James Windeatt, James Samuel Windeatt.
- Marriage Certificates: William James Windeatt (1879)
- Death Certificate: John Windeatt (1900)
Links
NOTE: If you can correct or add to any of the information on this page I would be very grateful.
