William Challis was born 20 May 1823, at Ousden and baptised at Hargrave, 25 July 1824, a son of Robert Challis and Sarah formerly Cook.
In the 1841 census of Little Ousden he was at home with his parents, aged 17, an agricultural labourer.
He married Mary Ann Frost in the Risbridge district in the June quarter 1848. (There are two possible baptisms of Mary Ann Frost in the Wickhambrook register in 1827.)
In the 1861 census of The Green, Depden, William was aged 35, an agricultural labourer born at Ousden. His wife, Mary A. was aged 34 and born at Wickhambrook. Their son, Samuel W. was aged 13 and born at Wickhambrook.
On 10 December 1867 at about 2.00 am William was woken by his 3 fowls making a noise. He saw a man going out of his yard. He got up and followed him and eventually caught up with him. He recognised him as Lewis Newman whom he had known since he was a little boy. However he saw he had a gun so did not tackle him then. He went and knocked up his nephew George, but the man had gone by the time they got back to where he had been. Lewis Newman was committed for trial by the magistrate of the Wickhambrook Petty Session, Thursday 19 December[i] and was acquitted of stealing 2 fowls at the January Suffolk Assize[ii].
In the 1871 census at Depden Green (next to widow Tamerson Orriss - see Francis Challis), William was aged 45, an agricultural labourer born at Ousden. Mary A., his wife, was aged 44 and born at Wickhambrook.
In the 1881 census he was living at The Green, Depden aged 56, an agricultural labourer and born at Ousden. His wife was Mary Ann aged 54 and born at Wickhambrook.
He was buried (at Depden, 8 May 1894, aged 67 [sic]), where George and Sarah were later buried and with a large headstone (his age on the headstone, 69, is very clear). The inscription reads “In loving memory of William Challis who died May 3rd 1894 aged 69 years And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things be passed away.”
William and Mary Ann’s child was
Samuel William Challis, born c. 1847/8. His baptism was not in the Clare Deanery9. He is buried at Depden in a grave adjacent to his parents. The headstone is inscribed “Sacred to the memory of Samuel William only dearly beloved son of William and Mary Ann Challis of this parish aged 22 years died 7 Oct 1870[iii]”. The burial register has Charles William Challis buried 13 October 1870 aged 22.
Posted
December 2016