William Nicks 1a 1b 1c 1d 1e 1f 2a 1g 3a 1h 3b 3c 1i 1j 1k 1l 4a 5a 6a

Birth Name William Nicks
Gender male
Age at Death about 50 years, 4 months, 23 days

Events

Event Date Place Description Sources
Birth about 1761     1g 1i 4a 5a
Baptism 22 February 1761 St Ida’s Church, Ide, Devon, England   1i
Event Note

The consensus among other researchers on Ancestry and Find A Grave is that, in spite living all his adult life in Alphington, William was baptised in Ide and that his parents were Matthew and Ann Nicks. This is certainly plausibly correct (Alphington and Ide are adjacent parishes, and the villages are less than 2 miles apart), so we will take it as a hypothesis for which we will look to find evidence to support or disprove.

Firstly, William's burial record shows his age in 1811 as 50 years, implying that we should look for a baptism record around 1761. First look at Alphington; Find My Past has an unbroken series of baptism registers around this time, and no plausibly matching records - indeed, with one exception there are no records for Nicks at all within ten years of this date. Therefore we can safely conclude that William's parents were not from Alphington.

Widening our search for all children called William Nicks baptised in all of Devon within 10 years of 1761, we find matches in 1753, 1758 (both of John and Mary), and 1761 itself (of Matthew and Ann), all in Ide. The 1753 baptism can be discounted, as the existence of a further child of the same name in the same family implies that the first one had died beforehand.

Looking at records of burials for William Nicks in Ide, we find burials in both 1753 and 1758. Broadening the baptism search still further shows that there were no William Nicks baptised in Ide prior to 1753, so we can cautiously suggest that these two burials are of the children baptised in the same years.

We've now narrowed our search of plausibly matching baptisms down to a single one, but let us look for further corroborating evidence.

Will of the supposed father - we find that a Matthew Nicks was buried in Ide in 1791, and this is the only record that could match the father on the baptism record. Looking at the FRYA Calendar of Wills and Administrations shows that a will was proved for a Matthew Nicks in this year, late of Alphington. Sadly the will itself, or an abstract for death duty, is unlikely to be in existence, so we can't look to use this to confirm the names of Matthew's children.

Will of the supposed mother - we similarly find an Ann Nicks buried in Ide in 1798, and again this is the only record that could match the mother on the baptism record. We find a similar entry in the FRYA Calendar of Wills and Administrations, showing that she was resident in Ide.

Family property in Ide - the Exeter Flying Post of 30 Sep 1813 shows that Francis Nicks (William's son) had recently come into possession of farm property in Ide, and was advertising it to let. This is most likely to have been inherited from William, who had died two years previously.

William's marriage record - there is a witness Matthew Nicks.

Thus we have found a plausible connection of Matthew to Alphington and of William to Ide, and that there was a Matthew in William's family. We therefore conclude that the consensus opinion is most likely correct.

Residence 31 July 1785 Alphington, Devon, England   1f
Residence 2 July 1807 Matford, Alphington, Devon, England   3c
Occupation 30 May 1808   Yeoman  
Residence 17 July 1809 Matford, Alphington, Devon, England   1h 3b
Occupation 17 July 1809   Yeoman 1h
Residence 24 May 1811 Matford, Alphington, Devon, England   3a 2a
Occupation 24 May 1811   Farmer 3a
Death 24 May 1811 Matford, Alphington, Devon, England   2a 1g 3a 4a 5a
Burial 30 May 1811 St Michael’s Church, Alphington, Devon, England   1g 4a 5a
Probate 19 July 1811 Exeter, Devon, England   2a

Parents

Relation to main person Name Birth date Death date Relation within this family (if not by birth)
Father Matthew Nicksabout 173320 September 1791
Mother Ann Hatherleyabout 172520 December 1797
    Sister     Elizabeth Nicks about 1751
    Sister     Ann Nicks about 1753 about October 1753
    Brother     Matthew Nicks about 1754 about 1813
    Brother     Francis Nicks about 1756 13 May 1821
    Brother     Roger Nicks about 1759 13 July 1835
         William Nicks about 1761 24 May 1811

Families

Family of William Nicks and Grace Wotton
Married Wife Grace Wotton ( * about 1763 + 15 July 1808 )
   
Event Date Place Description Sources
Marriage 31 July 1785 St Michael’s Church, Alphington, Devon, England   1f 3b
  Children
Name Birth Date Death Date
Grace Nicksabout 1787about December 1845
William Nicksabout 178819 February 1851
Francis Nicksabout 179619 October 1825
John Nicksabout 179930 May 1808
Matilda Nicksabout January 1803between 14 March 1803 and 19 March 1803

Family of William Nicks and Ann Whiteway
Married Wife Ann Whiteway ( * + ... )
   
Event Date Place Description Sources
Marriage 17 July 1809 St David’s Church, Exeter, Devon, England   1h 3b

Attributes

Type Value Notes Sources
WikiTree Nicks-368
 
FamilySearch L8BY-TL2
 

Source References

  1. findmypast.co.uk / Devon FHS: Parish Registers - Devon
      • Date: 20 January 1796
      • Page: Baptism - Francis Nicks (Alphington)
      • Date: 22 April 1787
      • Page: Baptism - Grace Nicks (Alphington)
      • Date: 4 September 1788
      • Page: Baptism - William Nicks (Alphington)
      • Date: 26 December 1799
      • Page: Baptism - John Nicks (Alphington)
      • Date: 14 March 1803
      • Page: Baptism - Matilda Nicks (Alphington)
      • Date: 31 July 1785
      • Page: Marriage - William Nicks / Grace Wotten (Alphington)
      • Date: 30 May 1811
      • Page: Burial - William Nicks (Alphington)
      • Date: 17 July 1809
      • Page: Marriage - William Nicks / Ann Whiteway (Exeter St David)
      • Date: 22 February 1761
      • Page: Baptism - William Nicks (Ide)
      • Date: 10 July 1808
      • Page: Burial - Grace Nicks (Alphington)
      • Date: 19 March 1803
      • Page: Burial - Matilda Nicks (Alphington)
      • Date: 5 July 1808
      • Page: Burial - John Nicks (Alphington)
  2. National Archives, Kew: Registers of Legacy Duty, Succession Duty and Estate Duty (IR 26)
      • Date: 19 July 1811
      • Page: IR 26/336/243 - Abstract of Will of William Nicks of Alphington, Devon
  3. Exeter Flying Post
      • Date: 30 May 1811
      • Page: Page 4
      • Citation:

        [EXETER, Wednesday, May 29.]

        On Friday last died, at Matford Farm, Alphington, after a long illness, Mr. William Nicks, a respectable farmer of that place.

      • Date: 20 July 1809
      • Page: Page 4
      • Citation:

        [EXETER, Wednesday, July 19.]

        On Monday last was married, at St. David's church, Mr. William Nicks, of Matford, in the parish of Alphington, to Miss Ann Whiteway, of Harberton, near Totnes.

      • Date: 2 July 1807
      • Page: Page 2
      • Citation:

        ALPHINGTON.

        TO be LET, a small commodious HOUSE, at midsummer next, now put in good repair, fit for a genteel family, with a large garden well stocked with all sorts of fruit trees.

        For viewing and to treat for the same, apply to Mr. Wm. Nicks, at Matford barton, Alphington.

        N. B. The taker may be accommodated with any part of the out-buildings, and 4 acres of meadow land.

  4. Devon Family History Society: Devon Memorial Inscriptions
      • Page: Grave Ref N03/10698
  5. Thomas Preece: Gravestone photographs
      • Date: 25 October 2021
      • Page: Nicks family, St Michael's Alphington
      • Grave - Nicks family - Alphington
      • Citation:

        In memory of Matilda Nicks died April 1803 aged 5 months
        Also Jon Nicks died May 30 1808 aged 8 years
        Also Grace wife of Wm. Nicks yeoman and mother of the above two children died July 15th 1808 aged 45 years
        Also Wm. Nicks husband of the above who died May the 20th 1811 aged 50 years
        Also Eliz and Hannah daughters of William and Mary Nicks and granddaughters of the above
        Elizth died the 20th June 1816 aged 2 years
        Hannah died the 25th June 1816 aged 4 years
        Also Francis Nicks son of the above who died October 19th 1825 in the 30th year of his age leaving a widow and ??? children to lament his loss
        William Nicks died Feb 19th 1851 aged 63 years
        Also Mary wife of the last named died Feb 28th 1852 aged 65 years

  6. FamilySearch: Wills for the Diocese of Exeter (County of Devon), 1812-1857
      • Page: Francis Nicks (1821)