Generation 5

Child of Margaret Head (1755-?)

5. Mary Colman (1782-?)

Born: 1782 in Wymondham, Norfolk.

Children of Elizabeth Head (1756-1844)

5. Ann Chamberlain (1782-?)

Christened: November 21, 1782, in Wymondham, Norfolk.

5. Isaac Chamberlain (1785-1786)

Christened:  March 8, 1785, in Wymondham, Norfolk.
Buried:  July 27, 1786, in Wymondham.

5. Elizabeth Chamberlain (1787-?)

Christened:  January 22, 1787, in Wymondham, Norfolk.

5. Frances Chamberlain (1792-1792)

Born: 1792 in Wymondham, Norfolk.
Buried:  September 12, 1792, in Wymondham.

5. Rose Chamberlain (1793-1793)

Born:  1793 in Wymondham, Norfolk.
Buried:  July 14, 1793, in Wymondham.

5. Isaac Chamberlain (1794-1862)

Born:  December 11, 1794, in Wymondham, Norfolk, and christened there on December 22, 1794.
Buried:  April 20, 1862, in Wymondham.

5. Robert Chamberlain (1797-?)

Christened: July 18, 1797, in Wymondham, Norfolk.

5. Charles Chamberlain (1801-?)

Born: December 1, 1801, in Wymondham, Norfolk.

Children of James Head (1760-1824)

Born: June 20, 1790, in Wymondham, Norfolk, to James Head and Sarah Reeve, and christened there on July 6, 1791.
Married:  George Osborne on October 9, 1815, in Wymondham.  George was born in 1787 in Wymondham.

5. William Head (1794-?)

Born: September 20, 1794 in Wymondham, Norfolk, to James Head and Sarah Reeve, and was christened there December 28, 1794.

5. Mary Head (1796-1822)

Born: June 17, 1796, in Wymondham, Norfolk, to James Head and Elizabeth Child, and christened there on June 26, 1796.
Died: August 29, 1822, in Wymondham, and was buried on September 2, 1822.

5. William Head (1797-1850)

Born: August 15, 1797, in Wymondham, Norfolk, and christened there on August 20, 1797.
When William was in his twenties, he was sentenced to death on March 18, 1820, in the Norfolk Assizes for highway robbery.  His sentence was later commuted to transportation to Australia for life.

• Article from The Norfolk Chronicle and Norwich Gazette - March 23, 1820.

• William Head, aged 24, and John Webster, aged 21, were severally indicted for assaulting James Long of Forncett St. Mary, husbandman, on the King's Highway in Wymondham and robbing him of a silver watch and other articles of property. It appeared that the prosecutor, in company with the prisoners whom he happened with at Wymondham Fair not long before, was going towards his home between 3 and 4 o'clock in the morning of the 28th September last. When after they had walked some way very peaceably with him, the prisoners got a considerable distance from him and, on the prosecutor coming up to them, demanded his money or his life. Both spoke to the same effect at one time. To their repeated demands, the prosecutor told them he had no money, only a few halfpence, still they seemed to disbelieve him. Their threatening produced such a degree of fear in the prosecutor, it occasioned him to pull his watch out of his pocket, when one of them immediately snatched it from him, and afterwards they took the handkerchief from around his neck and his great coat away. Then they suffered him to pass. He returned back to Wymondham for the purpose of procuring a constable to apprehend the prisoners, which was effected shortly afterwards on the same morning, when the handkerchief was found on Head's neck, and Webster was observed carrying the great coat (on the constable first seeing him), which he threw into a ditch on perceiving him and ran away. The prosecutor having identified the property, the prisoners were found guilty, but only of taking from the person. His Lordship having remarked to the jury that if they had any doubt about the fear excited in the prosecutor at the time, indeed, or of any of the circumstances of the case, to let it operate in favour of the prisoners. By this verdict, the Capital part of the conviction is taken away.

However, the Grand Jury, composed of the County's great and good, must have decided that William and John were guilty of exciting fear in the prosecutor, since they were sentenced to death.  The newspaper reported the following week that they had been reprieved along with almost everyone else found guilty at the Assizes session.  The Lent Assizes were held at Thetford by the Honourable Sir Robert Graham, one of the Barons of His Majesty's Court of Exchequer.  William was held at Norwich Castle from the date of his arrest to his transportation. He left England in July 1820 aboard the ship Hebe, arriving in New South Wales on December 31, 1820.  

As a convict, William worked for Richard Dunstan at Wilberforce, Australia.  In February 1842 he applied for permission to marry a woman convict, Ellen Sullivan.  Permission was granted and the couple married later that year. Ellen was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1820.  She was charged with "Man Robbery", tried on October 4, 1839 in Cork City, and received a sentence of seven years transportation to Australia.  She sailed on the Isabella II, arriving in Australia on July 24, 1840.  She is described as having fair, ruddy and freckled complexion, brown hair, blue/grey eyes, "nose a little cocked" and having two scars on back of neck and a scar under her left ear.  Her trade or calling was that of housemaid.

William was granted a conditional pardon in 1847, which meant he was a free man except that he could not return to England.  He died a pauper on October 14, 1850 in Windsor Hospital, Australia, at age 53.

5. James Head (1798-1884)  Line A

Born: December 7, 1798 in Wyndmondham, Norfolk, and christened there on December 16, 1798.
Married: Elizabeth Durrant at Lexden, Essex, November 21, 1826, witnessed by James and Sarah Durrant. James and Elizabeth had twelve children, two of whom died as infants. Elizabeth died October 28, 1861, aged 54, in Lexden of "Disease of brain" and was buried there on November 3, 1861.
James was the gardener for Mr. Papillon, Lord of the Manor House at Lexden for sixty years. This was a responsible position, since from the kitchen garden would be supplied fruit and vegetables for the household and guests all year round.  James had an assistant, Mr. Pamplin, and the "Day Book" of Lexden Manor shows that in 1839 James and his assistant were, together, paid £1-11-6 per week in wages. The manor house was sold off in 1931. James died in Lexden, Essex, January 12, 1884, Age 86.  His gravestone was found in the Lexden churchyard.  James' will shows he left an estate of £121.15s.2d., naming James Durrant of Colchester as his executor.

• Excerpt from The Essex Standard, West Suffolk Gazette and Eastern Counties Advertiser, Saturday,  January 19, 1884 Death of an Old and Faithful Servant
  
• Mr. James Head died on Saturday last, at the Gardener's Cottage, Lexden Manor, at the advanced age of 86.  He entered the service of Mr. Papillon's family in 1824, and only ceased to perform the active duties of Head Gardener some nine months since.  For hard work, practical knowledge of his business, and devotion to his master's service, it would be hard to find his equal and withal he was a "good and faithful servant" of his Heavenly Master.  Peace be to his memory.

5. Ann Head (1801-?)  Line B

Born: September 30, 1801, in Wymondham, Norfolk, and christened there on October 4, 1801.
Married: Robert Cushion, October 12, 1824, at Wymondham. Robert was born in 1797 in Wymondham and his occupation was that of house painter. Ann and Robert had two children.

5. Charlotte Head (1803-1842)  Line C

Born: May 30, 1803, in Wymondham, Norfolk, and was christened there on June 1, 1803.
Married: Thomas Gardener Spinks on July 2, 1826 in Wymondham.  Witnesses to the marriage were John Fox and Rachell Whait.  Thomas Gardener was born on November 4, 1806, the son of John Spinks and Sarah Balls.  He worked as a shopkeeper, tea dealer, weaver and manufacturing agent. Thomas and Charlotte had seven children and the family resided on Damgate Street in Wymondham. Charlotte died at Wymondham on July 15, 1842 of "Water on the chest" at the age of 39. Her tombstone is on the grounds of Wymondham Abbey and reads: In memory of Charlotte, wife of Thomas Spinks, who died July 15, 1842 aged 36 years. Also of William, their son, who died September 2, 1830, aged 5 years. (It should be noted that this is incorrect, William died in 1836.) The widower Thomas married again in October 1852; his bride was Mary Bales, a 42 year-old widow.  He was remarried in 1866 to China Spalding Bowhill, daughter of Adcock Bowhill, a Tile Maker.  This marriage was witnessed by James Wilson and Martha Ann Wilson.