William Higgs (1796 – 1868)

William Higgs was born in 1796 in Speen. He was baptized on 24 April 1796 at St Mary in Speen the son of James and Ann, nee Elliott, Higgs.  

William married Elizabeth Willis on 18 December 1823 at St Nicolas in Newbury. They had four children, the eldest was Elizabeth born 21 October 1824 and buried at the Northcroft Lane Meeting House on 10 January 1825. The three youngest were all baptized at St Nicolas in Newbury, Benson on 17 December 1826, William Willis on 30 November 1828 and James on 1 August 1830. William was recorded as a coach maker on all three baptisms.

Elizabeth died on 8 September 1834 aged 40 and she was buried at Lower Meeting House in Newbury on 12 September 1834.

William then remarried to Hannah Smith on 15 August 1836 at St Nicolas in Newbury. Hannah was born on 2 June 1816 in Hampstad Norreys and baptized on 30 June 1816 at St Mary the Virgin in Hampstead Norreys. They had eight children, all baptized at St Nicolas in Newbury, Elliott on 27 November 1823, William on 20 January 1839, Jane on 6 June 1841, twins Joseph and Mary (but recorded as Maria in censuses) on 24 April 1843, Tabitha on 25 January 1846, Mary on 27 February 1848 and Henry on 31 March 1850. William was recorded as a coach maker on the first two baptisms but a bacon factor on the last six.

In the 1841 census William and Hannah with children William, James, Elliott and John were recorded living in Bartholomew Street in Newbury, William was a bacon factor.

Ten years later in the 1851 census William and Hannah were still living in Bartholomew Street with seven children Elliott, John, Jane, Joseph, Maria (not Mary as baptized), Mary and Henry together with a lodger and a general house servant. William was a bacon factor.

William and Hannah were still living in Bartholomew Street in 1861 with eight children Elliott, John, Joseph, Maria (not Mary as baptized), Mary, Henry, Albert and Sarah. William was a bacon factor, Elliott a watchmaker, John a tin man journeyman, Joseph a grocer’s assistant and Maria a house servant.

William died in November 1868 aged 73 years and he was buried at Newtown Road Cemetery on 30 November.

In the few weeks after William’s death a few announcements appeared in the Newbury Weekly News, such as the one from 10 December 1868 as below.

25 BARTHOLOMEW STREET

JOSEPH HIGGS begs respectfully to thank the inhabitants of Newbury and its vicinity for the patronage so many years bestowed on his Father, the late WILLIAM HIGGS, and to inform them that the BACON DRYING BUSINESS will for the future be carried on by him on the same premises. Dec. 8th, 1868.

Hannah remarried on 14 September 1869 at St Mary the Virgin in Hampstead Norreys to Isaac Rivers, a widower. In the 1871 census Hannah and Isaac were recorded in Hampstead Norreys, Isaac was an agricultural labourer. Isaac died in March 1881 aged 74 and was buried on 20 March at St Mary the Virgin in Hampstead Norreys. Just a few weeks later in the 1881 census Hannah was recorded living by herself in Hampstead Norreys.

Hannah died in September 1889 aged 75 and she was buried on 14 September at St Mary the Virgin in Hampstad Norreys.

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