The Witters are from my mother’s side and have been farmers for many generations almost exclusively in Cheshire with an occasional foray into neighbouring Staffordshire. My mother, Margaret Helen, was born in 1916, married Granville Green in 1942 and moved to Tookeys Farm in Worcestershire where my two sisters and I were born and lived until 1966 when they retired to the nearby White House in Astwood Bank.
Some years ago I received a copy of a Witter Family Tree from my Uncle that I have been able to validate and add to from Census returns and a very generous supply of Wills and ‘Admons’ that I obtained from the Cheshire Record Office. In the attached Descendant Tree I have over 200 names included, which as far as I know excludes any living persons, unless they have agreed to be included. There are many names not mentioned specifically in this website, simply because I have no information on them.
My Witter Line
Below are 2 simple Witter Descendant Trees showing the early Witters and my direct line of 10 generations to include relationships and some of the locations they were to be found in:-
The earliest ancestor I can trace is a William Witter from an ‘Admon’ dated 6th December 1766 in which his spinster, daughter Sarah Witter, Thos. Allen of Plumbley, Blacksmith and Robert Witter of Lostock Garlam (brother) undertook various obligations under William’s Will. From a later John Witter’s Will (her brother) additional siblings are identified, James and Joseph.
John and his wife Lidia had 8 children shown in the family tree above. John’s Will dated 21st July 1775 appointed his brothers Joseph and Robert as his executors. Both renounced their Executor roles, Robert died in 1775 and Joseph was ‘at present labouring under the visitation of the Almighty in a State of Lunacy, is incapable of managing and transacting of the said business’. He was in a Lunatic Asylum in Manchester. John’s children, James and Elizabeth, residuary legatees, took over those duties.
The only child of Joseph and Mary (m, 1st Jan 1752) I can find is Robert (bp. 30th Nov 1752, (bur. 12th Jan 1809) who married Hannah (bur. 22nd Mar 1809).
From my research there are many Witters descending from Robert and Hannah to make the insertion of similar trees to above some what cumbersome to the reader. I have included over 200 names on the descendant tree, at the bottom of this page, in the Witter Descendant Tree.
Robert and Hannah had 10 children:-
- the eldest Margaret (bp.1775) married Richard Bolshaw on 31st May 1804 in Goostrey.
- the second born John (bp.13th Nov 1776, m.7th Feb 1804, d.6th Aug 1854) my descendant, married Mary (b.1781 bu. 1854).
- there were 8 further children in Goostrey over the next 18 years:- William, Mary, Thomas, Robert, Hannah, James, Joseph and Peter.
John (second born above) and Mary Witter then had 7 children between 1805 and 1823:-
- John, Thomas (my descendant), Joseph, William, Sarah, Hannah and Elizabeth. I have no further information on Joseph, William, Sarah or Elizabeth.
- The eldest son, John, married Elizabeth Oakes farmed in Brereton and what follows is a sad story. Following various documents from the Cheshire Records dated 1855 John died intestate in June of that year but his wife Elizabeth was deemed to be ‘in a state of unsound mind’ that the Administration of the Estate and ‘Curator or Guardianship’ of their 2 Sons, Thomas (b. 1847) and John (b.1850) were taken by the John Oakes of Croxton, in the County of Chester who was Elizabeth’s father. One document is signed by Thomas aged 8.
- The second son, Thomas (b.1807 d.1875), married Hannah Lowe (b.1820) (my Gt, Gt, Grandparents) were farmers in Pickmere and Wheelock Hall, Cheshire. (Now a visitor attraction and farm shop). Hannah was born in Wheelock and her parents were Samuel and Mary.
My descendant, Thomas (b.1807), and Hannah had 9 children between 1832 and 1853:-
- The 9 children were John, Samuel, Thomas (died young), Mary, Thomas, Hannah, William, Emma and Joseph. In 1891 we find mother Hannah, aged 70, living at Wheelock Farm with the 5th son William, aged 36.
- Thomas, 4th son (b.1840 d.1900), pictured below, married Margaret Evans (b.1847 d.1904) and are my Gt Grandparents. Thomas was born at White Hall Farm, Wheelock in 1841 and we find him in 1871 at Wheelock Wharf as a farm labourer with his milliner wife and 3 children (William (b.1866) & my Grandfather), Samuel b.1868 & in photograph below) and Amy Bathsheba b. 1870 & in photograph below) and finally Mary Evans his wife’s 80 year old mother.
c. 1890 at Crotia Mill. Identified by my Uncle
From the 1881 & 1891 census records and Thomas Witter’s Will (b.1840 and my Gt Grandfather) I have found that :- William Thomas, my Grandfather was born in 1866, he was the eldest of 6 surviving with Samuel James (b.1868), Amy Bathsheba (b.1870), Charles Edwin (b.1872), Hannah Margaret (b.1882) and Gertrude (b.1885).
William Thomas’s father, Thomas, was born in Wheelock, his wife Margaret nee Evans in Sandbach and the first 4 children in Sandbach and the last 2 in Weston, Nr Crewe. Both 1881 & 1891 census have them living at Crotia Mill Farm, I can estimate that they moved to Crotia Mill in the 1870’s although I have no definitive date. The farm was 62 acres and they were millers utilizing the water powered mill on the farm. Crotia (Crowshaw) Mill is a C14/15 water mill is now undergoing significant housing and commercial development in 2021).
Thomas’s Will (b.1840 d.1900) referred to above was dated 1895 where probate was granted to his Son William Thomas and his brother William from Wheelock Hall Farm on 6th Feb 1900 – he was aged 60 when he died.
William Thomas Witter (b.1866 d.1948)
(click on images)
On William Thomas and Ellen Sutton’s 1909 wedding photograph above I have only been able to identify the Bride, Groom and Sarah Sutton, Ellen’s mother who is seated. WT Witters parents (Thomas and Sarah) died in 1900 & 1904. He married late at 43 and Ellen was aged 28. I am sure that Ellen’s 5 younger siblings are there.(Annie, Lizzie M, George, Sarah Jane and Florence).
My mother was the youngest of 4:-
- William John(1) (b.1910 d.1971),
- Thomas Sutton(1) (b.1911 d.abt 2006),
- Ernest Edwin(1) (b.1913 d.1914)
- and Margaret Helen(1) (b.1916 d.2002)
There is a rather sad story surrounding Ernest who was being looked after by his aunt and he died after a spark landed in his crib. I knew my Aunt Florrie Sutton (Ellen Witter’s nee Sutton’s youngest sister) for many years and whilst the incident was never discussed, I cannot begin to imagine how she carried that guilt for years. She remained very close to my mother and was a staunch Methodist including some missionary work.
My Grandfather William Thomas(2) died before I was born in 1948 and my Grandmother, Ellen, died in 1952, in the month I was born which precluded my mother attending her funeral. They corresponded frequently as perhaps mothers and only daughters might.
John William Witter (b.1910 d.1971) moved to Carters Green Farm and was there in 1939. He married Eva Cork on in the June quarter of 1946 and they had 5 sons. These Corks came from nearby Balterly, just over the boarder in Staffordshire. In 1939 James and Caroline Cork (nee Steele) lived in Bluebell Cottage as a farm labourer along with mother Caroline Steele, aged 88 and children Alfred, Dorothy and twins Eva and Ivy. Ivy was a frequent visitor to her twin sister Eva and I met her on my annual visits to Carters Green. In 1939 other children, Ernest and George, were Cowman and Horseman at nearby farms and Frank was staying with his uncle John in Liverpool. Frank married Muriel Milliner in 1963 and I was a 9 year old guest at that wedding with my cousins.
Thomas Witter (b.1911 d. abt 2006) married Inez Gregson Oulton (b.1924 d.1988) in 1952 where my sister was a guest. They farmed at Crotia Mill and had one Son.
Below are a series of photographs of my mother, Margaret Witter’s family at Crotia Mill that also appear in the Sutton section of this website:-
(click on images)
I hope you have enjoyed reading my content and that you will contact me and send any corrections or additions to the above section.
