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Hawkins, George

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Gender: Male

George Hawkins was recorded by Peter Kennedy in Ebrington in 1957 aged 86 when he sang Little Black Horse. He told Peter Kennedy that he had learned the song ’Years ago’ from a Mr Beesley who lived at Paxford. Beezley was his mother’s maiden name. He had worked as a shepherd/cowman for Mr Stanley – possibly  the James Stanley who was a farm Bailiff in Foxcote in 1881. He stated that he had seen morris dancing at Ilmington and knew the fiddler, Sam Bennett.

George Hawkins’ grandfather, also called George Hawkins, was born in Shipton upon Cherwell in Oxfordshire in about 1809. He then moved to Ilmington where he was married on 2 June 1836 to Eliza Dumbleton, the daughter of Thomas Dumbleton, a labourer, both from Ilmington. In 1841 George and Eliza were living in Ilmington where George was working as a labourer with two children, Enos (later stated to be Amos) aged 2 and Thomas aged one month.

Their son, George’s father, William Hawkins, was. baptised in Ilmington on 25 February 1844 and by 1851 William was living there with his parents, his mother’s father, Thomas Dumbleton and Thomas’ wife, Ann, and his brothers and sisters Joseph, Thomas, both ploughboys, Amos (previously called Enos in the 1841 census), Ann and Elizabeth. All the children had been born in Ilmington. His father, George, was working as a farmer’s labourer. In 1861 William was still living at home on Campden Street, Ilmington where he, his father and his brother Thomas were all working as labourers. Thomas Dumbleton was living next door.

On 6 October 1866 at aged 22 William Hawkins married Sarah Beezley aged 20 from Paxford, in Blockley parish, the daughter of John Beezley, a labourer. Their son, George Hawkins, was baptised on 26 September 1869 in Blockley Church. At the time the family were living in Paxford. By 1871 they were still living in Paxford with their son, George Hawkins, where William was working as a labourer. William and Sarah had two daughters, Emily who was baptised on 30 June 1872 and Rose Hannah baptised 24 May 1874 both in Blockley Church. At the time of the baptisms William was still working as a labourer. By 1881 George Hawkins was living with his parents on Ditchford Farm, Paxford with his sisters Emily and Rose and two brothers Thomas aged 4 born in Paxford and John aged 8 months born in Ditchford. His father, William, was working as a carter. William and Sarah later had another daughter whom they also baptised as Emily on 24 April 1898 in Blockley, possibly after the death of their previous daughter. At the time William was working as a shepherd.

By 1891 George Hawkins had left home and was one of two boarders working as railway carters who were living at 12 Sarah Street, All Souls, Manchester, in the house of another railway carter. His parents had moved to Ebrington where William was working as a shepherd and they then had two more children, William aged 7 and Mary Ann aged 2 both born in Paxford.George Hawkins also stated that he had worked in Middlesex.

George Hawkins then returned to Gloucestershire and was living in Blockley Parish working as a carter when he married Alice Ann Hill, a blacksmith’s daughter also from Blockley, on 3 January 1892. At that time his father was working as a shepherd. Their first son, Harry, was born 23 May 1892 in Paxford when George was working as a labourer and they then had two more sons born in Paxford, Albert W. born about1894, William J. born about 1896.The family then moved to Evenlode where By 1901 George Hawkins was living at Northfields Farm, Evenlode, working as a shepherd. They had more children in Evenlode: Charles Andrew born 4 September 1898 and Earnest James born 13 July 1900, Frederick born 5 February 1904 and Alice Sarah born 29 November 1905.

George and Alice then moved to Ebrington where in 1911 they were living at Rye Piece with all their children. George was working as a shepherd. His son Harry was working as a tailor and his sons Albert and William were workers on a farm.

George’s father, William died in 1915 in the Banbury registration district. George Hawkins probably died in 1961 in the North Cotswold registration district.

George’s wife, Ann, died in 1938. His son, Charles Andrew Hawkins, died in Bath in 1943. His son, Albert William Hawkins, died in the Stow on the Wold registration district in 1979 and his son, Earnest James died in Cheltenham in 1990.

(Notes by Carol Davies 2020)

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