William Henry Warner

b 6 May 1818 St. Pancras, London

m Ann Martin 25 August 1833 Old Church, St. Pancras, London

buried 16 May 1852 Christ Church, Southwark

Children

Clara 1834-?

William Thomas 1838-1838

Martha Ann 1842-?

Charlotte 1844-1845

Mary Ann 1846-1927

Catharine Eliza 1847-1915

Henrietta 1850-1906

Documentation

Marriage in Parish register

Birth & marriage certificate of Catharine Eliza

Baptisms of all children

1841 and 1851 census records

Burial reord in Parish Register

William

origins

An extremely common name in the 19th century. It is apparently Teutonic in origin meaning will and resolve, but was taken to England by the Normans as Guillaume. I currently do not know where his names come from.

variations

Guillaume, Gwilym, Wilhelm

abbreviations

Bill, Will, Billy, Willy. Wills is a current version.

Henry

origins

Another popular name - particularly of Kings of England - we have had eight of them, but it’s not from the Bible. It’s origin is Teutonic and means ‘house ruler’. Rather out of fashion now though. I don't know where this name comes from, in terms of family, either

variations

Henri, Heinrich

abbreviations

Harry, Hal, Hank

Until recently I had drawn a complete blank as to William Henry Warner's origins, and then for a while, with the help of Ancestry's London parish records I thought I had found his parents. But unless he married at the age of fifteen (not likely from the marriage certificate) I now see that I was wrong. I am not quite back to square one though - I have a few other leads, one of which looks promising, so the search continues. He is one of my great-great grandfathers from my father's side of the family. And I have to say also, that I don't have a very clear image of him in my mind, although I am not sure why.

Also until recently, all I knew about him was that he died young, somewhere in the 1850s and that he was a painter and glazier. I still do not have his death certificate but I do now know for sure that he died young - 34 or so. I have yet to find out why. The portrait I have chosen to represent him is of a young nameless Irish man. it is difficult to find portraits of working people in this period - they are either of the street vendors, rich young dandies or rather cruel cartoons.

William's was a short life, so short in fact, that his children may not have remembered him - the oldest would only have been ten and the youngest just two when he died. Indeed such a short life that I do not have a lot to say, although maybe once I start I shall find more!