We feel fairly confident in saying that William SQUIRES was born to
John SQUIRES and his wife Mary (nee OWEN).

William's christening is recorded at St. Mary's, Warwick on 24 March 1750,
and, as was common in this period, he was one of a large family of at least
10 brothers and sisters, though some did not survive into adulthood.

William, and his first wife Ann , spent their working lives in the service of the GREATHEED family at Guy's Cliffe. William was Farm Manager and Steward for over 60 years, and Ann was the housekeeper for over 30 years.

Ann died on 26 June 1805, aged 60 years, and was buried three days later

On 4th February 1806, William married the widow
Catharine JEFFCOAT (nee TAYLOR) at St. James, Old Milverton.

William and Catharine had four children:
Elizabeth   (1807)    Jane   (1808)    Samuel   (1810)    James   (1814)  

James SQUIRES married Charlotte Foden BALDOCK and it is from them that we are descended.

Sadly both Catharine and her daughter Jane, aged only 13, died within
days of each other in May 1822.

For more information about William & Catharine .. please read on

William's third wife was spinster Mary JOHNSON whom he married on 15 November 1832.

William's standing in the community continued to rise throughout his working life and he became a respected member of the Milverton community, and a valued employee of the GREATHEED family at Guy's Cliffe.

By 1816 William had been selected as a Juror for Milverton; his name being entered onto the Jurors' Lists (sometimes known as Freeholders' Lists).

Those eligible had to be between 21 and 70 and owned freeholds of at least 40 shillings per year, so this shows William's increasing wealth too.

Unfortunately for him, in 1825 the upper age limit was reduced to 60 and, as William was by then, well into his seventies, it appears he was no longer eligible.

By the time of his marriage to Mary, he had also become very involved in his parish church of St. James, Old Milverton, as records reveal he had become a churchwarden.

Usually there were two churchwardens for each parish, one selected by the incumbent and the other by the parishioners.

Their primary responsibility was to make sure the church was kept in good repair, that services were conducted correctly and that any misdemeanours were reported to church authorities.

It is likely, therefore, that he would have to have been well respected within the community having been awarded this position.

The esteem in which Sir Bertie GREATHEED held him was clearly demonstrated when, in 1826, as a beneficiary in Sir Bertie's Will, William received an annual annuity of £50 per year, which in today's money would be worth well over £3,000.

By the time his youngest son, William John, was born, William had risen to the status of Yeoman, a farmer in possession of his own piece of land. A true reflection of his dedication and hard work.

William died on 7th February 1837 aged 86 years and his last Will and Testament described him as "William SQUIRES of Milverton Gentleman". A seemingly fitting tribute to his life and family.

Samuel inherited William's cottage in Bishops Tachbook.

Unfortunately, William did not live to see the greatest tribute of all to him.
Anne Caroline BERTIE PERCY commissioned a magnificent stained glass window and a large stone tablet in St. James' Church, in memory of a lifetime's service by