PART 1
ELIZABETH SHERWOOD nee WARD
ELIZABETH SHERWOOD nee WARD
The Ward Family is related to the Sherwood family through the marriage of Elizabeth Ward (c.1760-1850) to Stephen Sherwood Jr (c.1756-c.1796) in Clothall, Hertfordshire on 8 February 1780.
In the Previous Chapter…
Chapter 12 tells the story of Stephen and Elizabeth Sherwood. Elizabeth was born Elizabeth Ward in Clothall, Hertfordshire circa 1760. Her parents were William and Elizabeth Ward.
Stephen Sherwood was born c.1756 in Weston, Hertfordshire the fifth of Stephen and Sarah Sherwood’s six children. He left Weston and moved to the neighbouring village of Clothall by 1776. Elizabeth and Stephen married in Clothall in 1780. They had six children, five daughters and a son, William Sherwood.
Stephen died c.1796, and Elizabeth married John Dixon in 1799. In 1841 she stayed with her son William Sherwood in Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire.
Not long after William died in 1843, Elizabeth entered the Hitchin Union Workhouse. She died there on 23 November 1850, at age 90. Elizabeth was brought back to her birthplace of Clothall, where she was buried.
PART 2
THE WARD FAMILY
THE WARD FAMILY
In part two we meet Elizabeth Sherwood’s (c.1760-1850) family, her parents William and Elizabeth Ward and her six siblings. The family lived in the village of Clothall, Hertfordshire from at least 1755 until the early 1800s. Clothall is 70 kilometres north of London. The family tree below shows those mentioned in this story.
The Marriage of William Ward & Elizabeth Mosse
William and Elizabeth were not married in Clothall. There is though, marriage banns for the couple in the parish church. It was a legal requirement that marriage banns were read in the bride and groom’s church on three consecutive Sundays announcing a couple’s intention to marry. It provided an opportunity for anyone who knew of any lawful reason why the marriage should not take place to say so. The Curate Thomas Bull announced to the Clothall congregation on Sunday 1st, 8th and 15th of June 1755 that William Ward and Elizabeth Mosse planned to marry.
When a couple married by banns, the parish where the bride and groom lived were recorded. William according to the banns was from Clothall and Elizabeth was from Graveley, a neighbouring parish 10 kilometres to the southwest. The couple married in St. Mary, church Graveley on 5 October 1755. St. Mary dates from the 12th century. The tower was added about 1480.
Before she married William Ward, Elizabeth Mosse had a son she named John. I suspect that John’s father was William Ward. John was baptised in Graveley.
1755 Aug. 20. John natural son of Elizabeth Mosse.
The final reading of the marriage banns took place on 15 June, John was baptised on 20 August and the couple married on 5 October 1755.
After William and Elizabeth married they settled in Clothall. They had seven children, five girls and two boys. Their third child Elizabeth was baptised on 29 February 1760. She married Stephen Sherwood in 1780. Except for John, all of William and Elizabeth’s children were baptised in the Clothall church. The font used for Elizabeth and her sibling’s baptisms appears below.
PART 3
WILLIAM WARD
WILLIAM WARD
William’s Origins
William Ward was first heard of on 1 June 1755 when his name appeared in marriage banns published by the Clothall parish church St Mary the Virgin. According to the banns he was from Clothall. There is no record of his birth or baptism there about 1730. The only mention of the Ward name in Clothall at this time is Cesar Ward a bookseller from London. He married Mary Kilsha in the Clothall parish church in February 1735. Nothing more is heard of the couple. There is not enough information to suggest that they were William’s parents. At this point, William’s birthplace and date of birth have not been found.
John Ward
William may have had a younger brother John Ward. A John Ward appears on the 1758 Graveley militia ballot list as a servant. The term servant indicates that he was a young man. His year of birth is estimated to be about 1740. There are no birth, baptism or marriage records for John Ward in Graveley. I suspect that sometime between 1758 and 1759 he moved to nearby Clothall where William was living at the time. From 1759 through to 1762 John Ward appears in Clothall Militia ballot lists with William Ward. John’s occupation was labourer and ploughman in these records. There is no further mention of John Ward in Clothall after 1762. He most likely left the village sometime after this date. The table below shows entries for John Ward in Graveley and Clothall militia ballot lists.
Tithe Accounts
After marrying in Gravely in 1755, William and Elizabeth raised their family in Clothall. They are first mentioned there on 9 January 1757 when their daughter Mary was baptised. Their youngest child William was baptised in 1771.
We next hear of William in 1774 when he appears as a witness to the marriage of Rose Knight and John. The couple was married in the Clothall parish church on 21 May 1774.
William owned or worked as a tenant farmer on a small section of land at Cumberlow Green Woods four kilometres from Clothall. On 9 January 1775, he paid a tithe of one pound six shillings on the land. A tithe was a ten per cent tax on the value of what a farmer had produced in a year. Money raised from the tithe was used to maintain the parish church and its clergy.
The map below shows the location of Cumberlow Green four kilometres southeast of Clothall. Cumberlow Green Woods I suspect, was not far from Cumberlow Green.
Surveyors' of the Highways Records
From 1775 through to 1791 William’s name appears in Clothall Surveyors' Records. His wife Elizabeth also appeared from 1775 to 1790.
The Highways Act of 1555 placed the burden of repairing the main roads in each parish on the parish itself. To oversee the work, two Surveyors' of the Highways were appointed each year by the justice of the peace. The parish farmers were often appointed to this role. Once appointed the Surveyors were responsible for identifying those sections of a road in most need of repair. An announcement was made at church on the first Sunday after Easter nominating the days on which roadworks were to take place.
We are fortunate that Surveyors' records for Clothall survive beginning in 1775 through to 1819. They most likely existed well before this date but these do not appear to have survived. The Ward and Sherwood family appear often in these records.
Two types of records can be found in Surveyors' Records, Disbursements and Statute Duty. William Ward, his wife Elizabeth and daughters Ann and Susan appear in these records along with Stephen and Elizabeth Sherwood. They provide a fascinating insight into the work done by family members maintaining the parish roads.
Statute Duty
An important role of the Surveyors' was the administration of statute duty. As members of the vestry (the governing body of the parish) they were authorised to raise rates for road works. An annual levy of two shillings (2/-) for labourers was set to help fund this work. The Surveyors kept a record of these payments which appear as Receipts in their accounts. Instead of paying their statute duty, there are times when Clothall residents picked stones from the fields. The stones were used to repair the village roads.
Lists were drawn up of all able-bodied men required to do statute duty. William’s name appears on a list of Clothall men for the year 1775.
That year he complied with his statute responsibilities by picking two loads of stones. This would have been two cartloads of stones collected from the fields, carried to the roadside where they were then emptied into a horse-drawn cart. From there they were taken to a section of the road in need of repair.
The Surveyors' of the Highways for Clothall, from September 1774 to September 1775 were Caleb Hill, Rector (Priest in charge of a parish) and Thomas Smyth, Churchwarden. They were responsible for drawing up a list of Clothall residents liable for statute duty. They were also charged with ensuring that a parishioner’s statute duties were fulfilled. A man could meet his statute obligations by picking 2 loads of stones or paying statute duty money usually set at 2 shillings a year for the labourers. See Figure 11 below.
The following year, in October 1776 William paid 2 shillings for his statute duty instead of picking 2 loads of stones. In 1778, another list of Clothall labourers liable for statute duty was drawn up. William’s name once again appears. He is recorded as having paid his statute duty. In 1780, the amount for statute duty was reduced to one shilling and sixpence. An entry in the Clothall accounts book dated 9 October 1780 reads…
NB Only 1/-6 was taken from the labourers because they were allowed nothing last year and as it is usual to allow 3d (three pence) each year we thought they had no right to pay any more than 1s and 6d (one shilling and six pence) this year.
William last appears as having paid his statute duty in 1779.
Disbursements
There are many instances when the poor people of Clothall were paid by the parish to repair the local roads. Payments fell under the heading of Disbursements. We are fortunate that these records have survived. They give us some idea of the work done by families such as ours when they were unable to find other work.
Because roads were not paved, ruts formed as a result of grooves made by the wheels of wagons and carts. The ruts were repaired by either digging them in or packing them with stones or bushes. The bushes were tied together in long bundles called faggots. Repairing the parish roads also included clearing overhanging vegetation, repairing bridges and screening gravel onto the road surface.
Maintaining the parish roads also involved gathering stones from the fields. The stones were used to fill potholes in the roads. Stone picking was work usually done by the women and children of the village.
The earliest entry in the Clothall Surveyors' accounts for the Ward family is the 15 April 1775 and refers to Ann Ward, William and Elizabeth’s fourth child. She would have been about thirteen years old at the time. Ann and two other Clothall women Elizabeth Carter and Ann Shaw were paid for picking 28½ load of stones 14d (14 pence per load)
On 22 April Ann Ward &c picked 9 load of stones at 14d (per load). On the 29 of April, Ann Ward &c appeared again having picked 3½ load of Stones and were paid 4 shillings and a penny. The ‘&c’ (& company) means that she again worked with others to gather stones. On 13 May, Ann appears to have worked alone to pick 6 load of stones and was paid 7 shillings.
William Ward Sr. first appears in the Surveyors' accounts on 29 April 1775. The entry reads…
Thomas Armitage & Wm Ward 20 Load of Gravel D: (screening it at 7d per Load) & 1 Day’s work each. 0-14-0. (Fourteen shillings)
The Surveyors for that year were Caleb Hill and Thomas Smyth. On 10 May 1775, the following entry appears in the Surveyors’ book…
Wm Ward & Thos Armitage screening 7 load of gravel. 4 shillings and a penny
Wm Ward 2 day’s Work, 2 shillings and 4 pence
Do. (Wm Ward) Cutting a load of bushes. 4 pence.
On 22 May 1775 …
Thos. Armitage & Wm Ward for diging (sic) 24 Load of Gravel at 7d. 14 shillings.
Thomas Armitage was about the same age as William. He was baptised in Clothall in 1732. Like William, he appears as a labourer in Surveyors' lists of Clothall inhabitants. He married Eleanor Turner in Clothall in 1763. On the 6 June 1775, the Surveyors paid 5 shillings for beer for the stone pickers. In April 1776, William Ward and Richard Breacher were paid four shillings for carrying five and a half load of stones into the Warren Lane.
In 1777, the Ward and Sherwood families were most likely recipients of 10 shillings which was to be distributed among the poor inhabitants of Clothall.
In October 1788, William and Elizabeth’s daughter Susan was paid 11 shillings and 3 pence for picking seven and a half loads of stone. Susan was about 20 at the time. On that same date Susan’s older sister Elizabeth Sherwood age about 28, picked 16 loads of stones.
Throughout April and May 1789, the Clothall women were paid for picking stones at Pybus Field, Fern Shot, West Field and Mr. Dan Jeffry’s? Field.
There are further entries in the Clothall Accounts Books from October 1779 up until 18 August 1791 showing payments made to William for working on the roads. The rate for a day’s work was one shilling and three pence. William last appears in Surveyor's accounts in 1779 when he paid 2 shillings for his statute duty for that year.
From October 1790 to June 1791 four members of the family appear in the Clothall Surveyors’ Accounts. Elizabeth Sherwood nee Ward appears on three occasions and was paid a total of one pound four shillings for gathering sixteen loads of stones from the fields. Her mother Elizabeth Ward ( Ward was mistakingly spelt Wade) earned nine shillings and nine pence for picking six and a half loads. William Ward was paid one shilling and two pence for one day in the Highway. Elizabeth’s husband Stephen Sherwood was paid three shillings and six pence for working three days in the Highway.
Militia
William Ward is mentioned in the Clothall militia lists from 1758 through to 1762 and then for the years 1765 and 1768. In these records, he is listed as a labourer. In 1765 he is recorded as having three children and in 1768 five children. After 1768, there are no further references to William in militia lists. He would have been about 33, with five children to support. Poor men with three legitimate children were exempt from serving. This may explain why William no longer appears in these lists. It is not known if he served in the militia. Just because William’s name appeared in these ballot lists did not mean he was chosen to serve. The table below shows the years in which William’s name appeared in Clothall Militia Ballot Lists.
William died in Clothall in 1803 and was buried on the 21 January as a pauper. The term pauper most likely meant that William relied upon payments from the parish for his survival.
PART 4
ELIZABETH MOSS
ELIZABETH MOSS
Introduction
Elizabeth Mosse was born about 1730. According to her marriage banns, she was from Graveley, Hertfordshire. Graveley is 10 kilometres southwest of Clothall. There is no baptism entry for an Elizabeth Mosse in Graveley around 1730. There is though an entry for Elizabeth Mosse who was baptised there as an adult in 1750.
1750 September 8th Elizabeth Mosse an Adult
There is some doubt as to whether this entry refers to our Elizabeth Mosse. This is because another Elizabeth Mosse was living in Graveley at this time. She was the wife of Eber Mosse and about the same age as Elizabeth. While this could be Elizabeth’s baptism entry, confirmation is needed.
In 1755 the following entry appears in the Graveley church baptism register…
20 August 1755 John naturall (sic) son of Elizabeth Mosse
No mention is made of the father indicating that John was born out of wedlock. William Ward may have been the child’s father. Several months before John was baptised, on the 1st, 8th and 15th of June 1755, banns of marriage between William Ward and Elizabeth Mosse were read in the Clothall church. A little less than four months after the last calling of banns, William and Elizabeth were married. The marriage took place at St Mary's Church, Graveley on the 5 October 1755. They were married by Fran Nedham, rector. A witness to the marriage was John Moss. John was most likely related to Elizabeth. He may have been her father or brother.
Soon after they were married William and Elizabeth settled in Clothall. Apart from their first child John Moss, all of Elizabeth and William’s children were baptised there. Mary was baptised in 1757, Elizabeth in 1760 (she later married Stephen Sherwood), Ann in 1763, Sarah in 1767, Susannah in 1769 and William Ward in 1771.
Stone Picking
Elizabeth along with her husband William and daughters Ann and Susan appears often in Clothall Surveyors’ Accounts. There are several occasions when her surname Ward is incorrectly spelt as Wade. There are two occasions where she is referred to as Betty Ward. Betty is a nickname for Elizabeth.
Elizabeth first appeared in Surveyor’s accounts on 1 October 1775 when she picked 4½ load of stones at 20 pence a load. She was paid 7 shillings and 6 pence. Elizabeth was about 45 years old and the mother of seven, her youngest child William was just four years old.
The drudgery of the stone pickers is captured well in a paragraph from Rowland Parker’s book Common Stream.
Now, can you picture to yourself those poor, half-starved old women trudging about the muddy fields in the depth of winter, stooping down, picking up ice-cold stones with frozen fingers, dropping them into a sack which gets heavier with every step, dragging them to a waiting cart, tipping them out of the sack into the cart, then starting all over again and again and again? How many stones to the bag? How many bags to the load? How many loads to the grave? Stephen Ogle's job was easy by comparison; all he had to do was to dig down to the gravel, then shovel it into a cart. But you cannot pick up stones with a shovel, and stones are not found in heaps…If you know of an instance of courage, stoical pride and endurance which can surpass that, I would like to hear of it.
There were times when Elizabeth appeared to have worked alone picking stones. I say this because she is the sole beneficiary of the payment.
1775. 31 Oct. Eliz Ward 1½ load. 2 shillings and 3 pence.
1781. April 10. Paid Elizabeth Ward 13 Loads ½. 18 shillings and 4 pence and half penny.
1783 Mar 29? Paid Elizabeth Ward 20 Load (of stones) at 1.4. 1 pound 6 shillings and 8 pence.
There are occasions where Elizabeth appears with other Clothall women in Surveyors' accounts. In just about every instance, it is the women of the parish who worked as stone pickers. They quite often appear as a team sharing the work and the payment.
1775. 14 Oct. Ward, Barber & Long 5½ loads of stones at 2 shillings per load near the Winery, at 3 Acres and near Windmill Hill. 11 shillings.
1775 28 Oct. Ward, Barber &c 9½ Load at 2 shillings off Wm Smyth’s ….
1781 Oct 20. Paid Ann Wallies, Elizabeth Ward for picking 28 Loads & ½ stones at 1s.6d Pr Load. 2 pounds 2 shillings and 9 pence.
See the image below.
There are times when the entry in the Surveyors' accounts read ‘Paid Elizabeth Ward & Co.’ In these instances, Elizabeth may have gathered stones with the help of her children.
1780 Apr.15 Paid Eliz’h Ward & Co. 3 Loads at 1/6d 4 shillings and 6 pence.
1780 Apr. 22. Paid Eliz’h Ward & Co. for picking 14 Loads at 1/6d per Load. 1 pound 1 shilling.
1780 Apr. 29. Paid Eliz’h Ward & Co. for 3½ Loads at 1/4d per Load. 4 shillings and 8 pence.
The last time Elizabeth appears in Surveyor’s records is 23 October 1790. The entry reads…
Paid Eliz Wade for 6½ of stones. 9 shillings and 9 pence.
This was an incredible effort. Elizabeth would have been about 60 years old at the time. The 23 October 1790 is the last time we hear of Elizabeth. When and where she died is still to be discovered.
A complete list of Elizabeth’s appearances in Clothall Surveyors' Accounts can be found in the appendix.
ABBREVIATIONS
bp. (abbreviation) baptised.
bpt. (abbreviation) baptised.
bu. (abbreviation) Buried
c. (abbreviation) Circa [circa: "around"], means "about" or “around.
dau. (abbreviation) Daughter
m. (abbreviation) Married
md. (abbreviation) Married
GLOSSARY
Banns. Public announcement of an intended marriage, generally made in church.
c. "circa," "approximately" or “around."
Descendant Anyone to whom an individual is an ancestor—their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on.
militia A citizen army; a military organization formed by local citizens to serve in emergencies.
nee Used to denote a woman's maiden name (e.g., Anne Gibson nee West)
Parish Ecclesiastical division or jurisdiction; the site of a church.
paternal line Line of descent traced through the father's side.
sic [sic: "thus"] Term signifying that a copy reads exactly as the original; indicates a possible mistake in the original.
vestry Administrative group within a parish; the ruling body of a church.
witness A witness is an individual present at an event such as a marriage or the signing of a document who can vouch that the event took place.
APPENDIX
Surveyors' of the Highways Accounts, Clothall, Herts.
Those appearing in Clothall Surveyors' Records…
William Ward Sr c.1730-1803
Elizabeth Ward Sr nee Mosse c.1730-
Their daughters…
Ann Ward 1763-
Susan/Susannah Ward 1769-
There are times when William and Elizabeth’s surname is spelt Wade and not Ward. This was a mistake made by the Surveyors’.
Surveyors of the Highways for Clothall, Hertfordshire from 29 Sep. 1774 to 29 Sep. 1775. Caleb Hill, Rector and Thomas Smyth, Churchwarden.
Abbreviations
&c And Company
D: Ditto
£ Pound or 20 shillings
s. shilling or 12 pence
d. Pence/penny
L’d. Load
P’r Ld. Per Load
ENDNOTES
1. "England Marriages, 1538–1973", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NVPC-JP5 : 13 March 2020), William Ward, 1755.
2. "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NGFC-588 : 4 February 2023), John Mosse, 1755.
3. The Common Stream: Two Thousand Years of the English Village
By Rowland Parker. Page 192
