John Warland (1726 - 1794) - Malster of Wimborne Minster

John Warland was the second son of Robert and Ann Warland (nee King). It would appear that John decided to leave the farming life sometime before 1758 to establish himself as a malster in Wimborne Minster. Perhaps he saw the opportunity or was invited to learn the trade. There were already at least two malt houses in Wimborne Minister at the time.

1758 - John Warland (1726 - 1794) marries Elizabeth Batt

Robert and Ann Warland's second son John Warland (1726 - 1794) was a malster who operated a malthouse in King Street Wimborne as described in his marriage contract in 1758:

ALL THAT now built Messuage Tenement or Dwellinghouse and Outhouses and a large New Malthouse and Kiln thereunto adjoying with the appurtenances Together with the Curtilage and Garden therunto also adjoying and belonging situate lying and being in Wimborne Minster aforesaid in a Street there called KING Street bounded with the Messuage or Tenement late in the possession of Anthony BESSANT Glover now Richard REYNOLDS on the east and thereof, a Dwellinghouse late in the possession of James BOUTHAM Joyner now William KING on the West and the said Street called King Street on the North side, and a Garden late in the possession of the said Anthony BESSANT on the South, which said premises are now in the possession of the said John WARLAND Together also with all ways paths passages Easements profitts Commodities Lands herditaments rights priveledges and appurtenances to the said Messuage Tenement or Dwellinghouse Malthouse Garden and premises belonging or in any wise appertaining

The exact location of the malthouse has not yet been confirmed; the 1887 ordnance map of Wimborne show two other malthouses but neither is in King Street. The Fry Collection held at the Dorset Research Centre contains a document (D-FRY/1233) dated 23 September 1758 referring to the 'release of a dwellinghouse and malthouse in King Street and marriage settlement of John Warland and Elizabeth Batt. The document refers to (a) John's father Robert Warland, yeoman, of Merley Great Canford and Ann his wife, (b) John Warland, malster of Wimborne and eldest son of Robert, (c) John Batt, a shopkeeper of Wimborne and Elizabeth Batt his daughter, and (d) Christopher King, a mercer of Wimborne, as well as William Batt, a glover of the same place.

John Warland married Elizabeth Batt (1734 - 9 August 1790) on 14 November 1758 in Wimborne Minster. See this page for the transcript of John and Elizabeth's marriage settlement.

John and Elizabeth Warland had the following children:

Note that there are two Robert Warlands, first cousins born around the same time - the one above born 1761 and the one below, born 1759.

December 1760 - John Warland takes out a bond with Wimborne Minster church

According to a record of the Wimborne Minster Parish, 'Overseer of the poor - bonds' (Ref PE-WM/OV/14/3), John Warland (son of Robert Warland (1694 - 1758) of Wimborne Minster, a malster, took out a bond with the church wardens and overseers of Wimborne Minster for 50 pounds on 5 December 1760. This bond was taken out two years after John married Elizabeth Batt, and 7 months after the birth of their son John Warland, about whom nothing more is yet known.

1777 - John Warland leases land at Leigh from his wife's brother

According to a document (D-FRY/1181) in the Fry Collection held in the Dorset Research Centre, John Warland leased land at Leigh from William Batt 'otherwise Rowden' of Wimborne, the eldest son of John Batt, cheesmonger. William Batt appears to be the sister of John's wife Elizabeth. Leigh may be an area of Wimborne along Leigh Road. A later document in the same collection (D-FRY/1262) refers to a final agreement about this land between (a) Edward Lambert, plaintiff, (b) John Barnes, Thomas Street and Robert Warland and Sarah his wife. Ricard Strong and Lydia his wife were the deforciants.

1782 - John Warland and Robert Warland (born 1761) and a bastardy bond

Sometime in mid 1782, John's son Robert Warland (1761 - 1821) got a young woman named Mary Smith pregnant. According to a document of the Poole Parish, 'Overseers of the poor - bastardy papers - bastardy bonds' dated 10 December 1782 (reference PE-PL/OV/4/1/47), Robert Warland (born 1761, and noted as a saddler) and (probably) his father John Warland, a malster of Wimborne Minster, took out a bond to 'indemnify the parish from paying maintenance for the support of the illegitimate child of Mary Smith, a single woman'. The following is the text of the bond.

Mr Robt Warland And The Churchwardens and overseers of the Parish of St James in Poole

Bond to indemnify Parish from Bastard child or children with which Mary Smith is pregnant. Dated 10 December 1782

Know all men by these presents that we Robert Warland of the Town and County of Poole Sadler and John Warland of Wimborne Minister in the County of Dorset Malster and hold and firmly bound unto William Barter and Thomas (Tilsed?) - church wardens and Samuel Rolles and Joseph (Teaver?), overseers of the poor of the Parish of Saint James in the said Town and County / In trust for the Parishioners of the said Parish in the sum of Forty Pounds of lawful money of Great Britain, to be paid to the said churchwardens and overseers or their certain attorney their executors administrators successors or assigns, to which payment well and truly to be made (We bind?) ourselves jointly and severally our joint and (several?) heirs executors and administrators firmly by these presents Sealed with our seals Dated the tenth day of December in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and eighty two.

The condition of this obligation is such that whereas Mary Smith of the said Parish of Saint James in the said Town and County single woman hath in and by her voluntary examination taken in (Tonting?) and upon oath before Benjamin Lester Esquire Mayor and Christopher Jolliffe Esquire two of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace in and for the said Town and County of Poole declared that she is with child and that the child or children she now gooth with is or are likely to be to born a bastard or bastards and to be chargeable to the said Parish of Saint James and in that the aforesaid Robert Warland is the father of the said child or children therefore the said Robert Warland and John Warland or either of them their or either of their heirs executors or administrators do and shall from time to time and at all times hereafter fully and clearly (indemnify?) and (?) as well the above named Churchwardens and Overseers of the poor of the said Parish of Saint James and their successors for the time being as also all and singular the other Parishioners and Inhabitants of the said Parish of Saint James which now and or hereafter shall be for the time being of and from all and manner of damages costs, taxes rates (assortments?) expences and charges whatsoever for or by reason or (means?) of the said Mary Smith's being now with child as aforesaid or for only reason of the birth education and maintenance of the said child or children and of and from all actions suits (troubles?) and other changes and demands whatsoever touching or concerning the same that (now these?) present obligation to be void otherwise of force.

Signed and delivered being the first duly stamped in the presence of John (Dearling?), James Galpin, (Signed and seals): Robert Warland, John Warland

What happened to Mary Smith and her child is the subject of ongoing research. As at June 2024, no record has yet been found of the birth of the child, or Mary Smith's whereabouts.

1783 - Robert Warland (1761 - 1821) marries Sarah Stickland

Robert Warland (1761 - 1821), the first son of the maltster, John Warland (1726 - 1794) and Elizabeth Batt (1734 - 1790) who had got Mary Smith pregnant in 1782, married Sarah Stickland in 1783 in St James, Poole, Dorset, England. Robert Warland also took on his father's occupation. There is a note on the FindMyPast record 'The marriage register shows that Sarah was a minor, the marriage was agreed with the consent of her parents. Witnesses were Henry Warland, Margaret King, Margarett Stickland'. According to this online discussion Age at Marriage Minor on the British Genealogy website, for many years civil law and ecclestiastical law were out of step with each other.

Who was Sarah Stickland?

So far only two Sarah Stickland births have been found in the period 1760 to 1775. The most likely is Sarah Stickland, born in 1763 (so likely just under 21 at the time) to Thomas Warland and Mary Barbor who married in Buckland Newton on 11 September 1758 (witnesses were James Ridout and Richard Lane). Thomas and Mary Stickland (nee Barbor) had the following known children all baptised at St James, Poole:

Other Stickland children were baptised around the same time at St James Poole, to Philip and Sarah Stickland (e.g., George Stickland, baptised 18 May 1757, John Stickland, baptised 12 November 1758, and Philip Stickland, baptised 11 October 1761). This suggests that Sarah (who married Thomas) may have been named after her aunt, and that the name George was popular with both.

Children of Robert and Sarah Warland (nee Stickland)

Robert and Sarah Warland had the following children. It appears from their places of birth that the first three children were born in St James, Poole, before the family moved 'back' to Wimborne Minster.

Note - The Warland and Stickland families were connected for several generations - see this page in relation to the Warlands of Almer.

June 1789 - Death of William Warland (born 1764)

John and Elizabeth Warland's youngest son, William Warland (baptised 27 March 1764 in Wimborne Minister), died on 30 June 1789 at the age of 25. He was buried at Canford Magna Church graveyard. 1790 - Death of Elizabeth Warland (nee Batt)

John Warland's wife, Elizabeth Warland (nee Batt, born 1734), died in 1790, perhaps in some way connected to the death of her youngest son William Warland at the age of 25 the year before. She was buried with her son at Canford Magna, where John was also buried in 1794.

1794 - Death of John Warland (born 1726)

John Warland (born 1726) died in 1794 and was buried with his wife (died 1790) and youngest son William (died 1789) in the same grave at Canford Magna Church.

1796 - Robert Warland (1761 - 1821) - Militiaman and Maltster

The Wimbourne Militia Lists for 1796 lists men who were 'liable to serve as Militia Men for the Borough of Wimbourn in the County of Dorset'. Robert Warland (1761 - 1821) is listed as a Malster (the same occupation as his father) with six children.

1821 - Death of Robert Warland (1761 - 1821)

Robert Warland, the first son of the maltster, John Warland (1726 - 1794) and Elizabeth Batt (1734 - 1790), took his own life at the age of 60. According the the Inquisition into his death, Robert was said to have not been 'of sound mind memory and understanding' but 'lunatic' when, on 21 June 1821 he went to the storeroom adjoining his dwelling house and gave himself 'one mortal wound' with a knife to the throat and died. The members of the inquisition under William Castleman Gentleman Coroner were William Moore, Foreman, Thomas Moore, Joseph Crew, Edward Redhead, John Warland, John Fry, Joseph Hoskins, Barnet Eggs, Benjamin (Horth?), James James, Robert Bellows and James (Symonds? ruled out?) Blanchard.

At the time of his death, his youngest daughter Mary Warland was 15.

Robert Warland was apparently buried at Canford Magna on 25 June 1821 but, it appears, not in the same area as other relatives including his father. It is not yet known when his wife Sarah (nee Stickland) died but some records indicate it was the same year as Robert.

Robert's probate reads as follows.

Bond. Know all men etc etc. We Sarah Warland of Wimborne Minster in the county of Dorset, widow and relict of Robert Warland late of the same place, yeoman deceased, John Warland [1785 - ?] of Pamphill in the parish of Wimborne Minster aforesaid, carpenter, and Henry Warland [1797 - 1881] of No 4 Milk Street in Cheapside in the city of London, Linen draper, are held and firmly bound unto Henry Bankes Esq Master of Arts Principal Official of the Peculiar and Exempt Jurisdiction of Wimborne Minster lawfully constituted in four hundred pounds etc etc. Dated ninth day of October in the 2nd year of George IV in the year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Twenty One. Sealed and Delivered, J Baskett. Signed Sarah Warland, John Warland, Henry Warland.

The within named Sarah Warland was duely sworn administrix as usual and that the Goods chattels and credits of the deceased do not amount in value to the sum of two hundred pounds. In the presence of Robert Bate. J Baskett, Surrogate. The deceased was late as within described and died on the twenty first day of June 1821. J Baskett.


Page created 2008, updated 23 June 2024. Copyright © Andrew Warland. (andrewwarland(at)gmail.com)