William Woodruff Willis

193 Lower Street

Middle Street

Occupation: Ostler, Milkman & Labourer

“Horse stable” 1861, by Franz Adam (1815–1886)

William seems to have been a man who has quietly gone about daily life leaving very little for us to find. We do have his baptism, marriage and death and burial records and those of his wife and children. From them, where such information is given, we can tell what he was doing and where he lived, the census records then pick up that trail but beyond a few family notices in the local newspapers, nothing more has been found.

Working with Horses

We know from the aforementioned records that he was an Ostler so we can assume that he was good with horses. His eldest son, and namesake, first became a  Cab Driver then a Stage Coachman possibly working for James Bates the Stage Coach Proprietor of Deal.

James also becomes an Ostler then a Groom and finally a Coachman.

John Stephen according to the 1881 census was a Horse Keeper so he too was possible like his father an ostler but by 1891 he had become a Bath Chair Proprietor.

Henry Hopper in 1861 is a servant at The Swan in Queen Street. Also working there is a Sarah Brett who he later marries. Intriguingly the couple had banns at the very end of 1861 so you’d expect the marriage to take place in early 1862 however they didn’t marry until 1864!