ROBBINS HISTORY

Text originally compiled by Jill Roy (Australia)  1992. Revised/Amended by Maxine Robbins (England)  1995.

JOSEPH ROBINS / ROBBINS - birth date/location REQUIRED

The early generations of the Robbins family were found in Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, England.
  
      Our first proven ancestor is William Robbins who was born about 1779 in St. Giles Parish Northampton. We know this because when the 1851 census was taken, this is where William said he was born. There is no record of his baptism at St. Giles, but there are Robbins baptisms for the children of a Joseph and Sarah Robbins except for 1778, 1779   and 1780, when it is thought that the registers were not kept up to date.

Evidence that William's parents were Joseph and Sarah is circumstantial, but very convincing. He named his first son and daughter with those names.

There is also a Joseph Robbins buried in the same grave as William's wife, but that Joseph was 75 in 1818, according to his gravestone. and so was born about 1743. Joseph who married Sarah, was 22 in 1774 and so he was born about 1752.

This indicates an unresolved discrepancy - it is likely that Joseph was only 66 when he died , however could he have been 31 when he married (Sarah Lyon was 26 years old)

 Gravestones can be misread, however it clearly states 75 years old. 

JOSEPH ROBBINS AND SARAH LYON

It is almost certain that the first record we can say is 'ours' is a marriage which took place in 1774, of a Joseph Robbins to Sarah Lyon at Clifton Reynes in Buckinghamshire.

The parish register shows that the marriage took place 14th August, 1774 and was witnessed by James Hardwicke. Richard Hall, Edmund Dumville and Thomas Humphries.  
      For some reason, Joseph and Sarah were married by licence and the paperwork is available. Luckily, the marriage bond and allegation for Joseph and Sarah has survived and from it we can deduce that Joseph was born about 1752  as he stated his age in 1774 as 22 years and Sarah as being 26 years. Joseph stated that he was a labourer of Northampton.

A Joseph Robbins also appears on a list of persons liable for Militia Service for the East Ward of Northampton in 1774.

All able bodied men between 17 and 60 were liable unless they could gain an exemption. e.g. Men with three or more children were exempt, as were certain professions, and those who could pay someone else to do the service for them.

As you may know, in the UK, it was law at the time, that destitute persons had to be cared for by the parish to which they belonged, so it was in the interest all parishes to get rid of people if it appeared they would become a liability. Poor people were 'removed' to the parish from which it was considered they came, and this usually meant where they were baptised.  Costs had to be borne by the home parish from the funds it collected in 'Poor Levies'.

Women lost their parish when they married someone from 'outside' and were regarded as belonging to the husband's parish.

The day after Joseph and Sarah were married, the overseers of the poor for the parish of Clifton served them with a removal order to the parish of Ravenstone.

I do not yet know the reason for this order, or why Ravenstone was considered the parish to which they belonged. when Joseph came from Northampton and Sarah was ? a spinster of Clifton Reynes ?. The fact that Joseph was an ?outsider? and had not been in the parish in employment for a year and a day was possibly enough for the overseers to remove them to his parish.
  
      It is possible and quite likely that the Joseph buried at Ravenstone was his father but the registers for Ravenstone do not go back far enough to prove this.



WILLIAM & PATIENCE ROBBINS

1778	Patience (Keziah Christian) Butlin, baptised 16.7.1778, Ravenstone. C 1779	William Robbins, born at St. Giles, Parish of Northampton. (Birthplace given on 1851 census for Ravenstone) His baptism is not recorded at St. Giles, although those for the family of Joseph & Sarah Robbins are there except for the years 1778, 1779 & 1780.

1786	A Sarah Robbins was buried at St. Giles but no other details were given. Sarah Robbins (nee Lyon) died 28 March, 1786.

1796	William Robbins married Patience (Keziah Christian) Butlin on 16-10-1796,at All Saints, Northampton. Christian a spinster, the curate John Stoddart

witnesses John Robbins and S. Wright.

There is a considerable gap, about 3 years, between their marriage and the birth of the first known child, when subsequent children births were much closer indicating possible early deaths.

William Robbins occupations = 1813 Labourer, 1815 Mason, 1828 Parish Clerk, 1851 Victualler

Any help, possible leads, most welcomed.  Numerous descendents in Australia from Daniel Robbins (Ravenstone)have been documented and an information CD produced (2006) by Jim Jones(deceased 2010) (Australia)

Many thanks to Jim Jones, who did extensive research and photography in Australia

Gordon Robbins