Francis Collier

Son of James Collier b.1538 - abt 1597 and Jane Needham

"Francis was baptized 12 June 1588 IGI Record Batch C06773-2 and buried October 3, 1651.

First Marriage to Anne, daughter of William Crompton of the Park, near Stone County, Stafford.

In medieval times Stone manor was held by Stone Priory and later by the Colliers of Darlaston Hall and passed on to the Cromptons of Stone Park with whom it stayed until the late 19th century.

Second marriage to Anne, daughter of John Bosley of Rowley Yate, County Stafford, widow of William Hulme of Over Hulme, Near Leeke, County Stafford.

Francis was heir to Antelope Manor. He repurchased the Manors of Stone and Darlaston from Robert Needham, (his grandfather) in the year 1600. Apparently the Coleires of Darlaston were on the side of the king during the wars with Parliament. The estate of Francis Colier of Stone and Darlaston had been sequestered during hostilities, but the Coliers resistance went on even after the execution of the King (Charles I) and on May 23, 1649, a warrant was issued to apprehend Francis and his brother Walter Colier of Stone for uttering treasonable words and endeavouring to raise a new war." Francis and Anne (both wives) had 15 children.

Title Miscellaneous antiquities, (in continuation of Bibliotheca topographica Britannica,) Author Henry Sanders Contributor John Nichols Publisher Printed by and for J. Nichols, 1794 PAGE 88 Francis Colyere, son of James and Jane as above, married two wives; 1. Anne Crompton; 2. Anne, relict of William Hulme, of Rowley gate in Staffordshire. By the first, Anne, daughter of William Crompton, of Stone Abbey and Stone Park, esq. he had issue 9 sons, and 6 daughters; 1. Jane, wife of ____Dody, of Hanchurch in Staffordshire; 2. Dorothy; 3. Anne; 4. Elizabeth; 5. Catherine, wife of Richard Bassano, of Walthamstow in Essex; 6. Alice. The sons were, 1. Robert; 2. Thomas; 3. Francis, who, by Martha, daughter of James Scrimshire, of Norbury manor, esq. had issue Francis; 4. George; 5. Richard; 6. John; 7. William; 8. Walter, who married Lettice, daughter of ____Humphries of Longdon in Staffordshire; 9. Thomas. Robert, by Margaret his wife, daughter of Edward Anson, of Dunston in Staffordshire,

PAGE 89 had one son, James and 6 daughters; 1. Anne, wife of ____Whitefield; 2 and 3, Marys; 4, Elizabeth; 5, Catherine; 6, Margaret, wife of ____Barnsfield, of Dunstone. Both this Robert, and James his son, are said to have spent a principal part of their remaining estates; the family also suffered much in the civil war in the reign of king Charles I, and under the Usurpation; some of them are said likewise to have been faulty in those times.

In February 1643 4 Margaret relict of Edward Collier lately deceased petitioned the committee at Stafford to relieve her touching her dower in certain lands within the manor of Yarlet upon which orders were given that she should receive 13I 6 s 8d out of Yarlet farm then in the holding of Francis Colyer esq and of John Blackmore a parcel of land in her own holding valued at 5L per ann to be a part and the half year's rent to commence on the 25th of March ensuing John Blakemore usually paid a rent of sixty pounds for his farm at Yarlet but on the 14th of March 1644 5 he was ordered by the committee to pay to Mr Colyer only half of the usual rent The reason is not given but in all likelihood on account of the troubles and the continual exactions made upon him he could not make the best of his farm and his produce In 1643 Sir William Fairfax in his march through Stafford January 17 took from Mr James Colyer of Stone a bay mare valued at 3I 6 s 8d for the mounting of a trooper on complaint the committee ordered the constable of Stone to levy the said money upon the town of Stone and therewith to pay Mr Colyer yet we find this gentleman fined one shilling for swearing

• Committee minutes in MS in the hands of Mrs Burney of Alderfhaw near Shenstone

PAGE 90 March 13 1643 4 Robert Collyer of Darlaston near Stone was brought to Stafford that the governors there might compel him to advance 30 l upon the parliament propositions The re suit of it was that he was obliged to pay five pounds at that time and to engage to give five more in three weeks upon which he was released and had the public fakh of the kingdom for the money he was to advance to which he subscribed his name Robert Colier

April 17, 1644, the land of Francis Colier, of Stone, esq. was sequestered, he being a delinquent; and it was ordered, that the weekly pay, due for his lands in Stone, shall be repaid by Mr. Sankey and Mr Thorley, solicitors for the sequestrations, out of the rents of the said Francis Colier, esq. and that Mrs. Colier, his wife, shall be freed from that payment for the lands allotted her in Stone. We find that on the 2 3d of August following, Mrs. Colier, wife of Francis Colier, esq. was permitted to receive the rents of the Stone estates, that she might be the better enabled to pay the weekly afleslments laid upon her in that constablewick; but this order was to continue only during the pleasure of the committee at Stafford.

[the financial problems mentioned in the 1640s are interesting and possibly relevant to migrations? Francis Collier III was born ~1641]

The two sources (the first was certified by "Francis Coleire", age 75, in 1663; thus he did NOT die in 1651) both agree that all the named children of Francis were by his first wife, Anne Crompton. I have not seen children of Anne Bosley and Francis Coliere. (For that matter I have not seen children of Anne Bosley & William Hulme, though the entry below suggests that they may have existed.)

I've found apparent entries for the births of most of Francis's named children in parish records in Familysearch. They span at least 1611-1626.
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=rthrift&i... Thus, Thomas Collier was son of Anne Crompton, not Anne Bosley, and the latter married Francis Coliere some time after 1626.

However William Hulme was deceased by 1619: