John Handley

John was born in Balderton, and grew up there. He moved to Newark, and his marriage to Sarah Butcher is recorded there either 19.01.1686 or 10.01.1687. I have used the earlier date in this file. According to some of the family records, not confirmed by the Newark Parish register, the marriage was to a "Miss Roberts", a daughter of John Roberts of Balderton and his wife Jane Gilbert. Sarah Roberts has a baptism date of 22.01.1666/7, and it is possible that at a very early age she maried (not in Balderton) a Mr Butcher, was widowed very soon, and took John Handley as a second husband - but there is no corroborative evidence.

In 1710 John handley of Newark voted in the Notts County election, showing that he was already a man of some substance. On 16.06.1718 his wife Sarah was buried at Newark, and on 02.07.1724 John seems to have taken a second wife, Elizabeth Hilton, at kelham, unless the bridegroom was another man of the same name. At the time of his second marriage he was described as "laterarius" (brick-maker, or perhaps mason). Hill will was dated 06.07.1733 and proved at York 29.11.1734.