DORSET-L Archives

From: "Ian Miller" <>
Subject: [DOR] William WELLSTEAD/Walter MILLER
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 09:49:22 +0100

Good morning from a misty Puddletown.

In 1781 my 4x great grandfather, Walter MILLER, is known to have been the Master of a 30 ton vessel named the "Lark" belonging to William WELLSTEAD who was deceased by 1816 when Walter's widow, Martha, applied to Trinity House for a pension. Walter had died in a French prison some years previously having, apparently, been captured and interned during the Napoleonic Wars. Walter had originally married in 1763 a Mary WELLSTEAD (Wellstood/Welstead, the spelling varies over time) who appears to have been William's daughter. She died "... in childbed of twins" in 1777 and Walter subsequently married Martha FOWLER (possibly the daughter of Mitchel & Mary FOWLER) in 1783 - she being the Martha referred to earlier.

I have been searching now for some six years in an endeavour to trace Walter's birth/baptism and antecedents but to no avail. The best suggestions so far are that he may have come from Guernsey, Scotland or, less likely, Wiltshire. As he was, according to the Petition, "... bred to the sea" he is likely to have been born in or near a port a search of the various Parish Registers within twenty miles of Weymouth has revealed no likely candidate, there are some twenty in Scotland in the right date range but no way of being sure and the Wiltshire possibilities are so remote as to be discountable at this time.

It occurs to me that WELLSTEAD, being a ship owner, may have left some papers etc. relating to his maritime activities which might possibly include information which could provide the lead I have been looking for. Does anyone on this list have, or know of, a connection with WELLSTEAD which I might be able to follow-up?




Ian Miller
Puddletown
Dorset
England

"O, that it were possible,
We might but hold some two days' conference
With the dead."

(The Duchess of Malfi)

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• [DOR] William WELLSTEAD/Walter MILLER by "Ian Miller" <>