Edward Spencer WILLS (1778

Edward Spencer WILLS (1778 - 1811)

convict

Children	Self + Spouses	Parents	Grandparents	Greatgrandparents
Sarah WILLS (1796 - 1875) Thomas Spencer WILLS (1800 - 1872) Eliza WILLS (1802 - 1858) Edward Spencer WILLS (1805 - 1828) Elizabeth Selina WILLS (1807 - 1811) Horatio Spencer Howe WILLS (1811 - 1861)	Edward Spencer WILLS (1778 - 1811) + Sarah HARDING (1776 - 1823)	Edward WILLS (1741 - 1814)



		Elizabeth (WILLS) (1739 - 1822)

b. 13 Aug 1778 at Middlesex, England

m. 1795 Sarah HARDING (1776 - 1823) at England

d. 14 May 1811 at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia aged 32

Near Relatives of Edward Spencer WILLS (1778 - 1811)
Relationship	Person	Born	Birth Place	Died	Death Place	Age
Father in Law	Thomas HARDING
Mother in Law	Sarah Elizabeth (HARDING)

Father	Edward WILLS	abt 1741		abt 09 Jan 1814	Covent Garden, London, Middlesex, England	73
Mother	Elizabeth (WILLS)	abt 1739		abt 10 Mar 1822	Covent Garden, London, Middlesex, England	83

Self	Edward Spencer WILLS	13 Aug 1778	Middlesex, England	14 May 1811	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	32

Wife	Sarah HARDING	01 Aug 1776	Middlesex, England	08 Jul 1823	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	46

Daughter	Sarah WILLS	23 Apr 1796	Middlesex, England	10 Jan 1875	Hantshire, England	78
Son	Thomas Spencer WILLS	05 Aug 1800		29 Jul 1872	Kew, Victoria, Australia	71
Daughter	Eliza WILLS	10 Sep 1802		30 Sep 1858	St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia	56
Son	Edward Spencer WILLS	16 Feb 1805		1828	London, Middlesex, England	23
Daughter	Elizabeth Selina WILLS	30 Nov 1807		18 Jan 1811		3
Son	Horatio Spencer Howe WILLS	05 Oct 1811	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	17 Oct 1861	Emerald, Queensland, Australia	50

Sister	Anne WILLS	abt 1777		bef 1813		36

Son in Law	William REDFERN	abt 1774	Canada	17 Jul 1833	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland	59
Son in Law	James ALEXANDER	1797		29 Jul 1877		80
Daughter in Law	Celia Eliza REIBEY	01 Feb 1802	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	28 Sep 1823	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	21
Daughter in Law	Marie Anne BARRY	21 Sep 1801		19 May 1870		68
Daughter in Law	Mary Ann MELLARD
Son in Law	Henry Colden ANTILL	01 May 1779	New York, New York, USA	14 Aug 1852	Picton, New South Wales, Australia	73
Daughter in Law	Elizabeth WYRE MCGUIRE	abt 1817	New South Wales, Australia	28 Dec 1907	Kew, Victoria, Australia	90

Grandson	William Lachlan Macquarie REDFERN	27 Jul 1819
Grandson	Joseph Foveaux REDFERN	07 Feb 1823		abt 11 Apr 1830		7
Granddaughter	Sarah ALEXANDER	09 Feb 1835		08 Oct 1905		70
Granddaughter	Alice WILLS	06 May 1823		14 Apr 1824		0
Grandson	William Henry WILLS	01 Dec 1827		abt 1828		1
Granddaughter	Catherine Spencer WILLS	24 Nov 1831	Australia	27 Aug 1884	Geelong, Victoria, Australia	52
Grandson	Arthur WILLS	18 Feb 1857		14 Oct 1932		75
Grandson	Harry WILLS	13 Sep 1858
Grandson	Frederick WILLS	19 Jul 1860		abt 1861		1
Grandson	Charles WILLS	15 Nov 1861		abt 1862		1
Granddaughter	Margaret C ANTILL	1820	New South Wales, Australia	1849	New South Wales, Australia	29
Grandson	John Macquarie ANTILL	1822	New South Wales, Australia	1900	Picton, New South Wales, Australia	78
Grandson	Henry Colden ANTILL	1823	New South Wales, Australia	17 Mar 1913	Granville, New South Wales, Australia	90
Granddaughter	Alice S ANTILL	1824	New South Wales, Australia
Grandson	Thomas W ANTILL	1829	New South Wales, Australia
Grandson	Edward Spencer ANTILL	1832	New South Wales, Australia	1917	Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia	85
Grandson	James Alexander ANTILL	07 Nov 1834	Picton, New South Wales, Australia	15 Feb 1920	Brighton-Le-Sands, New South Wales, Australia	85
Granddaughter	Selina ANTILL	1837	New South Wales, Australia
Grandson	Loftus C ANTILL	1840	New South Wales, Australia	1840	New South Wales, Australia	0
Grandson	Thomas Wentworth Spencer WILLS	19 Aug 1835	Molonglo Plains, New South Wales, Australia	02 May 1880	Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia	44
Granddaughter	Emily Spencer WILLS	25 Dec 1842		06 Dec 1925		82
Grandson	Cedric Spencer WILLS	01 Dec 1844	Lexington, Victoria, Australia	23 Jan 1914	Queensland, Australia	69
Grandson	Horace Spencer WILLS	16 Jun 1847	Moyston, Victoria, Australia	08 Oct 1928	Kew, Victoria, Australia	81
Grandson	Egbert Spencer WILLS	11 Nov 1849		11 Sep 1931		81
Granddaughter	Elizabeth Spencer WILLS	07 Jan 1852		21 Nov 1930		78
Granddaughter	Eugenie Spencer WILLS	28 Jan 1854		08 Jul 1937		83
Granddaughter	Minna Spencer WILLS	01 Mar 1856		14 Feb 1943		86
Granddaughter	Hortense Sarah Spencer WILLS	16 Aug 1861		02 Jul 1907		45

Nephew	George POOLE
Niece	Sarah POOLE
Niece	Emily WILLEY	Apr 1810
Niece	Selina WILLEY	1811

Sister in Law	Nancy HARDING
Brother in Law	Samuel HARDING
Brother in Law	Thomas HARDING
Sister in Law	Mary HARDING	abt 1789
Brother in Law	George POOLE			bef 1813

Events in Edward Spencer WILLS (1778 - 1811)'s life
Date	Age	Event	Place	Notes	Src
13 Aug 1778		Edward Spencer WILLS was born	Middlesex, England		36, 60
11 Sep 1778		Christening	Finsbury, Middlesex, England		60
1795	17	Married Sarah HARDING (aged 19)	England		36
23 Apr 1796	17	Birth of daughter Sarah WILLS	Middlesex, England		36
Jan 1797	18	Arrested as Highwayman	England		60
29 Mar 1797	18	Sentenced for transportation	Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey, England	Note 1	60
28 Sep 1798	20	Emigration	Weymouth, Dorset, England		60
26 Jul 1799	20	Immigration	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	per 'Hillsborough'	60
05 Aug 1800	21	Birth of son Thomas Spencer WILLS			36
10 Sep 1802	24	Birth of daughter Eliza WILLS
16 Feb 1805	26	Birth of son Edward Spencer WILLS			36
30 Nov 1807	29	Birth of daughter Elizabeth Selina WILLS			36
18 Jan 1811	32	Death of daughter Elizabeth Selina WILLS (aged 3)			36
14 May 1811	32	Edward Spencer WILLS died	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia		36
		Burial	Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia		60

Note 1: life sentence 342,21 , Native Place Surrey

Source References:

36. Type: Book, Abbr: Edward Wills Family, Title: Ancestors Treasure Hunt, The Edward Wills Family and Descendants in Australia 1797-1976, Auth: R V Pockley, Publ: Wentworth Books, Date: 1976

- Reference = 64 (Name, Notes)

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- Reference = 64 (Death)

- Reference = 64 (Marriage)

60. Type: Web Page, Abbr: Index of Australia Wills Families, Title: Index of Australian Wills Families, Auth: Tom Wills, Locn: http://tww.id.au/fam/

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- Notes: Edward Spencer Wills was born on 13 Aug 1778 in Middlesex,England. He was christened on 11 Sep 1778 in St Luke Old St,Finsbury,Middlesex,England. He died on 14 May 1811 in ,Sydney,New South Wales,Australia. He was buried in Botany Bay Cem,Sydney,New South Wales,Australia.

son of Edward Wills, Gentleman of Broadcourt, Long Acre, Middlesex, b1741 ,Buried at St Paul's Convent Garden 9.1.1814 and Elizabeth (b 1739. buried at St Paul's Convent Garden 10.3.1822)
(info from Last Will and Testament of Edward Wills Esq of Middlesex researched by R.P Vivien-Graham, College of Arms, London - for Brian Wills in Oct 1952)

I.G.I. shows christenings for Edward Spencer Wills, 11 Sep 1778,at St Luke's Old Street, Finsbury, Middlesex
Sarah Harding, 11 Aug 1776
and Sarah Wills, 15 May 1796 at St Luke's Old Street, Finsbury, Middlesex
1795 married Sarah Harding (mother Elizabeth Harding?? maybe step mother - visited Sydney in 1810 - but I.G.I gives mother as Sarah)
January 1797 arrested for being a highwayman
on 29 March 1797 sentenced to Transportion
Lists of Convicts on Transports 1788-1800 Fiche No 618 p.324 50 334
Edward Willis - Native Place Surry
Sentenced Mar 1797 life 342,21
from Weymouth 28th Sept 1798

In January 1797 Edward WILLS, James DASHPER and William WOODHAM were arrested for highway robbery. The three men had used arms to rob John MARTIN of his watch, a half guinea, a sixpence and 18 half-pence. The money (£2.19.4) was found at Edward's residence.
Edward's trial took place at Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey on the 20th March 1797. The three men were found guilty and all sentenced "to be hanged by the neck until dead". They had the right of appeal, so Edward had a petition made. The document addressed to the Duke of Portland was supported by the Curate and Church Warden of St. Luke's, Edward's old employer Millar RITCHIE, the victim John MARTIN, Thomas LOCK.
At Whitehall on the 29th March, 1797, "Edward WILLIS and James DASHPER having been convicted of Highway Robbery, and having been humbly recommended as fit objects of the Royal Mercy His Majesty has now been graciously pleased to extend his Royal Mercy on condition of their being transported for the term of their natural lives to the Eastern Coast of New South Wales..."
On the 18th October, 1798 Edward and 55 other convicts were transferred from the hulk "Stanislaus" to the "Hillsborough". The convicts were to be housed in the lowest deck "where conditions were grim, because there were no port-holes to allow light and fresh air. For a bed each convict was given a two foot wide plank of wood, a blanket and a pillow. For clothing they each got two blue jackets, a pair of trousers, two pairs of stockings, two shirts, a pair of shoes and a cap. They were also allowed to take two gallons of wine for the voyage. Edward, James DASHPER and William WOODHAM set sail from Portland Rds. on the 23rd December, 1798.
The "Hillsborough" was to be nicknamed "the Death Ship" from their ill fated voyage. WOODHAM died on the way out of port.
There were six woman aboard, one of them being Edward's wife Sarah with their infant daughter.
The "Hillsborough" arrived in Sydney on the 26th July 1799. On the following day Governor HUNTER wrote to the Duke of Portland explaining that the ship embarked with 300 convicts but arrived with only 205, with six dying within a day of arrival. Later, in a letter to KING, HUNTER decribed the "Hillsborough" inmates as being "a cargo of the most miserable and wretched convicts I ever beheld". Edward became ill from the voyage but was lucky to become a ward of his wife Sarah who had "arrived free".

conditionally pardoned by Governor King 4th June 1803

The "Sydney Gazette" reported on the 2nd of October 1803 that Edward was fined £5 for purchasing seven ounces of stolen silver.
On the 7th of October 1804, James BROWN and F.MOREY were sentenced to 100 lashes and three years hard labour for the robbery of copper coin and merchandise from the shop of E.WILLS.
On the 19th of January 1805 a woman servant of E.WILLS was gaoled for stealing sundry merchandise from his house. Edward's house was in George Street (later Essex Street), Sydney.
The "Sydney Gazette" in April 1805 contained an advertisement listing sugars, teas, soaps, linen, muslin, shoes, dungarees, ribbons, etc. for sale at the house of Edward WILLS.
On the 15th September 1805 the "Gazette" mentioned RABY and WILLS as being involved in the seal-skin business. Edward also advertised on the 24th of November 1805 looking for a "careful stockman".
1805 Muster Wills, Edward S A4508 E.C. came "Hillsborough" self dealer
Sarah B0036 and C1363
leg children 2 male and 2 female

WILLS also went into shipping. In 1806 the 66 ton "Mary and Sally" was built by Thomas REIBIE and Edward WILLS
In the same year these two partners are recorded as owning a sloop named "Raven". He also owned the 22.5 ton sloop "Eliza"
In June 1808 WILLS donated £30 to send John MacARTHUR to London to give evidence on behalf of Major JOHNSTON.
In April 1809 a burglar gained entry into WILLS's shop via the chimney and made off with goods to the value of £100. Natives found the items, in less than an hour, hidden in rocks.
On the 4th September 1810 Edward was pardonned, under his alias WILLIS, by Major-General Lachlan MacQUARIE, Governor of New South Wales.
WILLS was the victum of another burglary on 13th October 1810 where someone entered his unfinished premises and cut the duck covering off a new sofa.

Died 14 May 1811 aged 33 2697 Vol 2
Obituary by George Howe in Sydney Gazette May 1st,
"Died, at his home in George Street on Tuesday night, the 11th inst, Mr Edward Wills, after a painful illness of nearly three months duration in his 33rd year. The generosity of his disposition was evinced in all his actions - his integrity was un doubted and he lived universally respected, and his death must be sincerely regretted by his most distant
acquaintance; while his amiable family and those who were happy in his friendship will be devoted by the melancholy event to the length of inconsciable affliction.'

Mutch Index gives burial date as May 16, 1811 St Phillip's Sydney

When Edward WILLS died after three months of painful illness his assets were valued at more than £15,000.
Edward Wills's Headstone was destroyed in removal from Old Botany Bay Cemetry but says
Also George Howe a native of St Kitts (who was Sarah Wills 's second husband)

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