William Grayson (Jr.) was born on 28 Apr 1805 in Nocton, (he was my great, great grandfather) William was the eighth child, 3rd son of William and Ann (Lewis). He married Sarah Barratt in Bucknall on 8th Jan 1828.

William and Sarah Grayson had 11 children:

                    They then returned to England and lived in Collingham near Gainsborough. They had two sons

        Following Thomas Bell’s death in 1869, Betsy married James Chart and had two more children:

Betsy was still alive in 1901 when she was living as the widowed housekeeper of her son-in-law, Walter Leach, the "Representative of a foreign industrial manufacturer" in Manchester. She died in 1910

According to the census of 1851 William Grayson (Jr.) owned a farm of 64 acres and hired 2 labourers but had also become the innkeeper of the Red Lion, 81 Main Street at Martin-by-Timberland, in Lincolnshire. In the census William and Sarah are living in Nocton, Lincs. With Mary (22), Sarah (20), Thomas (18), Jane, (15) Betsy (12), Martha (10) Ann (6) and Charles (4).

 
Sarah Ann (Barrett) Grayson died in October 1853. Following her death William married Emma Palmer 18th July 1859.

In the 1861 census, William, Emma, Ann (16) and Charles (14) are living at 28 High St in Martin, Lincolnshire

William Grayson died on Christmas Eve 1863. The news item in "The Lincoln, Rutland & Stamford Mercury Newspaper of Friday 1st January 1864 states:
Fatal Accident - As Mr. Grayson farmer and publican, of Martin by Timberland, was proceeding homewards from Lincoln market on Christmas eve he was thrown out of his cart when turning the corner at Dunston church and killed on the spot. Mr coroner Hitchins held an inquest the following day, at the Butcher's Arms, Dunston, when it appeared from the evidence that the horse became unmanageable, and during it's gallop the near wheel came into such violent collision with the wall of the church-yard that the cart was upset and the unfortunate man was pitched out a distance of several yards. He fell on his head and died instantaneously. A verdict of accidental death was returned. He was much respected.


Following William's death his widow Emma, who was his Executrix, wrapped up his affairs.(1)

His livestock were sold  in May 1865 (1)

In 1865 there is the registration of a death for Emma Grayson in Horncastle, Lincolnshire but I have no proof that this Emma was William's widow.

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The Barretts and the Porters

Sarah Barrett (my great, great, grandmother) was born 29 July1805 in Thimbleby, Lincolnshire, England. and died 1857 in Martin by Timberland. She married William Grayson (Jr.) in 1828 in Bucknall.

Sarah Barrett's parents were John and Ann (Porter) Barrett. Ann Porter was born in Bucknall Nov 1786. She married 24 May 1803 in Bucknall. The birthplace of her father, John Barrett is unknown. There was an Ann Porter born in Bucknall in Nov 1786. She would have been 16 at the time of her marriage to John Barratt, which is young, but acceptable. If this is the right Ann Porter then her parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Porter who married in 1783 in Bucknall. They had two other children: Thomas 1784 and Joseph 1785.

This is the probable origin of the name Porter, given to Thomas Porter Grayson the second son, of William and Sarah Grayson, born 1833 in Timberland, Lincs