[23] The following brief pedigree, which I have drawn up from the parish registers, and other sources, gives all needful information regarding his family:—
WILLIAM BILLINGSLEY ===MARY of Derby, buried at | survived her husband. St. Alkmund’s, Derby, | 4th March, 1770. | | +-----------------------+-------+-------------+--------+---------+ | | | | | | WILLAM ===SARAH SARAH ELIAS ===MARY MARY SARAH POSTHUMIA BILLINGSLEY, | RIGLEY, BIL- BIL- | BIL- BIL- BILLINGS- bap. at St. | married LINGS- LINGS- | LINGS- LINGS- LEY, Alkmund’s, | at St. LEY, LEY. | LEY, LEY, “daughter Derby, | Alk- bap. | bap. 4 bap. 1 of Mary 12 Oct., 1758, | mund’s, 21 | Oct., Oct., Billings- apprenticed | Derby. Jan., | 1763. 1764, ley, to Duesbury | 4th 1760, | bur. widow,” 26 Sep. 1774, | Nov., bur., | 27 bap. china painter, | 1780. 24th | Sep., 3 June, etc. | July, | 1773. 1770. | 1764. | | +-----------------------+ +-----------+---------------+-----------------+ | | | | | SARAH ===GEORGE JAMES LAVINIA BILLINGSLEY, JAMES BILLINGSLEY, WALKER, BIL- bap. 1 Nov., 1795. BILLINGSLEY, bap. 14 china maker, LINGS- (In the register this bap. 3 Nov., Sep., 1783, who was LEY, is oddly entered; 1795. buried at associated bap. “Samuel,” being the parish with 11 Aug., substituted for Church of Billingsley. 1793, “Sarah.”) died at Swansea, bur. Nantgarw, and was January 4th, 12 Nov., buried at Eglwysilan, 1817, aged 1793. Sep. 10, 1817. In the 31, as register of that appears by parish she is entered the as “Levinia, daughter registers of of William and Sarah that Church, Beeley, Nantgarw,” copied for aged 21 years.[25] me by Rev. T. D. Thompson.
[24] Frequently, but erroneously, called “Beaumont,” “Bowerman,” or “Bowman.”
[25] For this entry I have to thank the Rev. Rice Jones, M.A., the Vicar of Eglwysilan.
[26] The names down to this line are in the second William Duesbury’s handwriting, and have, been crossed through.
[27] The names from here forward seem to have been the originally written ones of 1787.
[28] Notice.
[29] “Mr. Billingsley, at the Nantgarrow manufactory, from Lynn sand, potash, and other components, made a porcelain which, as an artificial felspar, has some excellence, and approaches nearest real felspar; the expense certainly was great; and only was his ware defective through his being unacquainted with the principles of combinative potency. This was a notable instance how much the mechanical processes of pottery are in advance of the ‘work and labour of love’ for public benefit—the science of chemistry in regard to atoms.”—Shaw’s Chemistry of Pottery, 1837.
[30] It is worthy of note that Billingsley was a common name about Broseley and Madeley; the entries in the parish registers are very numerous.