William James HANDS (1850-1918)

William James Hands (1850-1918) was the father-in-law of Reverend William Carmont Allsebrook, the Vicar of Badsey, Aldington and Wickhamford.

William was born at Shipston-on-Stour in 1850, the eldest of seven children of James Hands and Elizabeth Sheldon.  Both of his parents were from milling families and he, too, became a miller.

William married Kate Payton at Solihull in 1879.  They had one daughter, Evelyn Kate (1880-1932), who was born at Burmington where William was the miller.  By the time of the 1881 census, William, Kate and Evelyn were living at Kingham, Oxfordshire; William was described as a miller and corn merchant. By 1891, they had moved to 18 College Street, Stratford upon Avon, where William was a corn salesman.

William and family continued to live at College Street until about 1903 when they moved to Badsey Vicarage.  William and Kate’s daughter was engaged to the Reverend William Carmont Allsebrook (whom she married in 1909) and the whole family moved to the Vicarage when William became Vicar of Badsey.

William is mentioned in a letter of 30^th March 1914 from Arthur Sladden when he talks about a wedding gift received from “Mrs Hands and Pa”.

William died at Badsey on 26^th October 1918 and was buried in the churchyard four days later.

In 2008, documents relating to the Hands family were deposited with The Badsey Society archive.  They had been found in the home of William’s granddaughter, Evelyn Joyce Carmont Allsebrook, who had died six years earlier.