WILLIAM COLE of Brasted, labourer (c1773-1860)

The baptism of William Cole is not located. At his death he was stated to be aged 86, which would mean that he was born in 1773-74. His parents, William and Sarah Mills, were married in 1775, which would mean that he was born out of wedlock. In the 1851 census he was reported to be aged 74, and therefore born in 1776-77. In 1843 William Cole was examined concerning the place of legal settlement of his son James. William was on 28th January 1843 67 years old and had lived all his life in Brasted, where he was born. His father had received relief from the parish, and so had he. He was literate. This gives him a birth year 1776. It is not actually stated that William was the son of William Cole (1744-1822), but his father was a Brasted man and since William was William Cole junior his father was likely to be William Cole senior.

William Cole married Susanna (1777-1849); again the date and place of the marriage have not been found, but it was presumably in 1800 or before when William and Susanna's first son was baptised in Brasted (1801). In November 1800 William Cole junior was given 2s by the parish, presumably because of the imminent arrival of the baby, and in February and March 1801 Susanna received 6s and 6s. In August 1803 Susanna delivered a daughter and William received 10s 6d.

In 1803 William Cole was sworn in to the militia as a substitute for Robert Waring of Westerham. As a result Westerham parish supported Susanna at 4s or 6s a week from April 1803 to at least 1804, for her son £1-6s for five months 1802-03, and for her daughter £1-5s (December 1802-April 1803), £2 (March 1805), and then 2s a week (May 1805-October 1806). Eventually they paid £3 towards getting William Cole's discharge from the militia in 1807.

Even before 1803 it is possible that Susanna was getting some relief from Westerham parish. It is possible that a daughter Ann was born in 1805, though unrecorded; this could explain why Brasted parish paid William Cole's wife 2s. A son, Thomas, was born in 1807 and a daughter Emily in 1808. From September 1808 William Cole was receiving regular payments from Brasted parish, including £2-11s for his family in October 1808.

• December 1809 William Cole a pair of shoes 15s.
• March 1810 William Cole, junior, wife and family £1-17s.
• April 1810 Gave to William Cole's wife at different times £2-2s.
• June 1810 To Mrs Cole and family £2-4s.
• August 1810 Paid William Cole junior 10s etc, etc.
• October 1811 Paid part of William Cole junior's rent £1.
• April 1812 Gave William Cole junior for flour.
• July 1812 Paid Mrs James for William Cole junior 10s
• August 1812. Gave William Cole money to pay for shoes 5s. Paid for shirts for William Cole 4s 2½d.

These payments continue for the rest of William Cole's life.

In 1816 William Cole was paid for working on the roads. In 1818 he was given 12s 4d for leather and in 1822 he was described as a tanner. In August 1820 and in August and November 1822 he appears to have been in the workhouse.

• March 1820 Gave William Cole junior 17s and schooling.
• May 1820 William Cole applied for a pair of shoes for one child.
• February 1824 Paid fees for Cole's daughter's funeral 7s.
• In January 1824 Ann Cole of Brasted aged 19 was buried. Presumably this was William Cole's daughter.
• In 1825 William Cole was ordered to quit the housing provided by the parish.
• 1827-31 Brasted parish paid large sums as relief to William Cole including clothing, and clothing for his little girl. (His youngest daughter was ten in 1830).
• 1828 Ordered that William Cole have neither work nor relief till his daughter Emily be removed from his house. Emily at the time was aged 20.
• May 1827 The overseer is ordered to clothe Mrs Cole's little girl to the amount of 10s. Mrs William Cole asked for shoes and was refused.
• November 1827 Mrs Cole applied for clothes for her boy and was refused.
• December 1828 Cole's wife attending Mrs Wood 5s 6d. Sarah Wood was sister-in-law to both William and Thomas Cole (and also to Henry Cole who may have been in Sundridge at this time).
• November 1830 Susanna Cole attended Mrs Jeffrey's children. Sarah Cole (daughter of Thomas) also attended Mrs Jeffery, who died.
• Between 1831 and 1834 William Cole was employed almost permanently on the roads.
• 1833 Brasted parish paid for the inoculation of William Cole.
• 1837 William Cole and his brother Thomas were ordered to quit the housing provided by the parish(almshouses and workhouse at the west end of the village).
• January-March 1837 William Cole described as a pauper. Paid 2s 6d relief on account of illness. His age given as 48 (in fact 61).
• 1837-1843 William Cole employed picking and breaking stones and levelling roads. Clearing snow from the roads.
• 1841 In the census William Cole was described as an agricultural labourer. He lived with Susanna his wife, daughters Jane and Sarah and granddaughter Susanna. He apparently lived next door to his brother Henry.
• 1848 William Cole received a free coat as charity. Also in 1856.

1849 Burial of his wife Susanna in Brasted (March 8th), aged 72.

1851 In the census William Cole (74), agricultural labourer, lived alone.

1860 Burial of William Cole on November 4th, in Brasted, aged 86.