Birth: About 1827 Wroxham, Norfolk, UK
Father: James Cowles 1764-1852
Mother: Susan ? c1778-a1851
Christening: 1823 St Faith, Wroxham, Norfolk, UK
Marriage: 27 July 1846 Newton Flotman, Norfolk, UK
Wife: Emily Adams 1826-1905
Death: 1881-1891
Anna (Annie) Elizabeth (Eliza) Cowles 1852-1863
Clara Elizabeth Cowles [Heavers] 1860-a1901
Emily Jane Cowles [Davis] 1863-a1901
Frederick Cowles 1866-b1871
James George Cowles 1867-1867
Edward Thomas Cowles About 1869-a1913
There is an entry in the Norfolk Transcription Archive for the christening of James Cowles in 1823 in the St Faiths District of Wroxham, parents James (a blacksmith) and Susan.
On a copy of the entry of marriage number 21 1846 in Newton Flotman, Norfolk, James Cowles of full age, a bachelor of Shotesham, employed as a labourer and whose father was James also a labourer, married Emily Adams at the parish church. He signed his own name. It was witnessed by Jeremiah Matins and Eliza Adams. There is an entry in the FreeBMD for James Cowles and Emily Adams in July-September 1846 in Henstead (13 279).
In the 1851 census as James Cowell (sic) aged 27, born in Wroxham, Norfolk, employed as an agricultual labourer, and living with his wife (Emily) at The Street, Shotesham All Saints, Norfolk.
His name is given as James Cowles, a game keeper, on Clara's birth certificate registered on 3 September 1860 in the Lutterworth District at Stretton under Fosse.
In the 1861 census as James Cowles aged 36, born in Wroxham, Norfolk, employed as a gamekeeper, and living with his wife (Emily), and two daughters (Annie and Clara) at Keepers Lodge, Monks Kirby, Stretton under Fosse, Warwickshire.
In the 1871 census as James Cowles aged 42, born in Shottisham, Norfolk, employed as a carman, and living with his wife (Emily), two daughters (Clara and Jane), son (Edward) and a border (Anna Grant aged 1 and born in Greenwich) at No 2 Ennetts Cottages, Old Woolwich, Road, Greenwich, Kent.
In 1881 census as James Cowles aged 54, born in Norfolk, employed as a carman (carter), and living at 83 Old Woolwich Road, Greenwich, Kent with his wife (Emily), son (Edward), three male lodgers Arthur Davis (aged 22, born in Coventry, unmarried and employed as a general labourer - his future son-in-law), Thomas Heavers (aged 23, born in Lowestoft, Suffolk, unmarried and employed as a carman), William Seuisbury (aged 21, born in Deptford, unmarried and employed as a boiler maker), a female visitor Elizabeth Blunt (aged 22, born in Cambridge, unmarried and employed as a nurse), a male visitor Harry Horbley (aged 50, born in Deptford, unmarried, and unemployed), and a sister named Edward Horbley (aged 60 born in Greenwich, unmarried, and unemployed). Edward Horbley is probably the sister of Harry Horbley. Birth calculated from this entry. (The name Horbley is extremely rare (only two entries in the IGI) and I suspect should be Horbey - interestingly the name Horbey seems to be concentrated in the Rugby area of Warwickshire).
His wife is a widow in the 1891 census. However I cannot find an entry for James Cowles in the Register of Deaths between 1881 and 1891.
Maureen Kristjanson has an entry in Ancestry Public Member Trees for James Cowles born in 1823 in Wroxham or Shottisham, Norfolk parents James and Susan Cowles, his christening in 1823 at St. Faith, Wroxham, his marriage to Emily Adams in Netwon Flotman on 27 July 1847 and six children.
Wroxham is 4 miles NE of Norwich. Shottisham is now spelt Shotesham and is 4 miles south of Norwich. The first child was born in Shotesham, Norfolk, the second two children were born in Monks Kirby, Warwick, (10 miles NE of Coventry and the same NW of Rugby) but Frederick was born in Greenwich so must have lived in Shotesham till between 1853 and 1860, Monks Kirby from before 1860 to between 1863 and 1866, and then Greenwich.
James Cowles was my great grandfather.
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