The Tree - Person Sheet
The Tree - Person Sheet
NameEdward Willis 
Birth4 Jun 1737
BaptismSt John the Evangelist Westminster
Death6 Jul 1780
BurialWest cloister of Westminster Abbey, London
FatherJohn Willis (ca1700-1736)
MotherJane Haywood (ca1696-1744)
Misc. Notes
Name, date of birth and year of death (as ca 1781) from “Horneman Family History 1605 to 2006” CD, Chapter 4.0.
The CD gives, “Henry Devis’s uncle was Edward Willis; who was born 4 June 1737 and died when aged 44 years c1781. Edward Willis was the posthumous son of John Willis who died on 2 January 1737”.
The CD says, “Edward Willis’s mother was Jane who was buried on 22 December 1744. Edward Willis died unmarried and his bequeaths, which were considerable, were to his nephew Henry Devis, his niece Elizabeth Devis and his cousin Ann, wife of Nicholas Forster”.
Date of death on a webpage that Julie Bourke (nee McColl), in an email dated 28 April 2017, directed Brian of nzolivers.com to:
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/john-and-edward-willis
[Julie is the great-great-granddaughter of Emma Frances Devis b. 1814. Brian of nzolivers.com is a x3-great grandson of Emma Frances Devis]
In the west cloister of Westminster Abbey, just before the steps up into the Church, is the grave of John Willis, Abbey carpenter, his son Edward and niece Ann. The inscription is quite faint but reads:
"Here lyes the body of Mr John Willis, Carpenter to this Collegiate Church who died the 28 of December 1736 aged 37 years. Also of Mr Edward Willis son of the above Mr John Willis who died July 6 1780 in the 44th year of his age. Also Ann Foster niece of the above John Willis who died July 2 1814 in the 76th year of her age"
He was carpenter at the Abbey from 1733. His brothers were Thomas, Edward and Jonathan and his sisters Anne (Ward) and Grace (Bacchus). His wife Jane (Hayward) was buried with him on 22 December 1744 aged 48. She resided in Tufton Street, at the back of the Abbey. Their son was William (who died before his mother), and their daughters Elizabeth and Ayres. Posthumous son Edward was baptised at St John the Evangelist Westminster and died unmarried. Ann was the wife of Nicholas Foster (Forster).
Julie Bourke in an email dated 6 May 2017 writes, “Linda [Burge] visited England and went around a lot of the family places, she took a photo of the stone in Westminister Abbey, much the same photo as on the internet, she said the stone was very worn down.
(Linda is a great-great-granddaughter of Emma Frances Devis b. 1814).
Year of death confirmed, “Edward Willis Died in the year 1780 in 44 year of his age”, from Image 2 of the Devis Family Bible sent by Derek Dillon in an email dated 16 March 2018. Derek had copied the Bible pages, while visiting some cousins in England circa 1988. The Bible had been passed down through the Devis, Gibson and Dillon families. Derek is the x3-great grandson of Hannah Barlow (b.1759) and her second husband, Davis Gibson. (Hannah Barlow remarried after the death of first husband Henry Devis b.1750).
The CD gives, “Henry Devis’s uncle was Edward Willis; who was born 4 June 1737 and died when aged 44 years c1781. Edward Willis was the posthumous son of John Willis who died on 2 January 1737”.
The CD says, “Edward Willis’s mother was Jane who was buried on 22 December 1744. Edward Willis died unmarried and his bequeaths, which were considerable, were to his nephew Henry Devis, his niece Elizabeth Devis and his cousin Ann, wife of Nicholas Forster”.
Date of death on a webpage that Julie Bourke (nee McColl), in an email dated 28 April 2017, directed Brian of nzolivers.com to:
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/john-and-edward-willis
[Julie is the great-great-granddaughter of Emma Frances Devis b. 1814. Brian of nzolivers.com is a x3-great grandson of Emma Frances Devis]
In the west cloister of Westminster Abbey, just before the steps up into the Church, is the grave of John Willis, Abbey carpenter, his son Edward and niece Ann. The inscription is quite faint but reads:
"Here lyes the body of Mr John Willis, Carpenter to this Collegiate Church who died the 28 of December 1736 aged 37 years. Also of Mr Edward Willis son of the above Mr John Willis who died July 6 1780 in the 44th year of his age. Also Ann Foster niece of the above John Willis who died July 2 1814 in the 76th year of her age"
He was carpenter at the Abbey from 1733. His brothers were Thomas, Edward and Jonathan and his sisters Anne (Ward) and Grace (Bacchus). His wife Jane (Hayward) was buried with him on 22 December 1744 aged 48. She resided in Tufton Street, at the back of the Abbey. Their son was William (who died before his mother), and their daughters Elizabeth and Ayres. Posthumous son Edward was baptised at St John the Evangelist Westminster and died unmarried. Ann was the wife of Nicholas Foster (Forster).
Julie Bourke in an email dated 6 May 2017 writes, “Linda [Burge] visited England and went around a lot of the family places, she took a photo of the stone in Westminister Abbey, much the same photo as on the internet, she said the stone was very worn down.
(Linda is a great-great-granddaughter of Emma Frances Devis b. 1814).
Year of death confirmed, “Edward Willis Died in the year 1780 in 44 year of his age”, from Image 2 of the Devis Family Bible sent by Derek Dillon in an email dated 16 March 2018. Derek had copied the Bible pages, while visiting some cousins in England circa 1988. The Bible had been passed down through the Devis, Gibson and Dillon families. Derek is the x3-great grandson of Hannah Barlow (b.1759) and her second husband, Davis Gibson. (Hannah Barlow remarried after the death of first husband Henry Devis b.1750).