Collin - Pedigree Of An Essexman

Collin - Pedigree Of An Essexman

The origin of the COLLIN family is unclear for the information uncovered to date is conflicting. Consider the Gt. Wakering census data that is available and the listing for the place of birth of John COLLIN:

1841 - Essex.
1851 - Wisery or Wixey (misspelling of Wixoe, Wilby or Risby?)
1861 - Essex-Great Wakering
1871 - Suffolk Wixer (misspelling of Wixoe?)

A check of the Wixoe Parish Records reveals:

1784 - Mary son of Mary Collin. Illegitimate June 20th
1795 - July 10th Mary illegitimate dau of Mary Collin
1795 - July 10th John illegitimate son of Mary Collin

The Wixoe register also contains pages showing fees that were collected for the performance of baptisms. These contain the following entry:

Henry Son of Mary Collin June 20th a Pauper 1784

A bible now held by Les Stirling COLLIN of Brisbane lists the following:

"John Collin born 1795" is written along the outside edges of the leaves.
"Henry Collin" is written on the inside front cover.
The bible was printed in 1738 by John Baskett, printer to Oxford University.

After John COLLIN's first wife Sarah VINCE died he married another Sarah on 20th January 1850. This time a Sarah RAVEN, formerly BATES. The marriage certificate shows John COLLIN named his father as Samuel COLLIN. This conflicts with the Wixoe parish records where it is stated that he is the illegitimate son of Mary COLLIN. According to Herber¹, "If a spouse was illegitimate, a father's name may have been invented just to insert in the marriage record. Even the name COLLIN may be the end product of an evolution involving several variants. William COLLIN's entry in the baptismal register for Great Wakering is:

Sept. 25^th 1834, William, son of, John & Sarah, Collings.

Here is what we do know about John Collin: he was a coal carter in 1861 according to the census return for Great Wakering. He was born about 1795 as in the 1871 census return his age is given as 76. According to the biography of Captain William COLLIN his mother died when he was five years old and he was raised by an older brother. John married Sarah VINCE and they had 14 children including William COLLIN b 1834, Great Wakering. We believe that Sarah VINCE's parents were Ann and Robert who in the 1841/1851 census live in Rochford. Ann was born about 1778 in Dengie and Robert in Tillingham. All these villages are near Great Wakering, Essex.