Worlands in Cambridgeshire (Meldreth, Melbourn, Harston, Wimpole, Foxton)

The information on this page has been collated from a number of sources including (a) Austin Worland Hill in the mid 1990s, (b) the Meldreth History webpage, (c) Melbourn, Cambridgeshire Church records, (d) Richard and Peter Worland in Australia in 2013, (e) Anne Roach and (f) Vicki Doody.

There are several Worland families in the Cambridgeshire area, all described on this page:

Each of these locations is relatively close to one another - see the map below. DNA testing of current descendents may be the only way to confirm a relationship, if any, between these families.

The earliest known Worland family in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire

According to Kathryn Betts on the Meldreth, Cambridgeshire, History site, '... members of the Worland family first arrived in the village during the seventeenth century. Other Worland families were also found in nearby villages, particularly Melbourn, Bassingbourn and Foxton.'

Many Worlands lived in the Little Staughton and Eaton Socon area before 1737 and many were known to have moved the Foxton - Meldreth - Melbourn - Royston area.

1687 - Thomas Worland marries Elizabeth Gore - Shelton

The Meldreth history site notes that the earliest recorded Worland in Meldreth was Thomas Worland (1670, Little Staughton* - 1714, Meldreth). Thomas Worland married Elizabeth Gore (1670 - 2 November 1728, Meldreth) on 20 June 1687 in Shelton (Source: Meldreth History website.

*Little Staughton is about 40 kms north west of the Meldreth/Melbourn/Foxton area). See the Bedfordshire for details of their origin before this date.

Thomas and Elizabeth Worland (nee Gore) were said to have had the following children (source of these details TBA):

From 1735 - The Adams Family of Melbourn

Ann Adams (1741 - 1771) was the daughter of Robert Adams, a butcher and Mary Ginn (born 1710) who married in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire in 1735. Mary Ginn's parents were Robert Ginn of Melbourn and Jane Burton who married in Cambridge in 1705 and had a large number of children. Robert Ginn 'was descended from the Ginn family of Anstey in Herts - he was of yeoman stock', according to Mike Taylor.

Mary and Robert Adams had two daughters, Sarah Adams and Ann Adams (born 1741). Robert died the same year that Ann was born, leaving Mary a widow with a young daughter and a baby (Ann). Ann Adams would later marry Thomas Worland, see below. Mary later married Samuel Jarman (a yeoman farmer) at Melbourn in 1755.

H3>1737 - Joseph Worland marries Elizabeth Pike - Meldreth

Joseph Worland (1703 - 1761) was the son of Thomas Worland (1670 - 1714) and Elizabeth Worland (nee Gore). Joseph Worland married Elizabeth Pike (1703 - May 1770, Meldreth) on 9 October 1737 in Meldreth (BDM record).

Joseph and Elizabeth Worland (nee Pike) are believed to have had the four or five children listed below, all born in Meldreth, although these children have not yet been found in the BDM records (the original source is not not known). If these details are correct (which seems odd), Joseph and Elizabeth Worland were in their 40s when their last child was born:

Note that a Benjamin Worland married Elizabeth (nee Odell) on 12 February 1736 at Layston, south of Royston, Hertfordshire. They had children with remarkably similar names around the same time. The similarity of these names and dates suggests the details above may not be correct.

1754 - Thomas Worland marries Mary (Groves?) - Roxton then Wimpole

Thomas Worland (born 1717) was the son of Thomas Worland (possibly 1681 - ) and Anne Drable who married in Roxton, south of Eaton Socon, in 1714.

Thomas Worland married Mary (surname not yet known, born on 4 May 1724 in Bourn, Cambridgeshire) by 1754. The BDM Record for this marriage has not yet been found. There is a record of a wedding in 1752 or 14 October 1753 at St Giles, Oxford, between Thomas Worland and Mary Groves (BDM Record); This marriage seems unlikely unless they married after their first child was born.

Wherever they were married, Thomas and Mary Worland appear to have moved to Wimpole where they had the following children:

1761 - Death of Joseph Worland

Joseph Worland (born around 1703), believed to be the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Worland (nee Gore), and the husband of Elizabeth Pike, died in 1761.

1762 - Thomas Worland (born 1739) marries Ann Adams - Melbourn

Thomas Worland (born around 1745) was the son of Joseph Worland (1703 - 1761) and Elizabeth Pike (1702 - 1770). Thomas and Ann Adams (born 1741) likely knew each other growing up in Melbourn. They married in Melbourn by licence on 25 November 1762 (the year after Thomas' father Joseph died). The witnesses to the wedding were John Dodson and George Plaw.

Thomas and Ann Worland had two children:

*Note: This Joseph Worland is not recorded in the baptism records for Melbourn Church. See below for further discussion about this Joseph Worland and connections with Australia.

1770 - Death of Elizabeth Worland (nee Pike)

Thomas' mother Elizabeth (nee Pike) died in 1770.

1771 - Death of Ann Worland/Wolland and child - Melbourn

Ann Worland (surname noted as WOLLAND, nee Adams), the wife of Thomas Worland (born 1739) died in December 1771. She was buried in January 1772, when her two children were only small. Perhaps connected with her death, her daughter Sarah Worland (surname also noted as WOLLAND) died not longer after and was buried in May 1772.

As his own parents had already died, Ann's mother Mary and her second husband Samuel may have offered, or been asked, to care of young Joseph Worland in Melbourn, allowing Thomas to return to Meldreth to re-marry.

1776 - Thomas Worland marries Mary Habbis - Meldreth

After Ann's death, Thomas Worland returned to Meldreth and married Mary Habbis (a name often shown as Abbis in following generations) on 3 November 1776 in Meldreth.

Thomas and Mary Worland had the following children, all born in Meldreth:

Ann Worland's mother, Mary Jarman/Adams (nee Ginn) died in Melbourn in 1782, aged 72, when Joseph Worland was 16.

It is interesting to note that, by the time their son Joseph was 28 (and perhaps having started his own family) another Worland family claim that their family arrived there from Somerset - see below.

1778 - Joseph Worland (1745 - ) marries Ann Winter - Melbourn

Joseph Worland (1745 - ), believed to be the younger brother of Thomas Worland (1739 - 1828) and born in 1745, married Ann Winter on 19 September 1778 in Melbourn (BDM Record). The witnesses to the wedding were Thomas Stockbridge and Wiliam Neaves. Interestingly, one William Neaves was a witness to the marriage of Joseph's nephew and Thomas' son Joseph Worland in 1797, so he may have been a regular witness for many weddings.

Joseph and Ann Worland had at least one child:

No online death record has yet been found for Joseph and Ann Worland. A second record does not show that her parents were deceased.

The 1851 census refers to a James Worland born 1783 in Wimpole. This may be the same person as James Worland born in 1782 above except that his birth record states he was born in Melbourne. James appears in the 1851 census living in Middlesex with what appears to be his daughter in law and two of his son's children. (This is to be confirmed with census details)

1779 - Christopher Worland marries - Toft then Wimpole

Christopher Worland (born 1754) was the eldest son of Thomas Worland (born 1717) and Mary (possibly Groves). Christopher married Ann Papworth at Toft Parish in Cambridgeshire on 6 April 1779 (BDM Record). Ann Papworth was born around 1760 at Toft, Cambridgeshire, the daughter of Thomas and Ann Papworth, a few kilometres north west of the villages of Foxton, Shepreth, Meldreth, and Melbourn.

Christopher and Ann Worland had 10 children, most of whom are listed below:

*Note that this person is possibly the same James Worland, said to be born in 1793 in Wimpole, see below.

1785 - Christopher Worland caught stealing

Christopher Worland was caught stealing in 1785 and was tried at the Old Bailey, London, accused of grand larceny - feloniously stealing, on the 1st day of February 1785, one iron hammer with a wooden handle value 12d, one iron rasp with a wooden handle value 12d, and one iron spike bit with a wooden handle value 2d. These items were the property of the governor and company of the New River, brought from Chadwell and Hanwell to London; and one iron saw, with a wooden handle, value 2 s, the property of William Stevenson. Christopher was found guilty and sentenced to whipping. The sentence outcome was unknown.

According to Ms Brenda Cox, Christopher Worland was transported to Australia about 1803/4 by Quarter Sessions Court Cambridgeshire. However, his name has not yet been identified in the list of convicts (but research continues to confirm this). Ms Cox also stated that Christopher returned to England, married Ann Papworth and had another child Anne Worland, but they were already married AND had children noted above before he was sentenced in 1785; Mary Worland was born one year after his arrest and others followed. Unless Christopher Worland was somehow sent (or went) to NSW for other reasons, Ms Cox's information does not appear to be correct.

Christopher Worland died in Wimpole 1813. Anne Worland then married James Read of Littlebury Essex in 1815 in Wimpole.

1783 - Willam Worland marries Mary Housman - Meldreth

A William Worland married Mary Housman in Meldreth on 7 September 1783 and had the following children, all born in Meldreth. William's relationship with the other Worland families in Meldreth above is not yet known. He may be another brother.

1797 - Joseph Worland marries Elizabeth Merry - Melbourn

Joseph Worland (1766, Melbourn - December 1836, Melbourn) was the son of Thomas Worland (1739 - 1828) and Ann Adams (abt 1740 - Dec 1771). He may have grown up with his Adams grandparents in Melbourn after the death of his mother and his father's second marriage in Meldreth.

Joseph Worland married Elizabeth Merry (Abt 1777 - October 1840) on 3 December 1797 in Melbourn. The witnesses to the wedding were William Baker and William Neaves. Joseph and Elizabeth Worland had the following children:

Joseph Worland, aged 70, was buried on 9 December 1836 in Melbourn. His wife, Elizabeth Worland, nee Merry, aged 63, was buried on 7 October 1840 in Melbourn.

1806 - Abbis Worland marries Elizabeth Cornish - Meldreth

Abbis Worland was the younger half-brother of Joseph Worland (1766 - 1836) of Melbourn. He married Elizabeth Cornish (1783 - Dec 1823) in Meldreth on 30 December 1806 and they had the following children, all born in Meldreth:

1810 - John Worland marries Rebecca Bangle - Harston

A John Worland (recorded as Wolland) (likely born 1785 - 1790) married Rebecca Bangle on 15 October 1810 in Harston, Cambridgeshire (not far from Meldreth and Melbourn)(BDM Record). It is not yet known if or how John Worland may be connected with the Meldreth or Melbourn Worland families but he may be the son of Joseph Worland and Maud Ingham. (Details provided by the descendant of Frederick Worland in Australia). John and Rebecca Worland had the following children:

1806 - Edward Walland/Worland marries Susan Loats/Leats - Shepreth / Foxton

According to Vicki Doody (nee Worland), the earliest known 'Worland' in her line is Edward Walland (b 1784) who came from Shepreth, less than a mile to the west from Foxton (suggesting a likely connection with other Worland families). On 9 December 1806, Edward Walland (later written as Worland) married Susan Loats/Leats. Edward and Susan Walland had two children:

Susan died aged 40 on 9 April 1812.

1812 - Edward Walland/Worland marries Keziah Malin - Shepreth / Foxton

Edward Walland then re-married to Keziah Malin on 5 November 1812. Neither could write and had to sign their mark. The witnesses were Thomas Levey and Elizabeth Fathom (?). Keziah was a widow with two children; only one of whom was alive when she married Edward:

Edward and Keziah Walland had one child together:

Keziah Walland (nee Malin) died in 1816 in Foxton when her own son John was only 8 and her son with Edward was only 3.

By 1817 - Myhill Cooper marries

Myhill Cooper (1770, Foulmere - 1834), whose daughter Elizabeth is mentioned below, married Amelia Warren (1786, Walden, Essex - ) some time before 1817 and they had the following children.

Myhill Cooper owned a small acreage near Foxton and worked on the farm. He died on 15 March 1834 at Foxton. His wife Amelia was the Publican at the White Horse Inn Hotel in Foxton.

Before 1819 - Joseph Worland marries Sarah (Pratt?) - Harston, Meldreth, Cambridge

A Joseph Worland is recorded as the father of several children with a wife Sarah in Cambridge from 1819 to 1839 (see below). It is believed that this couple is the Joseph Worland and Sarah Pratt who married in Harston, Cambridgeshire (half way between Meldreth and Cambridge) on 17 October 1816 (BDM Record). In the 1841 census, Joseph's birth year is 1796. No birth record for Joseph Worland has yet been found in the online BDM records and so the names of his parents are not yet known.

Online BDM records show the dates of birth of two men with the same name who died different locations in Cambridgeshire:

Given that the Joseph Worland and his family below is recorded in Cambridge, it is assumed that Joseph was more likely the one born in 1793.

Joseph and Sarah Worland had several children listed below. Note that James appears to have been born in Meldreth, after which the family is located in Cambridge. The family also appears in the 1841 census - see below.

1820 - George and Elizabeth Worland

George Worland married an Elizabeth in Meldreth (BDM record not found). They had children:

1820 - Edward Walland/Worland marries Elizabeth Blows - Shepreth / Foxton

Four years after his second wife died, on 9 September 1820, Edward Walland married the woman who would become his daughter Sarah's mother in law, Elizabeth Blows (nee Evans) at Shepreth. The witnesses were Elizabeth Wood and Ann Hurlock. Elizabeth clearly had at least one child - William Blows - from a previous marriage and this is likely how the two children ended up together as husband and wife - see below.

1828 to 1830 Deaths recorded in Melbourn

Two Worland deaths were recorded in Melbourn in 1828 and 1830, born to unknown parents:

Before 1830 - William Worland marries Susannah Chappell - Meldreth

William Worland (1809/10 - 1887), the son of Abbis Worland (1781 - 1839) and Elizabeth Worland, married Susannah Chappell (Abt 1809 - March 1879) in Meldreth. They had the following children:

The family appear to be listed as Warland in the 1841 census.

1834 - William Worland maries Elizabeth Negus - Melbourn

William Worland (1800 - ), the son of Joseph Worland (1766 - 1836) and Elizabeth Merry (1777 - 1840), married Elizabeth Negus on 26 November 1834 in Melbourn. The marriage was witnessed by John Gilby and Sarah Worland, probably William's younger sister born in 1810. William and Elizabeth had the following children, all born in Melbourn:

1835 - Joseph Worland marries Mary Stone - Melbourn (and departure for Australia)

Joseph Worland (1807 - 1895, Victoria, Australia), the son of Joseph Worland (1766 - 1836) and Elizabeth Merry (1777 - 1840), married Mary Stone (1814 - 28 May 1889) on 7 February 1835 in Melbourn. They had the following children, all born in Melbourn:

After the birth of Richard, Joseph and Mary then migrated to Australia, arriving in 1853. Until recently, there were three versions of who this Joseph might be:

Click this link for the story of Joseph and Mary Worland in Australia and their additional children born after arrival.

1837 - Death of Elizabeth Walland

Edward Walland's wife, Elizabeth Walland (nee Evans, later Blows), is believed to have died in 1837. She does not appear in the 1841 census, which shows Edward and son Joseph living with Edward's daughter Susan and her husband (Elizabeth's son) William Blows and their family.

1840 - George Warland marries Sarah Green - Melbourn

Banns were issued by the Melbourn church on 5 July 1840 and again on 10 January 1841, in relation to George Worland and Sarah Green of Whaddon. It is not yet known who George was, although he is recorded as a fishmonger when his son David was baptised. George and Sarah had the following children, all baptised in the Melbourn church:

1841 census - Joseph and Sarah Worland

Joseph Worland and Sarah Worland and the following children were listed in the 1841 census living at Emmanuel Lane, St Andrew the Great, Cambridge. This group appears to be mostly the same as listed in the 1851 census and the children listed from 1819 to 1839 (above 'Before 1819'), but it will be necessary to see the original transcript to confirm.

Joseph Worland, the eldest son of Joseph and Sarah Worland, was caught stealing and subsequently tried for burglary at the Cambridge Assizes on 19 March 1847. He was sentenced to a period of 7 years. His sentenced was changed to seven years transportation to Australia. Joseph was transferred to the convict ship Adelaide which departed London on 17 August 1849. The Adelaide was carrying 303 male convicts and travelled via Portland. For details of his life in Australia, see this page.

1843 - Joseph Worland marries Eliza Smith - Melbourn

Melbourn church records show the marriage of Joseph Worland, son of Joseph Worland, and Eliza Smith, minor spinster, daughter of William Smith. Witnesses were Thomas Langham and Anna Langham.

1845 - Elizabeth Cooper has a son, Edgar Cooper

During 1845, Elizabeth (Betsy) Cooper had a relationship with a man and gave birth to a son she named Edgar Cooper (1 February 1846, Foxton - 18 July 1906, Euroa, Victoria, Australia). Myhill Cooper's wife Amelia, was listed as the Publican of the White Horse Inn in Foxton in the 1851 census. She was assisted by her children in this role. She died on 26 June 1852 in Foxton.

1850 - William Worland marries Mary Ann Canham

William Worland (born around 1830), the son of Joseph and Sarah Worland, married Mary Ann Canham (September 1828, Fen Ditton, Cambridgeshire - 28 March 1853, Sydney, NSW) at Cambridge in 1850. Mary Ann was the daughter of William Canham and Sarah Canham. They had one son:

For reasons unknown (but possibly relating to William's brother Joseph being sent there as a convict), William and Mary Worland decided to travel to Australia. They departed on the ship 'Kate', arriving on 16 October 1852. See this page for details of their travel and their tragically short lives in New South Wales.

1851 census - Joseph and Sarah Worland, William and Mary Ann Worland

Joseph Worland and Sarah Worland and their children were listed in the 1851 census. Their son Joseph Worland was already in Australia at this stage.

None of the above individuals, except Thomas Worland (born 1833) are obviously recorded in the 1861 census, see below.

Joseph and Sarah's eldest son James Worland was living in West Ham with his wife Ann (nee Haston) at the time of this census. Their son Joseph Worland was already in Australia.

Joseph and Sarah's son, William Worland and his wife Mary Ann Worland (nee Canham) who married in 1850 were also listed in the 1851 census at 75 Norfolk Street, Cambridge.

1854 - Joseph Edward Worland marries Elizabeth Cooper, Walland becomes Worland

On 27 July 1854, Edward's son with Keziah Malin, Joseph Edward Worland (10 September 1813 - 13 February 1896, Clarendon, Australia), married the youngest daughter of Myhill and Amelia Cooper, Elizabeth (Betsy) Catherine Cooper (1826, Foxton - ) from Hinxton in the parish of Foxton. The marriage was witnessed by Edward Worland (Joseph's father, now written as Worland not Walland) and the bride's brother Myhill Cooper. John Blows and Sarah Davies were also present. Joseph signed with his mark but Elizabeth Cooper was able to sign the marriage certificate. Betsy already had a son called Edgar Cooper when she married Joseph - see below for further details.

Edward Walland was believed to have died on 15 July 1849 in Royston, but this seems unlikely given he was at his son's weding in 1854.

In addition to Betsy's son Edgar Cooper, Joseph and Betsy Worland had two children before they migrated to Australia:

Joseph and Betsy Worland departed from Birkenhead, England on 29 September 1856 aboard the Arabian, arriving at Geelong on 27th January 1857.

See this site for more information on their life in Australia.

1861 census

Thomas Worland, (born 1833, Cambridgeshire), the son of Joseph and Sarah Worland listed in the 1851 census, is recorded in Middlesex/London with a possible wife named Maryann aged 25, working as a boot shoemaker; Maryann is recorded as a bootbinder.

1881 census

Thomas Worland appears in the 1881 census, now aged 48, and still a shoe maker. His relationship is 'son-in-law', indicating he his living with his parents-in-law. Further research is required to confirm who he was living with at the time. No other family members of Thomas Worland appear in the 1881 census.

1891 census

A William Worland, born in 1843 in Cambridgeshire and believed to be the son of Joseph Worland (1807 - 1895) and Mary Stone (1814 - 1889) appears in the 1891 census as a corn dealer with a wife named Susan Worland (aged 41, born 1850) and four children. They appear to have married by 1873 based on the ages of the children recorded in the 1891 census:

***THE FOLLOWING IS A SIDESTORY TO THE MAIN PAGE***

The details below have not been found or confirmed with the online BDM records and so have been kept separate until they are confirmed.

Late 1700s - The Worland family of Somerset (?) and move to Melbourn

According to the late Austin Hill, the Worland family was associated with farming peasantry in the County of Somerset, Southern England and moved to Mebourn, Cambridgeshire in the late 1700's. The earliest known Worland in Somerset was said to be David Worland (1670 - 1741), a merchant. Other Worlands in Somerset were believed to have been artisans and carpenters. These details have not been confirmed from other documentary sources and appear to be contrary to evidence of Worland families already living in Cambridgeshire by the early 1700s (listed above).

David Worland had the following children:

David Worland's son, Joseph Worland (1698 - 1769) married Mary Beecham in 1721 and they had the following children:

Joseph and Mary Worland's son David Worland (1723 - 1801) married Ann Shaw in 1748 and they had the following children:

Joseph Worland (1750 - 1827) was said to have been the son of a David and Ann Warland (who not yet been positively identified or connected with others on this page). This Joseph Worland married Maud Ingham in 1777 and they had the following children, all born in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, England. No record of this marriage has been found in the online BDM records (yet).

According to Austin Hill (see below re Somerset), Joseph and Maud's son David Worland (1781 - 1851) married Isabella Maud Little and had three children:

In 1794, David Worland senior (1723 - 1801) apparently moved from Somerset to Melbourn, Cambridgeshire. His son, also named David Worland (1762 - ?), was a apparently merchant businessman in Melbourn and had at least three sons. One of these sons was said to have become a chair of history at Cambridge University, another was said to have become a surgeon in London. (No further details are known). It seems an extraordinary coincidence that a Worland family from Somerset would happen to move to a village (Melbourn) next to a nearby town (Meldreth) with an already established Worland family.


Page created 20 April 2013, updated 24 March 2023. Copyright © Andrew Warland. (andrewwarland(at)gmail.com)