This article appeared in the Newsletter on 12th February 2026

MR W GILLESPY

We unfortunately don’t have a lot of records for the mill and the millers who ran it. An account book for the Manor of Corby does exist for 1797 and this shows that William Gillespy paid the rent on the mill, £94 for the year. As far as his activities at the mill are concerned this is the only record we know about at present. We know that the miller before him was John Robson who was still there in 1793.

William came from a milling background being born on 4th May 1764 at Lyneholm Mill near Stapleton to the north of Carlisle, where his father Archibold was the miller. He was one of eleven children. He is recorded as marrying Ann Little of Stapleton on 12th November 1786. They had a number of children Jane who is recorded as being baptised at Wetheral in April 1788, Thomas baptised at Solport in February 1790, Archibold born July 1792 at Warwick Bridge Mill, as was Sybil in June 1794 and William in May  1796. The last two Children Mary and Margaret are recorded as being baptised at Wetheral in 1803 and 1807.

These dates suggest that William was possibly working as a miller for John Robson prior to him taking over the tenancy. This is born out by the death of his father Archibold, being recorded in 1793 at Wetheral.

The interesting fact about William is that in 1800 he travelled to the USA, specifically it would appear to visit William Little in North Carolina. This William Little was also born in Stapleton and although not a direct sibling of Ann was presumably closely related.  Letters in America suggest he owed William Little money. He returned to England and presumably the Wetheral area as his two children born after 1800 were baptised there. But we know he was no longer tenant of the mill which was newly rebuilt in 1804 and it was advertised to let.

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William must of returned to America because his death is recorded on the 3rd September 1823 at the age of 59 at Charleston, South Carolina. It is probably that he travelled alone as his wife Ann is recorded as dying on 11th September 1852 at Little Corby . The 1851 census shows her living in Little Corby with her daughters Sybil and Margaret and a grand daughter Mary aged 22 years. She is described as a widow and occupation is a grocer. No occupation is given for the daughters.

William was not the only member of the family to have the travel lust. Their daughter Jane emigrated to Canada, dying at Wentworth, Ontario in 1872.  William’s son Thomas also went to Canada dying in 1857 at Hamilton Ontario.  Thomas’s profession is not known, but Archibold followed his father becoming a miller. He also travelled to Canada  and became the owner of Milton Mills, near the town of Brampton in Canada, where he died in 1873.

Family information mainly taken from

Gillespy Genealogy | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

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