William GREWCOCK is identified as the father of David GREWCOCK via his 1741 baptismal record, but no mother is given. It is assumed that the GREWCOCK, GRUCOCK and GROOCOCK were used interchangeably.

William's parents

There is only one local baptismal record for a William GREWCOCK or variants : In Stoney Stanton (3 miles from Barwell) "William the son of John Grucock and Elizabeth his wife was baptized January 4th 1707/8". The parents, John GRUCOCK and Elizabeth WOOD, "both of this town" were married by banns on 22 Apr 1707 in Stoney Stanton. A second son, Richard , was baptized in June 1709. John died in 1729 and Elizabeth died in July 1732.

(There was another John and Elizabeth GROOCOCK in the area at that time living in Cosby. That John died intestate in 1723. His widow later left a will dated 1734 which named children John, Katharine, Elizabeth, Mary and Sarah.)

William's family

It's not known who William's wife was, but William baptized four children in Barwell: David (1741), Ann (1743), Mary (1746) and Joseph (1752). Ann and Mary died in infancy.

Possible marriages

There are a few potentially related marriages, which might relate to a single (different?) William GROOCOCK, but the location of the events is 7-15 miles too far south:

• A William GROOCOCK married Mary LEWIN (or LEWIS) at St Margarets, Leicester on 26 Apr 1731. Potential life events for this couple include:
• St Martin's, Leicester: baptized William (21 Aug 1731), Mary (17 Apr 1733), Anne (3 May 1734) and Joseph (9 Aug 1735).
• Peatling Parva: Mary, a daughter of William and Mary was buried in August 1733.
• Owston: Ann, daughter of a William GROOCOCK was buried in 1734.
• St Martin's, Leicester: Mary GROOCOCK, daughter of William and Mary GROOCOCK, was born 28 Jun 1737 and baptised on 7 Jul 1737.
• Barwell: A Joseph GRUCOCK was buried in Barwell on 31 Jul 1789. One possibility is that this was Joseph born 1735, aged 54, but more likely it could be William's son Joseph is was known to be connected to Barwell.
• For this family to be correct then this Mary would also have to have died in childhood. There is no local burial; the nearest is:
• Stamford, Lincolnshire: Mary GROOCOCK, daughter of William and Mary buried on 22 Feb 1740. Stamford is 17 miles east of Owston.
• Stamford: Sarah GROCOCK, daughter of William and Mary was baptized on 26 Jul 1739.
• Stamford: Thomas, son of William and Mary GROCOK, baptized 13 Mar 1742.
• This last event is later that David GREWCOCK's baptism in 1741 so the Stamford family are unlikely to be closely related.
• A child Francis was baptized by William and Hellen GROOCOCK at their house in Leire in the Town of Little Ashby (7 miles from Barwell) in 1737. Hellen was Hellen MASON of Husbands Bosworth, who married William GREWCOCK of Little Ashby by license on 3 Apr 1734 in Misterton. In that license William GROOCOCK was described as a widower aged 23 and upwards. Francis died in Husbands Bosworth in 1759 aged 22. Hellen GROOCOCK was also buried in Husbands Bosworth in 1773.

Best guess

• William was baptized in his mother's village, Stoney Stanton, but his father was from Ashby Magna, and that is most likely where he grew up. He was the eldest child and was conceived out of wedlock.
• His brother, Richard (1709), was also baptized in Stoney Stanton.
• In 1731, aged 24, he married Mary LEWIN/LEWIS in Leicester and they had four children: William (1731), Mary (1733-33), Ann (1734-1734) and Joseph (Aug 1735-?).
• Given the dates of his children's baptisms, his wife must have died in 1735-1736. An adult Mary GREWCOKE was buried on 29 Oct 1734 in Broughton Astley (in the heart of the Stoney Stanton, Leire, Ashby, Husband's Bosworth, Peatling Parva area). This could work, but only if their children were baptized several months after they were born, i.e., Joseph was born in October 1734, his mother died in childbirth, but he wasn't baptized until the following August.
• William was a 30 year old widower when he married Hellen MASON in 1737. She must have been pregnant. It is entirely possible that he was not the father of the child Francis who was born in Leire (between Ashy Magna and Ashby Parva).
• William and Hellen may have later moved to Barwell for reasons unknown, and baptized 4 further children.
• Three of the four Barwell children had the same names at the children of William and Mary. Mary and Ann have burials, but no burial of a Joseph has been found (yet).

Burial

William GREWCOCK was buried in Barwell on 16 Jun 1770.

None of the female GREWCOCK burials in Barwell between 1752 and 1812 fit with William's wife. As mentioned above, Hellen GROOCOCK was buried in her native Husband's Bosworth in 1773. Perhaps she returned there to be cared for by a family member after her husband's death.

There were many other burials of female GREWCOCKs or similar within 10 miles, but none of these records specify a husband called William.