Thomas apparently did not stay at Horton, as his name never appears in any of the records. He was probably receiving training in a trade in another Parish. It is my belief he was trained to become a Bailiff or Steward or an Overseer to supervise the estate of a gentleman. He must have remained a bachelor until his late 30’s, as he was 40 when Thomas was born and 42 when Henry was born.

From his father’s will we learned that Thomas had married and had two sons, Thomas and Henry. Although we have not yet found their christening records, we have discovered when they were born. Thomas was 24 when he was married in 1701, making his birth year 1767. From Henry’s age at death and other entries we know he was born in 1769.

When their grandfather, John Richins, made his will, Thomas (the younger) was about nine years old and Henry about seven years old. Although the rest of the grandchildren received their inheritance when the will was proven, Thomas and Henry were not to receive theirs until they were 21 years.

Thomas Richins (the elder) and Thomas Davis were the executors of the will in 1778. Thomas received his 20 pounds along with his living brothers and sisters, except for William, who received one shilling, as he already had his share in the property. One shilling was the legal amount required by law to be left to an heir so a will could not be contested.

After Thomas proved the will, executed the requirements of the will and divided the remaining inheritance between Thomas Davis and himself, he seems to disappear from the records for twelve years. At that point, he and his family—wife Sarah and sons Thomas and Henry—were well established in Painswick, Gloucestershire, England.

The first entry for the Richins family in Painswick is the burial of Sarah Richins, wife of Thomas Richins. She was buried May 28, 1790. John Masley was the Vicar of Painswick at this time. Thomas became a widower at the age of 63, and his two sons, Thomas and Henry, were young men of 23, and 21. Both should have received their grandfather’s inheritance of 5 pounds each.

About a year later another entry appears—the marriage of Thomas (the younger) by license. The allegation of the marriage on March 7, 1791 lists Thomas as a yeoman, age 24, a bachelor of Painswick and Ann Wilkins as a spinster, age 21. They were married two days later on March 9, 1791. It was a surprise to see that Thomas was a yeoman at age 24. Did he buy land with his inheritance or did he inherit it from his father? To find the answer, I asked our researcher in England to check the land tax record to see when Thomas had purchased the property or if he had inherited it from his father. The findings only raised additional questions regarding how Thomas acquired the land.

The researcher found Thomas’ brother, William, on the land tax record in Horton in 1792 and 1795, but there were no records of a Richins in Painswick or Sheepscombe, Stroud, etc. However, a Mr. Hitchins was found on a Tocknell estate in 1794. I believe that this Mr. Hitchins is our ancestor, Thomas Richins for the following reasons:· The Gloucestershire dialect added “H” to many words and names and deleted the “H” from words starting with “H.” · John Richins was listed in his son-in-law’s will as John Hitchins and Thomas’ sister was listed as Hitchins on her marriage record.

The land tax record of Bisley Hundred, which encompasses the Parish Painswick, among others, listed the following for the Tocknell estate:

I researched the Tocknell family in earlier years, as they are ancestors of the Richins-Wager line. The Tocknell family owned a large mill on the Painswick stream near Gardners at Damsell. They built a large mansion home near by. In the 1670’s Edward Tocknell lived at Tocknell, but he also had holdings in Bristol.

Edward had a daughter, Elizabeth, born in 1696/1697. She married George Newland, a merchant from Bristol. They inherited Tocknell and made alterations to the home. Their grandson, George Newland, inherited Tocknell and lived there. According to the history of Painswick, he was sincerely loved. He married Elizabeth Chapel. He died January 5, 1791. Elizabeth, Chapel Newland, his widow, was the Mrs. Newland, owner of Tocknell mentioned above. For Mr. Hitchins to be dwelling at the residence indicates he was probably the Overseer of the estate. 
An Overseer supervised and hired the labor to run the deminse farm, oversaw the tenant farmers and made sure they paid their rent or lease and they kept the property in good condition, repair, etc.

I have not discovered if Locke was part of Tocknell or a separate property, as they did not name a proprietor, only an occupier. Was this the same Mr. Hitchins or were there two? England gave names to homes and farms, such as Castle Hale, Sheephouse, Ludloes, etc. Land received names, such as Washbrook, Samsell, Ebworth, etc.

Additional evidence that Thomas might have been the Overseer is the fact that fathers usually taught their first son their trade. Although Thomas (son) was listed as a yeoman in his marriage allegation (1791), he became an Overseer in 1823.

The third entry for the Richins family is the final chapter of Thomas’ life—he was buried at Painswick May 23, 1801.

The few entries for Thomas Richins leave much unknown about his life, but they are tantalizing and build up a curiosity to know more. The Richins Surname Association will continue to seek for his marriage record to find Sarah’s maiden name and to find the christening dates of Thomas and Henry.