Nat Gould

William Horobin 1689-1763

William Horobin was born in 1689 at Sheen in Staffordshire, the son of William Horobin and Ellen (maiden surname unknown).

He married Hannah Wood on 6 April 1720 at Leek in Staffordshire. They had the following children:

Daniel Horobin.

Peak Forest Church

William Horobin. He was born in 1724 at Sheen. He married Elizabeth Derbyshire on 26 February 1748 at Peak Forest chapel in Derbyshire, and died on 14 May 1794 at Whittle in Sheen parish.

Parnell Horobin. She was born at Sheen in 1725. On 3 December 1743 she was married at Peak Forest chapel to John Gould 1717-1784. She died in 1782 at Narrowdale in Alstonefield parish in Staffordshire.

Marie Horobin. She was born in 1726 at Sheen, and was married to John Wheeldon on 21 April 1750 at Peak Forest chapel.

Joseph Horobin. He was born in 1727 at Sheen, and married Deborah Downes of Alstonefield at Peak Forest chapel on 30 September 1752. He seems to have died in 1776.

George Horobin. He was born in 1730 at Sheen.

Their father William Horobin died in 1763.

It is interesting that four of the children, Parnell Horobin, William Horobin, Marie Horobin and Joseph Horobin, married not locally but at Peak Forest (1). In the eighteenth century that was a place for clandestine marriages (2). It is now the parish church of the village.

(1) From 1728 the chapel attracted many couples wishing to marry with minimum formality. The minister there could grant an immediate licence. Eloping to Peak Forest was not without its dangers, however. The district was wild and lonely. Apart from the chance of being overtaken by aggrieved parents, there was the risk of being robbed on the journey.
(2) The chapel had been founded by the formidable Christian, Countess of Devonshire, a Scots aristocrat descended from Robert the Bruce. She defied the Roundheads during the Civil Wars, entirely unscathed. Discovering that the earl’s lands included an area at remote Peak Forest outside any bishop’s jurisdiction, she had the chapel built and dedicated to “Saint Charles King and Martyr”.