CHAPTER II
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SPROXTON, LEICESTERSHIRE
JOHN GROCOCK‘s father was also named JOHN GROCOCK. He was born in the village of Sproxton, Leicestershire.
Sproxton is located around 2 miles West of the Lincolnshire border and 7 miles North East of Melton Mowbray and is around 20 miles north of Hallaton.
It is an ancient village, the name of which is a composite name formed of Norse and Saxon elements, meaning that the place is ‘Sprok’s tun’, ‘Sprok’ being an Old Swedish personal name, while ‘tun’ is the Old English for a manor or estate, from which the present-day word ‘town’ derives.
The village is included in The Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘Sprotone’, but the present-day spelling is first recorded as early as 1166.
On 19th Oct 1787 he married ANN THORNTON at St Bartholomew’s Church in Sproxton (showned right).
GROCOCK FAMILY TREE SHOWING MARY ANN GROCOCK’S PATERNAL FAMILY
At present it is not clear where JOHN GROCOCK and his siblings were baptised as there does not appear to be any records of their baptisms within the Parish record (Church of England). It is plausible the records are with the records of the non-conformist chapels in either Hallaton or Sproxton. Further research needed.
JOHN GROCOCK appears to have had four siblings, of which he was the younger. Three sisters and one brother; ABIGAIL born in 1798, HENRY born in 1799, MARY born in 1802 and SARAH born in 1806. When John was born the ages of his siblings were approximately 13, 12, 9 and 5 years.
His father, also named JOHN GROCOCK was around 51 years old when young John was born. However he was to die in 1859 when John was around eight years old. His mother ANN (née THORNTON) lived until the age of 85 and she died in 1852. John was around 41 years old and he had been married for around five years. In fact his mother would have known all her five children, including MARY ANN GROCOCK, my great-grandmother. She would have also known the heartbreak of teh death of her two youngest grandchildren, WILLIAM and JANE.
Records office;
Hallaton Exton Check BTs
Sproxton; Grocock
Saltby: Grocokc