Samuel was born in 1808 in Wymeswold, the 4th Son of  Thomas and Sarah Wootton (nee Cooper).  He is my 3rd Great Grandfather on the Wootton side of the family.  In 1808 the current Monarch is George III.  At the start of March the slave trade is finally abolished in all of Britain's colonies as per the agreement of the Slave Trade Act 1807.  At the Battle of Zealand Point British ships defeat those of Denmark and Norway and on the 6th May Spain passes under the control of Napoleon, the Anglo-Spanish War (1796–1808) effectively ends as the United Kingdom allies with Spain and Portugal against the French in the Peninsular War. Later in the year the original Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, London is destroyed by fire. 

Samuel worked as a Cordwainer or a Shoemaker in Wymeswold. A Cordwainer produced leather goods such as shoes and other items such as leather bottles. Originally, a cordwainer was a worker skilled in crafting cordwain or cordovan leather, Cordwain was a type of high-quality leather produced in Moorish Córdoba, Spain during the Middle Ages. The name comes from the Old French word “cordoan”, which means “leather of Cordova”, the Spanish city whose leather was known for its high quality.  Shoemakers had up until the 17th Century worked from small workshops or from home, they were their own masters perhaps working with an apprentice, but factories began to appear mechanising the shoemaking process and the lone shoemaker began to disappear. The Singer sewing machine had been introduced from America which had been modified to stitch leather, this was used to close the uppers. An American Lyman Blake perfected his machine (the Blake Sewer) for stitching on soles in 1864. This machine was too large, heavy and expensive to have at home and needed power to drive it, so shoemakers were forced into the factories.  The lone shoemaker if not working in the factory became a cobbler, just repairing shoes instead of  making them from scratch. Samuel is  mentioned in the 1935 Pigot & Co.'s National Commercial Directory as being a Boot & Shoe Maker in Wimeswould.

His future Wife was called Sarah Warner, she was from Knowle, Warwickshire,  born in 1807 to William and Hannah Warner. The name Warner was used as a second name for several of the younger generations of Woottons. 1807 saw Britain continue in its involvement in the Napoleonic Wars and Anglo-Spanish War, in the Battle of Montevideo the British capture Montevideo from the Spanish Empire, as part of the invasions of the River Plate. Between the 2nd and 7th of September the Battle of Copenhagen takes place, the Royal Navy bombards Copenhagen with fire bombs and phosphorus rockets to prevent the Dano-Norwegian navy from surrendering to Napoleon. One third of the city is destroyed and two thousand citizens killed. On the 2nd September Anglo-Russian War (1807–1812) proceeds with Russia declaring war on the United Kingdom.

Samuel and Sarah are married at her local parish church in Edgbaston, St Bartholomew, Warwickshire on the 8th November 1830. They would have at least 8 children. Starting with 3 girls, Sarah in 1831, Mary, 1834 and Hannah in 1837. Samuel and his family appear in the Census of 1841 living on Far Street Wymeswold, he is aged 32 and his profession is noted as 'Shoe Maker'. He is living with Wife Sarah, aged 33 and their Daughters Sarah, age 9, Mary, age 7 and Hannah, age 4.

They had a boy called Charles in December of 1840 but he unfortunately died as an infant in January 1841. A 2nd Son was born in 1842 called William. He along with his Wife Betsy Haywood would have many children including Tom Wootton who emigrated to the USA. Then 2 more girls came along, Emma in 1844 and Esther in 1846, tragically Esther would pass away as an infant too, in 1847. Last came a Son Joseph Wootton in 1849, my 2nd Great Grandfather, he followed his Brother William into the building trade constructing many houses in Wymeswold and surrounding area.  You can see a picture of both William and Joseph below.

Samuel passed away on the 18th July 1849 at Wymeswold and was buried on the 20th. He died of Tuberculosis or Consumption as it was known then. TB was a major killer in the nineteenth century. It is caused by a bacillus, modern name is mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is commonly spread through the air especially as the sufferer coughs up copious phlegm. The bacilli also settles on the floor where is it later stirred up. If a person is fairly fit the bacillus that enters the lungs can be fought off by the immune system but circumstances such as malnutrition, crowded rooms, no ventilation, dirty floors etc. can cause the disease to take hold. Before the Industrial Revolution, folklore often associated tuberculosis with vampires. When one member of a family died from the disease, the other infected members would lose their health slowly. People believed this was caused by the original person with TB draining the life from the other family members.

Sarah was now a widow with a large family, she made a living working as a Lace Worker and Seamstress. Working with lace was a cottage industry that has been around for centuries, it is extremely skilled and time consuming work, girls would train for years to become proficient. The yarn is worked by looping, braiding and twisted to create the beautiful patterns. The demand for lace rose in the 16th century, clothes and interiors were embellished with lace, often used for collars and cuffs. The amount and quality of the lace you owned was seen as a sign of wealth.

After Sarah was made a widow she  continued to live and work in Wymeswold initially, in 1851 she is at Goddards Yard with her young Sons Joseph  and William Wootton and her Daughter Emma. By 1851 she had moved to Clay Street, where they are joined by her Grand-daughter Eliza, I believe she was born out of wedlock to one of Sarah's children.  By 1881 Sarah had moved to Swifts Lane, Wymeswold, living with Brother-in-Law Thomas Wootton and family.

By the early 1890's Sarah has moved to Thorpe in The Glebe, which is just over the border in Nottinghamshire, situated between Wymeswold and Wysall. She is living with her Daughter Sarah Miller and family. Thorpe in the Glebe has been know as several names over the centuries including Thorpe in the Clottes, it has now disappeared and no longer exists as a village, with only scattered farms remaining.  Signs of abandonment was evident by 1500's and the area described as a ruin in 1534. The local church tower was still standing in 1810 but by 1844 only overgrown ruins remained, all that now remains of the church is a grass-covered mound on the south side of the Chapel Close and to the north west of Church Site Farm. Some earthworks remain of the village and surround the Church Site farm, these are registered as a protected scheduled monument.

Sarah passed away on the 4th March 1895 in Thorpe in the Glebe. Joseph, her Son was by her side.