James Shaw-Hellier

James Shaw-Hellier was born in Dudley in 1759 the eldest son of Thomas Shaw, the perpetual curate of Claverley and vicar of St John’s Wolverhampton. In 1786 his father inherited the estates of Sir Samuel Hellier and changed their name to Shaw-Hellier. The family then moved to the Wodehouse in Wombourne.

James had a younger brother Thomas who seems to have followed his father and namesake into the church and indeed seems to have been attending the university when he died in Oxford aged 43 in 1803. James himself seems to have taken on the full advantages of his father’s inheritance and took to the life of the country squire based in the family estate in Wombourne. He is mentioned as managing the colliery on the estate at Netherton and also of being a steward for the races at Penn Common in 1822.

James had nine children with his wife Elizabeth Baddeley. The eldest two daughters may have been illegitimate as this is alluded to in later court cases. His father’s will of 1812 is a complex document that is difficult to interpret as it was largely designed to bypass a generation and leave all the estate to his ten grandchildren. James was left the sum of £400 per year a meagre amount given the size of the estate. His other surviving youngest and unmarried brother Theophilus inherited a mere £100 per year. Perhaps we can conclude that Rev Thomas Shaw-Hellier did not have much faith in James. Elizabeth is illiterate as indicated on her inability to sign her will.

However, as one of three trustees of his father’s estate James would have had considerable independence and some control of many matters after 1812. Two thirds of the estate was meant to accumulate for the benefit of the ten grandchildren and to be distributed when the youngest (Emma) attained the age of 21. The tenth grandchild was the only son of his deceased brother Thomas, also called Thomas, based in Oxford and who went into the church – making three successive generations of Thomas Shaw-Helliers all in the church.

James sent his eldest son, yet another Thomas Shaw Hellier, to Oxford, where his career was contemporaneous with his orphaned cousin of the same name.

James Shaw-Hellier died in 1827. James’s will, proved on 12 Dec 1827, simply passed all his estate to Elizabeth, his wife. However, Thomas Shaw Hellier, the eldest son and the residuary beneficiary of his grandfather’s will, seems to have taken over the estates at this time and his mother left the Wodehouse to live with her second son James Shaw-Hellier at Barnhurst.

The dispute between Thomas Shaw-Hellier and his siblings and mother, is also complex spanning eleven years of court cases. As early as 1826 Shaw v  Rhodes was Thomas first attempt to wrestle out some of the anomolies in his grandfather’s bequests.

Elizabeth Shaw Hellier’s will of 1835 makes no mention of her eldest son.

Family of James SHAW-HELLIER and Elizabeth BADDELEY

Husband: James SHAW-HELLIER

Wife: Elizabeth BADDELEY

Child 1: Elizabeth SHAW-HELLIER

Child 2: Parthenia SHAW-HELLIER

Child 3: Ann SHAW-HELLIER

Child 4: Mary SHAW-HELLIER

Child 5: Thomas SHAW-HELLIER

Child 6: Ann SHAW-HELLIER

Child 7: Sarah SHAW-HELLIER

Child 8: James SHAW-HELLIER

Child 9: Samuel SHAW-HELLIER

Child 10: Emma Elwell SHAW-HELLIER