John Downing of Smethwick in the Parish of Harborne died in 1810 and left a will. His youngest son was George Downing, whose descendants and their malting business are discussed at length on this site. His oldest daughter Nancy married John Thompson, son of Timothy Thompson, a family that was also to be a significant presence in brewing and malting in the West Midlands.
He was almost certainly the son of Robert Downing, where there can be found a baptism in Smethwick Old Church for 6 Dec 1744. With the mother’s name given as Mary, this leads us to a potential parents’ marriage between Robert Downing and Mary Parkes on 14 Nov 1743 again in the Old Church in Smethwick.
All of John Downing’s children appear to have been baptized in Oldbury by Halesowen Presbyterian Church and this streak of non-conformism is significant in the Downing family and the families into which their descendants married.
This makes it very likely that John Downing’s father Robert Downing is the one baptised in an earlier Oldbury Dissenting Chapel, recorded in Aug 1716. This in turn takes us back to the possible marriage of the previous generation with Robert Downing and Sarah Parbo on 2 Apr 1706 in St John Halesowen. These potential ancestors all likely to have farmed the same area in Harborne for well over a century, including parts of the old Balekely Hall Manor estate.
John Downing had a brother Robert Downing, baptised 18 Sep 1749 in Smethwick Old Church. He is an executor of John Downing’s will. Robert left his own will when he dies on 10 Dec 1813, nearly four years after his older brother.
An executor of both brothers’ wills is a Luke Pope. This bears witness to the close relationship between the Downing and Pope family. Later there is a direct marriage in 1833 between Mary Downing, daughter of John’s fourth oldest son Samuel and Luke Pope, grandson of this Luke Pope
Luke Pope was a nurseryman, who farmed the lands to the west of the lands at Blakeley Hall and Rood End, and had married a Sarah Parkes on 21 Oct 1765 (St Martin’s Birmingham). It is quite possible that Sarah Parkes is the younger sister (or even niece) of Mary Parkes, John’s mother. This would possibly make Luke Pope uncle to both John and Robert Downing. This is speculative but would explain why he appears as executor in the two brothers’ wills
John Downing married Sarah Smith on 15 Jan 1770 in St John Halesowen. They had five sons and two daughters that survived into adulthood, all mentioned in the will.
He died on 21 Jan 1810 and was buried on 27 Jan 1810 in Smethwick Old Church (MI).
Sources and Notes
- Will of John Downing, Probate 16 May 1810, Lichfield.
- Will of Robert Downing Probate 9 Jun 1814, Worcester (Brother).
- Will of John Downing Probate 28 Feb 1835, PCC (Oldest son).
- Will of John Thompson, Probate 11 Feb 1840, Lichfield (Son-in-law).
- Will of Luke Pope, Probate 26 Feb 1825, PCC (Uncle?)
- According to the Parish Register he was 85 years old at death.
- History of Oldbury website.
- Blakeley Hall Farm was highly likely John Downing’s place of residence at death – certainly the family of his oldest son, John, rented and resided there soon after, as confirmed by the Old Smethwick registers. It is very likely the ‘copyhold’ referred to in the 1810 will relates to this manorial holding.