Chapter 4: James Insley/Ingley/Ingeley (1713-1775)

James and all his family appear to have lived their whole lives in Rowley Regis. James married Mary Westwood in 1740, two years after Mary’s brother, William, had married James’ younger sister, Anne. Perhaps James met Mary through his sister?

Following the marriage of James to Mary Westwood the couple had at least nine children. One can only imagine the conditions in which the family lived, for six of the children died as infants, at three years, one year, eleven months, one week, fifteen months and three months old. Mary herself died one month after the birth of her last child, Margaret, who in turn died two months later.

Two years after Mary died, James married Sarah Wright. The new couple appear not to have had any children of their own, but Sarah no doubt took on the task of raising her surviving step-children, James, Elizabeth and Hannah. Of these children only James junior is known to have had family of his own.

James junior married Ann Fo(w)nes in Halesowen parish church on Christmas Day 1760. Seven months later the couple were baptizing their first child in Rowley Regis parish church. At least six of their seven other children were baptized in Halesowen. James wrote his will in 1822, at which time he was a Yeoman (a farmer who worked his own land) living in Cradley Heath. James had managed to amass a considerable property portfolio, for he specified how ten tenanted messuages (dwelling houses with surrounding land) and two parcels of land were to be dived between his three sons, Samuel, James and Thomas, his daughter Hannah (Fellows) and his sons-in-law Samuel Mason (Phebe’s husband) and John Adams (Nancy’s husband). James’ son Joseph was not mentioned in his father’s Will. It is possible that Joseph left the area, perhaps ‘under a cloud’ and had a family in ……. Descendants of that family bears the Insley name to this day.

In 1822 Samuel and Phebe Mason, and their family, were living in the property on Lawrence Lane, Rowley Regis, that James had left them in his Will. John and Nancy Adams inherited a property at Hell Bank, Oldswinford that had a sitting tenant. Samuel Mason and John Adams also each inherited a half share in the proceeds from the sale of another of James’ properties at Hell Bank, Oldswinford.

When, in 1826, James died he was buried at Park Lane Presbyterian Chapel in Cradley. His wife, Ann, was buried there five years earlier. This church was to figure large in the following generations of the family.

Throughout most of the eighteenth century a meeting house served the local Presbyterian community. In the early spring of 1794 the congregation purchased a portion of a field in Netherend from Mr John Brecknal at a cost of £30, and in the ensuing summer commenced the task of making the bricks for a new place of worship. Brecknal died, and the society purchased the remainder of the field for an additional £100. The first stone of the new church was laid on Tuesday, 26 April, 1795. Mr Pargeter of Foxcote was responsible for the building work, which progressed over the next twelve months. The final service at Pensnett Meeting House, which the new church replaced, was held on May 8th, 1796. The old Meeting House was sold to a Methodist group for £160 and the proceeds applied to the costs incurred in building the new Park Lane Chapel. In 1806 £1,000 had roughly the same purchasing power as £42,000 did in the year 2001; this from a community of a mere 1,500 souls and of which the Presbyterian community was only one section, and by no means the largest.

Park Lane Presbyterian Chapel - 1796

At some time before 1833, the precise date is unknown, the Park Lane chapel moved from adhering to the Presbyterian faith to embracing Unitarianism.

1 . . James INSLEY/INGLEY/INGELEY b.1713 d.1775 m. #1 Mary WESTWOOD #2 Sarah WRIGHT
2 . . . #1 James INSLEY/INGLEY/HINGELEY b.1741 d.1826 m.Ann FO(W)NES
3 . . . . .Joseph INSLEY b.1761
3 . . . . .Samuel INGLEY b.c1763 m.Sarah WILLITTS
3 . . . . .James HINGLEY b.1766 d.1846 m.Mary BILLINGHAM
3 . . . . .Phebe INGLEY b.1772 m.Samuel MASON
4 . . . . . . Ann MASON b.1793 d.1793
4 . . . . . . Samuel MASON b.1794
4 . . . . . . Hannah MASON b.1796
4 . . . . . . James MASON b.1798
4 . . . . . . John MASON b.1800
4 . . . . . . Josh MASON b.1805
4 . . . . . . Phebe MASON b.1807
4 . . . . . . David MASON b.1809
4 . . . . . . Ann MASON b.1812 d.1812
3 . . . . .Nancy INGLEY b.1774 m.John ADAMS
4 . . . . . . William ADAMS b.1792
4 . . . . . . James ADAMS b.1793 d.<1796
4 . . . . . . Rosannah ADAMS b.1795
4 . . . . . . James ADAMS b.1796
3 . . . . .Thomas INGLEY b.1777 m.Hannah PERRY
3 . . . . .Hannah INGLEY b.1780 m.Thomas FELLOW(S)
4 . . . . . . Isaac FELLOWS b.1802
4 . . . . . . John FELLOWS b.1804
4 . . . . . . Mary Ann FELLOWS b.c1807
4 . . . . . . Hannah FELLOWS b.c1809
4 . . . . . . Nancy FELLOWS b.c1813
4 . . . . . . Phoebe FELLOWS b.c1815
3 . . . . .Martha INGLEY b.1783
2 . . . #1 Phebe INSLEY b.1743 d.1747
2 . . . #1 Josiah INSLEY b.1746 d.1747
2 . . . #1 Elizabeth INSLEY b.1748
2 . . . #1 Mary INSLEY b.1748 d.1749
2 . . . #1 Anne INSLEY b.1749 d.1749
2 . . . #1 Hannah INSLEY b.1750
2 . . . #1 Sarah INSLEY b.1751 d.1752
2 . . . #1 Margaret INSLEY b.1753 d.1753