The earliest verified record of the Davis family was William Davis born October 1788 in Broadway, Worcestershire. He was the son of William Davis (1761 – 1842) and Katherine Davis (nee Williams) (1761 – 1836). William jr. married Elizabeth Charlwood (1800 – 1857) who was from Bretforton, Worcestershire, on 21st December 1824. They had 8 children starting with Isaac (1825 – 1890), William (1827 – 1901), Israel (1830 – 1889), Edward (1831 – 1895), Henry (1836 – 1902), Martha (1837 – ?) Septimus – the 7th child, (1838 – 1912) and finally Sarah Ann (1840 – ?) They were first recorded in the 1941 Census, William as a Wheelwright and all but Martha living with them, so we have to assume that she died at a very young age – though a record of this, cannot be traced – and were on the High St of Broadway. There were in total, 7 Davis families living in Broadway at this time and these included 7 men named William. At the following Census in 1851 only William jr, Edward, Henry and Sarah Ann were still at home but William was now a Master Wheelwright. Israel was living two houses down the High Street working as an Agricultural Labourer, for and in the house of John Careliss a “Farmer of 111 acres employing 4 labourers”.
In 1857 Elizabeth his wife had died and by the 1861 Census William was aged 73 and still living in the same property with Henry who was also a Wheelwright and Sarah Ann who was a housekeeper. William died in 1864 at the age of 75.
Israel Davis was, by 1861, also now a Wheelwright and had married Ann Carter a servant working for Thomas Miliner the local Grocer and Draper on Broadway High St. Ann originated from Snowshill, just 2-3 miles from Broadwway. They married on the 27th October 1859 in the Congregational Chapel, Broadway. They appear to have only had one child, William (again!) born on the 16th August 1862 in Broadway. In 1871 William snr and Ann still lived on the High St with William jnr, and Israel was still working as a Wheelwright. However by 1881 they had moved to Wickhamford and, still working as a Wheelwright aged 49, they were now on their own, living next door to the Sandys Arms Public house. William jnr was now living with his Uncle and Aunt, John and Frances (Fanny) Phillips at 3 Swan Lane, Evesham. Fanny was the sister of Ann his mother. William, now 18 was working as a Gardener.
Ann died in 1884 and Israel followed in 1889 as can be seen in the Inquest below reported in the Evesham Standard & West Midland Observer – Saturday 23 March 1889.
SUDDEN DEATH AT WICKHAYFORD. On Wednesday Mr. J. Martin held an inquiry at the Sandy’ Arms into the death of Israel Davis, wheelwright, Wickhamford, which occurred very suddenly on Sunday evening, about ten o’clock. William Davis, labourer, Wickhamford, son of deceased, said his father, who 58 years of age, had been in “middling” health for the past seven years, and had complained of rheumatic all over him. He had had rheumatic’ fever twice’, but some years since he had been able to work. He was rather short of breath, and sometimes complained of a pain in his chest after walking. Witness left deceased in the parlour smoking his pipe about 6 p.m. on Sunday, and about 10 p.m. he was atonished to hear of his death. He had not had a doctor for three years. His father had said that the doctor told him he was to go about very carefully; he must not excite himself, and he must not hurry up stairs. Deceased several years back insured his life in the Prudential office for £7. Mary Ann Green, a widow. and near neighbour of deceased, said he came to her house about 7.30 p.m. on Sunday, and left about 9.40 p.m. The previous Friday deceased oomplained of cold, but on Sunday be was very cheerful and seemed as well as usual. Twenty minutes after she saw deceased she heard of his death. He had stated that he suffered from pains in his chest, and about three weeks ago be said he went very giddy in his shop. William Finch, Wickhamford, deposed to seeing deceased going towards his house about 10 p.m. on Sunday. He stopped and spoke to him, and deceased almost immediately fell down. James Farmer and Frederick Taylor were close by and saw him fall, and came to witness’s assistance. Deceased died almost as he fell. The jury at once expressed the opinion that deceased’s death was due to natural causes, accelerated by the rheumatism he had so long suffered from.
William jnr. married Elizabeth Glover in the January qtr. of 1889 though at present we have little detail about this.
By the 1891 Census William and Elizabeth, were now living at “The Lodge” off Greenhill Rd, in Evesham, a large property owned by John Stephens, a Maltster and Licensed Victualler, aged 64, his wife and daughter age 57, and 20 respectively, plus two live in servants, with William as the Gardener/Servant living in a separate house in the grounds. They had their first child Edgar William born in the July qtr. of 1889 but sadly he only survived for just under 4 years, passing away in the July qtr. of 1893. Under 2 years later Walter Percy arrived in the January qtr. of 1895, followed by Janet on 10th February 1896. At the turn of the century we find William and Janet living at the same location, this being one of the more well to do areas of Evesham at that time, but now with a new owner of “The Lodge” being Geo. Lavender Eades a 57 year old Solicitor and his two daughters aged 29 and 26, along with 4, live in servants including a 17 year old Gardener. William was listed as a Garden Labourer so it is not clear if he was working elsewhere or still for the Eades family.
In the 1911 Census William and Elizabeth have moved to 20 Common Rd, Evesham – a small terraced, red brick cottage near the centre of the town. Walter is also living with them as a 16 year old Butchers Boy. William is listed as a Gardener Domestic which we take to being employed by a household rather than the common trade in the area of a Market Gardener. Janet who would have been 15 at the date of the Census does not appear with the family and we cannot find her anywhere else, so we have to assume that she was in service somewhere but not registered in the census by her employer. In fact the next time that we can locate Janet, is her marriage to Thomas Moseley in Miserden in November 1919. In between that period we find her parents and brother Walter Percy, living in Lower Clopton, Mickleton – from the Gloucestershire electoral registers – from 1915 up to 1919. Presumably William had gone there for a gardeners job, but again we have no evidence of this as yet. From this evidence, despite not being able to locate Janet, it is highly likely that she met Thomas Moseley, her future husband in and around her parents home in Lower Clopton, as this is less than 3 miles from Marston Sicca where he was living for all of his early life. At some time before 1919 Janet must have obtained a job in service at Miserden House, as they were married in the small church at Miserden, and as can be seen, her address at the time of the marriage was Miserden and Thomas’s was still Marston Sicca (Long Marston).
After they were married they lived in The Camp, a tiny hamlet (Map of Miserden) of just a few houses and farms about 3 miles from Miserden and as Janet had their first, of two children only a few months later they settled in the area for the next 10 years. Also in 1920 just a few months after their daughters marriage, William, Elizabeth and Walter Percy also moved from Lower Clopton to Hazle Manor Lodge, on an estate owned and farmed by Col. Harry W M Parry-Bonham, that was barely a mile outside of The Camp. Thomas and Janet’s first child Daisy was born at The Camp on 13th May 1920 followed by Joyce on 14th March 1922.
In 1925, it seems that Thomas was successful in replying to an advert in the local Gloucester Citizen newspaper as by early in 1925 they were living at Honeycombe Farm and continued there until at least 1929 when they moved to Lower Lemington, near to Moreton in Marsh. – see Thomas Moseley
The rest of the Davis family, William and Elizabeth moved away from the Lodge at Hazle Manor in 1925 and the next location for them is Vine Cottage, Hambrook St, Charlton Kings in the electoral role of 1928. William was again working as a gardener quite possibly Beaufort Nurseries on London Rd, Cheltenham where it seems on 13th December 1932 he died of a heart attack whilst at work, according to his death certificate, aged 70 years. After his death the next time we know of Elizabeth is in 1939, when she is living at 11 Rynal St, Evesham, with a lady called Margaret Watson and two others (unidentified). Elizabeth died on 13th February 1947, of an “Intestinal Obstruction” in the same address in Evesham. Her son Walter continued to live in Througham Fields, near Stroud and just a few miles from The Camp until 1933 and then in the October qtr. of that year he marries Lily May Bridges, from Alveston, Warwickshire, at Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire. In 1939 they were living at The Laurels Cottage, Paxford, near Chipping Campden and Walter was working as a Groom. We can trace little of their later life until he died at the hospital in Shipston on Stour, Warwickshire in February 1967. He was living in Ebrington, near Chipping Camden at the time. Lily pre deceased him by a year and they had no children. He left his estate to his sister Janet when he died.
Elizabeth Davis (nee Glover) circa 1939 
Elizabeth Davis (r) and her step mother (?) at 9 Vine Cottage, Charlton Kings. 
Walter Percy Davis and his wife Lily on their wedding day in 1933 
Walter Percy Davis in Uniform WW1 
William (Bill) Davis at work as a gardener