My interest in the Breakwell family stems from my 4xgreat grandmother, Martha Breakwell (or Brekwell) who was born at Hopton Wafers, Shropshire, in 1776, and married William Philpott at Hopton Wafers in 1796.
Martha's parents were William Breakwell and Mary Morris who married in 1769 at Burford, Shropshire. They had 15 children: John (1770, possibly m. Jane Palmore, 1792, Cleobury Mortimer), Israel (1773, m.(1) Ann Prece, 1796, Hopton Wafers, m.(2) Penelope Carwardine, c. 1808), Martha (1776) (see above), a son (1779) (probably James, but the name is blank in the baptism register), Mary (1780), Mary (1781), William (1782), William (1785), John (1787), Elizabeth (1788), Anne (1790), Thomas (1792, died 1792), Thomas (1793), Edward (1795) and Cathrine (1799). John was baptised at Burford, but all the other children were baptised at Hopton Wafers.
The baptism register for John in 1787 gives William's name as William & Mary Breakwell alias Cotton. This is a vital clue as to the identity of William, as further research leaves little doubt that he was in fact baptised on 15th November 1743, at Wheathill, Shropshire, the son of William Colton alias Brecknock and his wife Martha. He had siblings: Samuel (1738), Martha (1740), Israel (1745), Edward (1748), Thomas (1751) and Esther (1754), all baptised at Wheathill. The marriage of William and Martha has not been traced.
William would appear to be the William Brecknock, son of Richard Brecknock and Elizabeth, baptised on 23rd November 1704 at Wheathill. He had siblings: Elizabeth (1686), Thomas (1687), John (1689), Richard (1691), Timothy (1695), Israel (1696) and Edward (1701).
Richard was probably the Richard Brecknock who married Elizabeth Wall on 13th January 1685 at Culmington, Salop. There are Brecknocks as far back as the 1500s in Salop.
I have extensive notes of parish register entries for the Breakwell family in Shropshire between 1741 and 1864. I have found no trace of the name in Shropshire prior to 1741, but as described above, the name appears to have been Brecknock in earlier times.
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