Gabriel Campton (1680-1710)

The exact place of where Gabriel Campton was born is unknown, however, at some stage in his life, he settled in the village of Corley in Warwickshire where he died in 1710.

In 1702 Gabriel obtained a settlement certificate which shows that he was a resident of Middle Aston in the parish of Steeple Aston, part of the Wootton hundred in Oxfordshire and probably owned by the Earl of Northampton, George Compton. The settlement certificate, dated 4th May 1702, was to enable Gabriel to move to Corley and has a different spelling of his surname. Sources who have had sight of it report the surname Campdon or Camptin presumably due to their different interpretations of the handwriting and the literacy skills of Gabriel himself.

Gabriel’s health deteriorated, which presumably prevented him from working because he was evicted from his house by his landlord to make way for another employee who could take his place. Gabriel was therefore forced off the land and, under the terms of the settlement order, he returned to Corby possibly seeking poor relief. With no treatment available for his illness and unable to work, Gabriel died a pauper in the village in 1710. According to the notes of Kath Moffatt/Phil Stevens, Gabriel died whilst carrying a piece of furniture or a gate from Wibtoft to Claybrooks.