We have in family 1b "John
b.1733"; in more detail (Lond***311176) John TOULMIN
bap. 25
Mar 1733 "John son of Robert Toulman of Kirkby Lonsdale" (PR
K.Lonsdale).
His
brother William's will proves he was living in 1794, and surely he was the John
Toulmin
who witnessed the marriage of his nephew Robert at K.Lonsdale in 1799 (the
latter's
parents were dead & John would then have been only surviving Toulmin
uncle).
I believe this to be the ancestor of the
Preston family, who m. Milcah Pooler at
Lancaster
in 1776, though this would be hard to prove conclusively.
1) As just noted, John b.1733 was certainly
alive in 1794, and was almost
certainly
the John Toulmin who witnessed the marriage in 1799.
2) The signature in the 1799 marriage
register and that in the 1776 marriage bond
are
very similar (admittedly both are little more than copy-book writing of the
name).
3) There is no other marriage of a John
Toulmin known that could refer to John
b.1733,
and it was quite unusual for men to remain unmarried into their 60s.
(Lt
John Toulmin, RN, who married Ann Toulmin, d. 1780: see Lond***311134.)
4) Conversely, in 15 years searching, I've
found no other John Toulmin who could
have
married Milcah Pooler in 1776.
5) In 1790 John and Milcah rather
mysteriously moved from Lancaster to
Whittington,
near K.Lonsdale, and near Newton Hall where the Lady of the Manor was
Susannah
North, formerly Toulmin, daughter of Oliver b.1721 who was a first cousin
of John
b.1733 (see family 1). Their son John
born there was baptised at
K.Lonsdale,
not at Whittington parish church.
6) The disparity in age between John and
Milcah is not too serious: as we know
that he
died some 20-30 years before her, it is not surprising if he was 20 years
the
older.