Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is an important county for Holliers. There appear to be two main groups of families. In the north of the county, the family at Deddington and surrounding villages all seem to be connected, even if some branches cannot be definitively attached to the tree, while in the south in the 18th century, families appear at Thame, Lewknor and Sydenham; these again are likely to be related, although the precise connections are not yet clear. Two families from Sydenham and one from Lewknor emigrated to Australia, so that most Australian Holliers descend from this group.

Recent research has now demonstrated that the Deddington group in the north of the county are indeed connected to the families in the south. This is described in greater detail here.

Charlton-on-Otmoor

Holliers are recorded here as early as 1572 and may have been in this area well before parish registration started. However, this group fades away in the 18th century. Whether they are related to the Deddington Holliers is not known.

Deddington

The earliest record at Deddington of a Hollier is 1645. Constructing a tree of the whole group is difficult because of their limited choice of forenames makes it hard to link marriages to births and vice versa, especially when baptisms only quote the father's name and not the mother's. The names Aubrey and Zachariah are therefore welcome exceptions to this trend which allows some families to be reconstructed much easier. Two main family groups have been established: the main Deddington family and the nearby Hempton family. The former group has descendants who moved to a wide range of places including Over Worton, Banbury, Duns Tew, Barford, Hook Norton, Chacombe, Burnham, Bushey, Harrow, Moreton in the Marsh, Shipston on Stour, Lighthorne, Newbold, Stretton on Fosse and Tredington.

The Hempton family starts with John Hollier and Martha Townsend who married in Butler's Marston in 1718 and had descendants at Deddington, Hempton and Aynho.

The online database also records a number of other 'family fragments' which are not yet connected up.

Somerton

Starting with Charles and Katherine Hollier whose family begins in 1724, there are a couple of generations at Somerton.

Bicester and Launton

Another Hollier fragment over 3 generations, probably descended from the Deddington group.

Thame

John Hollier married Mary Edoe at Watlington in 1781 and had 12 children, many of whom died young and none seem to have left any descendants. John (1784-1855) was a prominent solicitor at Thame. Anna Maria, their youngest daughter, married Major Jacob Watson in 1718 and travelled with him to South Africa, but died the following year in Cape Town. This family is now known to descend from the Deddington family.

Lewknor

William Hollier married Jane Messenger in 1781 in Lewknor and there were several generations at Lewknor, while some descendants moved to Chelsea, Marylebone and Camberwell. There seem to be close links to the Sydenham family, but the link has not yet been established. John Hollier (1813) emigrated to Australia. The Lewknor families seem to be closely connected to those at South Weston, which in turn have connections to the Deddington family.

Sydenham

Holliers appear in Sydenham, Oxfordshire towards the end of the 18th century. The family seems to stem from Richard Hollier (born c1749) who married twice. Two families from amongst his descendants emigrated to Australia: Thomas and Mary Hollier and Eden and Ann Hollier. Many descendants in Australia have contacted me about this family. A separate article on the Sydenham Holliers appears here, and the family tree can be viewed here.

Oxford

In 1709, Richard Holliar and Frances his wife from Sparsholt in Berkshire were given a settlement order allowing them to live in St Peter, Oxford. They subsequently appear to have had three children, Richard, Frances and Elizabeth, between 1709 and 1714. It's just possible that this family may be ancestors of the Holliers at Lewknor and Sydenham, though I think this is now less likely.