At the time of her birth, the life in the village was changing. By various private Acts of Parliament, the commons and waste lands were incorporated into the estates of the landowners and ordinary folk could not access them. An ordinary working family could not gather wood on common land and nor fish in common streams. To do so was considered to be theft. Poaching laws were particularly savage. Men, women and children who were caught maybe transported to the colonies. The basic villager's rights in the land had gone and this was not even partially corrected until the Small Holdings and Allotments Act of 1908 which allowed common folk to rent land from the parish. Under The Act of 1922 described an allotment as being a piece of land which is wholly or mainly cultivated by the occupier for the production of vegetables and fruit crops for consumption by himself and his family.
Travel between villages in the nineteenth century was not permitted. However, a particular landlord may have preferred workers on his farms who travelled from farm-to-farm.
As the children's birth records show, the Roylances moved to different villages where the children were born. The records show the follwoing:
- Ann was born at Allostock, Cheshire, England
- Elizabeth, Sarah and John were born at Newton, Cheshire, England
- William was born in Middlewhich, Cheshire, England
- James was born at Lower Peover, Cheshire, England
- Mary Anne was born in Standon, Staffordshire, England
- Katherine was born at Wolstanton, Stafford, England.
- Mary Anne was born in Standon, Staffordshire, England.
The family lived at Lewin Street. Lewin Street was numbered from 1 to 85. The people who lived in the street were a rich mix of native English and Irish immigrant families.
- At Number 23 lived the elderly Naylor brothers, Thomas (80 years) and William (79years) who were born in Middleiwch and landed proprietors. Mrs Elizabeth POTTS (47 years) also resided as housekeeper, being assisted by hourse servant, Ann POTTS (21 years).
- At Number 25 lived a Mrs nancy BURN (79 years) with her grandson Peter SCRAGG (11 years). Mrs BURN ran a lodging ghouse. In residence on 1851 Census night were Mr Arthur GRANT (50 yrs) and Mr James COWAN (48 yrs), both licenced Irish troppers.
- Down the street at Number 48 lived Frances GAFFONEY (59 yrs) and his blind, deaf and dumb wife, Catherine (50 yrs) and son Peter (7 yrs). They were Irish born, possible refugees in teh wake of the Great Irish Famine and Plague (1846-49).
- At Number 51 lived Michael FLANAGAN (30yrs) and his wife Bridget (25 (yrs) and children mary (7 yrs), Thomas (2 yrs), Mary (age unknown). Their tow lodgers were THomas Welch (35yrs) and Mary Welch (60 yrs). Bridget worked as an orange dealer, and the lodger Thomas worded as a farm labourer.
- A close reading shows that James 7 year old daughter, Ann, was not the only Ann Roylace in Lewin Street. A second Roylance family lived at Earnshaw Hall. The Head of Earnsaw House was John Roylance, born in Wimbolsley. amd described a farmer with 121 acres and employing 3 men. His wife was named Hannah (40 years) born in Macclesfield. The children were 8 year old Mary (scholar), 6 year old Elizabeth, fdescribed as a scholar born in Ruoheath. The youngest child was Ann, aged 2 years. John Roylance left a will.
She married John Booth; and she and the family lived in the 1871 Kinderton parish/township. The 1871 cesnsus listed:
John Booth (head) labourer 24 years
Anne (wife) 28 years
Thomas Roylance (stepson) 6 years
Elizabeth Booth (daughter) 4 years
William Roylance (lodger) 20 years
In 1899 an Anne Booth was listed as a pauper inmate (married) in Chester. She was described as a charwoman aged 55 years.
