The two Whillas groups originated in Berwickshire.
1 The Whillas ‘BC group’ from Coldstream Berwickshire is the earlier group by one generation, and probably derives from the William W Whillas who was a minister at Lessingham 25km NE of Norwich. The minister had a son William Whillas b1610-25 living in Coldstream. This group has 180 named descendants.
2 The Whillas ‘BD group’ from Robert of Duns Berwickshire who married Barbara Bell about 1660 and fathered five children c1660-72, then Sibella Trotter about 1674,fathering a further five children c1673-83. This group has 385 named descendants.
The four Whillis groups originated in Berwickshire or in Northumberland at Berwick-upon-Tweed or Wooler. 1 The Whillis ‘BE group’ from Robert Whillas b~1734 & Margaret Hume in Eyemouth Berwickshire has 110 named descendants. Robert could be the son of Alexander Whillis & Margaret Pinkerton in Ford village of Northumberland 21 km from Berwick-upon-Tweed.
2 The Whillis ‘BM group’ headed by Alexander Whillis b~1755 who married Margaret Anderson has 1,960 named descendants. They had eight children all christened in Wooler, their youngest being George born September 1803. Isabel b1787 Alexander b1789 Ralph b1790 Robert b1792 Margaret b1795 Ralph b1797 James b1801 George b1803
3 The Whillis ‘BW group’ headed by Alexander Whillis and Isabel Anderson from Wooler has 35 named descendants. Their one child William was born in July 1803 out-of-wedlock at Wooler.
4 The Whillis ‘BT group’ from Richard Whillis (b~1735 Berwick-upon-Tweed, +1803 Berwick-upon-Tweed) has 165 named descendants. Richard’s father may have been mariner Thomas Whillis. One descendant was Flight Engineer Samuel Leslie Whillis who lost his life during the famous WW2 dambuster raid.
