Fee - I am sure you have already played with Pilot, but just in case it suggests the following may have some connection:
Fowler Dicken baptised 23 Jun 1749 in Church Preen Shropshire to Richard & Ann
https://pilot.familysearch.org/reco...=recordimage&c=fs:1473014&r=r_951706172&pn=p1
Married to Mary Davis 12 Sep 1779 St Martin's
https://pilot.familysearch.org/reco...=recordimage&c=fs:1473015&r=r_850044737&pn=p4
Children:
Ann Dickins baptised 16 Apr 1781 St Martin's
https://pilot.familysearch.org/reco...=recordimage&c=fs:1473014&r=r_890352201&pn=p2
Mary Dickin Baptised 17 Mar 1783 St Martin's
https://pilot.familysearch.org/reco...=recordimage&c=fs:1473014&r=r_890352525&pn=p2
Thank you very much for this. Though I have often used Family Search, I wasn't aware of the Pilot... it's looking great, although as usual John Dickins isn't where he should be.
The Fowler Dickins birth you found is the same individual, and the right family. Unfortunately, according to the person who transcribed the registers for printing in the Phillimore series, Church Preen registers were very poorly maintained in the 18th century, and there are many gaps and tearings out. Unfortunately John Dickins born 1737 is one of the baptisms which is missing from the record.
His father, Richard Dickins, was the last at Church Preen, and the family disappear for a bit before Fowler Dickins turns up in Birmingham. I have been searching for the son of John Dickins, another John Dickins, for over 20 years. I know a LOT about him - which regiments he served in, where he was for the census in 1841, where he died, who he married, who all his children are... but I haven't located his birthplace yet. When I went to the national archives to search for information on his army career, there was ALWAYS a gap where his information should be... either the specific year or the specific name was missing from the record. It's very frustrating!
JOhn Dickins was described as "of St Martins, Birmingham" in the Pallots Marriages, in 1811 when he married at Castle Church. His uncle is clearly married and has his children in the parish of St Martins, and so I am hoping there might be a bit more information in the full record for Fowler's marriage... anything that will help me to track down the birth of John Dickins jnr!
I really appreciate you having taking the trouble to post the details of the Pilot results, and I shall certainly be doing a few searches of my own. Thank you!
I keep hoping that if I collect all the peripheral information from the family that one day, if I am lucky, I will track him down.